Spanakopita Done My Way

It's a snowy Monday and what could possible be better then a slice
of my homemade Spanakopita and a nice hot cup of coffee!

Spanakopita done my way ;)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Olive oil
1 cup of Ricotta Cheese
1 1/2 cup of Feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp salt or just salt to taste ;)
1 pound of spinach, you can use the frozen bags.
1 box of Filo pastry
1 Tsp of minced garlic
1 Tbsp Dill
1/2 cup a butter melted

Preheat oven to 375º.

Sauté the spinach, garlic, dill in the Olive oil with salt and pepper until becomes limp.
Mix the spinach mixture in a bowl with both cheese.

Lay out a few sheets of filo in the baking dish (it will overlap the sides). Brush with butter as you lay the sheets down.
Once the entire baking dish is covered with Filo place the spinach mixture in baking dish. Cover with the rest of your Filo, bushing the filo with butter as you lay it over, then fold all the side of the filo under and brush again with butter.

Bake for 45 minutes or until filo in golden brown, CHEERS!

Bacon Potato Soup

WOW! I haven't posted in some time! Well, better late then never ;)

Busy busy around here lately but after a few days of my Hubby begging me, I finally made him my Homemade Bacon Potato Soup, ENJOY!

Ingredients:

5 bacon strips, diced
1/2 a yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 Tsp all-purpose flour
2 Tsp dried basil
1/2 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp salt
2 cans of chicken broth
5 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 chives, chopped

Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp, then remove bacon from pan, cool and cut into bacon bits. Add your onion and garlic into the bacon drippings and saute everything until tender. Stir in flour, MIX WELL. Gradually add broth and milk, keep stirring as you add the liquids a little bit at a time. Add salt, basil, chives and pepper; mix well. Bring to boil; add 1/2 cup of cheese, boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer on low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.Garnish with shredded cheese and chives...CHEERS!

Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake

For all of you who asked me to post the recipe, here it is
in all it's quick and easy glory!?!
Wait! What?
YES!
You heard me right, I said "quick and easy glory!"

One of my favorite times of the year is when Fall starts.
Fall kicks off the cooler weather and the holiday season
for me and my family!
First comes Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas!
What better way to enjoy the nice weather that fall brings or to kick
off the holiday season then a nice big slice of pie.
My Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake is perfect for any time of the day.
Early in the morning, after you have taken the kids to school,
served with a cup of coffee or late night snuggled up with
your hubby and watching our favorite movie.
My Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake is the SLICE of the ball
and warms your heart, even though it's served cold. CHEERS!




Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake

1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling

1 Jell-O no bake cheese cake.....HA HA HA, this is the cheating part ;)

1 large graham cracker pie crust

1/3 cup of sugar

1 Tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

Backers Semi-Sweet backing chocolate

Crushed up Pecans for the topping

Preheat your oven to 350º

Open up your No-Bake Jell-O box and discard everything but the pie filling.
Take 3 squares of bakers chocolate and crush them up.
Follow instruction for mixing the Jell-O no bake pie filling.
Add the pumpkin pie filling, eggs, vanilla, sugar and crushed chocolate to the mix and beat until smooth.
Pour the mix into your pie crust.

Bake the pie for 40 minutes.
Cool on rack for 30 minutes.

While pie is cooling take 3 squares of the bakers chocolate and melt
with 2 Tbsp. butter in microwave.

Drizzle your pie with the chocolate, sprinkle pecans on top and let cool in refrigerator for at least 3 hours



EASY PEASY CHEERS!

Who says you have to wait for Thanksgiving to stuff a bird!?!

Well, it's Fall, the weather is starting to cool off here in Texas and it's also that lovely time of the year when EVERYONE comes down with some sort of yucky bug!

We here in the Davis house hold have a head cold and what sounds more comforting then an early Thanksgiving meal, well close enough to it that is ;)

Tonight I am making my daughter's favorite meal.A whole Roasted, Stuffed Chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, cheese and broccoli rice, baked beans, brown gravy and sweet dinner rolls.
Can you say " YUM YUM!"



I tried something a little different with the stuffing for the bird tonight.
I had a few Everything Bagels left over from the weekend so I decided to use them as my bread for the dressing. I add 1/2 a yellow onion, 3 stocks of chives, cut up, 1/3 cup of melted butter, 1/2 a cup of chicken stock and 2 and 1/2 of the bagels cut up and all mixed together then stuff a 5 bl. chicken with all of it.
I also mixed 1 stick of butter with garlic, salt and pepper and stuffed it under the skin of the chicken breast.



Cook the chicken for about 2 1/2 hours at 350º or until golden.

I can't think of a better way then this to comfort and relax a family with head colds.

YUM YUM and CHEERS!

Saturday Brunch

Today we are driving over to my in-laws house and I wanted to make something tasty for them.

What you need: makes two

10 eggs
1 Tbs. Salt
1 Tsp. pepper
1 tomato
2 deep dish pie shells
16 oz. bag of cut broccoli, thawed
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
3 oz. of shredded Colby Jack cheese
4 oz. Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese



In bowl beat eggs, salt and pepper.
In large bowl mix all other ingredients.
Poke the bottom of pie shells with a fork a few times and then brush with the egg mixture.
Pour veggie mix into both pie shells then top with egg mixture.

bake in the over at 375º for 45 or until top is golden brown and ENJOY!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I have always loved Hummus and Red Pepper hummus is my favorite so today I made some and let me just say WOW! YUM YUM you have to try my recipe if you love Red Pepper Hummus!


You will need

3 Tbsp. of minced garlic
2 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans, drained
the juice from 3 lemons
3 red bell peppers
1 Tsp. chili powder
1 Tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. of salt or just salt to taste
2 Tsp. black pepper or to taste
Olive oil....about 3 Tbsp. for the hummus
1 Tbsp. butter to cook the peppers with



First cut up your bell peppers and cook them on the stove top with 1 Tbsp. butter and a drizzle of olive oil until the peppers are soft.
Them combine all your ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth.
Transfer Hummus to bowl, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

ENJOY!

New Kitchen

So, we have now been in our new home, here in the DFW area for a week now and I am LOVING my new kitchen!
I have been cooking my heart out and every morning I wake up with more and more recipes I want to try!

Today we are having Tim's family over, for the first time in the new house and I am cooking up a feast of new foods I have never tried cooking before.

First up,

Easy Baked Cheese & Vegetable Twist


What You Need

2 Eggs
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Italian* Three Cheese Blend
3 cups Frozen broccoli cuts, thawed, drained
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, cut into quarters
1/2 cup Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 Green onions, sliced
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

MIX first 3 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Stir in next 4 ingredients.

UNROLL crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange in 11-inch circle on foil-lined baking sheet, with short sides of triangles overlapping in center and points of triangles toward outside. You should have 3 or 4 extra, use them to fill in the middle so the hole is covered. Spoon cheese mixture onto dough near center of circle. Bring outside points of triangles up over filling, then tuck under dough in center of ring to cover filling.

BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until crust is golden brown and filling is heated through.


Same concept just with PIZZA!

Pizza Twist


What You Need

2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 14oz. jar of pizza sauce
2 1/2 cups of Finely shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar cheese
1 pkg. pepperonis

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

UNROLL crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange in 11-inch circle on foil-lined baking sheet, with short sides of triangles overlapping in center and points of triangles toward outside. You should have 3 or 4 extra, use them to fill in the middle so the hole is covered.
Now spoon pizza sauce onto crescent dough then layer cheese and pepperonis as high as you want then bring outside points of triangles up over filling.

BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until crust is golden brown and filling is heated through.



I am also cooking Salmon patties with lemon/pepper rice but I will post that up at a later date CHEERS!
Special thanks to Amber for the idea of filling in the middle with more crescent rolls!