It all started when I opened my mouth and offered to help. The wife was dressed up for an appointment, and she said she was going to go up to the garden to pick some kale for a salad for dinner. Since she was dressed up, I offered to go pick the kale. She said, "No, but you can make the salad." Making a kale salad should be simple, but the recipe was pretty complex with a number of different ingredients, and some that lacked an amount for the item.
I was stumped by the recipe, Some items had amounts, such as 1/3 cup of olive oil and one tablespoon of mustard. There was quite the ingredient list, and without going back to the recipe, I suspect that over 2/3 of the items had no amount. Heck even the amount of kale was amorphous, as it said "a bundle of kale."
How much constitutes a bundle of kale? I don't know, but the wife seemed to know because she had the proper sized bowl. Making the salad took more time and effort than I thought it would or should. She even had out several of the ingredients. For massaging the kale, I sprinkled some of the 1/3 cup of olive oil on the kale and worked it with my hands. Only after she got home did she say did you use a bit of salt too? She said she had said use a bit of salt, I did not hear that. Yet, she said it was an "Oh, so good salad." Hence, my massage technique must have worked.
The recipe called for salt, pepper and oregano, but no amounts, so I just dumped some in. Which of course, she had an explanation of what you do when a recipe has salt or pepper but no amount. Of course, I paid close attention, but cannot recall what it was to do. She did have a dig, saying, about me, something to the effect that here is the guy who avoids measuring anything when I make stuffing. That is true. My amounts always vary as do the seasonings I use. I go with what I feel like adding. Some of the spices would be rather unconventional for dressing.
The whole issue of kale this year was difficult. Critters digging out the young plants I started, then I bought more to replace those, only to have them eaten. I planted a third time, and placed a second fence inside an already fenced in garden, and was extra secure in tightening my row cover down. After that much trouble, and expense, the darn salad better taste “Oh, so good!” I am happy, that even though I did I just "dump stuff" in, and may not have massaged the kale correctly, my first foray at a kale salad was one that was good.
