COLD, CHILLY, DAMP, DRIZZLY, WET .. UGH

What kind of southern Texas weather is this?  It's not what we're used to.  Hope it passes quickly. This is what we woke up to this morning.

Ice on the car window

The fronds on this palm were weighed down with ice

Temperature at 10AM

My post on January 27th  had a kale recipe for a side dish and main entree.  After re-reading the post I realized that the main entree was missing rice, oops, sorry about that.  I've updated the recipe and hope you get a chance to try it.  We had it last night and Denis said it was spicy hot.  He's such a baby when it comes to spicy dishes ... I mean how hot can curry get.  I added Tabasco Brand green pepper sauce to my plate.  I've become addicted to the sauce and find myself adding it to all kinds of foods. It's not hot, hot like regular Tabasco but adds a nice kick.

I mentioned Himalayan salt in that post and promised to let you know why we prefer it to regular table salt.  The label on the package says it's the cleanest, best tasting and most beneficial salt on earth.  If you'd like to learn more, here's a link:  Benefits of Himalayan Salt

I thought this was cool - Looking through my palm door decal I could see a real palm tree

Today we went to the Flea Market in Donna but most of the vendors were closed because it was just too darn cold.  It was in the same area as Staples and Macy's which we had to go to.  Macy's had the black jeans I ordered and my sweet hubby bought me a Kindle Paper White to replace my old one.

We stopped to see Dave and Sandy Fall at Victoria Palms.  We haven't seen them in ages and it was nice to spend a few hours over a cup of coffee catching up.

Dave and Sandy Fall

That's all folks!  Thanks for stopping in.

FLIP FLOPPING WEATHER - HEALTHY RECIPE

Wow, the temperature here in southern Texas has been on a roller coaster ride.  We went from needing our electric blanket at night to keeping the windows open wide.  Today it's hot and muggy, what a difference from Arizona's nice dry climate.  I'm not complaining, I'm just saying.

Yesterday we went to the local farmer's market.  There were just a handful of vendors there but I was able to purchase some fresh kale, mixed greens, grape tomatoes.  One of the ladies was selling small potted herbs and I bought some parsley, mint, lemon balm and oregano.  They look really pretty in the colourful container Denis made for me.

Small community farmer's market

I don't have a green thumb but I hope these herbs survive

For those of you that haven't tried kale, here's some good reasons why you should.  Kale is being called the new beef, queen of greens and a nutritional powerhouse.  It's low in calories, high in fiber, iron, calcium, Vitamin K, C and A, full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and a great detox food. I try to make it once a week and we love it.

Here's a recipe that we both like.  Buy fresh kale from your local farmer, bring it home and wash it thoroughly in a sink full of cold water.  Shake off the water and get out your cutting board.  I strip the leaves from the tough part of the stalk, chop the leaves into small pieces and throw away the stems. Get out your skillet, drop in a blob of coconut oil (we buy a big bucket of organic coconut oil at Costco) and heat.  Place the kale in the hot oil, turn down the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.  For those of you who like onions, we do, I cook the onions until wilted BEFORE I cook the kale.  The kale should be crisp, tender when done. We like it seasoned with our Himalayan pink salt.  It's tasty eaten like this as a side dish or you can take it a step further for a main dish by adding rice and chick peas.

Prepare the kale as described above, then add a can of garbanzo beans (chick peas).  Add your steamed rice, a few splashes of chicken broth (we buy a case of Costco's Kirkland brand organic broth) and sprinkle a nice red curry in to your taste. Let cook and keep stirring maybe 5-10 minutes,  and enjoy a healthy, tasty main entree.  We love curry and it's health benefits.

After reading this recipe, I realize I'm going to have to explain the health benefits of organic chicken stock, Himalayan salt and coconut oil.  I think I'll save that for another blog.  If you try this recipe, please let me know.

That's all folks!  Thanks for stopping in.