Kale - who knew?

I don't know about you, but I have always thought that kale was a hostile vegetable. I liken it to chewing a big hunk of victorian lace, or one of those doilies that my grandmother used to lay over the arms of the couch.

But when we went to celebrate Tamara's birthday last night with the annual pot luck, p.j. affair, imagine my surprise when I found the following words tumbling out of my mouth: "Kale? Where have you been all my life?"

But first, before the amazing dinner, there were presents. This fantastic doormat was from Jan in honour of the best dogs in the world: Balya and Crea.

And this is Tamara laughing her face off.

Why? Because when she read Kari's lovely handwritten card, she THOUGHT it said "Have an annoying year".

What it ACTUALLY said was, "Have an AMAZING year".

In the meantime, Andrew was cooking the main course in the kitchen, and the rest of us filled in the blanks. Kari and Jan brought appies; vegetables, and several dips, one of which involved warmed gruyere cheese... I made a salad that was chock full o' love, and Andrew made the piece de resistance: baked sole gently nestled atop a tower of mashed potatoes and kale. And you know what? It was heaven.

Here's the steaming mass of deliciousness now.

Andrew prepared the much maligned kale by chopping and sauteing onions and garlic. He then added vegetable broth to the saucepan, and then he tossed in the kale. He simmered the whole works for about an hour. And therein lies the trick. You see, kale IS a hostile vegetable if it's not cooked properly!

And here's how the kale looked as part of the tower. Delicious.

The dinner was topped off by Aileen's amazing nanaimo bars. And from all reports, the birthday gal had a great time. This photo is for Geof, who is wondering what his daughter's new haircut is like. We think it's great.