Monthly Ingredient Update - Carrots - Carrots Au Gratin

Allow me to introduce you to my new favorite potluck dish...Carrots Au Gratin.

They are delicious. I think that they taste better than au gratin potatoes because they add a sweetness to the dish that potatoes just do not have. The recipe is below. Try it and let me know what you think:

Carrots Au Gratin

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups sliced carrots
2/3 cup crushed buttery round crackers
3 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup shredded processed cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Place carrots in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 6-10 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine crushed crackers with 1 tablespoon melted margarine. Mix well and set aside.

3. In a medium skillet over low heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of margarine and saute onions until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, stirring to prevent browning. Gradually pour in milk, stirring constantly. Increase heat to medium and cook until bubbly and thickened. Add cheese and stir until smooth. Fold in carrots.

4. Pour mixture into a 9x12 inch baking dish and sprinkle with the crumb mixture.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.

Grass

Last night, Doug, my mom and our friend Ron, planted our first batch of grass seed on the cleared 16 acres.

While I was waiting at home for them it hit me just how much this lifestyle if governed by nature. I knew that it was...but it was always a background thought...until now. Now, we have to hope and pray for rain. Not too much and not too little.

I think that as a society we forget just how much nature governs our life. It is true that in the urban life we feel much removed from the weather and in control of what happens in our life...unless it rains on the day of our perfectly planned picnic. But even still we can not escape the rath of a severe storm such as a tornado or hurricane. But it is there...still dictating our lives. If there is not enough rain or too much even, the cost of our food goes up. But with so much processed food in the stores and in our mouths, we just pick something else to eat in order to prevent being inconvenienced.

I think that this removal from nature has taken away our reverence for life in general. If we can't even appreciate all of the detail, work, and even luck that goes just into making our food...how can we even begin to appreciate all that goes into living a life? And how can we begin to show that process the proper respect?

The Garden

I know that I have lamented REPEATEDLY on this site about my lack of skills in the garden.

Drum Roll....I MADE A SIDE DISH FROM MY GARDEN THIS WEEKEND!!!!

I managed to grow a zuccinni and a squash. So I cut them up and sauted them in butter with a few green beans that I had just harvested. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! Even more so because it came from my own garden. MY OWN GARDEN!!

See kids...dreams can come true...just stick with it...don't give up. Oh yeah...and don't forget to fertilize! :-)

Monthly Ingredient - May - Carrots

I am excited and apprehensive about this  months ingredient. I love carrots dipped in a homemade butternilk dressing, I LOVE carrot cake and no mirepoix is comeplete without carrots, but that's about it.

My grandmother never made "Copper Pennies" and carrot raisin salad makes my stomach turn. That being said, I wanted to do one tranditional recipe and two out of the box. Now, these may not be out of the box for you, but let me assure you that carrot soup has NEVER crossed my lips.

Without further ado, the recipes I will be trying this month are: a homemade carrot cake (from scratch...no box mix here), curried carrot soup, and carrots au gratin (anything au gratin makes me happy). Since the month is almost over...I guess I better get crackin'...