Lunch today included Kale Chips and Deviled Eggs. The Kale Chips were a desperate measure because I had some kale leftover from making soup earlier this week and didn’t want the remainder to go bad. I did find one recipe that called for a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven but knew that was crazy ~ too hot!
Instead, I looked further and found a simple recipe that called for a 300-degree oven and that sounded about right. I’m giving you a link to the Kale Chips recipe, and will tell you what worked for me.
It’s important that the kale is clean and dry before it’s baked. I had already prepped the entire batch when I was making the soup, so I was good to go. I pulled all the leaves from the stems, broke the leaves into smaller (not too small) pieces and placed them in a large mixing bowl.
I sprinkled the kale with olive oil and tossed it with my hand, making sure to coat every piece on both sides. Careful: not too much oil. Then I mixed some kosher salt and cumin, poured it on the kale and again tossed it with my hand. Next time I will use less salt. Honest, it takes very little.
My oven is small and so are my cookie sheets, so I divided the kale between the two of them--single layers, not touching--and put one sheet on each shelf of the oven. After 5 minutes, I reversed them and switched shelves. Then cooked for 3 more minutes. A minute or two more may be necessary, but watch them carefully. You want them crisp, not burned.
In this photo the Kale Chips are almost done, but not quite...
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Deviled Eggs
This recipe for Deviled Eggs includes the best instructions I’ve seen for hard-boiling eggs. As directed, I bought them to a full rolling boil, then set the timer for 9 minutes.
After nine minutes, I set the eggs under cold running water for two minutes and they were perfectly hardboiled and easy to peel. Where there is a choice of lemon juice or vinegar, I used fresh lemon juice.
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TV TRAY
As a single person, I sometimes (often?) take my meal to the living room and eat off a TV tray while watching a movie or documentary. TV tray meals are usually cobbled-together with whatever happens to be in the kitchen, no measurements recorded.
Store-bought perogies and fresh asparagus, sautéd in EVOO and butter