Summer Food

it's been in the upper 80's several days this week.

feels like summer.

which makes me want to eat summer foods.

things like Taco Salad, Chicken Caesar Salad, grilled anything, cold meals, light meals....

Here is one of our new favorites that we're adding to our summer foods list:

Spanakopeta

1 green onion, chopped

2 tbs butter

2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, cooked and well-drained

1 (15 0z) container ricotta cheese

1 (1 lb) container dry cottage cheese **

8 oz feta cheese

6 eggs

1 (1 lb) package frozen phyllo dough

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

(I said 'summery'...not light, right?)

Spinach may be cooked and drained up to 2 days ahead. Entire dish can be assembled up to 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated, or frozen up to 2 months. Bake directly from freezer at 375 until crisp and golden.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Saute green onion in 2 tbs butter. Transfer to mixing bowl. Add spinach, add the cheeses and eggs. Beat until well-blended.

*Layer 10 sheets of phyllo dough in a 9x13-inch baking pan, brushing each sheet of dough with melted butter. Add spinach mixture to top of dough layer. Top with 8 more buttered sheets of dough.

*Bake for about 30 mins or until brown.

Holly's notes:

Holly always adds garlic. Lots. The end.

Holly will add salt to the cheese mixture next time.

**Holly did not know what 'dry cottage cheese' was, so she bought regular cottage cheese and then read that she could make dry cottage cheese by just dumping regular cottage cheese in a strainer and rinsing it off (make sure your holes are smaller than your curds).

This means when it says "1 (1 lb) container dry cottage cheese", she actually bought "1 (1 lb) container of regular cottage cheese". She thinks she'll up this next time in order to have more cheese.  Because my mama says that's the goal in cooking...more cheese.

Holly doubled the recipe (that would be 12 eggs and 4 sticks of butter...yep) and then split it into 4 different containers to freeze. It froze beautifully!

Bottom line. ALL of my girls like it, Jake and I LOVE it. We serve it with a tomato, cucumber, olive salad on the side and crusty bread.

It's up there with Taco Salad for me on my summer foods list and Taco Salad is like #1.