Kale Chips

Over the past few years I have discovered that kale is one of the hardiest, easiest and healthiest things you could possibly grow in your garden.  I actually discovered this by accident one year when I picked up a pack of kale instead of the broccoli which I was hoping to grow.  I have since found broccoli and I don't mix well, but kale I can grow at an astonishing rate.  As a result, I have found several recipes throughout the summer that use kale as a primary ingredient.  My favorite is Italian Wedding soup; Little Man's is Kale Chips.  There are several variations of how you should cook kale chips, my favorite so far comes from the blog Kath Eats Real Food, which I have recently posted to the right on my blog list (note to all my southern relatives, she is from Charlottesville and not another crazy northerner).  Her recipe (and pretty much every recipe) is pretty quick and easy and yields immediate results. 

Step 1: Head out to the garden and clip some kale off your flourishing plants (don't worry about how much, it will all have grown back by the end of the week).

 Step 2: Bribe the cute little person following you around the garden to pose for a picture before heading inside. 

Step 3:  Preheat the oven (depending on which recipe you are using temperature and time will vary, for the one we used the oven was set at 375 and we cooked the kale for 15 minutes.) While the oven is preheating, have Little Man tear the kale of the stalk into smaller chip-like pieces. 

Step 4: Coat the kale with a little salt, olive oil and (in our case) parmesan cheese( optional).

Step 5: Take a picture of the bowl before heading outside so you can write about it on your blog.

 Step 6: Deliver to the two hungry men sitting outside: make sure the smaller one does not take off with the bowl. 

 As a side note: Ducks also LOVE the uncooked version of kale.  This is the only way I can bribe them to come near me, did I mention our ducks have been spastically timid since we brought them home?  The chickens, on the other hand, have associated me with freedom from the coop and will run over and plop down on the ground in front of me begging for attention (except for the psycho one).