blueberry banana baked oatmeal $4.18 recipe / $0.52 serving

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blueberry banana baked oatmeal

$4.18 recipe / $0.52 serving

Will I ever get tired of baked oatmeal? Probably not. It's easy, cheap, deceptively filling, and I can cook it one day and then eat it throughout the rest of the week.

I love this version because I barely had to add any extra sugar thanks to the super sweet bananas. I used only 1/4 cup for the entire batch, and honestly, I probably could have cut that down to 2 Tbsp. Bananas are fantastic. The frozen blueberries were delightfully tart against the sugary bananas, which made them a perfect mate. If you're lucky enough to have fresh blueberries, this recipe is a great way to use them up!

If you've got a few extra bucks, adding some nuts would be a nice texture contrast (try walnuts or almonds)!

Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal

Total Recipe cost: $4.18
Servings Per Recipe: 6-8
Cost per serving: $0.52 (for 8 servings)
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 1 hr.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1.5 cups (3 med)	mashed bananas	$0.75
2 large	eggs	$0.50
1/4 cup	white sugar	$0.04
3/4 tsp	vanilla extract	$0.21
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
3/4 tsp	baking powder	$0.03
2 cups	milk	$0.50
2.5 cups	old fashioned oats	$0.43
8 ounces	frozen blueberries	$1.70
TOTAL		$4.18

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Mash the bananas in a measuring cup, starting with two or three and adding more until you have 1.5 cups of banana mash.

STEP 2: Combine the banana mash in the large bowl with the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Add the milk and whisk again until smooth.

STEP 3: Stir in the dry old-fashioned oats. Lastly, stir in the frozen blueberries (keeping them frozen and stirring them in last helps prevent the entire mix from turning purple). Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with non-stick spray and then pour in the oat mixture.

STEP 4: Bake in the preheated 375 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is no longer wet to the touch.

Serve warm or refrigerate until ready to eat. These oats can be quickly reheated in the microwave each morning for a quick, filling breakfast.

Step By Step Photos

Mash the bananas with a fork, starting with just a couple and adding more until you have 1.5 cups of banana mash. Try not to leave any large chunks. (last time it took me 4 medium bananas, this time only 3).


Add the banana mash to a bowl along with the eggs, vanilla, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until smooth.


Next, add the milk and whisk again. It's a lot easier to make a smooth, cohesive mixture if you whisk the other ingredients prior to adding the milk. That's why it's done in two steps.


Stir in the dry oats. It's easier to stir them in with a large spoon than a whisk, but I didn't feel like dirtying another utensil.


I love having frozen blueberries on hand. They're a great addition to many dishes, are less expensive than fresh, and keep for quite a while in the freezer. I used half a bag for this recipe (and used the rest for my smoothie packs).


Keep the blueberries frozen until you add them so they don't bleed purple color throughout the oatmeal. Adding them at the very end helps this as well. Pour the blueberry oat mixture into an 8x8 inch casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.


Bake for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees or until the top is golden brown and no longer wet to the touch in the center. I baked this oatmeal at 25 degrees higher than my other baked oatmeals to compensate for the little blueberry ice cubes floating around in it. It worked out well.


I like to eat mine with a little bit of cold milk poured over top. This makes for a very fast, very hearty breakfast every morning of the week!

slow cooker chicken $7.16 / 5 lb. chicken

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slow cooker chicken

$7.16 / 5 lb. chicken

Cooking a whole bird is probably my least favorite task in the kitchen. Something about it just makes me want to moan and groan and ... well, just find someone else to do it!

Until I found this method. It's SO EASY. I first saw this on Slow Cooker From Scratch, and have since been seeing it all over pinterest. So, of course, I had to try it out.

It's easy, you can season it any old way you like, and it's a great alternative to the store bought rotisserie chickens. The meat is ultra tender when done and with just a few minutes under the broiler, the skin is just as golden and crispy. You can serve this whole as a main dish or pick the meat off to use on sandwiches (say good bye to salty deli meat!), burritos, tacos, enchiladas, salads, or a million other things.

I have a fairly large slow cooker and to this day I still don't know it's official size - it's somewhere between 5 and 7 quarts. I chose a 5 pound chicken, which by the look of it, would fit nicely in my cooker. It just barely fit. So, my suggestion is to find a chicken that looks like it will fit, and then pick one that is smaller than that one ;) My chicken yielded about 6 cups of cooked meat.

Slow Cooker Chicken

Total Recipe cost: $7.16
Servings Per Recipe: variable
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 4 hrs. Total: 4 hrs. 15 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
4-5 lb.	whole chicken	$5.97
1 medium	lemon	$0.69
1/2 bulb	garlic	$0.29
1/4 bunch	parsley	$0.21
TOTAL		$7.16

STEP 1: Remove the chicken from its packaging over the sink and allow the juices to run out. Remove the giblets from the cavity and discard them. Fold a long piece of foil lengthwise to form a sturdy sling and place the chicken on it (see photos below).

STEP 2: Cut the lemon in half and then cut one of the halves into quarters. Stuff the quarters inside the cavity of the chicken. Peel the garlic cloves and stuff them into the cavity along with the whole sprigs of parsley.

STEP 3: Take the second half of the lemon and place it face down in the center of the slow cooker. This will help the chicken sit up off of the bottom of the cooker. Using the foil sling, lift the chicken into the slow cooking, placing it on top of the lemon. Fold the sides of the sling into the cooker, secure the lid, and cook on high for four hours.

STEP 4: After cooking on high for four hours, carefully lift the chicken out of the slow cooker using the foil sling and place on a baking sheet. Set the broiler to its low setting and cook the chicken under the broiler (5-6 inches from the flame) until the skin is golden brown and crispy (5-10 minutes). Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting or serving.

NOTE: Some recipes suggest cooking on low for 8 hours, but I don't condone this. Even on high the chicken takes quite a while to heat through and get out of the "danger temperature zone." If you want to cook it longer, at least set it to high for the first two hours to prevent the chicken from being at optimal bacteria temperatures for too long.

Step By Step Photos

This was the chicken that I bought for $1.18 per pound. There was another brand that was $0.99 per pound, but I felt better about this one. Call it a gut feeling. Plus, I figured I could afford the extra dollar. Sometimes you have to compromise.


Remove the packaging from the chicken. Do this over the sink because there will be quite a bit of juice/water that comes out. Remove the giblets and whatever else (eww) may be stuffed inside. (This is why I usually want someone else to do it!). I stuffed my chicken with lemons, garlic, and parsley because I like those things, but you could do anything like rosemary, thyme, or whatever else you like.


So, I stuffed those yummy things into the cavity of the chicken. I used half of the lemon (in the background) to prop the chicken up off of the bottom of the pot.


Placing the chicken on a foil sling not only helps keep it up off of the bottom, but it also makes it SUPER easy to lift the chicken out afterwards. The chicken will be really tender, so if it weren't for the sling it would have fallen apart while trying to take it out. The second half of the lemon is sitting under the chicken. I also sprinkled salt and pepper on the chicken, but later realized that was completely unnecessary since I just removed the skin anyway.


I tucked the ends of the foil sling in so that the lid could make a good seal around the edge and hold the heat in. Turn the slow cooker on to high and let it go for four hours.


And now the chicken is cooked through and tender! As you may notice, the skin is very blond. You only get that nice golden, crispy skin with dry heat, so we have to pop it under the broiler for a few minutes. It really is a quick and easy step.


Use the foil sling to lift the chicken out of the slow cooker and onto a baking sheet.


One of the wings was touching the slow cooker and it stuck... the meat was so tender that it came right off as I lifted it out! Ooops.


My broiler is actually in a drawer under the oven, while most electric ovens have a broiling coil on the roof of the main oven compartment. Turn the broiler on to low and make sure that your oven rack is set so that the top of the chicken will be about 5-6 inches from the heat source. Let it broil until the skin is golden brown and crispy. This will likely be a different amount of time for every oven and every chicken, so just keep an eye on it. You'll hear the skin popping and crackling.


I let mine broil for exactly five minutes, although it probably could have gone a few minutes more. Even still, it was pretty!


Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before cutting so that the steam pressure can reduce and the juices stay in the meat. If you're going to pick the meat, let it cool to a temperature where it is easily handled. I find that a warm chicken is easier to pick than one that has been refrigerated. Ummm, pay no mind to those chocolate muffins in the background... those are for the cookbook!


I got about 6 cups of chicken meat off of my 5 lb. chicken. I also saved the carcass because I made chicken stock with it! You'll see that post later this week!!

how to: make chicken broth

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how to: make chicken broth

I'm going to start this by admitting that this is the VERY first time that I've ever made my own chicken broth. I've been meaning to for years... and it's almost hypocritical of me not to, but for some reason I never got around to trying it.

So, don't read this post as a "definitive guide" to making chicken broth, but rather a "here is my experience, you should try it too!" Also, because I know there are A LOT of you who have been doing this for years, I'd love it if you'd share your tips, tricks, and experiences in the comments so that we can all learn from each other :)

So what was my experience? OMG, so easy. Seriously, dump it all in the pot and let it go. Come back later and you have a magical golden liquid full of flavor and good for you nutrients. Why wouldn't you want to do this?! Plus, I always get warm and fuzzy inside when I know that I've reduced my waste. By making broth you get to use every last bit of goodness in your chicken and vegetable scraps. I can't wait to make some vegetable broth too!

A couple good tips I've already gotten from readers:

1) Save your vegetable scraps from other recipes in the freezer until you're ready to make broth. Just make sure they're well washed first to remove sand and dirt.

2) Theresa suggested making the broth in a slow cooker instead of on the stove top for even less baby sitting. Let it go all night and you'll have an ultra-amazing broth by morning!

I can't wait to hear everyone else's tips!

Homemade Chicken Broth

Yield: 12 cups

(The cost of these ingredients have already been absorbed in the cost break down of other recipes, so there's no real cost estimate here.)

STEP 1: Pick the skin from the chicken carcass and make sure you've gotten all of the good meat off. Leave the cartilage as this will "melt" into the broth, adding flavor and nutrients. Yes, cartilage has nutrients. It's like taking a joint supplement pill, but it tastes better.

STEP 2: Make sure your vegetable scraps are clean by rinsing well with cool water. You can use the ends and stems of carrots, celery, herbs, onion skins, or any piece of a vegetable that you normally cut off and throw away. The vegetables WILL effect the flavor, so make sure you use vegetables that "go" together. I used celery, carrots, parsley stems, and onion skins.

STEP 3: Add the chicken carcass and vegetable scraps to a large pot and cover with water (about 12 cups, depending on how big your chicken was and how many scraps you have). Bring up to a boil over med-high heat, then reduce to low and let simmer with a lid for 3-4 hours.

STEP 4: After simmering, pour the broth through a colander into a large bowl or pot. Remove the colander and throw away all of the scraps. Cover the colander with a cheese cloth or another clean, lint-free cloth and pour the broth through once more to remove small particles.

STEP 5:Divide the broth into smaller containers to help facilitate cooling. Refrigerate until cold and then transfer to the freezer, remembering to label and date each container.

NOTE: While cooling in the refrigerator, the fat will rise to the top and harden. It can be removed at this point if desired, but I find that it adds a great deal of flavor. If your broth thickens or gels after refrigerating, don't be afraid. That is normal and a good sign that you got all of the flavor an nutrients from your chicken!

Step By Step Photos

So, I roasted a whole chicken in my slow cooker last weekend, and after it was cool enough to handle I picked the meat off and saved the bones and scraps until I was ready to make the broth.

The next day, after I had accumulated some vegetable scraps, I started the broth. First things first, make sure the vegetable scraps are CLEAN. Sand in broth is not good. I had celery tops and stems, carrot ends and peels, onion peels, and some parsley stems. Place them in a large pot along with your chicken carcass.


Cover the whole thing with fresh water. I used 12 cups. Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce it to low and let simmer (with a lid) for 3-4 hours.


After you've simmered all of the goodness out of your scraps, it's time to strain out the magical golden liquid. Place a colander over a large bowl and pour the whole pot through it. Discard the collected scraps.


After the first strain, this is what I had. It's already golden and beautiful. And it smells delightful too.


You'll want to strain a second time through a fine weave, lint-free cloth to remove any small particles that may have passed through the colander. I just laid my cloth out over the colander and poured through again.


It didn't catch much, but I bet if I had simmered for longer everything would have broken down more and there would be more small particles.


You can season your broth at this point with salt and pepper, but I prefer to leave it unsalted and then just add salt later when cooking with the broth. Adding salt at the end of a recipe allows you to use less and achieve the same flavor punch. Also, it's always a good idea to divide your broth (or any food) into smaller containers before refrigerating so they cool down faster. Always chill the broth before placing it in the freezer.

I put my broth in jars because they were sitting there on my counter, but I like to freeze sauces and liquids in quart sized freezer bags. You can freeze in glass jars, but make sure to leave room for the liquid to expand as it freezes, or else your container will burst.

Tips? Tricks? Techniques? Share them with us below...

hurricane hiatus

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hurricane hiatus

If you weren't already aware, I live it the wonderfully unique city of New Orleans. And if you also weren't aware, it attracts hurricanes like cat hair to a black sweater. If the hurricane is on this side of the globe, it WILL get sucked straight into New Orleans. That's just the law of the land.


ANYWAY, hurricane Isaac isn't looking so bad, but just bad enough to foil my plans for cooking on Tuesday and Wednesday. Instead I'll be watching the rain drops and sipping on a glass (or two, or three) of wine until the power comes back on and the flooded streets drain away.

Hopefully by Labor Day weekend (when I have another couple of days off) things will be back to normal, the grocery stores will be re-stocked, and I'll be able to cook and photograph some more yummies for you!

If you want to see what it's like inside of a hurricane follow me on Facebook and Twitter, I might post some photos!

xoxo
Beth

captain's log: day 5

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captain's log: day 5

I'm still in the red.

While this map of the electrical outages looks 100% better than it did even just yesterday, I'm still waiting. I've been through this before (Hurricane Gustav, 2008, no power 8 days), so I know I can make it. It's just a matter of sweating it out... I mean waiting it out.

On Thursday I had to face the truth and admit that everything in my refrigerator and freezer would be lost. All of my homemade chicken broth, almost an entire batch of slow cooker marinara, some slow cooker black beans, and single serving portions of taco chicken bowls and taco stuffed shells all went in the garbage. But hey, the refrigerator needed a good head to toe cleaning anyway. It's important to keep a positive perspective in these situations.

I'd love to post some "no power" recipes, but honestly, I can't even be inside of my apartment without sweat rolling down my back. So, no work will be done until I'm electrified again. Plus, I really don't even want food right now. All I crave is a huge 64 ounce Big Gulp full of icy cold liquid - It's HOT y'all!

I'll continue to try to answer your questions and emails when I can, but my access to wi-fi is somewhat limited.

All in all, this storm has really been nothing more than an inconvenience for me. I've actually got it really, really good and I'm grateful for that. My thoughts go out to those who have had significant damage and hardship because of it.

People may ask why we choose to live in the path of such potential danger. It's the same reason people choose to live in Venice, Italy when it is literally sinking straight into the ocean. The culture, history, and lifestyle that are unique to New Orleans cannot be experienced anywhere else on the planet. It's a fantastic place to live and I'll gladly endure an adventuresome week without power every now and then to live in a place that is so wonderful the rest of the time. :)

If you have any movie (available in Redbox) or book suggestions to help keep me busy, please share! Hopefully we'll be back in business soon!

XOXO
Beth

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spinach tortellini soup $8.48 recipe / $1.06 serving

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spinach tortellini soup

$8.48 recipe / $1.06 serving

Aaaannnd WE'RE BACK! Yesss! I have electricity again! :D Life is good.

For my first recipe after over a week of hiatus, I wanted to start with something super fast and easy. I had to replace everything in my refrigerator and freezer, so I wanted to make something that didn't require a lot of ingredients and that I could use to stock up my freezer. This soup was perfect.

My grocery store has cheese tortellini in three areas: dry pasta goods, the freezer aisle, and near the dairy with other fresh pastas. I checked all three places and the frozen cheese tortellini was by far the most inexpensive. You will probably want to do some price comparing on your own.

I'll admit, this soup is not super heavy on the tortellini. Because it's the most expensive ingredient, I went light with it. Each bowl (2 cups of soup) had about 5 or 6 tortellini in it. If you want to beef this soup up on the cheap, try adding a cup of plain pasta (uncooked). I would go with something small, like orzo or those tiny, short tubes.

Instead of adding extra pasta, I served mine with some crusty french bread to sop up the rest of the rich tomatoey sauce. I also tried a little parmesan sprinkled on top and that was fantastic!

Spinach Tortellini Soup

Total Recipe cost: $8.48
Servings Per Recipe: 8 (about 2 cups each)
Cost per serving: $1.06
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 25 min. Total: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.32
1 small	yellow onion	$0.57
4 cloves	garlic	$0.15
1 (28 oz.) can	tomato sauce	$1.50
1 (28 oz.) can	crushed or diced tomatoes	$1.50
28 oz.	water	$0.00
1 tsp	dried basil	$0.05
1 tsp	dried oregano	$0.05
15-20 cranks	fresh cracked pepper	$0.05
1 (12 oz.) package	frozen cheese tortellini	$2.99
1 (10 oz.) box	frozen spinach	$1.25
2 tsp (or to taste)	salt	$0.05
TOTAL		$8.48

STEP 1: Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot along with the olive oil over medium-low heat until they are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).

STEP 2: Add the can of tomato sauce, the can of crushed (or diced) tomatoes, and one can full of water to the pot. Add the basil, oregano, a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring up to a simmer (about 10 minutes).

STEP 3: Add the frozen tortellini and frozen spinach (no need to thaw either one). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to break up the frozen spinach. Cook until the heated through, the spinach has completely incorporated, and the tortellini is tender (about 10 minutes). Season to taste with salt - I used 2 teaspoons.

Serve with crusty bread and a sprinkle of cheese if desired!

Step By Step Photos

Start by dicing the onion and mincing the garlic. Cook both over medium-low heat in olive oil for about five minutes or until they're soft and semi-transparent.


See? Soft and semi-transparent. You don't want the heat too high, or else all of the moisture will evaporate too quickly and the onions will begin to brown, which will give them a completely different flavor. You want them to "sweat" over medium-low heat.


I used one (28 oz.) can of tomato sauce and one (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes. If you want a chunkier tomato texture, use diced tomatoes instead of the crushed. If tomato sauce isn't available in your area, try pureed tomatoes or sieved tomatoes. You may need to use more salt in the end, because tomato sauce has a decent amount in it.


Add the canned tomato products, one can full of water, the basil, oregano, and a healthy dose of cracked pepper. Stir everything to combine and then bring up to a simmer over medium-high heat.


Once the soup comes up to a simmer, add the frozen tortellini and frozen spinach. There is no need to thaw either one, just dump them straight in.


Continue to cook the soup over medium-high heat until the spinach has completely melted in and broken apart (stir occasionally to help this along) and the tortellini is tender - about ten minutes. If you are adding in plain dry pasta, just let it simmer until the pasta has become tender. Season to taste with salt. I used about 2 teaspoons.


Serve hot with some good crusty bread or maybe an extra sprinkle of cheese!

spinach pie $7.29 recipe / $0.91 serving

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spinach pie

$7.29 recipe / $0.91 serving

Mmmmm... I LOVE spinach pie. Whenever I eat at Greek restaurants, I always make sure to order some spanikopita. I love the flakey crust and the rich, warm, spinach filled interior. Popeye totally knew what was up.

This spinach pie isn't really Greek flavored, but I love it all the same. There are many, many ways to make a spinach pie and this weekend I was most interested in finding the fastest, easiest route to this spinach heaven.

My mom made baklava fairly often when I was growing up and ever since watching her wrestle with those finicky phyllo dough sheets, I've never wanted to go near them. So, for this recipe I chose puff pastry. It's much thicker and way more forgiving than phyllo, but you still get a nice flakey crust. Puff pastry is definitely not inexpensive, but most of the other ingredients in this recipe are, so the overall cost per serving remains low. Puff pastry can be found in the freezer section, usually near frozen fruit and other ready to eat desserts. For this recipe I only used one sheet out of the box. The other sheet can be wrapped tightly and re-frozen for later use.

You can make spinach pies in a square, or as individually folded rectangles, but I like this easy "fold over" pie dish method. No cutting the dough, simply roll it out, fill it, and fold it over top to make the top crust. Super easy.

I stuck to a basic cheese and spinach filling, but this recipe is just asking for a million variations. Add some feta cheese for a Greek flare, green onions or other fresh herbs for a fresher flavor, or you can even try adding something tangy like sun dried tomatoes. Of course, more ingredients mean higher cost, so try to use ingredients that you have laying around waiting to be used up.

Spinach Pie

Total Recipe cost: $7.29
Servings Per Recipe: 8 (1/8th of pie dish)
Cost per serving: $0.91
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 1 hr.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.16
1 small	yellow onion	$0.57
1 clove	garlic	$0.04
1 cup	cottage cheese	$1.20
1/4 cup	parmesan cheese	$0.42
1/8 tsp	ground nutmeg	$0.02
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
10-15 cranks	fresh cracked pepper	$0.02
2 large	eggs	$0.44
16 oz.	frozen cut spinach	$1.63
1 sheet (8 oz.)	puff pastry	$2.50
2 Tbsp	flour for dusting	$0.05
1 large	egg (for glaze, optional)	$0.22
TOTAL		$7.29

Allow both the puff pastry and frozen spinach to thaw in the refrigerator over night.

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Dice the onion into small pieces and mince the garlic. Cook both in a small skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until soft and transparent (about five minutes).

STEP 2: While the onions and garlic are cooking, prepare the rest of the filling. In a bowl combine the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well. Before adding the spinach, strain it in a colander and press out as much moisture as possible (squeezing handfuls in a fist works well too).

STEP 3: Once the onions have softened, add them to the cheese/egg mixture along with the squeeze dried spinach. Stir until well combined.

STEP 4: Dust a clean work surface with flour and unfold a sheet of puff pastry onto it. Using a rolling pin, roll the puff pastry into a 12 inch by 12 inch square. Drape the rolled dough over a standard 9 inch pie dish.

STEP 5: Spread the spinach filling evenly inside the pastry lined pie dish. Fold the corners of the pastry back over top of the filling. It's okay if they do not fully reach to meet each other. If desired, brush a whisked egg over the top (this will give the surface a glossy appearance after cooking).

STEP 6: Bake the pie for 45 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. Allow the pie to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting to allow the filling to set.

Step By Step Photos

Start by cooking down the onions and garlic. This serves to remove moisture because moisture is the enemy of puff pastry.


While the onions are cooking, mix together the rest of the filling. In a bowl combine the cottage cheese, parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir well.


You can actually stir the eggs in at the same time as the cheeses, but I wanted to taste the mixture before I added in raw egg. So, I just added them after.


You'll want one pound of frozen chopped spinach. Make sure to let it thaw before you begin.


Place the thawed spinach in a colander and press it against the sides to squeeze out the water. I went a step further and picked up handfuls and squeezed as hard as I could. Again, moisture is the enemy of the puff pastry, so you need the spinach to be pretty dry.


By now the onions have cooked down, are soft, and transparent.


Combine the cheese/egg mixture, the squeezed spinach, and the cooked onions and garlic.


Mix it all together really, really well. This is your delicious spinach pie filling.


This is the puff pastry I used. You can find it in the freezer section near the frozen fruit. Make sure to put it in your refrigerator the night before so it can thaw. It's kind of expensive (mine was $5 per box), but you'll only be using half and the second half can be re-frozen (or used to make dessert, like I did!).


When you open the box of puff pastry, you'll find two sheets, each folded into thirds. Dust your countertop with flour and unfold one sheet onto it. The other sheet can be wrapped tightly with plastic and refrozen.


Roll the pastry dough out a bit until you have a 12x12 inch square. Go slowly and you'll be able to maintain the square shape that it came in.


Carefully lift up the pastry dough and drape it over the center of the pie dish (this is easier if you carefully fold it in half first, carefully lift it and place over half of the pie dish, then unfold to cover the whole thing). Evenly distribute the spinach filling inside.


Take the points of the square pastry dough and fold them in over the top. It's okay if they don't reach so that all of the edges meet. In fact, it probably would have looked better if I didn't roll mine out quite so big! If you'd like, whisk up a third egg and brush it over top. That will give it a nice brown, glossy appearance.


And then bake the whole thing in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the pie crust is fully puffed and is a nice golden brown. It won't really start puffing until the last 15 minutes, so don't get scared while watching through your oven window. Also, the center will puff last, so don't take it out too early! I almost took mine out and then decided to leave it for 5 more minutes... it REALLY puffed a lot in those last five minutes!


Here's a side view so that you can see how it puffed up. Let the pie sit for about five minutes before you cut it. It will deflate some as it cools, so don't let that surprise or disappoint you.


Cut the pie into 8 pieces and try not to eat them all. It will take strength. Great strength.


YUM.