Can't Garden, so I'll Make Cheese!

Today is a cold and dreary Friday, and not worth going out and getting garden beds ready.  I planned to make Spanakopitas, one of my favorite Greek dishes (recipe below).  I have frozen chopped dill and parsley in bags in the freezer from last summer's harvest, just for making this dish.  However, it takes a couple of tubs of feta cheese, and I didn't have but one on hand, so decided to make my own. I have tried many things before, but never ventured into cheesemaking.    I used a very simple "farmer's cheese" recipe from a library book and was pleasantly suprised that it turned out so similar to the store-bought tub of feta (only better!).  Here are the steps:
  
1. Bring a quart of milk to a slow boil, stirring frequently to keep it from burning.  (I think feta cheese is from goat's milk, but 2% store bought cow's milk is what I had on hand)
2. Remove the milk from the heat and  stir in 2 to 3 Tablespoons vinegar. Keep stirring till all the milk curdles.  Drain the curdled milk in a cheesecloth lined colander. 
3. Add 1t. salt, and any herbs you want (I added dill and onion salt for my dish). The salt is necessary to help make the cheese harder.

4.Tie up the corners of the cheesecloth and form cheese into a ball.  Squeeze out excess moisture, and let it hang over the colander a while to completely drain. Here is a picture of the spanokopita filling with the white cheese crumbles in it.

Spanakopitas
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 1/2 lb. ground lamb, or ground beef
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen spinach, thawed & drained
1/3 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 c. fresh dill, chopped
1 T. grated lemon peel 
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 lb. (2 c.) crumbled feta cheese (or double the homemade cheese recipe above)
2 eggs, beaten
16 sheets filo dough

In skillet saute onion in 2 T. of the butter.  Add ground meat and cook, stirring to break into small pieces.  Add spinach, parsley, dill, lemon peel, salt & pepper; simmer 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Sitr in eggs & feta cheese. 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 13 x 9" baking dish.  Melt remaining butter.  Place a sheet of filo dough in baking dish, brush with butter. Stack 7 more filo sheets on top of the 1st, brushing each with melted butter. Spoon in the meat/cheese mixture. Cover with remaining filo dough, brushing each with butter.  With spoon, tuck filo under in at edges of pan.  Brush top with melted butter. 
With sharp knife, score diagnolly across top to make diamond shapes, about 2 " wide. (Don't forget to score before baking.  If you do it after baking, the filo dough breaks into little pieces).  Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.
Serve with a Cucumber sauce ( Tsatiki I believe is the Greek name) made by combining:  1 lg. grated cucumber, salt to tast, 2 c. plain yogurt, chopped garlic, 1 T. lemon juice, 1 T. olive oil, chopped dill or herb of choice.  Enjoy.

Spring's a-coming!

"See!  The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone,
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."    Song of Songs 2:11-13

Early Crocus

As usual, I jumped the gun and started my tomato seeds too early.  I have started the following tomato varieties:  Beefsteak, Roma, Jet Star, Super Marmande, and Golden Girl.  Anyone want to share their favorite variety to plant? (or to eat?) Thanks to hubby who put together 2 tables with lights. 

Here is a picture from a few summers back of Grandchild #4 helping Papa water the melons. I enjoy encouraging little ones to get excited about gardening! 

Memoires of Butchart Garden in Alaska

We were so blessed to be able to go on an Alaskan Cruise for our 40th anniversary last summer. Here are a couple of photos from the famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria. The bottom pic is the Passion Flower-- so perfect!

Grandchild #2 picking sugar snap peas

Since I am new at blogging, I will be showing a few pictures from previous years' gardens.  My grandkids, like me, love to see what is ripe for picking in my garden throughout the summer.  My hubby put up several steel arch posts so I could grow things vertically.

New trial, Persian Shield

I love to try new things . Last summer was my first time at growing a Persian Shield. It's lovely purple leaves kept going even through the hot summer months.  (Yes, that is a purple coneflower peeking through).
              

While waiting for spring, it was nice to have this amaryllis blooming during the snowy winter.