If at First You Don't Succeed, Steal, Steal Again

Lately, I've been feeling like a failure. I just can't seem to do anything right. It's been about a million different little things from grammar mistakes to (pesky, not serious) health stuff that has me at physical therapists or doctor's appointments three days a week. And then there's my cooking. I made those baked mozzarella sticks. They were pretty yummy, except that I turned my back on them for one minute too long and they were melting piles of goop. Then I made a no-cook pasta sauce I saw on another blog. Flavorless and watery. I tried a hand at dessert - Julia's Baked Yogurt Tart topped with fresh raspberries. I suppose I should not be surprised that it tasted very much like lukewarm yogurt. I'm hoping refrigeration helps matters, but I'm not holding my breath or anything. So basically, I just keep trying. And failing.

Considering my recent streak it should not be a big surprise that this recipe isn't even mine. It's stolen from my mom's friend Joanne. You remember Joanne right? She's the one responsible for the highly addictive cauliflower crisps? Trust me, these days you're much safer making something I'm not responsible for. Also, please tell me in the comments what I left out. It seems unlikely given my recent track record that I would have written this up properly.

KALE AND BEET SALAD
serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
for the salad:
6-8 large leaves of kale, center rib removed, torn into bite sized pieces (wash thoroughly, kale lives in sandy soil, so be sure to remove all the grit)
4 medium beets, cut into a small dice
1T olive oil for roasting beets
red onion (about a slice per person)
goat cheese- 1-2 oz crumbled
salt and pepper

for the dressing:
2 T olive oil
2 t balsamic
one crushed garlic clove (remove before pouring dressing)

DIRECTIONS:
Peel and chop the beets to a small dice. Spread the beets on a foil lined cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and toss with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes until tender and sweet. While the beets are cooking, mix up the dressing and let it sit, this will give the garlic time to release its flavor.

Allow the beets to cool completely. Remove the garlic from dressing and toss the kale with the dressing. Arrange the kale on plates, top with beets, goat cheese and red onion. Run for your camera, demand the recipe and post to your blog. Continue to consider yourself a failure, if a well-fed one.