Spanokopita is one of my most favorite foods in the world. Probably because it has spinach and cheese in it – two things I could eat all day. I must confess that I have never made it though! So I was delighted to see the recipe for Spinach Phyllo Pie in June Martha Stewart Everyday Food. It looked so easy, that I could not believe I had never tried it before.

The first step is to cook onions, garlic and spinach. I bought frozen spinach so I didn’t have to wilt my spinach. The recipe calls for a white onion, but I had some red onion hanging around so I used that up.

An important step that I didn’t pay attention to is that you need to get your phyllo dough defrosted. On the package it says to let it sit in the fridge overnight. Eek! Didn’t do that, so I stuck it in the microwave on defrost and all was well.

You lay out a sheet, brush it with butter, then put another sheet on top. It’s not hard to work with if you are careful when moving the sheets of phyllo since they can rip.

Once you get all ten sheets ready, you place the spinach mixture down the center, then fold each side of the phyllo in, so that you have a flat log.  This was not hard to do at all.

Once you’ve got it sealed shut, you cut some diagonal slices on it to make it look pretty.

This takes longer to cook than it seems like it should – 45 to 50 minutes, although I cheated and put it on convection to get it done.

The result? It was very good. But you knew I was going to say that since it has spinach and cheese in it! I have to say I still prefer the traditional layered spanokopita, but this was a good alternative. It definitely looked gorgeous when it came out of the oven.

Spanokopita is one of my most favorite foods in the world. Probably because it has spinach and cheese in it – two things I could eat all day. I must confess that I have never made it though! So I was delighted to see the recipe for Spinach Phyllo Pie in June Martha Stewart Everyday … Read more →

In June Martha Stewart Everyday Food there’s a cute little recipe for sesame broccoli. We eat a LOT of broccoli since it is the only vegetable both of my kids will eat. A new way to make it is always welcome.

This recipe has you roast the broccoli in a very hot oven. Note that mine cooked much faster than the time the recipe said. Once it comes out you put some soy sauce, lemon juice and sesame seeds on it.

It was interesting, but I wouldn’t make this again. I felt like the flavors were kind of overpowering and it was just too strong. The kids would not touch it. Not really a winner. Sorry, Martha.

In June Martha Stewart Everyday Food there’s a cute little recipe for sesame broccoli. We eat a LOT of broccoli since it is the only vegetable both of my kids will eat. A new way to make it is always welcome. This recipe has you roast the broccoli in a very hot oven. Note that … Read more →

I was looking for something simple for a busy weeknight dinner and settled on Penne with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella from May Everyday Food. I had a box of penne, but when I pulled it out of the pantry I realized it was only 1/4 full, so I decided to use shells for this.

I boiled the pasta and then cooked up garlic, cherry tomatoes and sundried tomatoes. Super simple. You mix the pasta with the sauce and then stir in frozen cubes of mozzarella (so they stay as chunks and don’t melt) and sprinkle on some chives.

I liked this dish, but it doesn’t reheat well because the cheese melts all over. Other than that, I thought it was tasty and I liked the two types of tomatoes. The chives are a nice touch and the green color looks great. I might be tempted to add some spinach to this or some other vegetable just to make it a little more interesting.

My June Living came in the mail yesterday – hooray!

I was looking for something simple for a busy weeknight dinner and settled on Penne with Two Tomatoes and Mozzarella from May Everyday Food. I had a box of penne, but when I pulled it out of the pantry I realized it was only 1/4 full, so I decided to use shells for this. I … Read more →

Sunday was Mother’s Day. I usually spend Mother’s Day with my mom and in the past, she has usually made dinner for her mom and we’ve celebrated there. This year my grandmother passed away a week before and my dad had retinal surgery, so my mom decided to stay home and celebrate with me another day. This left me at loose ends for Mother’s Day.

Mr. MarthaAndMe made breakfast (Dutch babies) while I lounged in bed and the kids had thoughtful gifts for me. It was a nice morning. Expecting Mr. MarthaAndMe to cook dinner though is a bit much. No one in this house has forgotten the Meatloaf Incident (in which he made meatloaf with a little meat and a LOT of ketchup). So, I made a roast chicken and mashed potatoes. But I really wanted a dessert of some kind. Martha to the rescue! I was intrigued by the recipe for Versatile Vanilla Cake (Everyday Food, May issue). The idea behind this recipe is that you can easily modify it to make chocolate or lemon cakes. I decided to make one batch, but split it in half so I could have a chocolate and a vanilla cake (since we have two camps in this family – chocolate and vanilla).

The cake was easy to make. Of course I ran out of eggs and had to send Mr.  MarthaAndMe to the store. The cakes baked up nicely. Once I had the cakes made, I made Martha’s frosting. I must admit, I was a little scared of this frosting. It’s made from egg whites, sugar, salt and water. Frosting without butter? Seemed weird.

You cook the egg whites in a double boiler until the sugar melts and you reach 150 degrees. I must say it didn’t look too appetizing at this point! But I kept at it and once it is cooked, you whip it. Now it began to resemble frosting.  It whipped up nicely and was light and fluffy.

Next, I spread it on the cakes. Because it was so light and fluffy, it went on very easily. I had just the right amount to frost two one-layer cakes. If I had made a two-layer cake like the recipe directed, there would have been enough for that.

The frosting looks really pretty on the cakes, don’t you think?

Now for the taste test. The cakes were delicious! The cake was very moist (because of the buttermilk in the recipe) and had a nice consistency (heavy but not too heavy) and a good flavor. The frosting was quite good. It was sweet and light and was not overpowering like some frosting can be. I also love that it is non-fat.

I will definitely make this cake and frosting combo again. It was a winner!

Sunday was Mother’s Day. I usually spend Mother’s Day with my mom and in the past, she has usually made dinner for her mom and we’ve celebrated there. This year my grandmother passed away a week before and my dad had retinal surgery, so my mom decided to stay home and celebrate with me another … Read more →

Sunday was Mother’s Day. I usually spend Mother’s Day with my mom and in the past, she has usually made dinner for her mom and we’ve celebrated there. This year my grandmother passed away a week before and my dad had retinal surgery, so my mom decided to stay home and celebrate with me another day. This left me at loose ends for Mother’s Day.

Mr. MarthaAndMe made breakfast (Dutch babies) while I lounged in bed and the kids had thoughtful gifts for me. It was a nice morning. Expecting Mr. MarthaAndMe to cook dinner though is a bit much. No one in this house has forgotten the Meatloaf Incident (in which he made meatloaf with a little meat and a LOT of ketchup). So, I made a roast chicken and mashed potatoes. But I really wanted a dessert of some kind. Martha to the rescue! I was intrigued by the recipe for Versatile Vanilla Cake (Everyday Food, May issue). The idea behind this recipe is that you can easily modify it to make chocolate or lemon cakes. I decided to make one batch, but split it in half so I could have a chocolate and a vanilla cake (since we have two camps in this family – chocolate and vanilla).

The cake was easy to make. Of course I ran out of eggs and had to send Mr.  MarthaAndMe to the store. The cakes baked up nicely. Once I had the cakes made, I made Martha’s frosting. I must admit, I was a little scared of this frosting. It’s made from egg whites, sugar, salt and water. Frosting without butter? Seemed weird.

You cook the egg whites in a double boiler until the sugar melts and you reach 150 degrees. I must say it didn’t look too appetizing at this point! But I kept at it and once it is cooked, you whip it. Now it began to resemble frosting.  It whipped up nicely and was light and fluffy.

Next, I spread it on the cakes. Because it was so light and fluffy, it went on very easily. I had just the right amount to frost two one-layer cakes. If I had made a two-layer cake like the recipe directed, there would have been enough for that.

The frosting looks really pretty on the cakes, don’t you think?

Now for the taste test. The cakes were delicious! The cake was very moist (because of the buttermilk in the recipe) and had a nice consistency (heavy but not too heavy) and a good flavor. The frosting was quite good. It was sweet and light and was not overpowering like some frosting can be. I also love that it is non-fat.

I will definitely make this cake and frosting combo again. It was a winner!

Sunday was Mother’s Day. I usually spend Mother’s Day with my mom and in the past, she has usually made dinner for her mom and we’ve celebrated there. This year my grandmother passed away a week before and my dad had retinal surgery, so my mom decided to stay home and celebrate with me another … Read more →

Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas seemed like an easy dish to make (“doing” Martha does not have to always be time-consuming and overwhelming – sometimes just using nice ingredients in a simply elegant way is truly Martha).  I only had one tortilla in the house, so I decided to use pitas. I had a pack of 4 and set them out on the counter to defrost. When I came back, 2 were gone and there was a dog with a suspiciously full tummy. So I made two on pitas and cut my lone tortilla in half and made two with that. This dish is amazingly easy. You just saute up some garlic and zucchini. Stick the tortillas in the oven with cheese on them. Saute the shrimp and dump the shrimp and zucchini on top of the tortillas. Add some scallions and serve with sour cream (I also served with sliced avocado). These were AMAZING. And I don’t know why they were so good, but they were. The flavors went together perfectly. I’m going to make this dish again for sure.

Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas seemed like an easy dish to make (“doing” Martha does not have to always be time-consuming and overwhelming – sometimes just using nice ingredients in a simply elegant way is truly Martha).  I only had one tortilla in the house, so I decided to use pitas. I had a pack of … Read more →

I really needed a quick, easy dinner to get on the table before heading out to a chorus concert. I thought Oven-Fried Chicken from May Martha Stewart Everyday Food was a good answer. Anything that resembles chicken nuggets is always a safe bet in this house.

Breadcrumb disaster

The recipe wasn’t as easy as I expected. First, I needed to marinate the chicken in buttermilk, garlic and salt and better. Then I needed to make my own breadcrumbs and toast them in the oven. Well, the toasting ended up as burning.  In my defense, I had just learned my grandmother was dying and had been sedated and would be leaving us shortly. I had had a week filled with evening school events, plenty of work stress, and no time to even go buy milk. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised I couldn’t even toast some breadcrumbs.

I had to get dinner on the table quickly so I didn’t attempt to make more breadcrumbs and just used some from a can.

When I took the chicken out of the oven, I was not impressed with how it looked. It did not brown at all and really wasn’t too appetizing. However, this tasted fantastic! It was crunchy and the chicken was flavorful. The buttermilk marinade really gave some wonderful flavor. I was really impressed by this dish and will definitely make it again, and maybe this time I won’t burn the breadcrumbs!

I really needed a quick, easy dinner to get on the table before heading out to a chorus concert. I thought Oven-Fried Chicken from May Martha Stewart Everyday Food was a good answer. Anything that resembles chicken nuggets is always a safe bet in this house. The recipe wasn’t as easy as I expected. First, … Read more →

I love scallops and have never tried them with watercress. The May issue of Martha Stewart Everyday Food has a recipe for Scallops with Sauteed Watercress and Ginger (not up on Martha’s site yet). This recipe was a breeze to make. You saute garlic and ginger, then the watercress, then the scallops. You add some sesame seeds to the watercress as it is cooking, along with lemon juice. Very simple yet very tasty. I didn’t buy enough watercress, so I ended up with a tiny little pile of it.

I threw this together one night after a late school event, so it was definitely done in a rush, but it was good. I would make this again.

I love scallops and have never tried them with watercress. The May issue of Martha Stewart Everyday Food has a recipe for Scallops with Sauteed Watercress and Ginger (not up on Martha’s site yet). This recipe was a breeze to make. You saute garlic and ginger, then the watercress, then the scallops. You add some … Read more →

I’ve been meaning to make the Glazed Lemon Cookies from May Martha Stewart Everyday Food for a while, then I got the Cookie of the Day email about it and that got me off my butt and into the kitchen. Last night was Mr. MarthaandMe’s birthday and he always has gingerbread with lemon sauce, so I just made a lemon sauce last night. Making some lemon cookies felt like a natural extension of that.

The dough mixed up and was very crumbly. I had a moment of panic when it felt like it wasn’t going to come together. I turned off the mixer and went at it with a wooden spoon and was able to smush it together into dough.  It was still quite crumbly though and it was a bit messy on the baking sheet.

I popped them in the oven and this recipe actually cooked in exactly the time it was supposed to, which might be a first for me with a Martha baking recipe. The cookies didn’t spread much at all.

After they come out, you put together the glaze (just powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest) and spoon it over after they’ve cooled for just a few minutes.  I find glaze to be a bit frustrating in general – not thick enough to be a frosting and too soupy to really stick. I admit I applied the glaze while the cookies were still on the baking sheet. I couldn’t face the idea of having to wash a cooling rack also!

I got it on though and let it rest. then I decided to use a little more since I really had a giant bowl of glaze left. The second application stayed on a little better, so maybe let these cool a little longer than the recipe says (or maybe if you take them off the baking sheets they will cool faster).

I liked these cookies. They are very sweet and very lemony with just the right amount of crunch. I also liked the fact that they were very easy to make. No chilling of the dough, no crazy ingredients. Very simple and delicious. A good thing!

I’ve been meaning to make the Glazed Lemon Cookies from May Martha Stewart Everyday Food for a while, then I got the Cookie of the Day email about it and that got me off my butt and into the kitchen. Last night was Mr. MarthaandMe’s birthday and he always has gingerbread with lemon sauce, so … Read more →

Martha’s Honey Teriyaki Chicken (May Martha Stewart Everyday Food) survived a very bumpy ride at my house, but was still good! Here’s the low down. I whipped this up on a weeknight. Very simple to construct – garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey and rice wine vinegar. No problem. I substituted boneless chicken breasts for thighs.

Poor little Teen Martha had to leave for an evening school event and I was feeling guilty because Mr. MarthaandMe has been working so late the past few weeks that it seems she never gets to eat dinner with us. So I stuck this in the oven and cooked it up for her, thinking I could just warm it up for our dinner later.

She liked it and even came back for more, which is unusual. Later, Mr. MarthaandMe called to alert me he was on his way home, so I stuck it back in the oven and heated up the rest of the food (some wild rice and vegetables). Everything was ready when he pulled in the driveway. But then he sat in the car for 20 minutes on a phone call. The chicken was looking a little dark by this point, but I pulled it out and was ready to serve when someone showed up at the door to talk to him about an estimate on some work we need done around the house. So the chicken was on hold again. By the time we finally ate, it was almost 8 pm and poor little Dude Martha was doubled over in agony.

I had little hope that the chicken would be edible at this point- but it was! And it was good! My only suggestion would be that this really needs to marinate before you cook it. We dipped each bite in the sauce since nothing really soaked in. Dude Martha ate his chicken nuggets (his request) but then at the end of dinner asked if he could taste this. He loved it and scarfed down an entire piece. I’ll definitely be making this one again.

Martha’s Honey Teriyaki Chicken (May Martha Stewart Everyday Food) survived a very bumpy ride at my house, but was still good! Here’s the low down. I whipped this up on a weeknight. Very simple to construct – garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey and rice wine vinegar. No problem. I substituted boneless chicken breasts for thighs. … Read more →