Julie calls this a “potchky,” which is Yiddish for a “pain in the butt,” because it has a lot of steps to assemble. I love Yiddish, because the words often sound exactly like the thing they’re describing. Recipes like this are worth the work, though, because they are mouth-wateringly yummy. If you have leftover potatoes to use from a Sunday dinner, it makes a super-easy Meatless Monday meal.

2 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into ½ cubes (sweet potatoes may be substituted-highly recommended if you like them)
2 tspns. chili powder
1 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 cup salsa verde (easily found at supermarkets)
4 cups coarsely chopped spinach
4 8-inch flour tortillas
3 oz. chilled fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled
Olive oil

Mix potatoes in bowl with oil, chili powder, salt and pepper. Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake at 400 until tender (about 25-30 minutes). Cool potatoes 15 minutes. Mix in Jack cheese. Meanwhile, sauté spinach in olive oil and garlic.

Arrange tortillas on work surface. Place sautéed spinach on the bottom half of the tortilla, topped with potato mixture, then goat cheese and 2 tablespoons salsa verde. Fold plain tortilla halves over filling, pressing to compact. Brush with oil.

Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas oiled side down, in skillet. Brush tops with oil. Cook until quesadillas are brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.

Cut each quesadilla into 3 or 4 wedges. Serve with remaining salsa.

a friend

Seed Starting

Late winter is the perfect time to start seeds indoor. You don’t need to have a greenhouse or green thumb: starting seeds are easy, fun and an economical way to get the plants you desire for your home garden. If you don’t have any experience, chances are your child has done this in school! All you need to start this project is good potting soil, containers and a spray bottle for watering and seeds!

Seed Starting Basics

To start your seeds indoors, you’ll need a potting soil mix (preferably a seed starting mix), containers for the seeds and whatever seeds you want to grow. Some seeds are best sowed directly in the ground in spring (sunflowers, for example) and others do better if just broadcast into the soil like California Poppies or wildflowers. Ideal seeds to start indoors are those hardy sun lovers like cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, corn or beans. Just about anything can serve as a container from egg cartons, plastic or clay pots just as long as it has drainage holes. Be “eco-thrifty” and creative!

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Our Cottage Industry tab features small business opportunities and budding entrepreneurs. This week, we’re talking to Catherine Lieber Shimony and Joan Shifrin about the Non-Profit Organization that they have started to help alleviate poverty and promote social justice by strengthening women-led development initiatives for marginalized communities in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

1. Tell us about your business: Global Goods Partners (GGP) is a nonprofit, fair trade, international development and education organization all tied into one. Essentially, we create opportunities to generate income for our global partners and help fuel our partners’ community development goals. The first step is identifying effective women-led community organizations (CBOs) with a strong development focus. These groups are at the forefront of creating positive social change within their communities. Once we have decided to partner with a CBO, then we provide technical assistance to both strengthen their community development programs and their micro-enterprise in craft development. GGP brings handcrafted products from the CBOs to the US marketplace which translates into income-generation for the women and their families as well as income for the CBO to support their community development/social change programs.

2. Why did you start this business? During our careers, my partner and I saw the real benefits to family and community that result when poor women are empowered by earning an income. We saw an opportunity to contribute to local organizations that support women’s empowerment and economic independence. We wanted to contribute to the sustainability of the important social change work being implemented by the women-led CBO’s while at the same time develop a sustainable livelihoods program for the women artisans who wanted to to continue with their traditional crafts.

3. What is your background? Catherine and Joan, the two co-founders, attended the same graduate school program in international affairs, JHU SAIS and pursued careers in international development mainly in the nonprofit sector but also with experience in the private sector.

4. What skills did you need to acquire for your new endeavor? Analytical skills, to think innovatively and creatively, management skills, cultural awareness and understanding, respect for your colleagues everywhere, and the confidence that your work makes a difference in people’s lives.

5. Biggest challenges? Growing our market share in this challenging economy.

6. What have you learned and advice to others? Trust your instincts. Try not to take on too much. It’s important to start small.

If you’d like to find out more about Global Goods Partners, visit their website at www.globalgoodspartners.org.

a friend

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Are you in need of a bed, dining set or a comfy new family room sofa? You’re in luck because Basset Furniture is giving away a $2000 gift card EACH WEEK for the month of March. Enter to win at Bassettfurniture.com. While you are there you can “window shop” for what you need through all the beautiful graphics on their site. I sure hope I win so I can have this fabulous four-poster bed for FREE. Good luck!

a friend