We’re settling back at home after a lovely visit to The Farm to celebrate Christmas with some real farm folk.
Because we didn’t get to The Farm until early evening on Christmas Day, we tried a less formal option for supper.
Instead of a Christmas goose or turkey, we opted for gourmet grilled cheese. I happened to have a variety of cheeses on hand — thanks to December parties and gifts. So I pulled together some toppings and local breads, then tossed my electric skillet in with the Christmas gifts before loading up the van.
I’d have to say that the gourmet grilled cheese fest was more successful than I’d imagined.
Besides being low key, it was great fun experimenting with cheese and topping flavors.
Here were the clear favorites:
1. Brie & Papaya/Orange Habanero jelly toasted on Turano Italian bread.
2. Cabot’s hot Habanero cheese & extra sharp white cheddar on Polish rye bread (no caraway, yay!)
3. The kids were pleased with Monterrey Jack on wheat.
4. Coming in fourth was a Mediterranean cheese paired with white cheddar on the Polish rye.
Next time we’ll take a page from 4-H Champ’s playbook and serve up the made-to-order grilled cheese in wax-paper lined baskets.
Anywho…that was just our small group.
The next day was all about feeding more than 30 family and friends who gathered at The Farm to catch up, target shoot and sing at church.
Sticking with my cheese theme, my main contribution besides a cheese platter was a simple, but delicious pimento & cheese a la Bon Appetit. [Oh, and more of that habanero jelly on top of cream cheese.]
It’s always a treat to see my sisters and the family sing. Alto Farmgirl sang the responsive psalm at mass for Feast of the Holy Family and the a good chunk of the rest of the family, including Photo Farmgirl made up the entire choir. Playful Spirit Potter and her sister, with guitars in hand, were the music section.
We’d hoped to get some sledding and cross country skiing in, but the rain washed away all the snow.
I hope we’ll make it down again when there’s enough snow so the kids can help us set some new distance records into the corn field from the sled hill.
[Big mistake…didn’t bring my camera this trip. The above photo is from nasunto’s Flickr photostream.]
Virtual Farmgirl 