Back in the Kitchen

After several months of our rotating spaghetti/enchiladas/couscous schedule, I decided to bid my recipe rut adieu and try some new dishes.

First up, Spanakopita. I made this because I have to present on the country of Greece for the Social Studies methods class I am teaching. For these presentations we all have to cook a food from the country. I was given a challenge from a fellow classmate a few weeks ago when he said after a few not-so-stellar food presentations, "you little newlyweds, y'all are so cute thinking you can cook." At that moment I decided I would teach him to think twice before messing with this little newlywed. So, on to the recipe. I was a little intimidated by the Fillo dough, but I was excited to have a reason to go to my favorite little local gem the Mediterranean International Market on Park Ave. Thanks to my bestie Ina Garten, the recipe was a breeze to follow and the results were delicious. Here is the link. We will see what my class thinks!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spanakopita-spinach-triangles-or-pie-recipe/index.html

Here is another link that I found useful when folding them up, Price thinks the process is similar to making paper footballs... can't say I am familiar with that.
http://lldzines.com/spanakopita/folded.htm
Next up, Hamburger Bun French Toast.
I have a little crush on the Amateur Gourmet. His blog is excellent if you have never read it. I especially love his hilarious seasonal headers. We had some straggling hamburger buns hanging out in our kitchen and I remembered a blog post that Adam wrote about hot dog bun french toast. I did the same thing, except with hamburger buns. I added cinnamon, nutmeg, and a teensy dash of almond extract. It was delish.
http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2010/08/hot_dog_bun_french_toast.html
Lastly, White Bean Chicken Chili.
I knew it was going to get cold this weekend and I have had this recipe on hold for the perfectly crisp evening. I came across it on Jennifer Chandler's blog, http://cookwithjennifer.wordpress.com/. Jennifer is a fellow Memphian who is Le Cordon Bleu trained and has written two fantastic cookbooks, Simply Salads and Simply Suppers. This is a recipe that is easy to throw together, healthy, and delicious (the perfect combo if you ask me).
http://cookwithjennifer.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/white-bean-chicken-chili-2/



This weekend I have been reminded once again of how much I adore cooking. Price adores the cleanup... he really does... I promise.