Begin Again

Ezra 3: 11
" With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ' He is good; his love for Israel endures forever. '  And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. "


This portion of Ezra (chapter 3: 1-13) is about the rebuilding of the temple. The people were so thankful and full of praise, there was so much noise that no one knew if people were laughing or crying.  They were overwhelmed at being able to begin again. That's how I feel some mornings. God is so good, I have been given yet another new day. I have been given a new beginning, even after I haven't been a model Christian, a good mother, a respectful wife, or a  loving daughter.  I'm human.  Even in my humanity, I am new every morning. Hold your ears, I may start laughing and crying!

Happy 1st Monday Menus! Yesterday for Mother's Day I didn't have to cook one thing. Yay!! We spent the day in Baltimore at the B&O Train Museum, so by the time we got back in town we were hungry and stopped in a diner to eat.  It it a Greek owned diner so I had to try the Spinach Pie.  It came with a side of Greek Salad and a cup of soup so it was plenty of food and it was delicious.  It reminded me of a Spinach Pie recipe that I tried a few years ago (which was also delicious) that I haven't made since because as much as I enjoyed it, being a mom of younger children, they didn't like it as much as I did.


Here's my Spinach Pie recipe:
(adapted from  "The Chew")

 4lbs spinach (trimmed and washed)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup of Pine nuts
1 cup of fresh dill- leaves only
zest of 1 lemon (don't be heavy handed here)
3 cups of feta cheese (crumbled)
1 box of phyllo dough (thawed)
1/2 cup melted butter

-In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add spinach, garlic, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper.
-Saute until spinach is wilted then remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool. 
-Preheat oven 375*
-In saute pan over medium heat, add pine nuts and toast until golden brown and fragrant.  Remove to cool.
-Add pine nuts to spinach along with dill, lemon zest and feta.  Toss until thoroughly combined.
-Butter a 9x9 baking dish. Roll out phyllo dough and line inside of the pan.  Brush with butter and lay down another layer. (8 layers) 
-Spoon 1/2 Spinach mixture, then 3 layers of phyllo, topping each layer with butter.  Add remaining spinach mixture then 3 more layers of phyllo; each with butter. 
-Bake 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.
-Cool slightly before serving.

Serve with a side of Greek Salad and some Sparkling Water. Delicious!

Spinach Pie- from my kitchen to you! (I wish!!)
(image found on Pinterest)