Oh yeah....Chile Rellano Casserole

It is not diet food. It is not for the lactose intolerant. It is vegetarian, but it is not vegan. What it is is a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.

I made it with the giant pile of Anaheim chiles photographed in a post below. It's a bit of a pain, because lots of chiles need to be roasted, peeled and seeded. But it's worth it. And the diet part? Well, I only grow enough chiles to have maybe two of these a year. If you're on Weight Watchers, this would be classified as those bonus weekly points.

Here is the recipe, which I got off of Cooks.COM. We garnished it with black olives, enchilada sauce and a dollop of sour cream. Heavenly!

CHILE RELLENO CASSEROLE

1 (5 or 6 oz.) can evaporated milk

4 eggs

12 to 14 chilies or other lg. chilies, roasted & peeled

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. flour

3/4 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

3/4 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated

After greasing an 8 to 9 inch square pan, place half the chilies and cover with half the cheese. Add another layer of chilies, then another layer of cheese. Beat eggs, add milk, and baking powder, flour and salt. Pour on top. Bake 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Serves 6-8.

From dirt to jungle in 60 days

It always amazes me that the garden looks like this on the first of June. Around this time, I start panicking, thinking nothing is going to grow, especially since I'm hearing about the bounty being harvested in other parts of the country.

Then come August, I need a machete to clear a path:

I'm posting this as a reminder to myself that come next June, don't fret.  No matter how puny and sad those tomato plants look, no matter how long it seems to be taking those zucchini, bean and carrot seedlings to show some sign of life, in 60 days I'll be knee deep in summer growth!

I love this time of year

I spend late fall and winter plotting and planning (and, okay, resting). Come January I'm starting seeds. By spring I'm turning beds and setting up trellises. It's a lot of preparation for these few months of July through October when I get to see what fared and what didn't.

I couldn't be more thrilled with these carrots.  I've tried twice before to grow carrots with little success.  Armed with the book "Golden Gate Gardening" which finally told me with accuracy when to plant carrot seeds in Sonoma County, I tried them once more and here's what I got!  Since everyone in the family will eat lots of carrots (and they're a staple in the Minnestrone soup I make out of my freezer saves) I'll be growing lots more of these.

Pole beans, you are the charm of my garden.  Not only are the plants beautiful, but I always get such a wonderful bounty.  And they're another veggie that doesn't go to waste in my house.

On the "Eh" list this year--as in every year--are bell peppers.   What you're looking at is probably actual size.  They do well for me, I get lots of peppers, but never anything larger than a tennis ball.  Yet year after year I keep trying.  I have not yet decided whether to try again next year.  Definitely, I need to find room for more carrots, so these puppies might finally go.

But whoa, whoa, whoa look at these.  A bumper crop of Anaheim chiles.  This is a little over half what's on the bushes.  I'm in the process of looking for a good chile rellano casserole.  If it's a success, these peppers will be a new garden staple.

And even though I grew fewer zucchini plants this year, I still end up with more than I can eat.  I gave away a bag of them yesterday to clean out the fridge, and pulled these from the garden today.  But I'd definitely rather have the problem of too many than not enough (cough-tomatoes-cough).