If you’re on this site right now chances are: your work didn’t block me as porn (laugh now, but I guess it has happened to some people) you’re incredibly bored or you’re nosy as hell. Either way, I’m glad you came!!! Anyhoo, what I was really going to say is that if you are on my site, you probably know me pretty well and know that although I may be gifted in some areas, a chef I am not. I have been trying more and more to make some of the recipes we’ve had on The Couch at home and lo and behold I’m actually starting to learn my way around the kitchen! We had Amanda Freitag on from the Food Network and she taught us this quick and easy recipe that I made this past weekend for my sister and mother in law. They absolutely loved it and it only took about 30 minutes to make from start to finish! Plus, if you want to have friends over and look like you put in a little extra effort (anyone can put out chips and salsa but WE make crostini) this is the recipe for you…. If you do make, send me your success stories! Bon apetit!

Kale, Ricotta, Fresh Plum Crostini
Yields 6-8 crostini
 1 bunch Tuscan Kale, finely chiffonade
 1 lemon, juiced
 1 shallot, thinly sliced
 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
 salt to taste
 2 black plums, cut into quarters
 1 cup fresh ricotta (I substituted whipped cottage cheese- it was great!)
 1 baguette
 3 Tablespoons olive oil
 salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
In a medium bowl mix together the chiffonade kale with lemon juice, shallot, olive oil and salt. Let sit and marinate for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the baguette into 1⁄2 inch thick rounds and spread evenly onto a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Toast in the oven until golden brown.
To assemble crostini, smear each piece of bread with a generous layer of fresh ricotta and top with kale and finish with a quarter of plum and serve.
As an alternative, to create a salad, just toss together all ingredients except ricotta (omitting the baguette) and spoon fresh ricotta onto a salad plate and top with kale and plums that have been tossed with the lemon juice and olive oil.