Phreaky Phyllo

Lucky for me, I typed this up a few days ago. I am having computer problems, horizontal blind problems and grub problems. Now I am being bothered by those who have poor grammar (as in they are robots) and even "worser" :) spelling. Yes, apparently "worser" is a word. From the middle ages and *Steve* lets *Mila* use it in her repertoire of multi-syllable words. Repertoire, being one of her words.

So go ahead and preheat your oven now to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
10 oz. fresh spinach - thoroughly washed
2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 crushed garlic clove
2 tbsp fresh chopped dill
3/4 cup cottage cheese
about 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
6-8 dried apricots sliced
1/2 cup pine nuts (toast in dry skillet until golden)
12 sheets of phyllo pastry olive oil or melted butter for brushing on phyllo
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add spinach, nutmeg and garlic until spinach starts to wilt. Drain through a colander and squeeze out liquid. Let cool. Panfry mushroom bits quickly until savoury and browned. Put spinach mixture, cooled mushrooms in a large bowl. Add dill, cheeses, apricots, pine nuts, and salt & peper to taste. Put one sheet of phyllo on work surface and brush (I dab with a paper towel as I don't own a pastry brush - yet!) on melted butter or oil. Put second sheet on top. Divide spinach mixture into 6 portions. Spoon 1 portion onto narrow edge and roll up the double layer of dough. Tuck in ends as you go. Repeat for the remaining 5. Put on a lightly oiled baking tray and bake in oven for 25 minutes. Turn over once and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. One roll per serving.

*Mila's* Cinnamon Phyllo Dessert Phreeakos

6-8 sheets of phyllo (whatever is left over)
about 1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 tsp of cinnamon

You can mix the last three ingredients together and make it like a paste if it is easier. I hate to waste the phyllo, so *Mila* made up her own recipe to make use of the remaining 6 or so sheets. She prepared the first sheet by buttering it. Layered the second sheet on top. Then she sprinkled brown sugar, melted butter and cinnamon on to taste. Rolled it up. Repeat for remaining sheets and voila! About 15 minutes in the 350 degree oven and these were dessert (or breakfast for *Steve*). They puffed up nice too and looked really presentable. Next time, we're going to make traditional spanikopita and I think we'll try something lemon-y with the leftover phyllo.

signed, the willow