Spinach and Beer

Though my rotation this month is not incredibly demanding, I did not find a chance to make the Daring Baker's challenge this month. It was spinach lasagna...I must admit, I wasn't too excited about it. Too bad the challenge wasn't some delectable sweet treat...I have been baking up a storm for our bake sale for the children's hospital! So, in substitute for my spinach lasagna I bring you sauteed spinach and beer bread!

My mom got the recipe for these from one of the girls in her church when I went home last month. The spinach is really good...but be prepared to use LOTS of spinach. Hannah said that the first time she made the spinach (with company coming!) she used one bag...and ended up with a tiny bowl to serve. They joked and said that each guest had a teaspoon of spinach! She was not joking...once the whole bag wilted down, it really is enough to serve about two people...maybe even one if you're hungry! (Sorry for the poor picture quality!) The beer bread...OH SO GOOD! If you like the taste of a yeast bread but don't have time...this is your bread. It's not quite as tender as a sourdough but is delicious. The way we made it, I thought that it tasted like Maccaroni Grill bread. Mmmm...I need to make this again! Even if you don't like beer (I don't), you'll like this bread!

Spinach:

spinach (for a "small" amount use one bag, for a larger group you need two)

1 T olive oil (or butter)

salt

pepper

(I think lemon would be good as well)

In a large skillet or pan (you need a lid) place the olive oil. Open your bag of spinach and just dump it in! Smoosh it down and put your lid on. This was it's sauteeing and steaming. After a couple of minutes, stir it. The spinach on the bottom will be wilty. Stir every few minutes to get the spinach equally wilted. Once it is all dark, place into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. This is best served right after making it, so make right before you eat/serve.

Beer Bread:

3 cups flour (it calls for sifted, but I can't be bothered!)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
12 oz can beer
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix dry ingredients, then pour beer over all. I don't think the type of beer matters - I always get the cheapest and even light beer and it's fine. It will foam up. Stir it well. The dough will be super sticky - more sticky than regular bread. This is fine. Pour into a loaf pan. Melt the butter and pour it over the top. We used 1/2 a stick and as you can see it was still a good bit! You might even be able to decrease it a little more. You could probably even half the butter to be healthier and I bet it would still turn out. Bake for one hour at 375 degrees. Cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.From Hannah: This bread is so easily adaptable. The original recipe calls for Italian seasoning instead of garlic powder. Just measure by eye...you can do it! You can also add up to a cup of grated cheese - cheddar, parmesan, swiss, whatever. I've had success adding a can of drained diced green chiles for Mexican! Lots of room for creativity here.