Cabbage should be eaten raw, in fact that's Cole's Law.

Hey Ya'll! 

Food puns are the best, and you know it.  (If you didn't get it, read it again - I got it the third time!) Admit it, you at least rolled your eyes!!! 

I had to take a mega break from Pinterest after my Guacamole "incident". I may never slice an avocado again, I'm pretty traumatized. But I'm very ok with it.  Store-bought guac for the win!But I digress. 

Unfortunately, to succeed in life, I had to bite the bullet at attempt to cook again. Cooking also keeps me busy.  So if I have something on my mind, that's driving me bananas, I truly enjoy cooking.  Keeps my brain and hands occupied. It's therapeutic, even. 

I wanted something simple and light, in my (halfhearted) attempt to eat healthy and lose a few lbs. So, back to the Pinterest drawing board.

Roasted Cabbage it is! I've had some kick butt success with roasting zucchini, yellow squash, and green beans.  Plus, it's insanely and ridiculously easy.  So naturally, I was excited to give it a go! 

1. Slice up a head of cabbage, about 1" thick. (But be cautious of that knife!)

2. Lay the slices on a baking sheet with a light layer of olive oil underneath.  

3.  Put a small amount of olive oil on each cabbage slice.  Salt, pepper, as you'd like, for a bit of flavor (We all know cabbage isn't naturally zesty). 

4. Stick 'er in the oven for 40 minutes, and voila! Delicious. 

Who knew? It's eighty-five different kinds of healthy for you (I'm rounding that number), and super easy and light - perfect for a summer addition to your bbq! 

Also, I had to show off my new purchase. I'm pretty pumped. Glass cutting board and matching trivet? Such a domestic nerd.

Have a wonderful rest of your week! At least Monday's over, right?

Dancing with Myself

I don't have a whole lot this week - due to an unfortunately avocado slicing incident. My palm was the only casualty. (If you're keeping track, the score is Cooking - 1 Alyssa - 1). Typing too long proves to be a difficult task and full of entirely too many spelling errors.  So, I'll leave you with the current song in my head (as it has been for the past week).  And let you do your own slide and snap dance! If you don't know what I'm talking about, you've clearly never seen me dance to oldies music. Sorry I'm not sorry. 

Also - if someone can fill me in on this Harlem Shake business, I'd appreciate it.  I don't care to take the time to try to listen to the song and see what this phenomenon is. (I felt the same way about Gagnam Style)  I've been about 4 months late on these dance trends lately.  It's made me feel insanely old and frankly, blonde hair don't care. (Except the pop culture fanatic inside me - I NEED TO UNDERSTAND!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuqHlv1YPe0 

Enjoy your St Patrick's Weekend! 

Kale-in' it

Did you see what I did there? Did you see it? 

Sorry for that one, guys. Actually, I'm really not. I'm pretty proud of my mad wordplay skillz.

Moving on. 

I'm trying to live my life a little more domestically in the present days. You know, actually doing laundry (instead of the standard sniff test), decorating (in a grown up way, not in the glittery 14 year old way I really want to), and cooking (not throwing noodles in a pot and drenching it in 8 different kinds of cheeses).  

So, being the ever-so grown up that I imagined I was supposed to be, I went to the grocery store and bought a whole lot of vegetables (I'm really not a fan of too many fruits).  When I got home, I immediately put away said fresh ingredients and perused Pinterest (obvious next step). 

I was able to make a few delicious dishes and then promptly fell back into my undomesticated ways.  The turnaround was actually quite quick.  

That being said, I really hated to waste food.  So I did the 180 degree change up for another 24 hours, and decided I was going to cook that super nutrient-laden leafy green - Kale. 

I've had Kale before, and really loved it.  Loved it for it's leafy greens (I'm a sucker for salads), interesting taste, and the face that it's just so gosh darn good for myself. The downside, is that when I've cooked it before, it hasn't quite tickled my palate in the way that I wanted it to.

So, back to the wonderful world of Pinterest! (And Martha Stewart) Of course, I had to find a brilliant recipe with ingredients that I already had at home! (not much!) Then, as if from the heavens, it appeared.  A simple Kale recipe, that involved my first favorite food - pasta. 

So, how did it go?

Delicious! 

If I were to make it again, I'd find a different spice to add.  Thyme isn't my favorite spice, a little too overpowering. Granted, maybe there was a bit of a tomato mishap (my two cups of grape tomaters wanted me to go grape stomping with them), so I should've had a few more tomatoes added in.  Twas really amazing though.  Made me feel healthy and full, all at the same time! 

Make Martha's recipe your own, and roll with it - it's a pretty great way to incorporate some health into your life! 

Although, you should realize, I'm currently elbow deep in a sleeve of Thin Mints.  I don't regret it at all either - not with the healthy meal I just ate! 

Love and Laughs, 

AJ