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Spinach Feta Scones with Recipe

spinach feta scone why not pie

Cooking with fresh local ingredients is a true pleasure, so I was especially excited to join The Land Loom’s Spinach Club this winter. Hannah Rose Weber farms at Tilian Farm, an incubator farm on the edge of Ann Arbor where new farmers can grow their farming business while defining and perfecting their farming practices. The Land Loom specializes in salad greens, and this winter, Hannah is growing hoop house spinach– that’s right: growing fresh spinach in winter in Michigan! Not to be hyperbolic– this is the most beautiful spinach I’ve had the privilege of cooking with and eating. When I pick up my weekly spinach share, I find the clear plastic bag of spinach practically glowing with concentrated sunlight, and I can’t wait to eat it!

At Why Not Pie, we frequently use spinach as one of the vegetables in our Breakfast Pies, available every day at Argus Farm Stop cafe. Breakfast Pies are a delicious way to sneak a little vegetable into your morning meal, and this spinach adds color, flavor, vitamins, and beauty to our Breakfast Pies!

Our newest recipe development using this healthy green is Spinach Feta Scones. These tasty scones are also available in the Argus Farm Stop cafe. Contrary to what you might have heard, scones aren’t difficult to make, although like many baked goods, there are a few key techniques which, once mastered, can lead to more frequent baking success. For extra local deliciousness, I use local spinach from the Land Loom and local feta from Fluffy Bottoms Farm.

Feta and Spinach Scones

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
2 cups fresh (or 1 cup frozen) chopped spinach
6 ounces feta, cubed

Method:
1. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Stir in the milk.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Stir in the spinach and feta.

4. Flour your hands and your work surface. Turn out the dough and kneed briefly. Form into a square about 8” by 8”, and then cut into 8 triangles.

5. Place scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with milk or cream.

6. Bake in a 350F oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

7. Enjoy a toasty scone immediately or cool completely before storing.

Cheddar Cheese Muffins, with recipe

My exploration of the World of Muffins led me to several recipes for Cheddar Cheese Muffins. After some initial research and development, I’m happy to report that I’ve hit on a delicious and satisfying recipe. These muffins have everything I want in a savory muffin:
great flavor, a little spicy kick, and wonderful texture. And cheese.

Cheddar Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, melt butter. Add milk, egg and cayenne. Stir to combine.

3. In a second bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

4. Stir the cheese into the dry mixture..

5. Add dry mixture to wet mixture, and stir batter only until it is just combined. The batter will be lumpy.

6. Spoon the batter into muffin tins. Fill each tin about 2/3 full.

7. Bake 20- 25 minutes.

Additional tips:
* Really, stir only until the mixture is combined. That’s the secret to tender muffins and true for most quick breads.

* This recipe can make 12 standard muffins, but I prefer to make 6 extra large muffins.

* Save a bit of cheese to sprinkle on top of the muffins just before baking.

Rhubarb Pie with Recipe

Rhubarb Pie, Photo by Diane and Doug Russell

Rhubarb Pie made with homegrown rhubarb. Sweet, tangy, unmistakably bold flavor that shouts “Spring!”

I really enjoy baking pies made with the rhubarb we grow in our organic urban garden. Last year, I made my traditional Rhubarb Pie, as well as a Rhubarb Custard Pie, Blueberry Rhubarb Pie and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. This year? Well, we’ll see how far the rhubarb supply goes!

A pie made with rhubarb and sweetened just right is lovely and satisfying. Here’s the extremely simple recipe that transforms rhubarb into a fantastic Rhubarb Pie.

Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
4 cups of chopped rhubarb
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:
Mix ingredients well in a large bowl.
Fill a pastry shell, then fit top crust.
Seal and pinch around the edge to form crust.

Bake at 400F for about 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

Let me say first that this Coconut Cream Pie is completely worth the effort! There maybe be short cuts or substitutes for homemade pudding pie filling, but there’s nothing quite like the real thing.

Don’t let the difficulty of homemade pudding worry you, if that sort of thing does. Like all things worth doing, this pie takes a little patience and practice, but again it’s fantastic! When making this Coconut Cream Pie recipe, focus on this one thing for 20 minutes, and you’ll have a pie you’ll be very pleased with.

Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups half-and-half
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 baked pastry shell

Method:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Stir until smooth.
2. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Use a whisk or a rubber spatula to keep the mixture moving as it heats.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and 3/4 cup of the coconut (not toasted).
4. Pour pudding into the pie shell and chill for 2 to 4 hours.
5. Meanwhile, toast the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut. Spread it evenly on an ungreased cooking sheet and bak in a 350F oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Stir occasionally. Be attentive: coconut will brown quickly.
6. Sprinkle toasted coconut over the top before serving. Or add whipped cream or whipped topping and toasted coconut both, if you prefer.

Note: You can also toast all of the coconut in this recipe, before assembling the ingredients. I prefer un-toasted coconut inside the filling.