Ten Things I Bought and Love: a few of my favorite things

Sep 20, 13 Ten Things I Bought and Love: a few of my favorite things

Posted by in Leisure

Buying things over the years… All of us buy a variety of things over the years.  My customer experience ranges from wild joy at what I have bought to complete disappointment.  These items are the ones I love so much I feel like I have a relationship with them.  They make my life better in a long term relationship, and I grow more and more fond of them every day.  I hope you will share some of the things in your life you love. 1.  Vitamix Blender We bought our Vitamix a few years ago when I decided our family should try eating “raw” for a month.  My previous blender lasted about 20 days and then was done.  I really wanted a Vitamix.  I had seen one in my 20’s and knew I wanted it.  When the old blender broke, I looked at Mel and said, “What will I do?”  and he said, “We better go buy you a Vitamix today.”  Vitamixes are fairly expensive and he got some real points for understanding how important it was for me.  We found one, bought it and I have been infatuated ever since with both Mel and the blender!  Mel is fond of saying, “We are part of the Vitamix family.”  It came with a video and that is how they talk about their customers.  Hokey as it is, I really like being part of the Vitamix Family! 2.  Kindle I have a Paperwhite Kindle and although I am not absolutely sure it is the best possible e-reader, I love it so much.  I love that it clears my house of the clutter from my voracious reading. 3.  The Art Quilt that hangs on the wall and says “YES!” My friend Catherine Schuler made it and I bought it as she was hanging her art show.  I look at it from my desk and it reminds me how I want to live my life. 4.  Cutco Knives I got these when the boys were little.  They were pricey...

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Raw Spicy Kale Chips

Jul 10, 13 Raw Spicy Kale Chips

Posted by in Recipe

I love making kale chips and my kids like them too.  They are always a hit at a party and people are always a little surprised when they like them.  They are great for parties and I use them as a somewhat healthy snack.  For me they really do replace chips. I love how my friends eat them skeptically and get a surprised look on their face.  “These are really good,” they say. “Yes,” I reply. “No, I mean really really good,” they say “I know. Have I ever served you bad food?” I say. Try them for yourself! 1 Cup Almonds or Cashews, soaked in water for 24 hours, water discarded 2 bunches of Kale, any type 1 Red Bell Pepper 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast 1/4 cup Wheat-free Tamari 1 Jalapeno, seeded (optional) 1/4 cup Cider Vinegar (optional)   Start by soaking the nuts.  By soaking them, it accomplishes two goals.  The first is to remove an enzyme that makes them harder to digest, the second is to make them soft and creamy for the kale chips.  Make sure to discard the water. Next, prepare your kale.  You are going to remove the fibrous stem.  I fold the leaf in half and use scissors to clip down the back.  Tear the kale into bite-sized pieces. Preparing the sauce:  I use my Vitamix to blend the rest of the ingredients.  If you don’t like spicy, then leave out the jalapeno.  If you don’t want tang, then leave out the vinegar.  They are also delicious without these ingredients and more kid friendly. Toss the kale in the sauce and spread out on dehydrator trays.  Dehydrate under 115 degrees to maintain raw temperature.  Keep them in the dehydrator until they “crunch” when you taste them usually about 4 hours.  I find it best to flip them around to loosen them from the tray after about 2 hours so they don’t stick to the tray at the end.  I keep these in a zip-lock bag in my...

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