Weekend Food: Spinach Pie

So I realize I'm becoming the lamest weekender ever.  My weekends just aren't that exciting folks.  The most excitement I get these days is putting my pinning to good use, grocery shopping, and hanging out at the oven.  This was the first weekend I've worked in forever, though, so I can't complain much.

Plus, good food + the weekend = a happy Monday {especially at lunch time}.

I've been hearing about Thom's Spinach Pie for five or six years and over the weekend I helped him put it together along with his own-made-up-rice-recipe that he likes to call Greek Rice.  I loved both and I can't wait for lunch hour on Monday!

Spinach Pie {or Spanakopita but neither of us knows how to pronounce it ;)}

1 box of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 

1 egg

1 small carton of small-curd cottage cheese, drained  *see note*

8 oz feta cheese

1 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1 package phyllo dough

approximately 1/2 cup olive oil for brushing phyllo

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush bottom of a 9x13 cake pan with olive oil.

In a medium bowl, beat egg and add drained spinach.  Mix in cottage cheese, dill, parsley, and feta.

Begin by placing one sheet of phyllo in prepared pan.  Brush with olive oil to coat lightly.  Place another sheet of phyllo and brush with olive oil.  Repeat layers of brushed phyllo 10-12 times. 

Layer half of the spinach mixture atop phyllo.  Repeat another 10-12 layers of phyllo, brushing each sheet with enough oil to lightly cover.

Place the rest of the spinach mixture on top of the middle phyllo layer.

Finally, layer 10-12 more olive oil coated phyllo sheets on top.  Coat top with olive oil very well.  Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Layers should be:  10-12 sheets of phyllo

                             half of spinach mixture

                            10-12 sheets of phyllo

                            last half of spinach mixture

                           10-12 sheets of phyllo

*NOTE*  I think I'd prefer ricotta next time, instead of cottage cheese.

Thom's Greek Rice

1 1/4 cups white rice

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cup of water {I ended up using slightly more}

1 tsp dried dill

S&P to taste

We place all ingredients in a rice cooker and cook until tender.