Strata with Swiss Chard

I love growing swiss chard in my garden. It is so pretty and it has really done a great job producing lots of chard. I hadn't picked it for a couple of weeks, so when I went to harvest it, I ended up with more swiss chard than I have ever seen. I also had two whole wheat baguettes in the freezer that I wanted to thaw and use, so I somehow found this recipe and threw it together.

I love these types of recipes because you don't have to follow them to a tee. You can sub different veggies, according to what you have on hand and the results are still fabulous.
This was a really tasty strata that we all enjoyed.

Here is the recipe for Strata with Swiss Chard
* I used green bell peppers instead of mushrooms because I had them
* I used mozzarella and parmesan
* I added about a cup of cooked, shredded chicken to the bread, veggie, milk/egg mixture before cooking

CEiMB- Oven Baked Onion Rings

I like onion rings. Well, more than like.

I have never attempted to make them at home- I don't fry things very often. I save them for an indulgence when we go out, sometimes.
I chose this week's CEiMB recipe- Oven Baked Onion Rings.

I have been interested in making onion rings, so, I thought this was the perfect chance to try them out.

I didn't change the recipe at all. I made it exactly as it was printed. Sara, on the other hand, has made this recipe multiple times and has worked out a version that she prefers, which adds a few more spices to the coating.

I made these on the 4th of July, for our meal that we enjoyed before we went to the National Mall to get ready for the festivities.

I should have tripled the recipe. These were marvelous. All the kids LOVED them. And so did the adults.
My 7 year old said, "These are better than the Varsity." Coming from a kid, who was comparing my baked rings to the greasiest ones on the planet, I thought that was a pretty impressive compliment.

My kids have begged for them again and they will be making their way into my cooking rotation. What's not to love about a onion ring that tastes great and isn't bad for you?

Hopefully everyone else loved them as much as we did. To see what the rest of the Ellie's thought, go check out the CEiMB Blogroll!


I also made a couple of the recipe I have missed in the past 2 months.
I made the Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce and they were good-warm or cold.
I also made the Vegetable Cheese Strata when I was in DC. We enjoyed it before we set out to hike the Billy Goat Trail.

(Don't you just love the beautiful dishes my sister brought back from Portugal? It is kinda obvious I love them.)


Oven Baked Onion Rings by Ellie Krieger

• Cooking spray
• 4 cups baked potato chips
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet slightly with oil and set aside. Place potato chips in the bowl of a food processor and process into crumbs, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a shallow bowl, add cayenne, and set aside. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper and set aside. Slice onions into 1/2-inch circles and separate into rings, keeping only large, whole rings (reserve rest of onions for other uses). You should come out with about 12 to 14 rings.

Place the remaining flour in a sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat. Dip onions 1 at a time into the buttermilk mixture, then dip into potato chip crumbs and place on baking sheet. Spray canola oil evenly over rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is crisp. Season with salt, to taste, and serve immediately.

Recipe for Vegetable Cheese Strata

Recipe for Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce