Kale Chips

 

I really love kale chips... I want to share with you how easy they are! If you've never tried them, at least give them one chance for me.  Kale is pretty inexpensive and it's really low in calories.

Here's what you'll need:

1 bunch of kale {about 3-4 cups}

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic

Salt

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  Wash & dry the kale.  Remove the stem/middle from the bunch {these are the bad, bitter parts}.  Tear the leaves into halves or smaller pieces.  Mix olive oil, garlic and salt in a large bowl.  Toss kale in the large bowl with the mix until all is lightly coated.  Then, spread kale out on a baking sheet.  Bake approximately 20-25 minutes {until you see it getting really crispy}.  Enjoy & let me know what you think about this new recipe!  Don't be afraid to branch out.  It's an easy recipe to take on the go as well.

How to Make Perfect Meringue

In the season of pie-making, we must be harness our inner Paula Deen & learn to whip up some tall, fluffy meringues. In case you don't feel like a pro, it's okay... I don't either. I'm here to give you my favorite meringue recipe & the best tips I know on how to make your meringue Christmas-dinner-worthy!

What you'll need:

A very clean, dry, glass bowl
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp sugar

Okay, here we go.  Get your glass bowl & beater out... And I don't mean your hand beater or your whisk.  While that would be a good workout, it would take all day & make your meringue stiff.  {TIP: Your bowl should be VERY clean & completely dry.  If there is any moisture or oil/fat from your bowl or fingers, this will affect your meringue poorly.} Place your egg whites into your glass bowl and start beating on low/medium.  {TIP: Your egg whites will whip better if they've been sitting out at room temperature.  I'm not talking all day.... I'm not a fan of food poisoning.  I'm just saying they will whip better if you allow them sit out while you're baking the pie.  Also TIP: Make sure there is absolutely NO yellow in those egg whites.  If you see yellow, start over.  It's a pain, but your meringue will fall.}  Add cream of tartar and vanilla. Continue mixing on medium until it forms a soft peak.  This will look like little peaks that form curls when you take the beater out.  You're not done though!

Now, add 6 Tbsp of sugar one at a time &  increase your mixing speed to medium/high until your meringue peaks.  There are several different levels of peaking, but you want a stiff peak.  This means when you pull the beater out, the peaks will form stiff tips {they won't curl anymore!} Perfection!

Top your pie with your wonderful meringue.  Brown in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes!