Spinach Cups

I saw a photo of Joelen's Spanakopita Bites from her blog What's Cookin' Chicago and had to make them.

They are delicious!

I can't remember using phyllo dough before, this is my first time. Hard to believe, I know!

Spanakopita Cups

adapted from Spanakopita Bites from Joelen's What's Cookin' Chicago blog

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 can sliced water chestnuts, cut into sticks

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2 cups grated mozzarell cheese

1 cup crumbled queso fresco

2 eggs, lightly beaten

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound frozen phyllo, thawed

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add white and green onion and sliced mushrooms; cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Mix thawed and squeezed spinach, cheeses, water chestnuts and eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add onions and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine 1 stick melted butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a separate bowl to be used to brush on phyllo dough.

I cut the phyllo dough into squares first and brushed them as I put them into the cupcake tins, but the next time I make these, I'm going to work with full sheets, brushing them with the butter mixture first, then cutting them afterwards.

Or I just might try using an olive oil or buttery spray, that would make it go really fast.

Cover the phyllo dough with a clean, damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out while you're working.

Prepare the cupcake tins by brushing butter in each well. Take 2 squares of phyllo dough, brush the top layer with butter, repeat twice so you have 6 layers, and push them into a cupcake well. Repeat until all are filled.

Spoon filling into cups.

Bake in 375ºF oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

One package of phyllo dough used two batches of the filling mixture.

My family enjoyed the Spanakopita Cups--I shared them with my parents, my mother-in-law, my son took some home, as well as my daughter's friend who came for lunch. 

I made a lot.

I will be making these again, soon!

Itadakimasu!

***

Remember my daughter's friend Katt?

She brought the In-'N-Out double-double to Karen in the hospital the day she delivered Rachel.

She now lives by me!

Katt and Will came over the other day for a visit.

Katt is so much fun! 

She's chatty. I love chatty.

She's witty, too, we laughed all afternoon!

Will is adorable.

Of course she had to take a photo with Vaughn's Emmy.

After lunch we took Will through the back gate to the park.

He was so excited, he ran to the playground!

See? He's adorable.

Will loved the shovel digger.

I'm telling you, he's adorable.

We got so hot at the park--Will worked up a sweat with the shovel digger--we came home and Will jumped in the pool.

Then we came in and all had some watermelon granita.

This one is my favorite.

Or maybe the one above on the upper left when Will's holding the spoon with his pinky out.

Or maybe the surprised look.

He's adorable.

Too soon it was time for Will and Katt to go home.

Not only is Will adorable, his momma is too!

Thank you, Katt and Will for coming to visit us, and brightening our day with joy and laughter. 

I'm sure we'll see you again soon!

***

Spanakopita Cups

adapted from Spanakopita Bites from Joelen's What's Cookin' Chicago blog

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 can sliced water chestnuts, cut into sticks

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2 cups grated mozzarell cheese

1 cup crumbled queso fresco

2 eggs, lightly beaten

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound frozen phyllo, thawed

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add white and green onion and sliced mushrooms; cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Mix thawed and squeezed spinach, cheeses, water chestnuts and eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Add onions and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine 1 stick melted butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a separate bowl to be used to brush on phyllo dough.

Prepare the cupcake tins by brushing butter in each well. Take 2 squares of phyllo dough, brush the top layer with butter, repeat twice so you have 6 layers, and push them into a cupcake well. Repeat until all are filled.

Spoon filling into cups.

Bake in 375ºF oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheese Straws

Did you watch Trisha Yearwood's cooking show Saturday mornings on the Food Network? It's called Trisha's Southern Kitchen. Since I'm a fan of Trisha's voice, it's only natural that I buy her first cookbook, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, too. If you caught her Nissan Live Sets on TV or online a few years ago, I asked Trisha the question, "What is your family's favorite meal you cook for them?" Trisha answered--the girls like mashed potatoes and her husband is a meat and potatoes man. If you don't know her music, here's one of her earliest songs, She's In Love With the Boy--a favorite in our family.

These Cheese Straws are featured in Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, and on her Food Network show. They remind me of those famous cheese cracker bits, so if you like those, you'll like Trisha's Cheese Straws. Trisha's Southern Kitchen has been picked up by the Food Network for the fall--I'm looking forward to watching Season 2!

Cheese Straws

from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients:

3 10 oz. bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

dash of garlic powder

The recipe calls for putting the room temperature softened cheese into the mixer bowl with the butter, but I grated the cheese. 

I thought it might make the mixer work too hard to get to the consistency of whipped cream. It cut the mixing time by about half, to 15 minutes.

Gradually add 4 cups sifted all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper and a dash of garlic powder to the butter and cheese mixture.

The dough should be somewhat stiff, but still soft enough to push through the cookie press. If the dough is too soft, the straws will spread out too much and not keep their shape, so it needs to be stiff enough to be picked up in a clump as shown above.

I used my old Wearever Super Shooter with the star attachment and made long lines.

Bake at 325ºF for 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

At first I was cutting them when they were still warm, but later I left them long and just broke them into smaller pieces.

Itadakimasu!


***


Our family has grown!

Meet my first grandchild--a granddaughter, Rachel!

 Here, she is just hours old.

My friends have been telling me, for years, how wonderful it is to have a grandchild.

Everything they have said is so true. It is truly incredible to have a grandchild.

 

When my first child was born, I remember my mother gazing into my little one's face for hours. I found myself doing that, too. Gazing into that sweet face. I wonder what she's thinking about...

Visitors, clockwise from left: Sarah, Beeto and Colin, Greta and Katt. Colin and Beeto happened to be in the area for Colin's LMU baseball game against Santa Clara University, and luckily, Rachel arrived in time for them to meet her!

 

Katt asked Karen if there was anything she wanted--and Karen said, "A double-double!"

I think she's adorable.

That's my prerogative--I'm her Grandma.

My sister-in-law, Amy brought us this meal the day the family came home from the hospital. It was a HUGE help--I hadn't planned anything for dinner since we were busy getting settled in--we are so grateful to Amy for all her hard work and thoughtfulness! The meal was oh-so-delicious!

I stayed for a week to help my daughter, and was able to snap a few photos that I will be posting. 

This is one of my favorite photos of Rachel's first week.

Thanks for indulging me. 

I'm new to this Grandma thing.

***

Cheese Straws

from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients:

3 10 oz. bricks sharp Cheddar cheese, room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

dash of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Put the softened cheese and butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer. Using the heaviest mixer attachment, beat the cheese and butter until the mixture has the consistency of whipped cream, about 30 minutes.

On a sheet of waxed paper, sift 3 cups of the flour with the salt, black pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder. Gradually add the seasoned flour to the cheese mixture by large spoonfuls, beating well after each addition. Add the unseasoned flour until the dough is somewhat stiff but still soft enough to be pushed through a cookie press; you may not need to add all of the flour.

Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Put a portion of the dough into a cookie press fitted with the star tube and press the dough onto the cookie sheet in long strips that run the length of the pan. (Note: If you don't have a cookie press, form the dough into 1-inch balls and flatten them with a fork.) 

Bake for 20 inutes. The cheese straws should be golden brown and crisp. With a sharp knife, but the long  strips into 3-inch lengths. Use a flat, then spatula or egg turner to remove the cheese straws from the pan. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. When they are completely cool, store in a tightly covered container.

Meatball Sandwiches

Happy New Year!

The last few months have been filled with a hectic craft show schedule, lots of traveling up and down California's Interstate 5, holiday visitors, family parties and the flu--but now we are back to cooking!

The other day my nephew Colin came over to make Meatball Sandwiches--we took a little detour to the Antojito Taco Truck--then got back to cooking.

I'm so happy that Colin has an interest in cooking with me and made time on his break from college to make a dish and share it on FOODjimoto.com.

This recipe makes a lot, enough for 6 meatball sandwiches with plenty of leftovers for us and a good care package for Colin to take home--so if you're not feeding a crowd, you may want to cut down the recipe to fit your needs. We also made a quick marinara-type sauce.

Ingredients:

marinara sauce

2-24 oz. cans plum tomatoes

2-24 oz. can tomato puree

3 slices bacon, thinly sliced and cooked until crisp

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup red wine

1 large sweet onion, chopped

oregano

meatballs

1  lbs. each ground turkey, ground beef & sausage

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

about 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper

sandwiches

mozzarella or provolone slices

french rolls

sliced peppers and onions, sauteed in olive oil and 1 teaspoon minced garlic

To make the quick marinara sauce, Colin thinly sliced 3 strips of bacon. 

He then minced 2 cloves of garlic. 

And chopped the onion--I was impressed with his knife skills--he's a natural at cooking. He cooked the bacon over medium heat until crisp, removed the fat, added 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1 1/2 cups chopped onion which were sauteed until soft. 1/2 cup red wine was stirred into the mixture.

Then he added the canned tomatoes and added a generous pinch of dried oregano. 

 

Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer the marinara while you're making the meatballs.

Colin's gotten so tall the vent for the stove acts almost like a sneeze guard!

For the meatballs, crush about 1 1/2 cups of dried bread crumbs--you could use fresh breadcrumbs instead of dried. Moisten the breadcrumbs with a little (1/4 cup or so) milk or water. The more breadcrumbs--or filler, as my mom used to say--the softer the meatballs will be without having to simmer them a long time, which you'll have to do to make them soft if they're meatier.

Chop the parsley.

Starting at the top: 1 cup chopped parsley, 1 lb. ground sausage, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cup crushed breadcrumbs, 1 1/2 cups chopped onions, 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 lb. ground beef, 2 eggs, dried oregano and a generous drizzle of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix well.

It's easiest to use your hands to mix the meatballs.

Now for the rolling--have a  bowl of water nearby to dip your hands in. This will keep the fat from the meat from sticking to your hands and make the rolling easier.

Colin used an ice cream scoop to make the meatballs and they were all uniform size.

Next, fry the meatballs in about 2 tablespoons oil until browned, then put them into the marinara sauce to simmer and finish cooking.

The meatballs don't have to be perfectly round, they may be many-sided.

 

When the meatballs are simmering in the marinara sauce, preheat the oven to 350ºF, then saute the peppers, onions and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft.

To build the sandwiches, slice the french rolls in half, add a little marinara sauce, then the meatballs.

Then add a scoop of the sauteed peppers and onions.

Then some cheese slices and bake about 5 minutes or until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted.

I am thoroughly impressed with Colin's cooking skills!

That looks delicious, doesn't it!

Itadakimasu!

Colin only ate 1 meatball sandwich since he had eaten 4 tacos at the taco truck a couple of hours earlier!

Dipping the sandwich in some marinara sauce adds tastiness!

When we suggested he get on the road to beat the bulk of the traffic on the freeway on his 30 mile drive back to Tustin, he said,

"Just as soon as I clean up the kitchen."

Love you, CO!

***

This is Colin and I when he was just a few days old--Gary's sister and her family lived in Wisconsin then, and we all traveled out there to welcome Colin and help Nancy. Colin is a self-proclaimed Cheesehead. 

This is Colin and I a few years later. They had since moved back to Southern California. 

Boy, were all the Fujimotos happy!

 This photo was taken a couple of years ago at a baseball game.
I love that Colin makes his family a priority and is willing to give his Auntie a day of his vacation for cooking.

It's been a joy and a pleasure to watch this young man grow up, he makes us all proud!

 Thank you, Colin!

***

Ingredients:

marinara sauce: 2-24 oz. cans plum tomatoes,  2-24 oz. can tomato puree, 3 slices bacon, thinly sliced and cooked until crisp, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/3 cup red wine, 1 large sweet onion, chopped, oregano. 

Cook bacon and drain fat. Add garlic and onion, cook until soft. Add tomatoes and red wine, bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

meatballs: 1  lbs. each ground turkey, ground beef & sausage, 1 1/2 cups chopped onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 cup chopped Italian parsley, 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (moistened with about 1/4 cup milk or water),  2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, generous pinch of dried oregano and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients well and form into meatballs. Fry in about 2 tablespoons oil until browned, then transfer the meatballs to the marinara sauce. Simmer together gently for 20 to 30 minutes.

sandwiches: mozzarella or provolone slices, french rolls, and sliced peppers and onions, sauteed in olive oil with 1 teaspoon minced garlic.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Build the sandwiches by slicing the french bread, spreading a little marinara sauce on the rolls and adding meatballs. Then add a scoop of sauteed peppers and onions, and cheese slices. Bake for about 5 minutes or until bread is crusty and cheese is melted.