Another sunny day

Dear Family and Friends,

Frustrations again with Eudora, my email program, which Michigan U professors who invented have long since discontinued supporting. I am afraid ti will corrupt my whole computer. Dave will come soon and take care of email I hope.

Bill, the Visiting Nurse who takes care of physical therapy, gave me a long list of exercises to do and put me through the paces while he was here to show me how to do them. They will take a lot of my time, I can see. For one, he wants me to go up and down the stairs at least 3x in a row, and then another set later. There are all sorts of chair exercises, lifting the foot that hurts up and down, etc., and other strengthening exercises for quads, thighs, ankles, etc. I would like go get some small weights for my arms if he approves, though,lifting my weight with my arms on the wheelie does exercise my arms a bit. He'll be back on Monday. As I do more, the hip hurts more, but no pain no gain, as Jane Fonda said.

Sylvia came with lunch and Passover groceries and her good company. We will see more of her after Passover, now that she is leaving her most demanding job and taking it easier. Sophie sent via Brendan her good and easy version of spinach pie, which we had for supper—so no cooking today at all. Now she wants to make the spinach pie I raved about: I am not sure though that it is worth all the extra effort. Sophie says I didn't put it on my blog. it's below for anyone who wants it.

I am feeling ready to resubmit my essay for publication. I have more work to do on it, but it could stand as is, and with the need for it to go back to the readers for their approval of my responses to their comments, I think I will have time to add any results from the small amount of further research I am trying to do. I may submit it today. It's not easy to work solely on the Internet. How great it would be just to go to a good library and pick up what I need! But thank goodness for my wonderful librarian friends and for the Internet.

Poor Merwin. So much of the burden of daily life that I handled must fall on him in addition to all the work he already does for this household. He is getting worn out. But what a loving attendant he is. I try not to wake him at night when I get up for the bathroom, but if he hears me he is instantly at attention with a warm smile. What a trouper! Merwin, I do appreciate you, even when I get a little impatient.

Love to all,
Bernice

Sara’s Spinach Pie
The Temporary Vegetarian: Sara’s Spinach Pie (NYT October 14, 2009)
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes (ha! the making took me about 3 hrs. The baking will be another hour)
3 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed (much more, but oh well)
2 large yellow onions, finely chopped (I used one very big one and let the Cuisinart do the chopping)
Sea salt (I used the salt I had on hand) but leave this out; cheese is very salty.
2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and thoroughly dried (I bought pre-washed spinach; baby spinach would have been better; I checked the Internet to see if pre-washed is safe to use without re-washing. The answer was yes). Turns out that baby spinach is not flavorful enough for this dish, so forget that tip.
Vegetable oil or nonstick spray, for oiling pan
1 pound feta cheese, rinsed in cool water, then crumbled (I should have crumbled it more; mine was diced)
12 ounces ricotta cheese, drained (the brand I got is just delicious: full fat is best
5 ounces (about 2 cups) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
5 large eggs, lightly beaten (I used 6 because they weren't very big, though they were called "large")
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, or to taste. (I forgot to add this and sprinkled it on the top while it was baking the first time I made this, but used lots more.)

1. In a large skillet over low heat, heat olive oil. Add onions and sauté until soft and beginning to turn golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Return pan to medium heat. Working in batches and adding oil 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, sauté spinach until wilted, then transfer to a bowl. Coarsely chop cooked spinach (I didn't chop; not necessary), then squeeze hard to remove as much excess liquid as possible (I did this as well as I could, hardly perfect: the extra egg seemed to take care of the excess liquid.).
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly oil a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish and set aside. In a large bowl, combine feta, ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs and a generous amount of pepper. Mix well. Add spinach and onions and mix thoroughly. Add dill, and toss to blend. Spoon into baking dish, pat down evenly and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
4. Bake pie for 30 minutes. Raise heat to 350 degrees and bake until lightly firm in center and golden on top, about 20 more minutes. If top begins to brown too much (but do let it brown some), cover lightly with foil. To serve, allow pie to cool slightly before cutting into squares. It may also be served cool.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings. More like 12 servings for us.

Sophie layered her pan with philo sheets. I think this is a good addition: 2-3 sheets of oiled philo. Yum.