I decided that I wanted to spice up my cream cheese today. I was craving celery and cream cheese but decided that unless I put more nutrients in the cheese, it would not be worth the calories. This recipe features some of my favorite flavors: roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, and scallions.

Ingredients:

1 package cream cheese (8 ounces), softened to room temperature

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

2 tablespoons finely chopped kalamata olives (pitted)

2 tablespoon finely chopped roasted red pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place cream cheese in mixing bowl. Add other ingredients to the bowl. (Make sure everything is chopped fine enough before you put it in the bowl). Mix the ingredients into the cream cheese with a fork. I prefer a crunchy texture but if you want the spread to be smooth, you can pulverize it more in a food processor. Serve with crackers, vegetables, or pieces of toasted bread.

This recipe is always a crowd pleaser. This is my mom’s version. She uses dill and scallions to add flavor. We eat the low fat version most often but when we bring the dish to a party, it’s always full fat.

Ingredients:

1 lb. fillo, defrosted in refrigerator if frozen

3, 10 oz. packages of spinach, washed and thoroughly dried

7 large eggs

1 bunch scallions, sliced thin (should yield about 1 cup)

1 lb. feta cheese, crumbled

1 tsp. dried dill or 1 tbs. fresh, chopped dill

½ pound butter, melted

Instructions:

Note: I use a 15 inch round pan. If you want to use something rectangular, use a 10×16 pan or something comparable.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean spinach and cut off the stems. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Whisk eggs together in a medium mixing bowl and add to the spinach. Add scallions, crumbled feta, and dill. Toss with your hands or a pair of tongs until all the ingredients are well blended. Melt butter in the microwave or stove top (don’t burn it!). Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom of the pan with a layer of butter. Place two sheets of fillo on the pan so that the bottom is completely covered and brush with butter. Place two more sheets of fillo down on the pan and brush with butter. Repeat two more times until eight sheets line the bottom. Spread spinach mixture evenly over the fillo. If the fillo is going over the sides of the pan, fold it over the spinach mixture. Place two sheets of fillo on top of the spinach and brush with butter. Repeat until there is no more fillo left. Pour remaining butter over the top. Cut three diagonal slits across the top and bake uncovered for an hour until golden brown on the top.

Low fat substitutions. You could use less butter, light butter. You could use half fat free cottage cheese and ½ lb. of feta instead of all feta.

As a child, I knew Easter was fast approaching when we started making the koulouria. Spit-roasted lamb and these tasty rolls are the two things I tend to associate with Easter. My grandmother and her family started the tradition. She’s passed on but my mom and I continue it. We’ve learned that we can’t make them too far in advance because they’re usually gone!

Ingredients:

3 packets active dry yeast

1 c. warm water (108 – 112 degrees)

1 ½ c. whole milk

¾ stick of butter

1 ½ T shortening

3 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 ½ t. cinnamon

2 ½ - 3 lb flour

Instructions:

Dissolve yeast in 1 c. warm water. While yeast is dissolving, heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and shortening and let it melt. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved. Stir in cinnamon. Set aside. Beat three eggs in a separate mixing bowl vigorously with a whisk or for thirty seconds with the electric mixer. Slowly add the eggs to the milk mixture, whisking vigorously. Test the milk and egg mixture with a thermometer, making sure it’s 108-112 degrees. If not, let it cool down. When it’s at the right temperature, whisk in the dissolved yeast. Slowly add the flour until regular bread texture is achieved. Knead it for a minute or two until the dough gets firm. Form into a ball, cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until it doubles in size.

After the dough is done rising, punch it down. Form the dough into small donut shapes and line on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise again until doubled (about one hour).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the koulouria with egg wash (1 beaten egg mixed with a little water) and bake for around twenty minutes, or until tops are golden.

One of the best cooking tips that I know is to always keep a container of pesto in the house. You can either make your own or buy it - I get mine from either Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s - both are excellent. There’s so much you can do with pesto. I love making salad dressings or last minute pasta dishes out of it.  So, I thought I’d share with all of you some of the many things you can do with pesto.

• Make salad dressing. Stir together 2 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs vinegar, and one teaspoon of pesto for a delicious salad dressing.

• Use it as a marinade. You can prepare the dressing, above, and actually use it to marinate meat or chicken. You can also spread the pesto on chicken, seafood such as salmon, or steak before grilling or baking.

• Quick pasta dish. Toss pesto in with some pasta. I like using ziti or rotini but you can use anything. Sometimes I mix in a small amount of tomato sauce and cream.

• Roasted vegetables. Roast vegetables such zucchini and eggplant. (Sprinkle vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes.) When vegetables are done, transfer to a serving bowl and toss with pesto.

• Spread for crackers and bread. This is much tastier than butter! I like to spread the pesto directly onto those Wasa crackers or on a piece of whole wheat bread.

• Pesto Cheese Dip. You can mix 2 tbs of pesto with 8 ounces cream cheese for a quick cheese dip.

Do you have any ideas for things you can do with pesto? Share them in the comments!

I just purchased some watermelon from the store and it’s delicious! I don’t think it’s quite in season here in Massachusetts. But it’s in season somewhere close. During my walk today I started to think about how I wanted to eat a slice. And then I realized that watermelon is a perfect compliment to pomegranate juice and oh ya, why not throw in some rum and turn it into a cocktail?

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped watermelon flesh, seeds removed

1 cup pomegranate juice

3 shots white rum (you can substitute tequila for something different)

1/2 cup ice (you can use 1/2 cup frozen strawberries instead if you want)

Fresh mint leaves for a garnish

Instructions:

Add watermelon, pomegranate juice, rum, and ice cubes (or frozen strawberries) to a blender. Cover and blend until mixture is smooth and all the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour into glasses and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serves 2.

You can freeze the glasses until they are frosty. This will keep the drink extra cold. You can also make this in larger batches if you’re serving it to a crowd.

I thought these looked so interesting, I had to share with you - Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookes .  Before you judge them - hear me out. I just found this recipe on a blog called “Ooh, You Tasty Little Things.” Intriguing name, I know. The post talks about how “everything is better with bacon”. Yes, bacon really does improve things. But the blogger was unprepared for how tasty the cookies really were.

Nevertheless, I can’t wait to try them. Have you ever had the urge to eat some potato chips after eating chocolate? For some reason, chocolaty things make me crave salty foods. So why not put the salt right in the cookie? The blogger said that her husband was skeptical and thought it sounded odd. But right away, I knew the cookies were going to be good.