Monday, July 18, 2011

Ode to Kale

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Kale….the best summer vegetable ever.  We LOVE it.  This bunch came from Snow’s Bend, a farm here in Tuscaloosa.  It is beautiful!  Our favorite way to eat it is by making kale “chips.”  They are so good!  I have seen many different variations to the marinade, but we like to coat the kale with ~ 1/2 – 1 tsp. Garlic Gold or olive oil in a bowl, then spread over a baking sheet and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Then bake until crispy.  I have baked at all different temperatures…just depending in whatever else is in the oven.  Just watch for it to get browned and crispy.  The texture is like a really thin potato chip.  So good!  We love to dip them in ketchup!

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Tonight I served the kale alongside the Freeman family’s first meatloaf (e-mealz recipe).  We made it with some meat we bought at the farmer’s market this past weekend. The recipe called for a cup of salsa (I used Thelma’s and actually turned the jar up and drank from it after I measured the cup out – FYI, Brent, sorry!), so I went ahead and added 1/2 package fajita seasoning as well.  It was so good!  Not like a traditional meatloaf.

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…..and roasted farmer’s market squash with nothing but salt + pepper (and then I added copious amounts of Mmmm sauce).

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Watermelon for dessert! 

And then I picked about 3 pounds of figs from the trees while the pugs ate roughly the same amount from the ground.  Every time I set my basket down on the ground, their heads went right into it like it was a feeding trough.

Hopefully homemade fig bars tomorrow!!!

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