What to do with all that Spinach and Beer.

CSA killing you with all the spinach these days?  Feeling tired of trying to come up with another creative spinach salad idea?  Try spinach pesto.  My friend Erin introduced me to it, as a way to use up a bunch of spinach that is on the verge of getting wilty.  We have pesto pizza with a little feta and mozzarella and it is killer.

image from greenbabyguide

Spinach Pesto:


2 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and de-stemmed
1/2 cup fresh parsley [I didn't have fresh, so I used dried parsley]
1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts, toasted [walnuts are cheaper, so I used those]
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, fresh and not canned  [umm... totally used canned]
3 garlic cloves
2 tb extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper


Blend the heck out of it all in a food processor.  Taste it, add a pinch of that, a touch more of that, etc etc.  Store in the fridge with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent discoloration, or freeze. 

My friend Erin also adds olives to hers for a little extra olive-y goodness.

image from recipes4us

Additionally, if you have one lone beer hanging out in your fridge that you aren't really partial to drinking, try beer bread.   (From "Come on In"- a cookbook from the women of Mitchell Road Presbyterian in G'vegas, SC). 

Beer Bread:

1 can of beer
4 tb sugar
2 2/3 cups self-rising flour
6 tb butter, melted


Pour beer into a large bowl.  Let fizz.  Stir in sugar.  Add self-rising flour and blend.  Dough should be lumpy and coarse.  Do not mix until smooth!  Spoon dough into a greased loaf pan.  Pour melted butter ON TOP of dough.  Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes to an hour.

Enjoy warm.  If you eat it while standing in front of a mirror, you can actually see your bottom half getting bigger.  You might wonder if it is worth it.  You might eat half of the loaf while pondering this.

Enjoy!