Weekend Specials at the Reindeer Bar

 

What a weekend for the Reindeer Bar. Apparently, brunch was a popular destination with all their yummy specials offered. It was hard to choose, but the following were our favorite entree and sides.     

Sausage Wild Rice Potato Dish 

Cook's Notes: This hearty brunch dish loaded with sausage, potatoes, wild rice, and cheesy goodness welcomes your guests to a holiday gathering. It can be assembled the night before, making it easy to bake the next day. As a time saver, make the wild rice and sausage ahead of time and chop peppers, onions, and garlic. Cover and refrigerate until the next day. 2 teaspoons of Elote seasoning can be substituted for mustard and Italian herbs, adding more of a 'kick' to the dish. The recipe serves 8 and was served with Cranberry Struesel Coffeecake. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups frozen Potatoes O'Brien
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 2 cups cooked sweet Italian Sausage drained and crumbled (about 1 lb.)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 2/3 cup of each red and yellow mini sweet peppers 
• 1 cup sweet onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons Italian herbs
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup 2% milk or half and half
• 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

• Thaw out frozen potatoes on a baking sheet for an hour. 
• Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté diced peppers and onions for about 3 minutes. Add in garlic, and sauté 1 minute longer. Add potatoes, sausage, wild rice, and 1-1/2 cups of cheese. Mix well and cook for 1 minute longer.
• Use a blender and combine eggs, spices, and milk.
• Grease an 8 x 11 pan. Place the sausage/potato mixture on the bottom of the pan. Pour the egg/milk mixture evenly over the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
• Bake the dish uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the eggs are set. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
  

Cranberry Streusel Coffeecake

Cook's Notes: A holiday coffee cake made with Greek yogurt and fresh cranberries, topped with a crunchy streusel mixture, is perfect for brunch, breakfast, and even dessert.

Ingredients:

For the coffee cake

• 2 cups flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• Zest one large orange
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1-1/4 cups cranberries

For the streusel

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• In a food processor, pulse streusel ingredients (except nuts) until butter is in small clumps. Place in a small bowl, add in nuts and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
• Grease a 9 x 9 square baking pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. 
• Set dry ingredients aside.
• Combine sugar and orange zest in a bowl using your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar. Add butter and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, and beat until smooth. Beat in Greek yogurt, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Mix well.  
• Slowly add in dry ingredients, mix just until combined, and fold in cranberries. 
• Place batter in the prepared pan, and use a sheet of wax paper to flatten out the batter. Remove wax paper. Recrumble the topping and sprinkle streusel topping evenly over the top. 
• Bake for 35- 40 minutes.
  

Winter Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Cook's Notes: Fresh fruit ingredients tossed with a healthy poppyseed dressing. The dressing is a nice blend of tangy and sweet with honey for a smooth and flavorful way to sweeten this dressing. It’s a simple and straightforward dressing that goes great on salads with fruit toppings but could easily stand its own on a salad topped with vegetables, too. It's a healthy version of regular poppyseed dressing using yogurt. It would be fantastic for spinach salad as well.
The recipe was adapted from cookingclassy.com and serves 4-6.

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
• 3 crisp apples ( e.g. Honey Crisp) 
• 4 ripe kiwis peeled and diced
• 1-1/2 cups red grapes, halved
• 4 bananas, peeled 
• 2 pears, diced
• 1 cup pomegranate arils (produce department) 

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Dressing Directions: 

• Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Taste test to balance ingredients. Store dressing in a screw-type jar and refrigerate until needed. 

Salad Directions:

• In a salad bowl, toss together all of the fruit, then pour dressing over top and gently toss to coat.
• Serve salad immediately for the best results.

REINDEER BAR OPEN THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND THEN CLOSING FOR THE SEASON