Stadium Stew and Springtime Salad

Wow! It really has been awhile since I have done a food challenge. I know I said I was taking a two week hiatus, but I think it turned into a month. Well, it was needed. I have decided to only do food challenges every other week instead of weekly. It was getting to be a bit much. But, in my off-weeks I may revisit my food challenges for a re-do.

This week's ingredients: bratwurst, cucumbers, french bread and cream cheese.

Once Jason gave them to me I immediately thought of my ballpark favorites...brats and beer. We have already begun our grilling season here at the Hoyt house. But grilling the brats would have been too easy. So I decided to make the brats, with beer and bread...stew-style. I also added some spicy brown mustard because that's what I love to put on my brats. I would have used sauerkrat instead of the greens, but Jason doesn't like sauerkrat, so we had to suffer without it for this recipe. And next time, I will toast the bread, place in on the plate and pour the stew over it. It was too much in the stew and made it kind of "heavy". Also, I used turkey bacon because it added a smokier flavor than regular bacon, plus it's better for us. However, I will not make turkey bacon for breakfast with our pancakes. It's better in dishes like this, not by itself. And the beer I used was 1554, straight from our kegerator. Highly recommended beer. Nothing but the best!

And the sprintime salad is probably one of the easiest salads you will ever make. Simple ingredients, but enough flavor for a light, spring side dish. i thought of making it a little sweeter, but decided simple was better. Enjoy!


Stadium Stew

1 pkg beer brats
12 oz dark beer
6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1/2 loaf french bread, toasted and cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 cups greens
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 oz cream cheese

Place brats and beer into medium sized pot and bring to a low boil, letting cook for 10 minutes. Beer should just cover brats, so add more if necessary. Remove brats and slice into 1-inch pieces. Reserve beer.

In a dutch oven, cook bacon until browned and crispy, about 6 minutes. Add sliced onions and sliced brats. Cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Add spicy brown mustard, beer, chicken broth and greens, letting them cook down. Add cream cheese and mix well. Add toasted bread and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Springtime Salad

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 mangoes, peeled, cored and chopped
2 pears, cored and chopped
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dill
1 tsp salt

Combine cucumbers, mangoes and pears in medium bowl. Add white wine vinegar, dill and salt and toss lightly.