Forget to Eat? Who Me? Shocking, I Know...

Today is the first day of NaBloPoMo when I've actually had to think about what to write about. Granted, it's only November 5th so you shouldn't be impressed by that. It's Friday, though, at the end of a very long, very exhausting week and my creative juices aren't flowing in quite the way I wish they were. 

Perhaps I'm a bit malnourished. I worked from home today and that usually means I forget to eat. Maybe it's just that my routine is thrown off, but on days like today, it's not uncommon for me to realize it's 3PM and I haven't had a meal yet. So, what did I eat today? Kale chips. At some point today, I looked inside our refrigerator and realized I hadn't used the kale I bought last weekend at the Pike Place Market and it was just beginning to wilt a little. 

I love summer produce, but cold weather produce and I are still getting to know each other. So far this Autumn, I've bought three bunches of kale and they've all started to wilt before I've figured out what to do with them. The easiest solution I've found is to roast them into kale chips. They aren't very pretty when I'm done with them, but they're tasty. The first time I made them, I literally ate the whole batch straight off the cookie sheet.

They're the easiest thing in the world to make. Wash the kale, tear bite sized pieces from the stem, place on a cookie sheet, spray with olive oil from an oil mister, dust with fine seat salt and roast in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. This is pretty much what I've had to eat today.

After brunch last Sunday, we picked up a few fun items from the Pike Place Market. One of the best parts about the Market is that it's energy, life and color is ever present. It doesn't take perfect weather to make a perfect day at the Market. I actually prefer going once it's cooled off and the crowds aren't quite so dense. The only part that makes me a little sad is when the flowers vendors start selling dried flowers instead of fresh. If it hasn't happened already, it will any day now.

Last weekend they were doing construction to a section normally housing some produce and flower stalls, so the vendors were forced outside. Though the weather was cool, the sun was shining on Sunday. I think the vendor selling the chile ristras actually benefitted from being outside. The colors of the chiles in the sun were absolutely beautiful.

In addition to the bunch of kale, we also picked up a few more fun goods.

Next door to the Seatown Rotisserie and Grill, Tom Douglas has his Seatown Snackbar where you can have a snack, buy take-out or some of his retail products and other food stuffs. Incidentally, I hate the term "food stuffs." That's a post for another time, though. We picked up a jar of his chicken rub and a couple jars of his Rub With Love seasoned snack mix. We also made a visit to Uli's Sausage and purchased a few brats. These were meant to be tonight's dinner, but will have to wait until tomorrow night. I've only tried to make brats on two other occasions and it wasn't what I (or anyone) would call a success. Here's hoping there's a little Pike Place Market magic in this batch to compensate for my lack of skill!