Chelsea's Favorite-Dreaded 
Green Bean Casserole!

So, this is the "dreaded casserole!" For the story about the green bean casserole, see my post about Every Child's Favorite Mac 'n' Cheese recipe. 

Chelsea loves green beans and will even eat Swiss cheese, but just not together. This dish has a creamy and slightly sweetened sour cream base that counters the tang of the Swiss cheese brilliantly. Add to that some tender shallots and a bit of black pepper, drained canned green beans (canned beans in this actually work and taste the best than any other form) baked to bubbling perfection. Then topped with your favorite brand of Swiss cheese (I use lite Alsace) and broiled until golden brown, oozy, and bubbly-crusty. To my family, there isn't any other way for cheese to be when it's cooked. We love those bits at the edges that are tender-crusty, and then again we love it when you take a portion of food and the gorgeous cheese pulls and strings from dish to dish! That's good eating right there!

Parmesan Quinoa 

With Tender Vegetables

This sweet little platter was a birthday gift from my niece Rachel and her sweet hubby Jared. This photo is of this recipe, but I cut it in half for two for lunch. As you can see it's still a substantial amount. We had no problem eating it all!

Quinoa is one of my very favorite things to eat. I almost love it as much as chocolate. Almost. Anyway,  

many years ago (that makes me sound so old! but I'm not) I was blithely shopping in our town's health food store and ran across this wonderful book called "Gourmet Grains" copyright 1993, by Candia Lea Cole.

I love this little book which is jam-packed with so many different grains