Cohousing has changed a lot over the years, but cooking for one another remains a joy, along with our love for good, wholesome food.  CohoUS Staff has recently uncovered a stash of cohousing recipes. We hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we do.  To add to this treasure chest, send your favorite recipe and a bit of the story, to staff@cohousing.org.

Reprinted from June 2007:

I want to thank those of you who have sent me recipes. I really appreciate it and will try to use them in future articles. I still need many more, so don’t be shy!

This month, I want to share one of the more popular meals-of-the-month here at Heartwood. Each month, we do a brunch. It starts at 11:00 am and is very relaxed, with people coming in early for coffee and sitting for a long time afterward, chatting. It is especially nice in the spring when we put tables outside and soak up the sun on the terrace.

This recipe features Laurie’s goat cheese. Laurie lives at Heartwood, and she trades a massage for her goat milk which she makes into a magical cheese. I’m lucky because we have been friends for 11 years, and I get first dibs on the cheese, which always goes fast! Our daughters (shown in the photo) have been playing together since they were born.

Our community’s last brunch featured scrambled eggs with Laurie’s goat cheese, roasted tomatoes, and fresh basil; English muffins with jam; asparagus; fruit salad; coffee and OJ. The following recipe is my own for a special scrambled egg dish:

Sandy’s Scramble

Serves 25 adults

3 lbs of Roma or large cherry tomatoes

8-12 oz of soft goat cheese

1 large bunch of fresh basil, chopped

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Olive oil

Salt, kosher or regular

6 dozen eggs

1 cup of milk

Black pepper

A couple of hours before the brunch, roast the tomatoes by cutting them in half and putting them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spray them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 325 degrees for about an hour, depending on the size of the tomatoes. Baking enhances the flavor and cuts down on the juices that would tend to make the eggs runny. When the tomatoes are done roasting, chop them and put them in a bowl with the chopped fresh basil and Italian seasoning. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and set aside.

Cut the goat cheese into half-inch cubes; set aside.

Put the eggs in a bowl, and add milk and black pepper. Whisk until the eggs are broken and beaten.

Heat a large skillet or wok. Put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in it and add the eggs. Scramble them until they are about three-quarters done. Add the tomato mixture and finish cooking. Turn off the heat, add the goat cheese, and serve hot.