raclette

My grandmother's father was Swiss (100%) which means that I have a bit of Swiss in me too. I think it's really neat that my grandparents were called to serve 3 temple missions in Switzerland, one in New Zealand and one in Guatamala. I don't remember a lot of details from my early childhood but I remember when I was 4 years old I got to go with my parents to pick them up from their first mission in Switzerland. I remember that I was asleep on the airplane when pizza was served. Even though my parents promised it tasted terrible I never did forget that I missed out on pizza. It was Easter time and when we went to the bank I was given a small egg with a treat inside that I treasured. I remember going to a store to buy clogs and the person at the register gave me a kiss on the cheek. I remember sitting in my grandparents VW camper as we drove along the gorgeous roads of Switzerland and I sat on the back seat drinking from a red or orange polka dot cup while eating "stinky cheese" (Alouette) on crackers. My grandma couldn't make them fast enough for me. I remember going to a castle and being a little bit frightened in one of the dark rooms where people were hung long ago. I remember looking for 4-leaf clovers with my mom on the side of the road and we found one! I remember asking my mom if the brown cows gave chocolate milk. I remember finding Easter eggs on the balcony Easter morning and the little denim purse that was left for me. I went back to Switzerland with a friend at Christmastime when I was 24 to visit my grandparents who were serving their last mission. It was snow covered and majestic and we had a wonderful time. Although I never enjoyed raclette while in Switzerland, my grandparents brought the tradition home with them and we often enjoyed raclette in their home. One of my very favorite gifts from my grandparents is our raclette machine. We pull it out several times each year but not enough so that it loses its special quality.

raclette
raclette machine
raclette cheese (or Havarti if Raclette is too strong for you), sliced thick
red potatoes, cooked
cocktail onions
pimientos
corn
sausages
peppers
mushrooms
etc.

1. Plug in your raclette machine and get it nice and hot.
2. Start grilling your sausages and vegetables on the top tray.
3. Put the cheese into the little trays and put the trays into the raclette machine to melt the cheese.
4. Smash a few red potatoes on your plate.
5. You can either lay the grilled vegetables on the potatoes followed by the melted cheese or the other way around.
It's delicious!!!