A friend-of-a-friend makes things like kale chips and his own oat milk.
I sneered.
I was wrong.
I made dinner for friends a couple nights ago for the SUPER-DUPER BLUE MOON of ME (Pisces). I was going to make Indian rice pudding (kheer) w/ cardamom and apples--dairy free, because a friend is allergic to dairy. I was going to use oat milk, which I like. Also, I feel better about the cows. Also, my cholesterol has gone up.
I decided to make my own oat milk for the first time. As I'd heard, it's easy, though a bit messy.
OAT MILK
soak oats in water, grind in blender, drain through a flimsy cloth.
Oats and water...
It's practically FREE.
It drives me crazy that it costs as much or more than cow milk, and at coffee shops, they even charge you extra for oat milk.
So that was good. I decided to try making kale chips too. The name had put me off--I'd have tried it earlier if someone had said,
"Did you know if you roast kale, it gets crispy?"
Old news to many, but, hey, it does.
KALE CHIPS
Toss a bunch of kale with 1-2 T olive oil,
sprinkle it with salt,
bake it at 300º for 20 min.
Easy. I could have eaten the whole batch out of the oven. So tasty! So fun to eat!
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Yesterday evening, I went to hear friends playing music at a little arts & crafts & farmer's market.
Below: Stefanie & Jim at Tiny Diner
Working at a thrift store, I hardly ever buy anything new, but at the market a couple were selling little Pokémon doohickeys they make on a 3D printer with some sort of biodegradable plastic. I loved them.
I don't know much about Pokemon but I like the fat and cheerful ones, like Bulbasaur, "a well-behaved Pokemon that shows a nurturing instinct"---and they'd made a little pink Bulbasaur planter.
I got it. It weighs as much as a marshmallow.
I'll plant some spider plant babies in it.
The Bulba was one of their more expensive figures at fifteen dollars.
I gave the makers a twenty and got a five back. A little nerdish boy, about ten, was looking at the figures too.
"Can you name them?" I said.
Of course he could name every one. (I can't.)
"You should win a prize," I said. "I have five dollars, do you want..." –– before I'd finished, he'd said, yes! I love how some kids don't pussyfoot around.
He bought a little... I forget who, and he zoomed off with it. I don't think he even said thank you, or just barely, but his eyes were glowing.
Penny Cooper was talking about sharing today.
"Everybody can share––everyone has something they can enjoy giving away."
