The List

When my friend Stephanie comes over and walks into my kitchen, the first thing she says is, "Ok, let's see the list for this week."  She is referring to the ever changing menu for the week that exists on a dry erase board on my fridge.  I am very flattered by this as it makes me feel like I am sooo put together and prepared.  Ha.  Really I just do this because if I don't, 5 p.m. will come around and I will stare blankly at my cabinet and declare in my head that we have nothing to eat.  The list keeps my procrastination and laziness in check.  

Usually, at the beginning of the week I look at what we have left and decide what I can make for the week for dinners.  I am not so much a spur of the moment kind of cooker, I like to plan ahead.  If I am hungry and the kids are hungry and screaming and crawling up my leg, my creativity tends to wither a bit.  Strategizing at the beginning of the week helps to avoid this 5 p.m. meltdown (mine and the kids).  So I make up a menu of possible meals at the beginning of the week and shop accordingly.  I put the possible nightly meals on the fridge so at 4 p.m. I can look at choose something for the night.  

Steph always says "Pizza and pancakes again?"  Well, yes.  The pizza is a weekly meal (I keep dough in the fridge so this is super easy) and pancake night is for when I don't feel like cooking anything and just want some damn pancakes. 

This week was a little different as my aunt is visiting and I needed to make a little more rigid meal plan.  That and our budget is really tight till the end of the month, so I wanted to make sure we had enough to last payday.  As you can see, a lot of beans start appearing towards the end.  

Tonight I am making Egg Pie.  I am sure I could come up with some other sort of spiffy name for it, but it is a super tasty recipe given to me by my friend Erin.  The kids love it and it is really hearty and satisfying.  Here's the recipe:

10 frozen spinach

1 medium onion chopped fine

6-7 white mushrooms thinly sliced (optional)

2 T butter

1 bouillon cube

3 eggs

12 oz Cottage cheese

2 T parmesan cheese

2 deep dish pie crust (or make your own if you are so inclined)

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450.  Defrost spinach in the microwave while you are preparing the other ingredients.   When the spinach is done, squeeze out all water and place in a large bowl.  Next, saute the onion and mushroom in butter until both are soft.  Add these to spinach along with the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and bouillon (I usually just crush this up and sprinkle it in.)  Stir this up well and then add the eggs.  I just make a little well and then beat the eggs up before I stir up the whole mixture.  Pour the mixture into the pie crust and cover it with the other pie crust.  I literally just put the other pie crust on top (sans pan) and it sinks down as it cooks.  Gently cut a couple of slits in the top of the crust.  Bake for 30-45 minutes until the center seems firm and the crust is golden brown.  If it is not yet firm, but the crust is getting too brown, lay a piece of foil over the top till done.

I served this with my cousin Peggy's awesome slaw (cabbage, broccoli, walnuts, apples, carrots in a vinaigrette dressing), it was soooo good.  I will post that recipe later.  

Anyway, the kids freaking love this.  We call it Egg pie or Spinach Pie (depending on what the kids are prejudiced against this week.)  My aunt (who is nothing if not logical) said that it should really be called Egg and Spinach pie since it has both.  OR if you are wanting to make it fancy, let's call it Ovo Florentine Quiche.  How's that for fancy (or just weird?)

Till next time... Amy