Sorry I missed you all yesterday, but assume that you were also enjoying the long weekend! We were still in a bit of a birthday haze, after a wonderful week with Grandma from Texas. Thank you, Grandma, for all of your good cheer and patience, for the babysitting, for dinners out, for the visit to the Museum of Natural History, and for singing along to “Mamma Mia!” (the movie). We had a great time!
The kids return to school this week for one day (yes, one day. Don’t ask.), and I am on jury duty (hopefully a short tour). So dinners are quick ‘n’ easy. As they should be!
Before I move on to the weekly menu, let’s revisit kale chips. I tried them (tons of recipes out there, all virtually the same. I turned to the recipe posted at Smitten Kitchen).
Yes, they are easy. Yes, they are crisp and salty. I know many of you think they are the bees knees, but I have to say they were only okay. Not getting the kale chip hype at all. Even aggressively salting them didn’t make me whoop a hallelujah out to the heavens. I tried to pass them off to the kids but didn’t get too far there. Jasper: “These are goo…yuck.” So the search for the perfect kale recipe continues (for those of you just tuning in: kale is often a part of our CSA pick up and we don’t know what to do with it).
Weekly Menu:
The Ubiquitous Veggie Burrito
Monday: Burritos with Grilled Summer Squash
Tuesday: Pasta with Summer Herbs, Corn & Tomato
Wednesday: “Magic Chicken”* with Roast Potatoes & Leeks
Thursday: Grilled Skirt Steak with a Watermelon, Arugula & Feta Salad
Friday: Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Roasted Vegetables & Quinoa
Saturday: White Pizza with Roast Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
Have a wonderful week!
* “Magic Chicken” is a simple balsamic-marinated grilled chicken. We have friends who call it “magic” because it always disappears! Recipes abound, but here’s one we’ve been using.
Melisa
Shiny Brite 
We had kale chips last week, in an attempt to eat a bunch of kale we hadn’t managed to get through. You know, I actually like kale, but am a big believer in the idea that the best way to eat is cooked nearly to death with garlic and onion and soy sauce and maybe a little vinegar. A hunk of bacon doesn’t hurt either.
LOL, Ellen! I like greens a ton — virtually all of them — but kale is the lone leafy green that falls short. Agree that over-sauteed with lots of garlic is the best, but it still ain’t that good. Maybe the hunk of bacon will push it over the edge!
I’m totally trying your magic chicken. Maybe my kid will eat it. I do love the kale chips that they sell at the co-op (I forget the brand but will check). They are shockingly good, but the problem is they are very expensive. . I’ve heard they are hard to reproduce.
The magic chicken is tried and true!! We had it last night (following the menu) and the kids gobbled it up. They also tried roasted leeks, and had another “I like it, oh maybe not” kind of moment, so I think we’ll try that again. Kale chips: they’re okay. I mean, what isn’t okay loaded with salt? Not much, in my book. Try ’em at home and maybe you can replicate the co-op variety. They are VERY EASY to do and don’t take much time at all (about 5 mins to prep and 20 to cook). We’ll make them again prob, tho I have gathered some awesome kale recipes from readers that I am going to try…