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This was pretty much the first time I have cooked with swiss chard. Last year in our CSA we got some and I looked at it and said...um, no thanks! My how I have grown in just one season!
I can't get enuf of the fresh produce this season...and apparently neither can the rabbits. We have been battling them constantly this year in our garden.
I got the recipe from Andrea Chesman's Garden Fresh Vegetable Cookbook.
Swiss Chard Gratin Serves 6
2 lbs. (12-16 stems with leaves) chard, stems sliced and leaves cut into 1 in. ribbons
4 T butter
1 onion, halved and sliced1/4 C unbleached all purpose flour
2 C milk
1 C Gruyere, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper1/4 C dried bread crumbs
I cut my recipe in half since I only had half the amt of swiss chard.
Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add the chard stems and cook for 2 min. Add the leaves and continue to cook for another min. Drain well.
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 11/2 qt. casserole or 9x13 with butter.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and saute till soft, about 3 min. Whisk in the flour to form a paste. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the chard.Transfer the chard mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. (I put some xtra shredded cheese on top of the bread crumbs. Also, I did not have Gruyere cheesed handy, so I used cheddar in its place)
Bake for 25-35 min, until sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. Serve hot.
From what I understand, swiss chard is in the beet family. So this dish does have a very distinct, beet like flavor. Don't let that scare you off, Gnightgirl. It is very tasty.
Farmer's Market Bounty from last Saturday.
Gnightgirl has started a new project to support the troops. Please head over and check it out. If you find you are willing and able to help, please do. It will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and all over. How can you not want to do that?
This past weekend we loaded up the family and had a day at the farm! Our main goal was to pick up the grass fed beef that we purchased several weeks prior. However, to our delight it worked out that we got to attend a fun day on the farm as well!
We all had a great time. There was great people, great food, and fun for the kids. And of course, cows and chickens, and a hay rack ride!
I found this farm after much research online. I was on the search for grass fed beef because I feel it is much healthier for us(and tastes better, too!) We have gotten shares of a cow before. Organic and non-organic. So, it wasn't a totally new process for us. However, we have never had the opportunity to visit the farm from which the cows came or gotten to meet the great people that took care of them and made them so happy.
Now, I must tell you that these cows were happy. I have seen cows many a time. In fact, I lived on a farm house when I was about 10 and had them in my front yard. The cows I shared my yard with were not happy. No, they were more like not happy. The cows at Flying S Farm were frolicking. Yes, you heard me right, frolicking. Running about and having a good ol' time. They were curious buggers, too. Came pret'near right up to J and wanted to check him out! J was in heaven! We got to see them change pasture which they do a couple times a day so they can eat on good, fresh grass. We got to see how they got the water all the way out to the cows in the pasture so that they can have cool, fresh drinks when its warm and sunny out. It was great to be able to see all this and to know where your food is coming from.
We had a great lunch of grass fed beef burgers on the grill, fresh grass fed cheese, veggies, coleslaw, and homemade cookies! Yum!
Then the kids got to embark on a great treasure hunt which took them all over the farm. They had a blast!
All in all it was a very satisfying day. Thanks to Penny and Dave and John and Pattie. And everyone else that helped make the day so great.
I have had several requests for my loverly menu maker. I am willing to allow others use this love of my life program.
I have had some questions about errors, usage, and so on. We (meaning my husband) have set up the menu maker for easier accessibility and have added a few new features, like FAQ. This way everything will be all in one spot and we can answer the questions and comments in a more timely manner.
Please feel free to view my sidebar and you will see an option called "programs". Under that will be the Menu Maker. Check it out! If you are interested, try it and see if you like it. If you have questions, please don't be afraid to ask them. Just post them on the Google group that is listed and we can try to help you!
My husband sent me this. Found it pretty interesting.
What do you think? Do you fit in anywhere in the examples?
I am so excited! I received my Green and Pink swap stuff in the mail this past weekend. Man, oh, man...did I get some great stuff! I want to give a shout out to my swapping buddy who loaded my box with all this great stuff. Thank you again!
The kids and I had a blast looking thru all this. And we had even more fun picking out all the stuff to send off in our box. If you didn't sign up for the swap this time(and I am not sharing my stuff) you can get it on the next one. You just have to wait till OMSH gives out the next color ideas. It is so much fun and the kids enjoy it, too!
