I did not grow up loving greens. Collard greens are not comfort food for me. I had no idea what swiss chard was, and I have never really liked kale. Spinach was not worth the chewing. You could get me to eat lettuce then, but it was never something I'd ask for. Now, as an adult, I'm a bit more adventurous in trying new things, (and I actually like salads now!), so when I saw swiss chard at our lovely farmer's market about two years ago, I bought some and asked the farmer what exactly I should do with it.

As it gets chilly out, I tend to want to cook more. Couple that with the fact that I have a really hard time picking out side dishes for my meals, and you can end up with some very odd dinners. I've begun to keep a dinner diary to log meals, partly to keep me motivated, and partly to have something to look back at when I'm meal planning to see what worked in the past. 

Oh how I love summer grilling. Looking back at what I've posted lately, it would seem that I've only been cooking dessert, but that, I assure you, is not the case. We've been breaking out the grill often, which, while making delicious food, it is not usually especially unique and so I've remained silent. But now, now I MUST share this. Zucchini. Have you grilled this? It's not so much a recipe as an idea. Cut the zucchini into long thick planks, don't bother to skin it, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle a bit of seasoned salt on top and let the grill do its work. SO GOOD. If you've been hesitant about zucchini in the past, or simply prefer other vegetables to it, I implore you, try this. 

Lately I've been trying to incorporate more vegetables into my family's diet. I'm slowly expanding the palates of my husband and son in this area, my latest acheivement being that my husband now eats carrots. :) One standby though, if I know its not a day to press my luck in the vegetable department, is broccoli. Chris and Jonathan love their broccoli. Consequently, this recipe was an instant hit. I usually add an extra clove or two of garlic, as we love garlic here, but the recipe as is is delicious.

I love onion rings. This is probably expected, what with my onion love posted previously elsewhere on this site. What I don't love is frying things. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part if a recipe calls for frying, it doesn't usually get made. I've modified recipes, like chicken nuggets and french fries, so that I can bake them instead, but onion rings have always failed in this department, even with recipes intended for baking. They never had the same taste, the breading would fall off, it was a disaster. Thus I resigned myself to only getting onion rings on the rare occasion we could get them at a restaurant.