January Daisies

Its been a while since I did some artwork. I have been so wrapped up in crocheting and the holidays, that I nearly forgot about the relaxation of painting.

One afternoon after all had settled down, the house was cleaned and crochet orders were caught up, I decided I wanted to paint a while. I didn't have a new blank canvas so I took an old ugly abstract painting I did a couple years ago and painted over it with a new look. That's the fun of acrylic!


"January Daisies"

I knew sort of what I wanted to paint. I needed a picture for my bathroom to coincide with the colors of the curtain and rug. I grabbed just three colors plus white and began my masterpiece. I was not sure what to paint or how to do the colors so I just began using the brush on the canvas and adjusted and blended as I went. once it was completely dry, I randomly drew long stem daisies blowing in the wind.
 
I plan to do some more paintings as soon as I get more time. Painting is so relaxing.


Ive shared this at:
create-link-inspire at thecraftyblogstalke


Baked Kale Chips

I introduced myself to a new vegetable called Kale. I've heard of this leafy vegetable but never tried it until now. My sister told me that she baked kale leaves in the oven to make a healthy nibble snack.
Well, since I'm wanting to eat healthy I gave it a try. I actually tried a piece of kale before baking and found it to be delicious. I thought it had a slight bitter but nutty flavor.

 Baked Kale Chips

First I cut off the big stems then rinsed the kale in a colander.



You want them to be as dry as you can get them so it will turn crisp correctly. So after I rinsed them, I tore them by hand into small pieces and laid on a sheet of paper towels and used another paper towel to press the water away.


Then I put the kale pieces in a large baggy but you can also use a bowl. I poured a couple tablespoons of olive oil and sea salt into the bag and tossed the kale to get it coated well.

I covered a baking sheet with foil and laid the frilly greens in a single layer to bake.


At this point you can add other flavors if you wish such as garlic, or paprika (which is what I did). But its totally optional. Just the salt and olive oil alone make a wonderful flavor.

Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes until crisp.

They will be thin and fragile but not so bad that you cant pic them up to eat them. My husband and daughter liked them therefore I almost didn't get a chance to get a picture after baking. They didn't last long. These do not do good to eat later because some of the leaves will turn soft again but I heard you can store them in a paper bag to keep the crispness.

I'm thinking of trying some other recipes using this fiber filled vegetable soon. Do you have a Kale recipe you love? Id love to hear some more ideas.


Ive shared this at:
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa
made-by-me-109-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio 
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
create-link-inspire at thecraftyblogstalke