Spanakopita

I haven't made these since we took a few cooking classes way back in 2005.  A bunch of us got together and tried out various classes based on menus, brilliant idea here at the Liason College in Kingston.  And you want to know the best part?  You get to sit down as a class and eat the meal you just created!  I took my mom with me to this class, it was all appetizers and we were given Spanakopita for our part in the meal.  These are easy enough to make if you are organized ahead of time.  They will keep (uncooked) in the freezer for 6 months and once they have been baked they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Hint***Keep your phyllo moist by covering it with a damp paper towel, otherwise you get brittle phyllo that just makes a mess***

Ingredients
1 lb of spinach
2 oz of butter
2 oz of onions, chopped fine
2-3 cloves of garlic, mined *(the original recipe didn't call for it but I consider it a must!  I also added mushrooms once too .... be creative!)
1 oz fresh dill, chopped
8 oz of feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste
12 sheets of pyllo dough
4 oz of melted butter

Trim wash and steam the spinach until wilted
Drain and cool, squeezing out extra liquid and chop fine
Saute onions until soft
Remove from heat and add spinach and dill
Mix in cheese and salt/pepper
Cut phyllo in half lengthwise
Brush one sheet at a time lightly with the melted butter, fold in half lengthwise and butter again

Put 1/2 oz or 15g of the spinach mixture toward the bottom of the strip and fold into triangle pockets ...if you would rather not fold into triangle use the phyllo to create something more suitable, I like these for ease of eating ... better choice for parties!


Place on baking sheet with the loose end of the phyllo on the underside, brush tops with more melted butter
Bake at 375 until crisp, about 20-25 minutes!
Remove from oven, let cool and enjoy!!!!!!!!

Lesley's Feta Spread

I remember the first time I tried this spread, I was surprised by the amount of flavour in something that looked so unassuming!  This mixture is packed with tangy, garlicy flavour and has made frequent appearances at our Goodberry Family Christmas parties over the past few years.  It definitely doesn't fall into the category of light or low calorie but who's counting during the holiday season anyway????

Ingredients
1 cup of butter
1 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
1 pkg of cream cheese, softened
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed (I say the more, the better!!!)

Combine the ingredients until well blended. 
This will make a large enough batch to be divided .... serve one and freeze the other for the next get together!
Serve with crackers and a breath mint ;-)

Spinach Dip

This is a "go to" holiday recipe that was taken to many Goodberry family Christmas parties over the years.  Although it is easy to throw together, this dip is best made a few hours or preferably the day before to let all the flavours release. Don't forget to thaw the spinach before you start, watery dip is never hit.  Carve out the center of a pumpernickel loaf and cube up the bread.  Right before serving scoop the dip into the hollowed out loaf bowl and place on a tray surrounded by the cubed bread.  I always buy extra pumpernickel buns just to make sure there is enough to scoop up all the yummy dip!

Ingredients
1 pkg of frozen spinach (thawed ahead of time)
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 large pkg of Knorr Vegetable Soup mix
1-2 cloves of fresh minced garlic

Mix and refrigerate until serving.