Chicken Spanakopita

Spanakopita may well be one of the finest foods on this earth. The flaky, crispy phyllo and tangy feta combined with tender spinach and a moist cheese filing make it like no other food. I'm not sure where I got the idea to add chicken, but I did and it turned out really well. There is a single top crust to this as I was afraid the added chicken may make a bottom crust too moist and spoil the whole dish. I might do it again and try the bottom crust, but either way, this was very good indeed.

I used a variation of Helene Bozakis' recipe that my mom uses, subbing scallions for the onion, ricotta for cottage cheese, half the spinach and eggs, and I'm starting to think her recipe is foolproof, because it was just as delicious as always.



Chicken Spanakopita
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

Half of a 12oz box of phyllo sheets
1 stick butter-melted

1 lb frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed until dry
1 bunch scallions thinly sliced white and green parts
3T olive oil

8 chicken breast filets cooked lightly on both sides
1 c. feta cheese - crumbled
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan
2 T chopped fresh dill
3 eggs slightly beaten
1/4 t. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Lay cooked chicken breast filets on the bottom of a lightly greases 9x13 baking pan.
Cook scallions in oil until fragrant - about 2 minutes and add spinach. Stir and cook for 2 minutes longer or until no liquid is visible.
Combine ricotta, Parmesan and feta with eggs and blend well. Add dill, nutmeg and salt and pepper - mix.
Blend spinach and cheeses together until well combined - spoon over chicken breasts in pan.
Brush each sheet of phyllo with butter and layer on top of chicken and spinach until all phyllo sheets are used up. Brush top layer with butter and tuck ends into the side of the pan.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes until golden and crisp.
Let stand 10-15 min. before cutting. Good served hot or cold.

On Your Mark!

Tomorrow is Ready Set Cook! day and here's the scoop:

1) 3 ingredients will be posted tomorrow morning-they are predetermined
by someone other than myself.

2) Single dish with sauce or single dish and side are acceptable.
Any other ingredients are fine but the 3 listed MUST be in the dish and must be
prominent.

3) Post your ideas in the comments section and email actual recipes or VERY detailed
instructions for your dish to me at irishones7 at juno dot com.

4) I will post the recipes (or instructions) on Wednesday along with your blogger
URL.

If you don't have a blog-that's OK too-just please give me a name to go with your
recipes so I can credit you properly.

That's it! It should be fun, which is the whole purpose. If it all goes well, we may get
into actual contests at a later date, which would be even more fun!

****************************

This meme was sent to me by Paula.

5 "weird" things about me;

1) I love ROUND things. I don't know why but I do. It's a very comforting shape to me and
my oldest daughter ribs me constantly about that being the reason I was pregnant 6 times.

2) I can hold and write with a pen/pencil 2 different ways. People have commented on it
my whole life. I'm not really sure why anyone finds it odd but they do so, I thought
I would mention it.

3) I hate shoes, I hate socks, I would go barefoot for life if I could.

4) I do not get postpartum depression, I get postpartum fear of heights. Odd but true.
I even get scared of being on my porch, which is only 3 feet off the ground.

5) I have a severe fear of metal in water-ie: large metal pipes in water, drain holes, etc.
I have never figured that one out. I even hate large pipes that hold water on land.
My grandfather was Superintendent of the water works in Tipton, Indiana and when he would
take us to the "shop" I could barely breathe because there was a room there that had
nothing but large pipes carrying water to and from the area.

OK, my turn is over and I don't have enough friends to beg to do this so, I won't. I also
noticed that the few friends I do have were already tagged by something similar. I need to
widen my circle.

***************
Recipe for today for no particular reason other than it's GOOD.

Mom gave me this recipe which she got from Helene Bozakis, which just means that it's
as authentic as you can get.

Spanakopita
Makes one 9x13 pan
Printable Recipe

12 oz box of phyllo sheets
2 sticks butter-melted
2 lbs. fresh spinach-washed and trimmed
1 large onion finely chopped
3 T olive oil

1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1-16oz. container cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons dill
6 eggs slightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Brush the pastry sheets with butter and layer 1/2 in a
greased 9x13 pan.
Saute onion in oil until tender. Add spinach and cook
until wilted.
Combine cheeses, herbs, eggs and nutmeg.
Add cheese to spinach and mix-spoon into prepared pan.
Top with remaining pastry sheets and butter the top.
Seal edges and bake at 350F for 45 minutes until golden
and crisp.
Let stand 10-15 min. before cutting. Good served hot
or cold.

Grandma's Favorites

Just before Grandma fell ill I made a batch of her famous brownies and was going to blog them. I also wanted to add to that the recipe for her favorite cookies. Life happens though, and I found myself unable to even approach the subject of Grandma without great pain.

Life goes on also and I want to share these two recipes.

A perfect batch of grandma's brownies.

The brownies my Grandma made are like no other I have ever had. These are truly "gooey" and absolutely sinful. Grandma knew this and even though she shared her recipe she failed to mention, on purpose, the one thing that made them so wonderful.

They don't get more moist than this!

I was surprised to hear my mother tell me this since Grandma was so sweet and lovable, and a true Christian woman. But, like the rest of us, Grandma had flaws and one was that she knew how much everyone loved these brownies and she knew that if they all knew how to make them, they wouldn't need her to do it. Grandma loved being needed. I guess that isn't really a flaw after all.

Gooey brownie love.

Grandma Sharp's Brownies
Printable Recipe

In two 8x8 baking pans (metal is preferable) melt 1 stick of margarine each. You can use butter but the texture will change.

In a medium bowl mix together 2 cups sugar and 2 T cocoa (grandma means SERVING spoon so, about 1/2 cup or slightly more). Add melted butter and 4 eggs. Blend well and add lastly 1 cup flour and 2 cups mini marshmallows.

Blend and divide equally among the already-buttered pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until puffy and slightly browned on top.


The amount of baking time is key--if they go too long-forget the goo--they will just be brownies and THAT is the part that my dear Grandmother always forgot to mention. She would act surprised "Why, I don't know why they got so hard!". Silly Sharpie :o)

The next is a recipe for Confetti Cookies that originally came from Juanita Searfoss, Grandma's niece. When Grandma was not feeling well, these cookies were the only thing she could tolerate. I made them innumerable times over the last 12 years for her and she never tired of them. They have never tasted exactly the same to me as they did when I was a child but then, many things are that way.
Here is the story that goes with them: http://www.cookingwithanne.com/2009/06/grandmas-confetti-cookies.html

Confetti Cookies

These are similar to Mexican Wedding cookies.

Confetti Drops
Mrs C.L. Searfoss
Printable Recipe

1 c spry (shortening)
2 c flour
6 T sugar
1/4 c milk
1 oz confetti candy (multi-colored non-pareils)
1 t vanilla or almond extract
1/4 t salt
red food coloring
powdered sugar

Mix shortening and sugar and salt. Add red food coloring to milk so it distributes well-ebough so the dough will be a pretty pink. Add extract to milk also. Add flour alternately with milk. Add confetti and mix well so it gets throughout the dough.

Roll into 1" balls and flatten slightly on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Do not let them brown!
The original recipe says to roll them in powdered sugar while warm but I always wind up with a sticky mess if I do this so I let them cool first.