Tag Archives: baking

keeks in the kitchen: kale chips

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I’m starting to think I should change the name of this series to “Keeks Eats Kale”.  Seriously, you guys must be getting SO sick of all the kale recipes.  But alas, I cannot resist its delicious versatility.  So, without further ado, I give you the most surprisingly scrumptious, savory, snack-able kale (k)creation to date: the kale chip.  With just three easy ingredients, you too can munch and crunch on some yummy potato-chip impostor.  And if you have any lingering suspicions as to their tastiness, just take it from my boyfriend…after baking up my first batch yesterday and giving him a little sample, he requested another batch immediately, specifically stating that he’d like “a really, really, really, big batch, please!!!”  Of course I obliged, then my entire supply of kale magically disappeared before my eyes.  These things are GOOD, people.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Now all you need to do is remove the leafy greens from the thick stalk, wash and dry, and arrange kale on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with one tablespoon of good olive oil, sprinkle with some seasoning salt, and bake for 8-10 minutes,  until the edges are brown but not burnt.  I checked on my chips mid-way through and agitated the sheet a bit, not sure if this makes any difference…DSC02955DSC02960

…but they did come out absolutely perfectly, so I’m sticking to my method!  Bon appétit!

merde macaroons

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Last night I put all of my extra down time to good use, by baking up a batch of coconut macaroons to give the dancers as a little congratulatory treat in honor of the opening of Sleeping Beauty tonight.  The little confections were sticky, fragrant and fun to make, and the end result yielded a pile of perfectly golden brown, crisp, mini-domes of sweet coconut goodness.  To add an extra level of decadence, I decided to half-dip the airy little cookies in chocolate.  Is your mouth watering yet?

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So, my fellow dancers, my colleagues, my friends, my ballet family- Merde, and bon appétit!

Irish soda bread

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Irish soda bread has always been a favorite of mine.  With fluffy raisin-packed loafs popping up all over the place (in honor of St. Patrick’s Day), my roommate and I became inspired to make some of our own.  We collected the ingredients about a month ago, but of course life got in the way and we never got around to using them.  This morning, I realized it might be nice to bake the bread and gift it to my landlady who lives upstairs (she’s 94- and spunky!).  The recipe resulted in rich delicious bread, and an incredible-smelling apartment.  Soooo, without further ado, LA RECETTE:

Ingredients:

4 cups of flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

4 tbsp butter

1 cup raisins

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.  Using your hands or two knives, gently work the butter into the flour mixture, until it becomes coarse.  Then, add in the raisins.  Make a well in the middle of the mixture, and add egg and buttermilk to the well.

   Mix with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir.  

Lightly flour hands, then knead dough for a short time- just until you are able to form a loose ball- DO NOT OVER KNEAD.  Transfer balled dough into slightly greased oven-safe skillet.  Using a serrated knife, score the top of the dough with an “X” about 1 1/2 inch deep, allowing heat to reach the center of the dough while cooking. 

Place entire skillet in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes (until top is golden and a skewer can be cleanly inserted and removed from loaf).  Allow bread to sit for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Serve warm or room temperature.