You may not know this about me but I am a total sucker for grocery store vegetable displays.

I know it sounds totally dorky and definitely too much like something you would read at the top of one of those fitness magazines… don’t get the wrong idea. I still love me some bacon too. It’s just… when I walk into the store, it’s like a beacon of light that I can’t resist. The back right wall of our local Kroger beckons me to it… luring me in with all of these vegetables that I never ate growing up and that are so tempting…. Kale. Bok Choy. Leeks.

I melt. I grab. I get home and wonder, “what am I supposed to do now?”

That’s right, sometimes I buy things on impulse (shocking, I know) without the slightest idea of what to actually do to them to make them edible. Sometimes they work out i.e. persimmon pie. Sometimes they don’t i.e. I found out I loathe eggplant.

My first experience with kale came in a very similar situation. I bought and then got home and was at a loss.

I’ve figured it out since then but sometimes when I’m feeling adventurous… I try kale in new ways.

Enter kale chips.

My cousin Holly gave me this recipe in a beautiful recipe box for my wedding and I make it every time I can get my hands on kale.

Here’s what you need:

Kale, salt/pepper, EVOO… how much is up to you.

Pull the kale off of the stems and make sure that you don’t include any of those horrendously tough veins.

 Spray them with EVOO (or sprinkle) and then add the salt and pepper to taste. Put in the oven at 350.  Here’s where it gets a bit tricky…

The recipe says to put them in for 20 minutes, tossing them every 5 minutes. I did this first and burned the whole batch. I recommend putting them in for 7-10 minutes, rotating around the 4.5 minute mark… but everyone’s oven is different. Just bake them long enough until they are still green but crunchy… you’ll know when.

Take them out, fluff them up and enjoy!

Oh and grab something new at the store this week and try and make something out of it… it’s what makes going grocery shopping tolerable for me.

Happy Tuesday!

xo, Kirby