Yum: Spicy Kale Chips

I never liked kale before, but I've been seeing all the buzz about making chips floating around the internet. A few weeks ago a friend of mine whipped up a batch while I was at her house....they lasted maybe a minute fresh out of the oven before we devoured them. They melt right in your mouth, which is a strange thing to say about a vegetable.

I decided to put my own spin on these and make them spicy! And man...they really had a kick! I have made these several times now and have found that whether you keep it simple with just a little bit of salt, add in a mixture of spices or sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese these are going to turn out great!

You'll need to heat up your oven to 350 degrees, drizzle your kale with some olive oil (I massage it into the leaves to make sure that all of the crevasses are covered), lay out on a baking sheet and sprinkle with spices. These will bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping at 5 mintues.

I'm looking forward to trying out some Italian spices and Parmesan cheese too! Next up: brussel sprouts!

Peach Pie for my Valentine

What are you planning to do for Valentine's day? Craig and I very rarely go out for dinner, we try to stay in to avoid the crowds. We really enjoy cooking together, so we usually try to make something new. If you're not into cooking a big dinner, but want to impress your sweet-heart, these little pies will do just the trick!

I have never made pies before, so I just sort of winged it when I was making these...but they turned out so great! If I had to do it all over again I would probably fill them up a little more and make sure that it gets nice and close to the edges. You live and you learn! 

Okay so first of all I bought some frozen peaches and just let them thaw out over night and they worked perfect. Also, I bought the premade crust - judge if you will...but it was quick and easy!

Here is how I made the filling: 

About 8 Peach Slices, chopped 

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1/4 C Sugar

1 tbsp Cinnamon 

Pop those babies in the oven for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees and make sure to eat them while they're hot! Add a scoop of vanilla icecream for me, please. Before you know it they'll look like this...

Yum: Vanilla Cinnamon Walnuts

This snack might be the best thing I've ever made and maybe even the easiest. I found the recipe on Pinterest (I mean really, how did we ever cook/decorate/get dressed with out this site?!) I made a big batch as a thank you gift for a friend who watched my Kennedy-Buttons while Craig and I had a night in the city. I might have kept a small bowl for myself too :)

I always felt a little intimidated by recipes that had anything to do with ''candy'' for fear that I might have to stir with just the right amount of speed or break out the ol' candy thermometer. But this recipe only took about 20 minutes and made a huge batch!

Here's what you'll need:
4 cups of Walnuts
1 1/2 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Water
4 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

First, you're going to want to spread out all of the nuts onto a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Then, combine all of the nuts, sugar, water, vanilla and cinnamon into a pot and allow to boil. Once the mixture has started to heat up you'll want to start stirring. Keep stirring until all of the liquid has been absorbed - this process will only take about 5 minutes or so.

Lastly, lay out the mixture onto the baking sheet to cool. If you don't do this they will clump!

Eat the whole batch immediately!