Spanokopita

Trying to fill my days with things I love to do, meanwhile having fibromyalgia, means that any craft or project I tackle has to be either quick or can be broken into chapters.
I used to enjoy cooking, but it can be so taxing standing in the kitchen for long periods, chopping, lifting, bending. A recipe has to be easy and has to be managed in a short amount of time.It's a challenge for me to find foods that fit that category, but I've been having fun trying.

Recently, I really wanted spanakopita, a Greek phyllo pastry appetizer, with a delicious savory filling of spinach and feta. It turns out, you can make a quicker version of the traditional, with a twist.

Not wanting to deal with phyllo, I bought frozen puff pastry, that once thawed in the fridge for a day, can be rolled out without fuss, filled, folded over, and baked, with buttery and flakey results. Not as light as
phyllo, but a tastey substitute.

For the filling, I used packaged and already rinsed spinach. You could use garden fresh, or canned, but not having to wash or squeeze means time saved and an extra step not taken. A couple of handfuls in a skillet, will wilt in no time, with a drizzle of olive oil, dashes of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Once wilted, remove from heat and add a beaten egg, and as much crumbled feta(which you can find already crumbled in the supermarket) as you like. Stir well and allow to cool.

I decided that instead of making many small triangles, that I would make a streudel type dish. I rolled the puff pastry into a rectangle and arranged the filling on half the width, egg washed the edges,and folded the bare side over. Crimping together with a fork, I then sliced through the top to vent the filling. I baked it at a high 400 degrees to make the most of the puff, until golden. Once the spanikopita had cooled a little, I sliced it into individual servings, about eight per streudel.

For the frustrated cook in me this whole process, from prep to enjoying, was Most Satisfying!
And I will live to cook another day...

'Fridge bread and butter pickles

When you have lemons, you make lemonade, but when you have too many cucumbers, what do you do?

I have generous neighbours. Neighbours who have large backyard vegetable patches. Last weekend, I was offered a bag full of cucumbers, freshly picked that morning. They had had their fill, and now it was my turn.

My daughters eat cucumbers constantly. It's an easy snack, refreshing and crunchy. They also love pickles and could probably sit with the jar and eat until empty!

Pickling is a long process. I shudder at how long it would take me, not to mention I don't have the tools in my pantry. It's not something I was ever comfortable trying.

Enter large number of cucumbers....and a nicely written recipe for 'fridge bread and butter pickles'!
Thank you, kind neighbour.

As it turns out, refrigerator pickles are remarkably easy and quick to prepare, and in a week, you can enjoy sweet, tangy and crunchy bread and butter pickles.

Two large quart jars, washed and dried, then filled with boiling water from the kettle, are set aside while the brining liquid is prepared.

The brine is quite simple. In a large saucepan, I added 4 tablespoons of salt, 2 teaspoons each of celery seed, tumeric, mustard seed, 3 cups white vinegar, 3 cups boiling water, and 3 1/3 cups of sugar. This gets boiled until the sugar and salt is dissolved.

While the brine is smelling wonderful and cooling a little, you can slice about nine medium cucumbers, and one onion, into 1/4 inch slices. Empty the water out of the jars, then pack the jars tightly, almost to the top, with the sliced cukes and onion rings. Carefully ladle the brine into the jars, covering the veg. but not to the top. If you seal the jars right away, then the vacuum takes place. Leave them to cool, and shake after a couple of hours, so the top of the jar touches the brine. Once cooled, the jars can go into the refrigerator, where they will stay for about a week, so the pickles soak up all the flavours. They last for at least six months. Once the pickles are all eaten, you can add more fresh cucumbers!

This is by far the most uncomplicated pickle.