Rainbow Chard, I think I love you!

I was walking up Roncy, minding my own business (something I rarely do) when this huge pile of gorgeous rainbow chard screamed my name and begged me to take some home.  Up until that morning, I had absolutely no idea of how to cook chard (with or without a rainbow in it) but thought to myself that something so luscious just gotta be good for y'a!  So I bought two nice bunches and headed back home, wondering how my peeps would rate this cool looking veggie, first gracing our kitchen counter, and then sitting on their plate.

In less than 30 seconds, Google suggested this recipe.  'Nice and simple' tends to work perfectly at this end so I was quick to get to work, still wondering... Will they eat it with or without a smile? Really, anything with the word 'Rainbow' must be yummy!

Sautéed Rainbow Chard with Garlic and Lemon (from The Food and Wine magazine)

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3. 4 pounds rainbow or ruby chard—thick stems discarded, inner ribs removed and cut into 2-inch lengths, leaves cut into 2-inch ribbons
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Stir in the garlic and cook over moderately high heat until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Add the chard leaves in large handfuls, allowing each batch to wilt slightly before adding more. Season the chard with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the leaves are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chard to a bowl. Wipe out the pot.
2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. Add the chard ribs and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wilted chard leaves and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with the lemon zest and serve right away. 

Et voilà!  Nice and easy indeed!  Give it a try, it's yummy!

P.S.:  And in case you're wondering... Did they eat it with or without a smile?  Statistics go something like this:

• 100% of my peeps loved it on the counter
• 75% of my peeps had a smile on while eating it
• the other 25% had a bit of a frown, then gave it a go!

I guess it could have been worse so of course, I'm cooking it again!  Me thinks Rainbow Frittata sounds mighty good! Who doesn't need a rainbow in their belly after all?  In fact, I like it so much, I'm most certainly planting some in the garden this year!  That will be the next thing to Google.  What about you?  Are you a rainbow chard fan?  Any good recipes to share?

What I wore on RelieF - XI



http://relief.tv/videos/1100034329

This week on RelieF, we talked about great safety products and tips and even managed to throw in a word on style!  A huge thanks to Tail-Wags Covers and West Side Cycle (our local bike shop) for their help with this segment and for making safety fun.

Here's what I wore...

Brenda Beddome Cropped Pants in Black $120 available at Fresh Collective.  I'm all about style that fits and so is Brenda Beddome!  Could these be the most comfortable pants I've ever worn? Possibly.  There's a wonderful stretch to the fabric that's very flattering, they also stayed wrinkle free and that's a big bonus.  I think they would be perfect to travel in style!  I also loved the perfect cropped length...not too short, not too long!  Very Parisien. For the segment, I wore them with a pair of simple leather flats and a matching wide black belt but anything goes here!

The wonderful Alexi Sleeveless top is by Studio Fresh $110, also available at Fresh Collective.  Easy to wear, easy to love and transform.  The wide cuff is mine - I'm particularly fond of this piece and really wish I knew more about it.  It was the first of many excellent vintage finds at my local Mrs. Huizenga 's.

The lovely air balloon earrings are by Curious Oddities $18, and match the soft blue air balloon pendant $20 (always nickel free). 

Old tee, no make-up, bad hair? No problem!  It's truly fascinating to see how a great pair of pants and some simple accessories can easily turn things around!  Happy weekend, everyone!

Three products I'm loving!

Here are three 'new-to-me' products I'm loving. 

First comes the butter bell!!  This little wonder has finally allowed me to move my family away from the totally unhealthy margarine to some deliciously rich butter (God help me) . We tried to make the switch twice before but hard butter breaks toasts and nobody feels like struggling with breakfast first thing in the morning.

From Kitchen Stuff Plus

This is how it looks when it's open...

Yes, I know... I could have at least removed the crumbs out of the butter but hey, life is not a magazine and I've got 4 kids digging in there!  OK fine, let's clean-up this blog...

There you have it... looking a little more appetizing!  Here's how it works, you fill the 'bell' part with cold butter, and replace it once a day (I replace it when I make coffee).  The other side of the bell has the butter, you simply insert it over the water part to keep it fresh but soft. I wash both sides of the bell about once a week.  The butter bell simply sits on the counter ready to be used.  That's right, no need to refrigerate.  It works.  As long as you replace the water regularly, your butter will do fine.

Then there's this 'chopper thingy', sounds exotic doesn't it?  I totally heart it!!  I bought it at HomeSense for a few dollars.

Perfect for cutting fresh herbs and hard broiled eggs.  Let me put its awesomeness in mathematical terms:

1 roll over anything ONCE X 5 blades = mucho chopping + little effort

And there's even a couple of added benefits:  it doesn't crush the herbs + it's easy to clean.  I have decided that I like it.  Oui, I like it a lot.  I'm never, ever chopping herbs with a knife again.  It will come in handy at the end of the summer to chop and freeze herbs from the garden!

Last but not least is this contraption (another exotic name for you!) I found at Canadian Tire, no less. It's an outdoor infuser. Think of the possibilities! 

The insert without holes is for ice, it obviously acts as a cooler minus the water effect so white wine or any alcoholic drinks could work perfectly here. 

Then there's the exciting part, the insert with holes, it acts as an infuser.... Imagine that!  Fruits for sangria, lemon, mint, you name it. It will keep your drinks tasty, cool and delicious.  

Both inserts screw nicely to the top and fit in together when you're ready to put it away.  I love a product I can put away easily!  I only wish it came in glass vs. plastic but I'm really looking forward to putting it to good use next time we entertain outside - which should be soon!

What about you?  Any cool gadgets you'd like to share?

Reconsidering short hair - To grow or not to grow?

I'm either suffering from a wicked spring fever and/or an early middle age crisis.  As a result, I'm reconsidering the length of my hair.  The dilemma comes down to this: to grow or not to grow?  We're not talking growing long, nah, that's not for me.  We're talking a couple of inches at the front... like this...

Some old magazine cut-out kept in my kitchen drawer

Really, growing a couple of inches is easily achieved and can make a big difference!  So I'm working on gathering some inspiration and trying to decide if I should go back to longer hair at the front while keeping the back very short.  The idea is appealing at the moment, especially when I see these middle aged women rocking classic short looks.

 

Some food for thought wouldn't you say? More wonderful short hair...

I particularly love this look and the bleached hair. Sure wish the sunglasses and outfit came with it - j'adore!

The Sartorialist

And because one could never have too much inspiration, there's this couple... Ahh, my idea of perfectly classy yet effortless stylish!  Loving the idea of getting the hair out of the way once in a while too. I'd just have to work on mon homme and get him to wear a funky scarf!  Easier said than done.  We might have to compromise and go for his fedora adorée.



The Sartorialist

Excellent inspiration, love confident people in l'age moyen.  So what do you think?  To grow or not to grow?   Well.... that's where I left things last week... and it's not that I don't care about what you think, it's just that I needed to get my hair done before RelieF's last segment so I went for it... shorter at the back, slowly growing the front and softening the colour.  We're transitioning and it's not too painful.  I think I like it.

http://relief.tv/videos/1100030915

It's taken me decades to understand that there's no such thing as 'bad hair' only 'bad haircuts' - and I had my share of those!  Lucky for me, my hairstylist is wonderfully talented and shall remain my absolute best kept secret (OK, unless you're desperate for a fantastic cut, in which case click here!)