Favorite recipe from a place I have been

When I went to Greece, I tried a spanakopita.  A spanakopita is spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo dough, a very thin dough that becomes crispy and flaky when baked.  The filling consists of spinach, eggs, feta, and butter.  It is shaped into triangles or baked in a square pan.  This is a traditional greek meal that I get when I go to the Greek festival in Portland.  My family makes spanakopita with gyros which are another Greek meal.  Spanakopita is side dish but could be a main course because it is so rich.  Below is a recipe for spanakopita:

• 
  Pastry
• 1 lb country-style phyllo pastry(if you can't get that, regular phyllo pastry will do)
• 1⁄2cup extra virgin olive oil, approximately

• Spinach Filling

• 1⁄4cup olive oil
• 2lbs spinach, cleaned, tough stems removed
• 6spring onions, cleaned, sliced in 1/4 inch lengths
• 1leek, white and tender part of green, cleaned, sliced in 1/4 inch lengths (if very large, slice leek in half lengthwise before slicing)
• 1medium red onion, chopped fine
• 3⁄4cup fresh dill, minced
• 1⁄2-3⁄4lb feta cheese, crumbled (this is a matter of personal taste. I like my spanakopita 'sweeter' and therefore use the lesser amo)
• 3eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper

1. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onions and leek until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and saute until the leaves have wilted and the liquid has cooked off, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool somewhat. When cool enough to handle, finely chop the spinach and place in a large bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
4. Lightly oil (always use olive oil!) a 12 inch in diameter, metal baking pan (you can use a larger baking pan - you will just have a thinner pita, but don't use a smaller one), or a 10 x 15 inch rectangular baking pan.
5. Add dill and feta cheese to the spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste (careful with the salt - the feta will add quite a bit of its own). Pour the eggs over and give a stir to combine well.
6. Open up the phyllo pastry and place on a work surface. If using the country style pastry proceed, if using the thinner phyllo; cover with a damp cloth. (Continue to cover the pastry sheets with the damp cloth each time you remove one as you prepare the pie.).
7. Layer the phyllo in the pan, allowing the edges to hang over the sides of the pan, brushing each phyllo layer generously with olive oil.
8. Use up half the phyllo sheets to make the bottom pastry layer, allowing excess pastry to drape over edge of pan.
9. Put the spinach mixture in and press the top down gently to smooth filling. Tuck in the pastry draping over the edges.
10. Repeat layering with the remaining phyllo, oiling each sheet generously.
11. Using a sharp knife, score the upper layers of pastry into the size pieces you will want to serve once the pie is baked- BE CAREFUL NOT TO CUT THROUGH BOTTOM PASTRY.
12. Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for approximately 40-45 minutes until it is golden brown. For the last 15-20 minutes, I put my baking pan directly on the oven floor to crisp it better.
13. Cool till just warm (we never, but never eat this hot! The flavours just wouldn't come through properly). Cut into serving pieces and serve either just warm or at room temperature.
14. Note: If my spinach filling appears to be too 'wet', I often take 2 of the phyllo sheets and use them as a 'layer' between the spinach filling; these sheets absorb the extra liquid (they must not be brushed with oil).
15. It's also worth noting that Greeks love their olive oil! I have used olive oil with a lighter hand than most Greeks in this recipe - but it may still be too much for you. Feel free to add the amount you feel most comfortable with, but be aware that flavour may be compromised.

What I like to do on an airplane

      When I travel by airplane for vacation I get very bored.  Those long, tiring flights are the worst part of the vacation.  So, I decided to write about what I like to do to keep myself entertained.

      I usually download one or two movies onto one of my family's ipads.  I normally pick a funny movie just because I find them a lot more entertaining than a dramatic movie.  I also play games on the ipad or my phone.  The night before I will download a few new apps to try out on the plane.  I also have a couple of my favorite games in a folder to play on the plane.

      I also do homework if I am missing school because of the vacation.  Usually my teachers will give me some work to do so I get it done on the flight.  If you get your homework done early on in the trip then it is not dangling over your head the whole time.

       Another thing I love to do is to buy a book in the airport and read it on the flights.  Usually after a little bit of reading I fall asleep which is not a bad thing.  If there is any time left I like to do soduko puzzles.  This what I do on flights when I go on vacations.

Weirdest foods I have eaten outside the U.S.

      I have been to many countries and I have eaten lots of weird foods while traveling to these places.  I have eaten outrageous foods from haggis in Edinburgh to alligator ribs in Honduras.   My favorite crazy food was probably the sausage roll in Guernsey Island.
      Over the summer I went to Guernsey Island which is off the coast of France but is considered to be part of the United Kingdom.  While I was there I stopped at a small bakery and bought a sausage roll.  A sausage roll is basically sausage with lots of seasoning wrapped in a pastry and baked.  It was really good and I am going to make these at home sometime soon.     The dish to the left is haggis.

      The next weird meal I have had is haggis.  It is a typical British meal that I had in London over the summer.  Haggis is the heart, stomach, liver, and tongue of a sheep with mashed potatoes and a mustard sauce.  I did not like it because I do not like the thought of eating a sheep's innards.  My brother and my dad really like the haggis because they will try any food.
      Another food I have eaten is alligator ribs.  I had alligator ribs in Honduras which is in Central America.  Alligator ribs are like baby back ribs just from an alligator.  I also had caviar while on this same trip.  I had the caviar on the cruise ship and it was a very weird texture.
      Lastly and probably my favorite, was pavlova.  Pavlova is a thin meringue shell with whipped cream and fruit inside.  It is very light and very tasty.  The meringue melts in your mouth and the fruit keeps it from being too sweet.  I love to travel because I love trying all of the foods from around the world.

London, England

Over the summer, I went on a cruise around the british isles.  My family had been thinking about going on this cruise for about two years and we finally did it this summer.  The cruise ship departed in London, England and ended in London.  So, my family had to fly to London and the flight was about 7 and a half hours; I watched movies and played games on my phone during the flight.  At last, we landed in London.  We went through customs and then we had to take train to the center of the city.  Our hotel was about a four minute walk from the train station so we did not have to get a taxi.  Once we got to the hotel we dropped our bags off in the room and started sightseeing.  The first stop was Buckingham Palace.  My family wanted to to see the changing of the guards so we waited there for half an hour only to realize that the they weren’t doing the changing of the guards that day.

  This is Westminster Abbey to the left.

The next stop was Westminster Abbey;  it was huge and so beautiful inside.  My favorite part of Westminster Abbey was the podium because there was a beautiful archway with delicate mosaic tiles inside.  After Westminster Abbey my family started off again and then we saw Big Ben.  Big Ben, if you don’t know what it is, is a clock tower and it has a great big clock at the top.  One fun fact that someone told us is that the clock runs five minutes fast so you are never late.  Since our flight was a red eye we were exhausted so we went back to the hotel and all of us took a nap.  After the nap we decided to take a cab to Oxford Street, a street that contains stores.  Oxford Street is almost like Fifth Avenue in New York.  I had been wanting to go to the Lush headquarters which are on Oxford Street, and when I spotted the store I sprinted in and started smelling all of the lotions.

My dad and brother got hungry so we found a small restaurant and got dinner.  I ordered fish and chips because that is what England is known for and I love fish.  I had never had better fish and chips than these.  When we got back to the hotel, we all put out pajamas on and got in bed.