So I decided last week I was going to make “Turkey and Phyllo Pie” from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. But the recipe calls for leeks, which I am sure Jeff wouldn’t eat, and also we’re not too fond of turkey. So I altered it a bit, and made it with chicken instead.

Original recipe:

2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 clove garlice, minced
1 tablespoon butter
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed/drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cooked turkey
4 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Here’s what I used:

1 clove garlice, minced
1 tablespoon butter
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed/drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cooked chicken
4 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Basically, you cook your chicken, simmer your garlic, and mix everything together sans chicken. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then you add the chicken. Then you spread the melted butter on one sheet of phyllo dough, put it in a pie tin folded crosswise, and do the same with the other 3 so that the entire tin is covered with dough.

Then you dump in all the goodness that is your spinach cheese mixture, and fold the phyll dough towards the center. Then you stick it in the oven and let it bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. And eat. Delicious!

And…for the left over phyllo dough, you make baklava. More on that to come.

As I left the house in a rush yesterday morning, it occurred to me that the bananas that I had bought at the farmer’s market this weekend were getting black spots. As the temperatures for yesterday were supposed to be in the 90s, I decided it’d be a great idea to make them into banana bread when I got home. Of course, once I had decided that, I couldn’t get “B-A-N-A-N-A-S” out of my head, and as I write this I am singing it in my head.

I searched the Internet for a recipe that I had all the ingredients for.

Finally I settled on this one:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

The original recipe is here.

I changed the recipe a little–I used, 4 tablespoons of butter, or a half stick, instead of 5 1/3 the recipe calls for, and I used 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 1 or 3/4. I also added about 2.5 tablespoons of cinnamon, and only 3 bananas. Delicious. So, my modified recipe below:

• 3 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/2 stick of butter (4 tbsp)
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2.5 tbsp cinnamon

It was a huge hit with the boys, my roommates P and E. We’ll see if Jeff will try a piece, as he doesn’t like banana bread very much. But, it was a good breakfast for me, and a great alternative to ice cream after dinner, so as far as I am concerned, job well done.