Treats from Teachers for the Holiday Season

By Amy Albitres | Reporter

As the holiday season approaches, two Westhill teachers share their delicious recipes for the upcoming cozy winter season. 

Mrs. Andersen, a Spanish teacher at Westhill, shares her Greek dish called Spinach pie.

“My grandmother passed this down for years,” Andersen said.

You will need:

4 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large chopped onion

1 bunch of chopped green onion

3 minced garlic gloves

2 Lbs of rinsed and chopped spinach

1⁄2 cup of chopped parsley ( also you can add dill if you prefer )

1⁄2 cup ricotta cheese and 1 cup of feta cheese

2 beaten eggs

9 sheets of phyllo dough

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil to spread on the baking pan

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
2. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, green onions and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in the prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat the process with two more sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 4 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until it is golden brown. You can serve it hot or cold.

Ms. Calandro shares her Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe.

“I made it last year and everyone loved it,” Calandro said.

Ingredients for Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 12 whole graham crackers)

6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) melted, unsalted butter

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Ingredients for Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounces each) packages of cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cups (about 9 oz by weight) packed light brown sugar

15 oz canned pumpkin pie mix (use half of the 30 oz can)

4 large eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour *measured correctly

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or make your own)

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp real vanilla extract

Directions for crust:

1. Preheat Oven to 350˚F.
2. Crush graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
3.  In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 6 Tbsp melted butter. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan with 3″ tall walls. Use a large spoon to press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan, going about 1/2″ up the sides of the pan. Bake at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

For the Filling:

1. In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the 3 packages of softened cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy and without lumps (5 min), scraping down the bowl once to make sure you don’t have chunks of cream cheese.

*Tip: brown sugar is considered “packed” when it holds its shape as it comes out of the measuring cup.

2. In a separate bowl, using a whisk, stir together 15 oz pumpkin pie mix, 4 large eggs, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 Tbsp flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add this mixture to the cheesecake filling and continue mixing on low speed just until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

3. Transfer filling into pre-baked crust and bake on the middle rack at 350˚F for 1 hour. Turn off heat, prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon and let cheesecake sit in the oven for 45 min. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temp before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. Serve when fully chilled (at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight).

Which of these recipes would you consider making?