This last weekend, I drove down to Washington, DC to visit a good friend who moved there from Philly in July. After I had had the opportunity to admire her adorable apartment and fantastic neighborhood, we hopped into my car and headed for the Maryland suburbs to hit several locations of the Value Village thriftstore chain.

In addition to picking up a new set of measuring cups for $1.20 (the 1/3 cup measure is missing it's handle) and a set of measuring spoons for $.80 (they looked as if they'd never once had the opportunity to measure anything) I acquired six new cookbooks. A couple are old Sunset guides to entertaining or casseroles (don't worry, I plan on sharing some of the good recipes with you all) but one seems to be especially worth the two bucks I paid for it.

It's call Simply in Season and is a collection of recipes (primarily vegetarian) that are organized by season. It's put together by the Mennonite Central Committee, the same folks who brought us the More with Less cookbook (another terrific cooking resource that I've used many times over the years). One recipe from the book that jumped out at me is for a Chard Cheese Bake. Chard is one of those plants that continues to give, making it a favorite of home gardeners and CSA farmers alike. It can be gotten cheaply at grocery stores and farmers markets and doesn't cook down to nothing the way that spinach does. This recipe is sort of like an easy quiche without a crust and I imagine that this would be equally good in the morning for breakfast or as a dinner side dish. The recipe is after the jump.

Photo linkChard Cheese Bake
from Simply in Season

1 pound Swiss chard (you could substitute spinach if you wanted) chopped, cooked and drained
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1 cup bread, cubed
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Combine all ingredients with cooked greens. Pour into greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover and bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until set. Remove cover for last five minutes of baking, so that the top gets browned and bubbly.

I have yet to actually cook this recipe, but I imagine it might need a bit of seasoning. I would probably add some salt, pepper and a little bit of fresh nutmeg (which is always excellent with greens).