Family Recipe Sharing Corner

From Our Family to Yours: 

• Katie's Pumpkin Loaf

• Jai's Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

• Anessa's Cinnamon Biscuits

• Erin's Peach & Red Pepper Shrub Cocktail

• Katie's Gluten-free bread

• Jaime's Gluten-free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• Audry's Potato Salad

• Danielle's Chicken Croquettes

At Spinato's, food has always meant more than what's on the plate.

It tells a story. It carries tradition. It brings people together around the table in ways that feel warm, familiar, and lasting. That's what makes our Staff Recipe Corner so special to us. It gives us a chance to celebrate the people who make Spinato's feel like home by sharing the family recipes that have shaped them.

These recipes are more than ingredients and instructions. They are memories. They are traditions passed from one generation to the next. They are the meals made in family kitchens, the dishes that showed up at gatherings, and the recipes that became part of someone's story long before they ever shared them with us.

For October, we have Katie's festive fall Pumpkin Loaf

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (Can sub King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour to make Pumpkin Roll Gluten Free-Just let batter sit for 20 minutes before pouring onto sheet pan to bake)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (if making gluten free-check your brand of baking powder to ensure it's gluten free-GF brands include: Bob's Red Mill, Argo, Rumford, Clabber Girl, Royal and Dr. Oetker) or you can look up a recipe on-line to make your own
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

Filling:

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 container (8oz) of Cool Whip
• Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

Instructions:

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch sheet pan;  line with wax paper. Grease wax paper. On the side-Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with 1/4 cup powdered sugar-set aside for when cake is done baking.

Step 2

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. 

Step 3

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

Step 4

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Fold in cool whip. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese/cool whip mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Step 5

Cooking Tip: Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

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For September, we have Jai's Crock Pot Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

For the chicken filling:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can (10 oz) Rotel-style diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained — optional if you want a little tomato

• 3 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles

• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1 cup green enchilada sauce

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp chili powder

• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

For assembling:

• 10–12 medium flour tortillas
• 1½–2 cups green enchilada sauce
• 2½–3 cups shredded cheese — Monterey Jack, Mexican blend or pepper jack
• Optional toppings: sour cream, cilantro, avocado, green onions or jalapeños

Crock Pot

Put the chicken breasts in the crock pot. Add the green chiles, cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, 1 cup enchilada sauce and all the seasonings.

Cook:

• LOW: 6–7 hours
• HIGH: 3–4 hours

When the chicken is tender, shred it directly in the crock pot and stir everything together. It should be creamy and thick enough to scoop into tortillas.

Assemble

Heat oven to 375°F.

Spread about ½ cup green enchilada sauce across the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Put roughly ⅓–½ cup chicken mixture into each tortilla. Add a little shredded cheese, roll it up and place seam-side down.

Once they're all rolled:

• Pour 1–1½ cups green enchilada sauce over the top
• Cover with 2 cups shredded cheese

Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until everything is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted.

If you like your enchiladas really creamy, add ½ cup sour cream after you shred the chicken. I wouldn't put the sour cream in at the beginning because it can separate during the long crock-pot cook.

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For August, we have our Executive Assistant Anessa's with Cinnamon Chai Butter Swim Biscuits

Ingredients:

Cinnamon base

• ½ cup butter-melted (salted or unsalted)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ Tbs ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla

Biscuits

• 2 packets of chai tea to steep
• 2 cups buttermilk*
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

(*If you don't have buttermilk, steep the tea in warm milk (2 cups) and add 2 Tbs of vinegar after milk is done steeping. Let milk mixture sit for a few minutes before adding into the recipe.)

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 Tbs milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

• Heat oven to 450°F
• In a medium sized bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.
• Pour half of the mixture into an 8x8 baking dish and place in the oven. Set aside the other half of the cinnamon mixture.
• When the mixture starts to bubble (about 5 minutes), pull out of the oven and set aside until the biscuit mixture is ready.
• In a separate bowl, heat the buttermilk until it is warm, and steep the chai tea packets for about 5-10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, add flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and stir with a fork until mixed.
• Add the buttermilk mixture and vanilla and mix until just combined.
• Add the dough to the baking dish with the hot cinnamon mixture, do not stir them together.
• Pour remaining cinnamon mixture on top of the dough as evenly as possible.
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
• To make the glaze, add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
• Cool biscuits for about 5 minutes and pour glaze directly over the top and serve.

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For July, we have our Marketing Director with her Peach & Red Pepper Shrub Cocktail

We featured this cocktail at our most recent Mindful Meals dinner:

Peach & Red Pepper Shrub:

Cut peaches and red peppers into quarters and slices, medium sized.  Use a potato masher to macerate the peaches and peppers, and break them down enough to soak up the sugar. Pour sugar over fruit and stir to make sure they are evenly coated. Refrigerate for 36 hours. Pull out and mash fruit further. Use a strainer to strain the solid pieces and juice until no juice is coming through. Then take juice and strain again through cheesecloth. Take final product and add apple cider vinegar and stir.

Cocktail:

Mix ingredients into a shaker and shake for 15 seconds to activate fee foam. You can choose to drink over crushed ice or in a coupe glass. Garnish with 2 sweet pepper rings.

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For June, we have our fearless leader and chief Katie Harlan's: Easy Gluten-free bread

          Ingredients: 

• 1 1/4 cups (284g) water, lukewarm (100°F)
• 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons (25g) vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon (14g) apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
• 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
• 2 1/2 cups (300g) King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour

• In a large bowl combine the water, sugar, oil, vinegar, yeast, and salt. Add the gluten-free bread flour and mix together.  The dough will be wet and lumpy-that's ok, do not add more flour.
• Cover the dough and set it aside for 20 minutes. The dough will begin to firm up slightly and look more like dough than batter.  
• Gently knead the dough - fold the dough in half towards you, then pat it down, rotate the dough 90°, and fold again, until it becomes firmer to the touch, smoother, and easier to handle, 5 to 6 times. 
• Coat original bowl with oil, and return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let it rest for 60 more minutes, or until the dough is puffy. 





To shape the gluten-free bread:

• Uncover the dough and repeat the folding and pressing motion 5 to 6 times.
• Shape the dough into a boule: pat dough down, then fold the dough into an envelope shape. Envelope Shape: Fold bottom of dough up to the middle, then fold the left side up and over about 2/3rds toward the right, the right side up and over 2/3rds toward the left.  Finally, fold the top down to about the middle. Then flip dough over and use two hands to drag the dough and create tension as you rotate it.  Cup the side of the dough farthest from you and gently drag the dough down towards your body-keep rotating and dragging until the dough is sufficiently taut and uniformly round. 
• Place the dough ball in a proofing basket.  If you don't have a proofing basket-you can place on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet.  
• Cover with plastic wrap or an airtight container (like an overturned baking pan), and let it rise for 20 to 25 minutes, or until slightly puffy. This may take less time if your kitchen is warm and more time if it's cold.  
• While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F. If you have a dutch oven-put the dutch oven in the oven at this time to preheat.

 

Cooking gluten-free bread:

• When the loaf is ready to bake, turn the dough out onto a parchment piece of paper (if using a proofing basket) and cut an "X" into the top of dough ball.  If you don't have a proofing basket, and had the bread already on sheet pan, cut the top of the dough with an X-or any line cuts you want.
• If using a dutch oven, take the parchment paper with the dough, and drop into preheated dutch oven, cover with the lid and bake for 25 minutes.  
1. After 25 minutes, remove lid and back from an additional 10-15 minutes.
• If not using dutch oven, and baking on sheet pan-Bake the gluten-free bread for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking, or until the bread is golden brown. 
• The internal temperature should be between 206°F and 210°F when measured with a digital thermometer. Cool completely on a rack before slicing (at least 2 hours).  This is important-cutting too early (while still hot) releases the moisture too fast and causes a gummy, sticky and dense texture. 

 

Storage information: Store the gluten-free bread, well-wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, cut the loaf into slices and freeze. 

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For May, we couldn't help but feature Jaime Spinato: Gluten-free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

One thing about Jaime Spinato, she genuinely lives and breathes great food. As one of the driving forces behind our gluten-free options, she's constantly creating, testing, and cooking something new almost every night for her family. She's incredibly passionate about clean eating without ever sacrificing flavor, and we're excited that she's sharing one of her favorites with all of you: her gluten-free chocolate chunk cookies. Trust us, these are the kind of cookies you make once and immediately start craving again.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

100 g salted or unsalted brown butter (cooled)

70 g sugar

120 g light brown sugar

1 egg + 1 yolk room temp

Vanilla paste tt

220g gluten-free flour blend (omit xanthan gum if your blend contains it). I like to make my

own blend of flour for different flavor profiles. Sometimes I use a mixture of starches and

mesquite flour or buckwheat. It depends on what I want the cookie to taste like.

½ tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp baking pwdr

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

100 g of dark chocolate chips or chunks

45 g of pitted dried sour cherries

Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Standard Creaming Method For Cookies

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For April, we're proud to feature Audry Millard's: Family Potato Salad

Audry's recipe is exactly what our Staff Recipe Corner is all about: sharing a piece of personal history with the guests and community we love serving every day. It's a reminder that behind every great team is a collection of stories, traditions, and talents that deserve to be celebrated. What is more classic family, than potato salad?

Serves 6

• 6 large potatoes

• 1 ½ cup Mayo

• ½ cup Mustard

• 4 stalks green onion 

• 4 stalks celery

• 1 cup pickles

• ½ sliced olives

• 2 hard-boiled eggs

• Salt and pepper 

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For March, we're proud to feature Danielle Liu's: Chicken Croquettes

Serves 4

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp parsley, snipped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp grated onion
• Dash of paprika
• Dash of nutmeg
• Dash of pepper
• 1 1/2 cups finely diced cooked chicken
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp water
• Hot oil, for frying

Instructions

• Melt the butter in a saucepan. Blend in the flour, then add the milk and chicken broth. Cook and stir until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 1 minute.

• Add the parsley, lemon juice, grated onion, salt, paprika, nutmeg, and pepper. Let the mixture cool.

• Once cooled, stir in the finely diced cooked chicken and add salt to taste. Chill thoroughly.

• With wet hands, shape the mixture into 8 balls, then lightly form each one into a cone shape.

• Beat 1 egg with 2 tablespoons of water. Dip each croquette into the egg mixture, then roll in bread crumbs.

• Fry in hot oil for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Drain and serve.

From our family's kitchen to your family, we're grateful to share this recipe with you.