Collard Greens, Y'all!

If a cat crawls in the oven and has kittens, we don't call 'em biscuits!

I've lived the in "South" my whole life, however I've never really felt like a Southern Girl (don't worry - six years of living in Milledgeville, GA cured me of that, y'all). Both of my parents are from up-state New York so, although my mother is a wonderful cook, southern staples like sweet tea and black eyed peas never graced our table. So I guess you could say I'm sort of one of those kitten biscuits...or something like that.


Anyway, I've been trying to branch out as of late with my side dishes and have become quite adventurous, bringing items to the table such as acorn squash and kale (which my husband thoroughly enjoyed, I'm shocked proud to say). This week, I decided it was time to try collard greens. I love them and order them at restaurants whenever possible, but have never taken on the task in my own kitchen.

If you're thinking, 'big deal! It's just greens!' please remember what I said

about the kittens and try to bear with me and my situation.

So I scooped some up at the grocery store and proudly toted them home, cradling them in my arms (they're friggin' huge, btw). Little did I know, a lot more goes into the preparation than throwing them in a pot of boiling water! To make a long story short, after consulting my friends on YouTube and Allrecipes.com, I was able to improvise and create the most delicious batch of virgin (meatless) greens you've ever tasted - 2 hours later! Next time I'll know to give myself plenty of prep time. Geez! Those suckers take forever to cook! It was a proud day - I think I finally feel like a true Southerner.