The Real Reason We Are Here

There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good.
-Story People

Tonight, I am going to an engagement party for the wonderful Brooke and Matt. It's always so much fun to celebrate love and the promise of long lasting love.

While it was so enticing to pick up some takeout before the party, I decided to cook:

Portobello Mushroom Burger

Ingredients
•1 Portobello mushroom cap
•1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
•1 tsp olive oil
•1/4 green bell pepper
•1/4 cup of chopped onions (I used red onions)
•Clove of chopped garlic
•A slice or 2 of sharp cheese
•2 slices of bread (I used cheap white bread)
•1 tomato slice
•Sea salt and pepper to taste

•Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish.
•Pour balsamic vinegar over the mushroom.
•Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.
•Preheat the frying pan to medium-high heat.
•Stir fry onions, bell peppers, garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes.
•Add mushrooms to the pan, and cook 5 minutes on each side.
•Top mushroom with cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
•Layer mushroom with onions and bell peppers in a sandwich.
•Add a tomato slice to the sandwich...and maybe some mayo

Baked Kale Chips
(...seriously, crispy like chips!)

Ingredients
1 bunch of kale
1 tbs olive oil(or oil spray)
salt to taste(maybe a little garlic powder too)

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. With a knife or kitchen shears remove the kale leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Drizzle kale with olive oil on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.