Sweet Tooth Haven

Paranoia and a Baby Lizard

For the last few weeks I've been convinced my crazy neighbor killed off all the lizards that used to live in/visit my backyard.  Throughout the spring we watched two lizards alternately sit together in the sun and chase each other around.  We were happy to have these pest eaters living in the yard entertaining us with their push-ups.  I was so excited in mid July when I saw a teeny tiny baby lizard on the patio.  Then a week later, they all disappeared.  No more lizards!  Our only guess was that the obsessive lady next door decided they were eating her plants and poisoned them.  Or their obnoxious dog ate them.  Either way, I was annoyed.  Until I saw this little guy on the wall.  It's only about 2 inches long including the tail.  I hope he stays away from the wacky neighbors!

Help Out Public School Teachers

Most public school teachers (including me) who teach in areas of high-poverty spend hundreds of dollars a year buying materials for their classrooms.  Help me raise money to buy Weekly Readers for my second grade class, or find another proposal that matches your interest.  DonorsChoose accepts written proposals from teachers then allows the public to fund the proposal.  All donations are tax deductible and everyone who donates to a project receives a thank you from the class.

To read my proposal and help purchase Weekly Readers for my class, click here or on the link in the sidebar. 
OR
Go to DonorsChoose.org to find proposals submitted by other teachers.  You can search by subject, or find a teacher in your area that needs a project funding.

****UPDATE 9/6/2008****

My proposal has been funded.  Thanks for your support, but there are tons of other great projects that need donations.  Click on the link to Donors Choose and find one that inspires you.

Some Things Never Change

I should be doing homework for my training this week, instead I'm eating cookie dough.  Yes, I know it's bad for me, but it tastes so good.

Spanakopita - Spinach Pie

This is a Greek dish of spinach and cheese baked in layers of phyllo (a thin, flaky pastry dough).  The first time I had spanakoptia was in college when my roommate made it.   I loved the flaky crust and the flavor of the filling.  I copied her recipe and fiddled with it over the years. 

Usually I make spanakopita in a round springform pan so it's easy to get out, then slice it like a pie.  Use any size/shape dish you have.  A 9"square would be great since the phyllo is 9" wide!  For appetizers or finger food a spoonful of filling can be folded up into triangles using strips of phyllo.  Make the filling up to a day ahead, cover and set it in the fridge to let the flavors blend.  Leftovers can be reheated in the oven to keep the shell crispy.

Before you start,

• read my tips for working with phyllo dough. 
• make sure you have a pastry brush.

Ingredients:
phyllo dough - thawed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
2 bunches of fresh spinach (2/3 to  3/4 cup cooked)
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
12 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 TBSP flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 TBSP fresh oregano, chopped (1 1/4 dried)
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:
1.  For fresh spinach:  Wash spinach and remove stems; do not dry.  Place still damp spinach in a large skillet and cook, stirring over medium-high heat until wilted.  (2-3 minutes)  Do this in batches if your skillet is not large enough.

    

For frozen spinach:  Thaw spinach, check for any stems, go to step 2.

2.  Remove the excess liquid from spinach in one of two ways:  Place in colander and use the back of a spoon to press out liquid, or put spinach in a towel and wring out.

3.  Chop spinach.  You should have 2/3 - 3/4 cups.

4.  Combine the spinach with the rest of the filling ingredients (everything except phyllo and butter).  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.  Make up to a day ahead.

5. Prepare  your workspace.  Set phyllo under plastic wrap and a damp towel.  Melt the butter.  Butter the sides and bottom of your pan.  Set the pan close to the phyllo and melted butter.

6.  Work quickly to lightly brush one sheet of dough with melted butter.  Removed the coated sheet and cover the rest.  Fit sheet into your pan,  pressing it into the sides and bottom.  It will overlap the edges of the pan.  Brush with melted butter.  If your dough tears like mine, don't worry, there will be more layers.

7.  Keep adding sheets, working your way around the pan and brushing each with butter until you have made a complete layer.  Then make a second layer.

8.  Spread filling mixture into lined pan.

9.  Brush a sheet of phyllo with butter, fold it in half and place on top of filling.  Brush it with butter.  Repeat this process, laying the next sheet on top the first, but turned 90-degrees.

 

10.  Fold in the phyllo that is hanging over the sides of the pan.  Lift up all the edges, press in and work your way around the pan buttering as you go.

       

11.  Bake at 350-degrees for 45 minutes until the top is golden.

12.  If you used a springform pan, remove the sides after 10 minutes then carefully slide the pie onto a rack to cool.

13.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Present the whole pie at the table, or cut into individual slices.

 

 

For appetizers:

After you brush a sheet with butter, fold it lengthwise.  Place filling at one end and fold triangles (like a flag).  Brush with butter as you go.  Bake on a sheet for 15-20 minutes.

        

Remove the Stems from Spinach

If you are using fresh spinach in a recipe like lasagna or spanakopita, you need to remove the stems.  Here's a way to make the job quick and easy.

Before you start, wash the spinach and wash it again to be sure all the dirt and grit is gone.  You'll be working one leaf at a a time (don't worry, it goes faster than you would think!).  Have a place to discard the stems and a bowl for the leaves.

• Hold the leaf so the veins are on top. 
• Fold the sides of the leaf down and hold them with your fingers. 
• Use your other hand to carefully pull the stem up and toward the tip of the leaf. 
• Move your fingers along the leaf as you pull the stem toward the end.
• Save the leaf, discard the stem.

You can do this on a flat surface as well.

Phyllo Dough Tips

In the United States, you usually find phyllo  (fillo) in the frozen section near desserts and pie.  This thin dough can be bought in sheets or ready to fill pastry cups.  If you want to make spanakopita or baklava this is the dough to use.  Because it is so thin, phyllo tears easily and has a reputation of being difficult to work with. 

Some things to remember when working with phyllo:

• Make sure it is completely thawed.  Frozen sheets will be brittle and tear more easily.  Leave the package in the refrigerator at least overnight.
• Do not let the dough dry out while you work with it.  Cover it with plastic wrap and a damp towel.
• Brush it liberally with butter (or oil).
• Be gentle
• Work quickly
• If you get a tear, don't fret.  It will likely be covered with another layer.  Just close up the slit and brush it with butter.

To set up a work area before making spanakopita: First, spread a layer of plastic wrap on the bottom.  Unwrap the phyllo and spread it on the plastic.  Quickly cover the dough with plastic wrap.  Layer a damp towel on top.

Fold back the towel and plastic wrap to brush each sheet with butter before using.  Quickly recover the remaining sheets.

Grow Veggies on the White House Lawn

This video was created by Roger Doiron, founder of Kitchen Gardeners International, as part of the Eat the View campaign.  KGI promotes kitchen gardens and home-cooking around the world. They want the next president to convert part of the 18 acre White House grass lawn into a working garden.  The White House kitchen could use the food and the rest donated to a local food pantry. It's been done before and now would be an excellent time to set an example. 

Watch the video:  This Lawn is Our Lawn

Don't forget to sign the petition to help get some veggies growing on that lawn.  Who needs all that grass anyway?

 

Need Some New Shoes?

I just found out about the new online shoe store, Endless.  It's super easy to find shoes by style (heels, flats, boots) or by brand.  You can even narrow searches by color.  Plus free overnight shipping! And if the shoe doesn't fit?  Free returns!

Women's, Men's, and Kid's shoes in every size you can imagine. 

Get a new handbag to go with your new shoes.

Pride & Prejudice

For someone who enjoys reading and does it quite often I am not very well read.  Of course I am referring to classic literature.  Yes, I read a little Shakespeare and Dickens in high school, but since then....?  It's a little embarrassing but I've never read any of Jane Austen's novels.  Nor the Bronte sisters.  Nor Sherlock Holmes, Hemingway, or Tolstoy.  I was determined not to purchase books this summer, but I was fortunate to mooch this fabulous copy of Pride and Prejudice.  It has yellowed pages (several in the front are loose) and it has a definite "old book" smell, but look at the cover! 

I so much prefer it to contemporary ones.

       

Of course I already know the characters, plot, and ending having been an adoring fan (to my boyfriend's chagrin) of the BBC miniseries starring Collin Firth.  I even saw the new movie with Keira Knightley although found it not as good as the BBC series.  So, while there are no surprises I am thoroughly enjoying actually reading this novel and plan to try some other classics. 

A Tale of Two Cakes - A Sweet Tooth Taste Test

If I make a birthday cake or cupcakes I use (gasp) cake mix.  Coffee cake, crumb cake, cheese cake, mousse cake all made by scratch, but I just love a good Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines cake.  (White with chocolate frosting, thanks.)  Yesterday when browsing the updated recipe page at King Arthur Flour, I saw their Golden Vanilla Cake recipe and decided to bake a cake from scratch. First, I would need frosting. 

Looking through some recipes I found an old fashioned caramel frosting (recipe coming soon!).  Along with it was a golden cake recipe copied from somewhere and ignored for years.  The taste test was born.  Two cakes!  The KAF cake versus the mystery recipe. As long as I was making two cakes, why not two frostings?  But to be fair and impartial I would have to pair each cake with each frosting making 4 cakes!  Thinking back, I could have done cupcakes, but my first thought was half old fashioned caramel and half chocolate (Betty Crocker, of course!).  The result:  Two two-layer cakes each with two flavors of frosting.  This is what the first layer looked like:

The finished cakes.  Please ignore my bad photography and messy plates.

The slice views:

Both cakes with caramel frosting.  The biggest difference was the texture of the cake.  Make sure you have a glass of milk.  This is one rich frosting!

The King Arthur Flour recipe:

 

The recipe from my mystery source:

Side by side at a similar angle:

  

Now for chocolate:

King Arthur Flour recipe with chocolate (Betty Crocker) frosting:

 

Mystery source cake with chocolate frosting:

Since you can't taste them, which do you think looks like a better cake?