pop quiz and crispy kale

Good Morning.  To start things off today, I have a little pop quiz for you.  Leave your answer (and/or suggested story) in the comments.  Best answer just might win a prize!

How did Josh wind up in the Emergency Room last night looking so drugged?

the powers of percocet and good friends who work at the hospital at work

A. He broke his arm wrestling a giant fish from the retaining pond in our neighborhood.

B. He broke his arm when he stopped a speeding car by giving it the "Heisman."

C. He broke his arm when he carried a four little old ladies from a burning building.

D. Annie is too wonderful a wife to tell how he actually broke his arm, but she is glad he's OK and glad we got to cross a visit to the UNC Hospital ER off our bucket list before me move!

I'm sure you will all have fabulous answers to the quiz and I can't wait to hear them.  I do have to say that we have the most amazing friends in the world here in Chapel Hill.  Within an hour of Josh getting hurt, Dr. Edward came to our house to give him the once over.  Within a few minutes we were on the way to the ER with an X-ray already ordered.  At the ER we were met by our other good friend, Dr. James who got Josh right through the system, medicated, drained, and back home within 2.5 hours- a record in the world of Emergency Rooms.  Thank you to both of our favorite orthopedic docs in North Carolina.  Y'all are amazing doctors and even better friends.  

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In other news, I have a recipe for crispy kale for you today that is delicious.  You have probably been hearing/reading/seeing people talk about how wonderful kale is for a long time.  If you are like me though, you have been avoiding it because of the weird texture, because you didn't know what to do with kale, or because you thought everyone who was making it was a health nut and didn't care about taste.  Well my friends, Josh and I bit the bullet a few weeks ago and bought some kale.  We experimented with a few different ways of using it (sauteed, in a smoothie, or crispy roasted in the oven) and now we are hooked.  

If you are new to kale and a little uncertain, try this recipe.  The kale comes out lightly browned and crispy and it is absolutely delicious sprinkled with a touch of sea salt.   I have served it as a side with black beans and rice and pork, instead of spinach with my chicken piccata, or just on it's own for a quick healthy snack.  

Crispy Kale

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of kale, leaves removed from stems
• Olive oil 
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped (I use the pre-chopped kind from the grocery store)
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. After washing and drying, place the kale leaves in a large bowl.
3. Drizzle enough olive oil to lightly coat the leaves.  (Too much olive oil will make them burn- really, start with just a little olive oil and add more if you need it.) Add chopped garlic and toss to combine.
4. Spread kale onto a lined baking sheet and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
5. Bake for 10 minutes.  When the kale comes out of the oven, sprinkle very lightly with additional salt if desired.  (Ours is usually so flavorful from the garlic, olive oil, and the little bit of salt and pepper pre-baking that we don't use more salt, so add more sparingly.)

Enjoy!