My Trip to Saint Louis (6)

Sixth Day Monday: August 16, 2010

Weather: 87 F

We woke up and had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  Then Nannah and Poppop picked me up from their house.  We had grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato and mustard.  While we were eating lunch I had  the idea of making spanakopita for dinner.  Spanakopita is a Greek food, made of spinach and feta cheese wrapped in filo doe.  The first time I had it was at the Oregon Country Fair and it was sooooo good!  I looked up spanikopita on the Internet and found a good recipe.  We made a list of the ingredients so we could get them at Whole Foods.  Before we went shopping we picked up our pottery from Your Pots Desire, they looked really good now that the glaze was on them.  Then we went to REI because Nannah wanted to get a backpack and sandals.  After she bought the backpack we went to the grocery store and got our ingredients.  There was some really good cheese on sample and we kept coming back for another piece.  When we got back to Nannah and Poppop's house we started to make the spanikopita.  When it was all finished we had dinner on the porch.  The spanikopita was as good as I remembered.  It tasted good and we had a fun time making it so it must be good for you!!! 

Greek Spanakopita:
 Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds spinach, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
8 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x9 inch square baking pan.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve while hot.