Some tasty kale chips

February 13th, 2008 • 2 comments chatter

CIMG6417, originally uploaded by tehbizz.

I’ve been looking for snack foods lately that aren’t chocolate and I happened upon a recipe for kale chips from 28cooks. Very tasty stuff! They’re thin and wafer-y but have enough crunch to remind you of a potato chips. Instead of apple cider vinegar, we used red wine vinegar. I found rubbing the oil/vinegar mix onto the kale itself actually more evenly spread it than tossing alone did.

We used three large kale leaves to make about 40 or so chips and promptly ate them within minutes. I’ve still got another 3 leaves left so I may make some more tonight or just wait until tomorrow to make a batch. I highly suggest trying them.

Smash Lab sucks hard, VP of Discovery apparently agrees

February 13th, 2008 • 5 comments chatter

So some Veep of Discovery Communications got air that their “science” show Smash Lab sucks a big one and wrote an open letter to Discovery Channel viewers on “what to do” with the show. Everyone has the same idea: can it. I watched the first episode, and only the first one, it was truly abysmal. No science, casting call actors, stupid experiments (“Hey, let’s hurricane proof a house! But we have to make sure that it’s NOT built to Florida state building code for hurricanes because it has to fall down”), quick cut editing and (mis)direction. It reminds me of another piece of crap show they have called Invention Nation.

They hired three “hack mechanics” (read engineering students who need work) to travel around the nation looking for green oriented inventions. The problem with this show is, again, they hired people with zero personality like on Smash Lab. The three hosts go to each interview location and practically show no interest in what’s being shown except for the made-from-algae syngas powered remote controlled car. I think they liked that because it was a simple toy. I think the show would do better with a Mike Rowe-esque host — or hosts — who would actually care about what’s being presented. It’s a very hard pill to swallow, I know. I enjoy the technology presented but the hosts simply kill the show altogether. When introduced to “green roofing” in Chicago, it’s as if they just wanted to talk to the company rep because she was fairly attractive. I don’t think they realized they were talking about putting plants on roofs.

I hope that Discovery Green doesn’t suck this hard when they launch it later this year. Since Discovery Communications turned The History Channel into The Boogieman Channel, I’m losing faith in them.