Coaching Cooking

Ah, the teacher’s life is busy! Luckily, there’s always room for a great appetizer. AB concocted this one today while we were rummaging around our fridge for some tasty food. I love it when ingredients in the fridge lend themselves perfectly to a quick appetizer. Sometimes we make a nice dinner out of a few well-paired items. It is so easy just to pair some crusy bread with cheese, sausage, butter, radishes, a delicious bottle of wine and some crunchy apples. Voila! Instant dinner and a fun mix of ingredients.

AB’s Tuesday Treat

Ingredients:

4-6 ounces of cumin cheese (look for this at a local farmer’s market, Whole Foods or other specialty stores…it has cumin seeds in it and it has a great, spicy flavor)
1 lime, sliced into thin wedges
2 tablespoons of fleur de sel
Crackers

Directions:

Arrange slices of the cumin cheese on a large plate and group the salt, lime slices and crackers on the same plate. Serve with cold beer, lemonade or margaritas.

Enjoy!

Jenny’s Quick Sausage Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 package of spicy sausage (try Andouille, cajun or spicy Italian)
1 baguette, sliced into thin rounds
3-4 tablespoons of softened butter

Cook the sausage according to the package directions. Cool the sausage and then cut into thin rounds. Arrange the sausage on a large plate by mounding it into the middle of the plate. Surround with the bread slices and serve with the butter on the side. To eat, spread some butter on a bread slice and top with the spicy sausage. Enjoy this appetizer with cold beer or, if you prefer, an ice-cold soda.

**Note**: I tried a terrific lychee soda the other day and it pairs perfectly with spicy sausage. The sweetness and slight tart flavor of the lychee complements the spices and the meaty flavor of the sausage. Try this brand. It’s available at many Asian markets and the packaging is pretty cool.