Girl+Fire Turns 3!

Three years ago, after being laid up from foot surgery, I came up with the crazy idea to start a blog. And fiery orange one at that.

Three years later, my foot works again. And Girl+Fire is still burning orange. Somewhere along the way, I even learned to cook!

The way I've celebrated this milestone the last two years was to compile a top five list. When going through the posts from the last year, I noticed a distinct trend: alcohol.

Well, I've never been shy about my love for certain spirits. And what better way to commemorate a third anniversary than to pull out the best alcohol-laden posts? Because it's not a celebration without a good drinky-drink!

5. The only non-alcoholic item on this list is the Semi-Raw Kale Experiment. One should blog responsibly, after all. And eat your greens!

4. And then we delve right in to the whiskey posts with Lemon Whiskey Apple Butter. The best way to enjoy a comfort food like homemade applesauce is to cook in some whiskey while making it.

3. Then came the making of Red Wine Sangria. I've since made this for several parties and it always disappears. We'll call that a win.

2. But we always return to whiskey, especially when paired with bacon! The Bacon Whiskey Milkshake was really the best way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

1. Hands down, my favorite meal all year long was the Fluffy Homemade Spiced Pancakes. Made for grown men and young children, they have all become fans of the pancakes. Of course, these pancakes are even more excellent when paired with a lovely champagne. Which is what I actually put in them when making up a batch this last weekend. Champagne pancakes. It's one of the best things about being an adult. And this here blog!

Thanks to all the fans and readers for the last three years. A toast to all of you!

Semi-Raw Kale Experiment

I love kale. At least, I thought I did because I've only ever had it cooked in some manner. My mom makes a wonderful dish with kale and swiss chard, but again, it's cooked. And kale chips! Those are delicioso!

Then I tried it raw one day and almost immediately spit it out. It's not quite the same. At all. Apparently the only cruciferous veggie I can handle raw is daikon...I think I've eaten raw. But, in any case, kale is full of health benefits, so it must be eaten.

It's no wonder kids don't like vegetables...

And then I came across Janet's post over at The Taste Space, Almost Raw Asian Kale and Edamame Salad. It calls for marinating the kale in a lime juice for a bit. I figure this ceviche-like treatment would help "cook" it so it was worth trying.

I'm not one for vegan food. It's not a lifestyle I could ever adhere to, since I love cheese. And MEAT! But The Taste Space has some interesting recipes I've been eager to try, and this kale edamame salad was truly simple. And a good test of semi-raw kale.

As I suspected, the lime juice really does "cook" the bitterness out of the kale. The added benefit of sour lime juice is a bonus, since I love all things sour.

Janet suggests slicing the kale thinly, so I made kale chiffonade. It's so pretty! And yummy! Win!

For Janet's recipe, please click here.

It also works REALLY well with spinach. Spinach chiffonade! Pretty! Yummy! More win!