Some days are smiling days

Doing my little happy dance - he's in, youngest starts at his new school on Monday. I'm amazed at the difference between private schools and government schools, aside from the hit to the bank balance, you actually get treated like a human being, not just another number.

The smile on his face, when the head of the middle school told him there was a place for him, was priceless. So very happy for him.

Actually today was a day of successes, I discovered some fantastic tools to use for work - clipart (not boring staid ones either), animations, video templates etc - boss was happy for me to get a year long subscription. So unlimited downloads means I can use at home as well, paid for by me and then reimbursed by the company.

I know dancing furballs are pretty irritating but it pretty much matches my mood today so I couldn't resist. I put a smile on everyone's faces today because I was quite excited by my new discoveries - small things amuse small minds and all.

Got middle son's fees sorted out for second year of his apprenticeship, what a shamozzle - trying to charge us outstanding fees (rubbish) so I made a detour past there this afternoon, too hard trying to explain over the phone.

The irony, they 've installed a new administration software system and it's gone pear shaped and the entire office staff were bagging it as I was standing there waiting for them to sort out my mess. I had a nasty glimpse of a possible future event, being that I'm working on a project to implement a new system and many of our people are resistant to the changes coming.

IT implementations and change management - yay what a fun combination.

Now before I run away - Jenn this is at your request, my delish recipe that I made on the weekend. Modified from another recipe I found, to create something I actually tried at a bakery a few weeks ago. Middle son even ate it, this is the middle son who hates every single green vegetable in existence (except salad greens).

Basically it's a spanakopita recipe with sweet potato added. If I had of realised I was going to share the recipe then I would have taken a photo of my creation but the picture below gives you an idea of what they turned out like.

Spinach, feta and sweet potato in puff pastry

1 onion (finely diced)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
500gm baby spinach leaves
4 sheets of puff pastry
200g feta cheese (crumbled)
1 large sweet potato (thinly sliced)
1/2 bunch of dill, chopped finely
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
2 eggs lightly beaten
additional beaten egg for egg wash
cracked pepper


Method

1.      Preheat oven to 180°C. (160°C fan forced)

2.      Peel and slice sweet potato in thin slices and place on a tray in the oven until partially cooked - roughly 10 - 15 minutes. 

3.      Heat oil in a frypan, and then add onion and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until softened, and then add spinach and the dill. Cook, stirring over low heat for 1-2 minutes or until spinach has wilted. Drain in a colander and cool, chop roughly and then combine with cheeses and egg.

4.      Grease an oven tray with spray oil. Lay out sheets of puff pastry, leaving the plastic underneath to assist with rolling. Layer strips of the cooked sweet potato in the middle third of each sheet of puff pastry and then spread the cheese mixture over top. 

5.      Brush all edges of the pastry with beaten egg and then fold each third in to form a pillow, crimp ends with fork to seal.

6.      Remove plastic from the pastry with the aim of transferring the 'pastry pillow' onto the tray with the join to the bottom. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle cracked pepper over the top.

7.      Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Rest for 10 minutes. Serve with tossed salad.

So easy! You could also make this as individual pastries as well. Enjoy!

Cheers, Fi