Raines Realm

If you've ever dealt with trying to find a healthy snack that actually tastes good or an "out of the norm" new vegetable side, this recipe is for you! Kale is often overlooked, but it is a superfood suited for many uses! This amazing vegetable has many health benefits including the fact that it is high in iron, vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and fiber; easily making kale a guilt-free, superfood addition to your diet. You can add it to smooties, stirfrys, egg scrambles, burgers, salads, as well as many other things, including these delicious chips. Kale chips are incredibly easy to make and only require three ingredients. The are light and crispy, absolutely delicious. If you buy kale already chopped, this recipe becomes even simpler, but it can be done with a bunch of kale with minimal effort. Kale Chips Recipe 3 Cups of Chopped Kale (stalks removed) 1 Tbsp Olive oil 1 or 2 Pinches of Sea Salt Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie...

Children can learn so much from making things in the kitchen. Not only does it teach them patience and how to follow instructions, but it also teaches science and builds confidence. The younger that you start allowing children to help in the kitchen, the better. In France, it is customary for children to bake on the weekends. They start at around three years old. They will bake in the morning and enjoy the treats for their afternoon snack. This helps teach patience. It also breaks the cycle of instant gratification. This is a wonderful approach that sets children up for success throughout their lives. One of the earliest recipes that children delve into is the yogurt cake. This cake is perfect for small hands. It uses two 6 oz. yogurt containers that then become the measuring cups for most of the other ingredients. This recipe is very forgiving, so if a cup is overflowing or not filled all the way to the top, the cake will still turn out well. You can allow children to get ...

This recipe is a favorite of mine. It combines just the right amount of sweetness and it's a perfect addition to a cheese course! (More on that at another time.) Spreading this recipe over a cracker paired with goat cheese is an ultimate snack, appetizer, or addition to your cheese courses. At this moment, I realize I might be obsessed with cheese courses. I'll reflect on that. Seriously though, this recipe really takes minimal effort, you can easily do it while doing other things around the house. I recently made this whole also doing some holiday crafts and it was a perfect treat to enjoy after clean-up! A side note, this has a shelf life of about three days, but I doubt it will last that long. You can easily make it for gifts if you make it the day before or morning of the exchange. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Fig and Onion Spread Recipe 1/4 Cup Olive Oil 1 Onion (diced) 2 Cups Figs 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar 2 Tbsp Sugar Directions ( Step-by-step vid...

This mid-morning break is an often overlooked retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily routine. Perhaps, it's time to reclaim elevenses and with them a bit of our sanity. The earliest recorded use of the term elevenses dates back to the early 18th century. It is not a full meal, but rather a morning snack break at, you guessed it, 11 o'clock. Elevenses are not to be confused with afternoon teas, as the latter is a light meal traditionally held between 2 and 4 o'clock. You can find more information on teas here:  http://alacuisinellc.blogspot.com/2016/11/afternoon-tea-and-high-tea-whats.html?m=1   Elevenses are a 20-30 minute break, for the sole purpose of recharging your batteries. Tea or coffee is customarily paired with simple cookies and enjoyed as a brief hiatus from the demands of the workday morning. Its a time to relax and reset, to enjoy a moment guilt-free. Elevenses are replaced by brunch on the weekends when there is more time to socialize and en...