2007-12-22 - 5:02 p.m.

...spanakopita update...

The spanakopita is in the oven, doin' its spanakopita thang. So my very first experiment with Greek spinach and feta pie is underway.

Elgan, I also have the M00sew00d recipe, but alas, I decided instead to go with Bittman's - mostly because K is still not QUITE clear on identifying cottage cheese in a grocery store, but he is particularly good at locating feta (and asks me questions like, "would you prefer cow, sheep, or goat?" Anyway, we'll see how it turns out.

Bluey, your note just cracked me up - you are "too lazy" and therefore you have decided to make a spanakopita, because you "just happen" to have feta, phyllo, and spinach lying around. First of all, I'm impressed that anyone has phyllo dough just lying around in their flat.. Secondly - and Elgan has nailed it - constructing spanakopita is like manufacturing a Greek lasagne - and I would not consider making either of them a particularly "lazy" endeavor!

In the end, I went to mean yoga. It was a tiny class, and because the studio was officially closed for the holidays, the heating was off. So we huddled in the main room and stayed pretty low key - and the instructor didn't charge us - a merry Christmas yoga.

Well, my back still hurts. It's a challenging class, and I chalk it up to three things: (1) the instructor makes us hold positions for an extremely long time. (2) She does moves that just aren't good for sore backs (or that easy for people with big bellies); and (3) she tries to get us to move fluidly between positions - which for me, the two-legged behemoth, generally results in my having control ..control.. easy... control ... before GALUMPH clumsily collapsing with a loud "OOF" onto my butt. That jerky motion has gotta be messing with more than just my pride - I'm guessing it isn't good on lower back muscles to pretzel yourself out before collapsing. Oh yeah, and (4) I'm freakin' pregnant. Not just kinda pregnant, I'm MAKE WAY FOR THE TIDAL WAVE pregnant. As in strangers look on me with pity and GET OUT OF MY WAY pregnant.

Okay then. It's now 6pm. The spanakopita is a beautiful golden brown, and has achieved the K Seal of Approval (which is especially cool because he doesn't really like spinach). I even cleaned up the kitchen. And just like last night, I feel like a hero because I am still awake. I was planning to make another dish this evening - my stepfather's chicken and white bean chili. Another lovely new recipe to spice up the freezer stock for our near future...Can I do it now, or should I wait until tomorrow morning? Tune in next time for answers to these and other life-shattering questions.