A New Meaning for "Home-Cooked Meal"

Spring is here, which means eating locally is getting easier by the day. R and I have officially begun to consider ourselves "homesteaders" as we now raise our own chickens for eggs, bake our own bread, make our own yogurt, and grow our own vegetables. To celebrate this, I made a meal with more home-grown/home-made items than not.

One of my favorite bloggers, Smitten Kitchen, posted a recipe a while back for a spinach and cheese strata. When I saw the recipe, I realized that it would use many of the things we grow and make right at our house. This was the perfect recipe to celebrate our new distinction as homesteaders.

So, what was from our house? Eggs, of course. Half a loaf of white sandwich bread, made by Rachel with the assistance of the bread machine. Some cabbage collards, which are collards that grow more like a cabbage. I used some cooked leaves in place of the frozen spinach. And finally, the mixed green salad that I threw together to go with it.

Other substitutions include mozzarella cheese instead of Gruyere, just a personal preference. I will also say that I had about 3/4 cup of cheese leftover at the end because I felt like it was too much cheese--and I am the ultimate cheese lover. So maybe less...

The bottom line? It was a delicious meal, and we felt pretty good about eating it, given the severely reduced food miles. :)