Bucatini with Kale and Kalamatas

Nobody is more shocked than I about how HUGE a HIT the lacinato kale was last night with my husband. (That’s the dark green kale with crinkled, bumpy leaves, also known as cavolo nero and dinosaur kale.) I’ve been seeing all kinds of leafy greens and pasta everywhere, and thought this carby combo was my best shot at sneaking kale to the table.  Bon Appétit‘s February issue has a ton of ideas for using kale, and gives tips for fast cooking: “Simply cook kale for a minute in a pot of boiling salted water. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and sauté with olive oil and garlic for two minutes.” Toss with pasta—we used bucatini, but Barilla Plus spaghetti would be the healthier, guilt-free option—and a squirt of lemon for a little acid. I had some leftover olives from book club the previous evening, so chopped up some of those and added to the mix for some healthier fat (the kind that fights cholesterol) than the typical sausage that usually accompanies kale and pasta on menus. Top with thick shavings of parm for a little protein.

Friday Follies in Film: Fringe Benefits

Friday Follies [n., pl.] postings on Fridays about fashion and food in film from guest bloggers with impeccable taste.

Much has been made of the vivid, pop art-inspired color palette and collage-like cutting in Godard’s 1965 film, Pierrot Le Fou. But really, the film (like Alphaville and A Woman Is a Woman, and, well hell, really all of the Danish-born French actress Anna Karina’s films), is a movie about heavy bangs and kohl-lined eyes. Long after you’ve forgotten all about that Brechtian breaking of the fourth wall business, or that film critics consider the film a paradigm of postmodernism, you’ll remember how helplessly charmed Jean-Paul Belmondo looked as Karina batted those thick lashes at him from underneath her schoolgirl-sexy brown fringe. The first time I saw Pierrot Le Fou at the Nuart, I booked a haircut and lash extension appointment while driving home on the 10. (Should you also find yourself seized with an immediate and uncontrollable need for falsies after viewing, trust me: Beverly Hills aesthetician Daniel Dinh.)—Robyn Brown

Robyn Brown has written and edited for several women’s magazines including Glamour and Allure. Currently she works as a freelance writer in Los Angeles, and is nearing the completion of her first novel.