Ham, Cheese & Spinach Puffs

Turn your leftover Easter ham into a delicious savory breakfast pastry!

It’s 6:40 in the morning on a Saturday. I’m warm and cozy cuddled up next to my husband with visions of spinach puffs dancing in my head (Mav requested them for this morning’s baking session). My alarm is set for 7am. That’s the time we’re all “meeting” on video chat to bake today’s recipe! I am woken by Chris Stapleton singing Tennessee Whiskey. It’s time to get up. The ladies are gonna start without me if I don’t get up… Ugh! Ok. I’m up! I stumble my way to the coffee pot and join our group video chat. I’m ready!

I wanted today’s recipe to not be something sweet. We’ve eaten too many sweets lately. So, I consulted with Maverick last night and he specifically requested the savory flavors of ham, spinach and cheese… I think he was initially wanting quiche or frittata; but when I showed him the puffs… he was STOKED! And so was I! I LOVE spinach and I LOVE puff pastry!

The best thing about these Saturday morning baking sessions with the ladies is that we aren’t always making the same thing and we do a socially-distanced meet up for swapping too! So we make sure to make enough to swap out for each household to sample our culinary creations, as well! Today, my mom made Peanut Butter Cheesecake Truffles coated in White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate and topped with chopped walnuts. They are AMAZING! Ahnna made Mini Red Velvet loaf cakes with a layer of Cream Cheese filling in the middle (kind of like a molten lava cake)! They are also VERY DELICIOUS!

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Let’s Get Started!

My recipe made twelve spinach puffs! I had two for breakfast, Mav got four, and each of the other three households got two! These puffs are simple to make & light and airy, but man they are PACKED with flavor!

Ingredients

• fresh spinach leaves – cut chiffonade (like ribbons)
• goat cheese crumbles
• smoked gruyere shredded
• leftover Easter ham diced
• 2 eggs for egg wash (this may seem like a lot, but you’re gonna need both)
• 1 roll of phyllo dough – puff pastry

Instructions

Step 1: Unroll phyllo dough and cut into six large squares, separate the stacks in half making 12 stacks of roughly 6-8 sheets.

Step 2: Place six stacks onto a parchment-lined sheet pan evenly spaced apart, “cut” each stack (like a deck of cards) in two and egg wash the surface then place the “top” layer back down and egg wash again.

Step 3: Layer spinach, ham, gruyere, and goat cheese.

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Step 4: Fold corners inward making sure to overlap them slightly and egg wash again.

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Step 5: Bake at 350*F for 8 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool & enjoy!

Aaaaand Then…. WE MEET!!

This time, my sister, Billie, wasn’t able to join us during our baking session. So we decided that we would surprise her with our meet-up coming to her! We all gathered in her driveway for a little social distance- socializing. This time, our Dad came with Mom and they brought our littlest sister, Spice too! We sat six feet apart and sipped coffee in the cool breeze. We laughed and swapped stories about our kids and we even got to see my nieces and nephews playing outside. My nephew Marky pretends to be a policeman and “arrests” his older siblings. To see them playing and hear their laughter even from a distance helps make this whole stay-at-home order a little more bearable.

When all of this is over, I’m going to host a baking day at my house with all of my nieces and nephews. We’ll bake cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and pies too! I miss their little faces and their sweet hugs. I hope they know how much they are missed. I can’t wait to hug them and hear all of their wild and crazy stories about their experiences being stuck at home! Until then, I will keep myself busy making sweets and treats for them all – from a distance!

#WorkHard #StayHumble #NeverthelessPersist