Spanakopita Triangles

As my parental leave is quickly coming to an end, I have been definitely finding it hard to find the time to blog. This is not to say that I have not been cooking...in fact, I have had several theme nights and random baking occasions that I've been meaning to blog about. I will have to definitely make it a point to start catching up on this.

I had hosted a greek night several weeks back now, and I've been meaning to blog about several dishes from this night. This is one of the recipes that I attempted. I did however blend in some mozzarella as I knew a few of my friends (and hubby) are a little weary about strong cheeses. This is definitely a personal choice and you could definitely opt to use all feta if you like.

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:
1 tbsp. Butter
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 bunch Spinach (stems removed)
1/2 Onion (minced)
1 cup Feta (crumbled)
1 cup Mozzarella (grated)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Phyllo Triangles:
approximately 10 (17- by 12-inch) Phyllo sheets
1/2 cup Butter (melted)

In a pan, melt butter over moderate heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until browned.

Add spinach, stirring, until wilted and tender. Remove from heat and cool.

Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then coarsely chop or cut with scissors.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in feta, mozzarella and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Take one phyllo sheet and brush with some butter. Top with another phyllo sheet and brush with more butter. Cut buttered phyllo stack vertically, using your own judgement as to how big you would like your triangles to be.

Put a heaping teaspoon of filling near one corner of a strip on end nearest you, then fold corner of phyllo over to enclose filling and form a triangle. Continue folding strip, maintaining the triangle shape. Put triangle, seam side down, on a large baking sheet and brush top with butter. Repeat until all the filling has been used up.

Bake triangles in middle of oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool slightly before serving.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

It's been an incredibly busy holiday season for us, especially being baby's first Christmas! I got caught up trying to make everything perfect, particularly because I believe that it is important to uphold traditions with the little one around. Jory definitely got spoiled this Christmas by all of his aunties and uncles...he is one lucky boy!

I had meant to blog many times but then got sidetracked with something or another. I got this recipe from my friend C, who is the author of the blog, Kitchen Slave. She had recently hosted a housewarming at her house and these meatballs were one of the dishes that was on her menu. Since I noticed that she had not included the recipe to this dish on her blog, she personally forwarded me her recipe for this. I think it's a great little appetizer dish!

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs. Ground Beef
1 tbsp. Oregano
1 tbsp. Basil
1 tbsp. Ground Coriander
2 tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Pepper
1 tbsp. Chili Powder
1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs
1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Milk
2 Eggs

Sauce:
1 bottle Barbecue Sauce
1 jar Grape Jam
1/3 Cup Honey
2 tbsp. Sriracha Hot Sauce
2 tsp. Ground Coriander
2 tsp. Chili Powder
2 tsp. Garlic Powder

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, oregano, basil, ground coriander, salt, pepper and chili powder.

In a small bowl, soak the breadcrumbs and panko breadcrumbs in the milk until it's wet but not too soggy, then add eggs and mix. Add to meat mixture and mix until everything is incorporated.

Be careful not to handle too much or they will become tough.

Form into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.

In a large pot, pour in all sauce ingredients. Cook over medium heat. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.

Add cooked meatballs to the pot, coating the meatballs with the sauce.

When meatballs are coated and hot, they are ready to be served!