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kirtsy / Popular

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Healthy comfort food?

Just when we thought sunny days were back for good, we woke up yesterday morning to clouds & drizzle. You know days like that just scream COMFORT FOOD. So I was happy when I found an update on google reader for Irish twice baked potatoes by Ivy Manning over at www.cookingupastory.com via Good Stuff NW...comfort food that's delicious and good for you? Yes please!
If you make 'em, comment below and let me know how/if you or your family liked them.

Recipe, 'How To...' video, and source links below.





Fresh Ingredients:

· 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed (8 to 10 ounces each)

· 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided

· 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions (about 1 large)

· 1 cup Irish-style stout

· 1 bunch lacinato kale or Russian kale(about 3 ounces)

· 1 cup buttermilk

· 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

· 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

· 1 cup grated cheddar cheese



Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Rub the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of the oil and place directly on the oven rack. Bake until they squish easily when gently squeezed, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Add a splash of the stout and scrape up any browned bits. Continue to cook, occasionally deglazing the pan with the stout until the onions are deep brown and nearly all of the stout is used, about 30 minutes total. Tear the tough ribs and stems away from the kale and discard or use for stock. Roughly chop the leaves and add half the kale to the onions, tossing with tongs to wilt the leaves. Add the remaining kale, toss, cover, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. With a serrated knife slice off the top quarter of each potato. Use a soup spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell on the bottom and sides. Mash the flesh with the buttermilk, butter, and mustard powder. Gently fold in the onion-kale mixture and season with the salt and pepper. Mound the mixture into the potato shells, sprinkle the tops with the cheese, and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes, and serve warm as a side dish or a vegetarian main course.


Source info:

Cooking Up A Story
Ivy Manning
Good Stuff NW

Jamie Oliver 2010 TED Prize Winner

Jamie Oliver's wish

"I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity."

If you have school age kids & have at times been concerned about the food your kids are being given (nachos should not be a lunch item choice!), then you need to watch this. Thank you Activistas for posting this! You can see the Activistas entire post here and the TED post here. As for me, this has inpsired me to try something I've never done before. How green does your garden grow? I'm about to find out.

I'm a big fan of blogs. If I had to tell someone exactly how many blogs currently reside on my Reader, I don't know if I'd be embaressed or surprised. That being said, I think I added three more to the list about 15 minutes ago. Whatev...have you heard of Knock off Wood? No? Well then please, click on the link & be prepared to be blown away. When this blog updates it's all I can do not to stop what I'm doing and devour the entire post. This blog has so inspired me that I'm 85% convinced that I'm going to tackle building this West Elm Modern inspired Farm Table . I've been thinking about it for awhile now and after reading about the success of the first timers over at pemberwick.blogspot.com, I went from 'meh' to 'I can SOOoooo do that too'. Paul & I have always wanted a big table like this but were convinced that it would be awhile before we could actually afford the one that would fit us perfectly. So...can you build a $600 Farm Table for $20-$30 (about how much it has cost some readers)? Stay tuned folks.