Potato Slices with Spinach and Goat Cheese

Potato Slices with Spinach and Goat Cheese

This was supposed to be a hash for a Mother’s Day brunch.  However, cooking in a new kitchen and running out of time before the rest of the meal was ready, we changed plans at the last minute.  It turned out to be a good decision, as it was one of the more popular things we served.  Served as an appetizer, just a few ingredients go a long way.  Makes about 15 slices.

Ingredients

1 yukon gold potato
3 oz fresh spinach
4 oz goat cheese
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
Vegetable Oil for frying potatoes

Directions

Slice the potato approximately 1/8” to ¼” thick.  Place slices in hot oil until golden brown on both sides, flip as necessary.  Remove slices from oil, pat dry and place on drying rack.  Lightly salt.

Rough chop spinach and sauté.  When cooked down, place in a small mixing bowl and combine with goat cheese and peppers. 

Place potato slices on a baking pan and top with spinach and goat cheese mixture. 
Cook in oven on broil for 6 minutes.

Cost
Potato $0.76
Spinach $1.65
Goat Cheese $3.59
Total: $6
Per Slice: $0.40

Apple Ginger Scones

Apple Ginger Scones
Breakfast for the work week usually consists of Brandon grabbing a scone on the way out the door.  Unfortunately, these had always been store bought.  A couple weeks ago, we figured we should learn how to make them ourselves.  It turned out to be surprisingly simple, and one fewer item on the weekly grocery list.  This makes about 16 scones.

Ingredients

2 ¼ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoon baking powder
1 ½ sticks butter, chilled (or frozen) and cut into ½ inch squares
Zest of 1 lemon
1 Gala Apple, diced
1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
¾ cup buttermilk

Directions

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, butter and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl.  Beat with electric mixer until the mixture is the consistency of a fine meal.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together with your hands until combined.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and hand pat, or roll out until ½ to ¾ inch thick.  Cut out circles and place onto a baking sheet.  Pull together trimmings and cut out remaining dough.
Cook at 400F for 16 minutes or until the surface cracks.

Leftovers

The dough can be made the day ahead.  Cooked scones will last in the refrigerator for a week.

Zucchini Mini Muffins

Zucchini Mini Muffins

Like most kids, Greer didn’t like eating vegetables growing up.  And like most mothers, she had to find ways to sneak vegetables into foods.  These muffins served that purpose quite well, and Greer eventually grew up to enjoy eating vegetables.  We recently made these for a weekend brunch for some of Brandon’s family, and everyone enjoyed them.  With a recipe endorsed by two different families, how can you go wrong?  With compliments to Greer’s mom, here is the recipe.
 

Ingredients
½ C Honey
6 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Eggs
½ Teaspoon Vanilla
1 7/8 C Whole Wheat Flour
2 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Allspice
½ Teaspoon Nutmeg
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Salt
3 C Zucchini, finely grated (approx 3 zucchinis)

Directions

Cream together honey and melted butter, add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder and spices.  Add honey mixture to dry ingredients and blend well.  Fold in zucchini.  Spoon into mini muffin pans. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
Makes approx 30 muffins.

Leftovers

They taste best straight out of the oven, but reheat really well the next couple of mornings. 

Kale Salad with Avocado Dressing

Kale Salad with Avocado Dressing

During a trip to Tucson visiting a childhood friend, Greer tried out a few of the local spots.  At one of them, she had to grab a bite of a Kale and Avocado salad that one of her friends had ordered.  Given her love of avocado, it’s really no surprise that she wanted to create a similar salad at home.  We know kale is healthy, but had never been able to really enjoy it.  This dressing makes it a really great dish for the spring.  As a side, this will serve 3-4 people.

Ingredients

1 bunch of Kale, leaves torn off
10-12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Dressing

1 Avocado
1/3 C Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Lime, juiced
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Combine all ingredients for dressing in a bowl and mix until smooth.  Add water as necessary to thin dressing.  It should be about the consistency of mustard.

Toss kale leaves and tomatoes with dressing until well coated.  Chill for 10 minutes.  Keep any leftover dressing in the refrigerator.

Leftovers

The dressing will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
 
Cost
Kale: $0.99
Avocado: $1.50
Lime: $0.20
Spices, vinegars on hand: $0.75
Total: $3.44
Per serving: $0.86

Apple Cobbler

Apple Cobbler

Greer loves cobblers, but wasn't allowed too many sweets growing up.  Now that we are all grown up, we do enjoy desserts every once in a while, and this one tastes great, and makes the house smell great too.  It is similar to apple pie, but comes together quicker.








Ingredients:
10 small gala apples
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of ground cloves

For topping:
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup boiling water
sprinkle a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg on top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss Apples with sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in an 8x8 baking dish
and bake in middle of oven for 10 minutes.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingers until mixture
resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove apples from oven and drop topping over them. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and
nutmeg. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.



Leftovers:

Keep in the fridge and reheat, it keeps for about a week.

Bratwurst

Bratwurst
 
One of our wedding gifts was a meat grinder and sausage stuffer.  Some people thought it was one of those gifts that would never be used.  Not true (we actually use everything we got).  Making sausage at home at first seemed like quite an undertaking.  After a little practice, we got the hang of it.  It takes a little time, but much more satisfying than just going to the store to buy premade.  If you’ve got about two hours, you can get start to finish in one night.  If not, grind and mix the meat ahead of time.  Brats are great on the grill, and with the weather warming up the meat grinder will get plenty more use. Makes 16 links
 
Ingredients
This recipe is based on the homemade bratwurst recipe found at: www.lets-make-sausage.com.  They’ve got a lot of other great styles of sausage as well.

5 lbs pork shoulder

2 tablespoons salt
1.5 tablespoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup cold milk
2 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup  bread crumbs (the recipe calls for dry milk powder for a binder, but we didn’t have any on hand)

Directions

Cut pork into 1-2 inch pieces and run through the fine plate in the meat grinder twice.
Mix milk, spices and eggs together.  Add to ground meat and use hands to mix well.
Add bread crumbs (or dry milk powder) to mixture and combine thoroughly.
At this point, the sausage stuffer attachment comes in really useful.  Use natural hog casings, and follow the instructions on the attachment.
As the casings are being filled, twist to forms individual links.
Cook or freeze immediately.

Be careful with the ratio of spices, it doesn’t take too much nutmeg to overpower everything.

Cost

Pork Shoulder: $14.95
Milk: $0.75
Eggs: $0.40
On hand: $0.75
Total: $16.85
Per Link: $1.05

Leftovers
Grilled bratwurst are still good the next day.  Frozen, uncooked links also hold together pretty well and can be made ahead of time.