Ed was determined to go camping this summer. DETERMINED! However, it was really hot this summer. We were also really busy. So he had a brilliant idea. We were going camping…in our backyard. We would pick a cooler weekend, and all we had to do was set aside one night instead of the whole weekend. I was a big fan of this idea. Seriously. It meant a lot less work for this mama.
After we set up the tent, we took a hike in the woods. There’s a nice trail along the river less than a mile from our house. Always bring your dolly with pink hair hiking with you. And pink gloves. They help protect you from poison ivy.
Roasting hot dogs–how can I not love it when they make their own dinner?Emmy loves All Things Marshmallow–but no roasting, please. The stick is just for show.Camping in our own backyard meant we did not have to be afraid of bears. We saw this black bear during our trip in Alaska.
No bears in Illinois…however, we were very afraid of our nightly, furry visitor, Mr. Skunk. I waved the flashlight around a lot and stomped my feel whenever we were outside. I took this next picture a few nights after we camped, from the safety of my house. Sorry for the fuzziness, but I wasn’t about to get any closer!
Mr. Skunk, as I affectionately call him.Sleep tight! (They actually did not go to sleep for hours after I took this picture!)
In our version of camping, we don’t use sleeping bags. Air mattresses, sheets and comforters are how we sleep in a tent! Ah, it’s almost like sleeping in our own bedrooms!
Kale is the hot new health food–new to those of us who are still trying to convince ourselves that french fries count as a veggie, that is. Kale chip recipes and raves have been all over the internet for a while; it seems like everyone is making them and loving them! I decided to see what all the hoopla was about and make some for myself. However, the first time I tried to make them, I ran into a snafu. The container of greens I bought said BABY KALE in big letters, BUT it was actually salad with baby kale mixed with other greens. Since I was not going to take the time to pick out all the kale leaves, making kale chips was going to have to wait.
I finally bought a bunch of kale and decided to make a simple kale chip recipe I found on Allrecipes. On Pinterest, I saw a similar recipe for zucchini chips, and I have a pile of zucchinis from my brother-in-laws garden. I wondered, which healthy recipe would my kids like better?
Kale Chips
The first recipe we made was the kale chips recipe. First, I washed the kale and cut off the large stems with kitchen shears. Lily was the food photographer. Emmy served as the kale spinner.
Wash the kale and cut off the thick stems. Tear into bite-sized pieces.Emmy spinning the kale leaves to help dry them.The photographer taking a self portraitEmmy and Lily shaking a Ziplock bag with the kale leaves inside.
We added a tablespoon of olive oil and coated the leaves in the baggie. Then I added a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and some sea salt. We spread the leaves on a cookie sheet and baked at 300 degrees for about 35 minutes, until the edges were a little brown and the leaves were crispy. As they were baking, Lily and Emmy thought the kale smelled like spinach.
Taste Testing
The verdict:
Lily and Emmy actually liked how the kale chips tasted better than I did. They ate quite a few of them! Kale chips were very easy to make, and after I got used to the taste, I ate quite a few, too. I thought I would taste the vinegar a bit more (I love vinegar!) but the chips didn’t have any vinegar flavor.
Zucchini Chips
The zucchini chip recipe is very similar to the kale chip recipe, with one big difference; the chips have to bake longer.
I sliced my zucchini very thin. The recipe calls for a mandolin, but since I don’t have one (here I thought it was a kind of string instrument!) I used my butcher knife. I was supposed to blot the slices with a paper towel, but I forgot this step. That may have helped them bake faster. I placed the slices on two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, and brushed olive oil on the slices. I then sprinkled them with sea salt, and baked in the oven at 225 degrees for two hours.
Brushing olive oil on zucchini slicesZucchini Chips!
The Verdict:
Lily loved the zucchini chips, and Emmy wouldn’t even touch them. I was surprised, because she normally will eat zucchini. I liked their taste, but it was hard to get all of them crisp without burning some of the chips. So some of my chips were still soggy, and some were crisp. It may have been because my slices weren’t uniform. I also didn’t like checking on them every few minutes for two hours.
Since my family will eat zucchini in other ways, such as in a veggie stir fry, I don’t think I will make zucchini chips again even though they were tasty.
What about you? Have you tried either kind of veggie chip, or do you have a different way of making veggie chips?
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