Sunday Lunch, Mostly Local

I was thinking of calling this "Sunday Lunch (Not UK)" but I guess that's pretty obvious, isn't it?

We had a late start this morning after our busier -- and later -- than usual Saturday evening, and the weather was cold and dull, so having our main meal at lunchtime seemed a good idea.

The yellow square is a favorite recipe of mine, known in my family as "egg and cheese pie." The ingredients are simple: cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, a little bit of flour, and then whatever else you have around to toss in. It tastes good hot or cold, and leftovers keep well for several days, providing a quick and high protein breakfast or snack (or another lunch or supper). That will come in handy for us, as this week will be busier than usual.

Most of what you see is local (here's another view showing the salad better). I bought the eggs, greens, yellow cherry tomatoes, and radishes, as well as the seeded mini baguette, yesterday at the farmers' market. The crumbled cooked sausage, diced sweet red pepper, and finely chopped kale in the yellow square are from last week's market.

Knowing that we've helped our local economy, albeit in a very small way, made our lunch taste even better!
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RECIPE (of sorts)

15 oz/453 gm cottage cheese
4 eggs
6 oz cheese, grated (I used Cheddar, but other varieties also are fine)
3 T /14 gm all-purpose flour (not self-rising)
Dry bread crumbs or something similar (not essential, but nice)

Extra bits (not essential, but a good way to use up leftovers!)
-- Crumbled or diced cooked sausage, ham, bacon, smoked salmon, anchovies, etc.
-- Finely chopped garlic or onion (I'd lightly cook them in olive oil or butter before adding it to the mixture; the same with mushrooms)
-- Spinach, kale, or similar greens, lightly cooked and chopped
-- I've never done it, but I expect that cooked rice would be nice in this too
-- Diced sweet red or green peppers; could use hot ones, too, to taste
-- Herbs as desired (a little dried thyme was in the original recipe, but I usually
forget to add it), salt and pepper as desired (the cheese and sausage in today's version took care of the salt, although I did add a sprinkle of black pepper)

Keeping back a little of the grated cheese for the top of the dish, bung the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix them together with a spoon or spatula.

Preheat oven to 350 F (gas mark 4, 177 C). Grease a baking dish (I used a square 9 inch/23cm tempered glass dish) and spread the mixture evenly in it. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top, then the breadcrumbs (or do the breadcrumbs first, it doesn't really matter).

Cover with aluminum/aluminium foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, carefully take off the foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then cut into squares. I usually cut mine into nine pieces, but folks with heartier appetites might prefer it cut into six.