Baklava
Baklava
16 oz. Phylo Pastry Dough
1 lb walnuts, chopped
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 lbs. sweet unsalted butter, melted
2 c. water
2 c. white granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 slick lemon wedge
1/2 c. honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To prepare, combine chopped walnuts and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. mix well and set aside. In a small skillet, melt 1/2 lbs. of butter.
In a 9×11 pyrex, layer 10 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Spread a layer of the walnut mixture until phyllo dough is completely covered.
Repeat this process three times, using only 5 sheets of dough each time, make sure to brush each sheet.
The final layer of dough should be 15 sheets thich, each brushed with butter.
Once you’ve added all the ingredients, cut the baklava diagonally in 4 colums and 7 rows. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
While baking, prepare the syrup in a saucepan. combine water, sugar, honey, cinnamon, and lemon peel. Simmer for 10 minutes until syrup is thich but not carmelized. Let syrup cool until room temperature.
Pour liquid over the baklava once completelly cooled. Let stand over night before serving.
Quiche
2 cups swiss cheese, grated
2 T. flour
1 cup diced ham, or bacon, or both!
1/4 c. diced onion
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. half and half
1 Pre-made pie shell
Place prepared pie shell in dish, poke several holes in the bottom with a fork. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, until the edges just start to crispen.
Combine the swiss cheese and flour, make sure the flour coats the cheese.
Combine the eggs and the half and half together. Add the ham, onion, and cheese.
Pour into the pie shell and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let sit a few minutes before serving.
Greek Panzanella
5 thickly cubed pieces of soft french bread
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Brown bread cubs in olive oil and heavily salted until brown and crunchy. Add more olive oil as needed. Takes about 15 minutes over low heat.
Dressing: (combine in a food processor or blender)
1/3 c. olive oil, 1/4 c. red wine vinegar, 2 cloves garlic, fresh ground pepper (1 t.), oregano (1 t.), 1 t. dijon mustard. Do not refrigerate.
Chop the following and place in a serving bowl: 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 cucumber, 8-10 cherry tomatoes (halved), 1/3 c. red onion (chopped fine), 5-6 olives, 1/2 c. feta cheese, cubed.
Combine all, server room temp.
Stuffed Green/Yellow/Red Peppers
Stuffed Green/Yellow/Red Peppers
4 large green peppers, seeded and halved
3 T. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 T parsley, minced
1 T fresh basil, chopped
1 cup rice
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
Salt
Pepper
1 cup bread crumbs, panko
Cook peppers in boiling water for 2 minutes, remove from water, set aside. Add rice to the water, cook until soft.
Heat oil in a skillet and add the chopped onion. Cook until soft, add ground beef. Brown ground beef. When cooked, drain the extra oil. Add tomatoes, basil, parsley and rice to the meat mixture. Add 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce and combine thoroughly.
Pour the rest of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
Spoon the meat mixture into the green peppers and place each pepper in the baking dish. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When ready to bake, sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Simple Jalepeno Bacon Wrap
Cream Cheese
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded
Bacon
Wash, halve, and seed the jalapeno peppers. Spoon cream cheese into each pepper and wrap with 1/3 – 1/2 piece of uncooked bacon.
Cook at 375 for 25 minutes. Make more of these than you think you will need…way more.
How to Can Tomatoes…with bottles not cans, apparently
I finally learned how to “Can” something. For my entire life I’ve heard that this is a miserable long drawn out process, but to be honest, I found it easy and fun. The key is having the equipment. I do not own this equipment, but my MOM does. Someday I will buy my own…maybe.
Ravage the garden of all tomatoes. Clean then until they shine!
Boil the rings…rolling boil for several minutes. Transfer with tongs to a clean dry towel. NO touching…hot!
Plop the clean tomatoes into boiling water for 2 minutes. You will see the skin start to wrinkle, this is how you know they are ready to go. It is best to use a collander so you can transfer them directly to cold water that you have waiting in the sink. Peel the skins, and cut out the stem. The skins will peel off so easily you can use your hands, you don’t need a knife. Ok that’s a lie, you DO need a knife to core out the stem, but not for the skins.
Quarter the tomatoes, or half, whatever depending on how big they were to begin with. Place in CLEAN jars (I boiled these too because I’d rather be safe than sorry). Smush them down…that’s a word…smush, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top.
Keep going until all the tomatoes are placed in jars. Make sure to clean the top edges of each jar…don’t leave any tomato gunk or the jars will NOT seal properly. At least that’s what my Mom says. Put 1/2 t. table SALT on the top. You might need to add a little water or tomato juice at this point if you have some blank space throughout the jar.
Place in as big a pot as you have. Actually, this one is part of a canning KIT and inside there is a contraption that holds the jars. I didn’t think to get a picture. This pot holds 7 PINTS…I prefer Pints because I can’t imagine ever needing a quart of tomatoes at a time, but that’s just me. Cover and bring to a full-on BOIL. Once boiling, keep boiling for 45 minutes. Add more water if you need to. SET A TIMER…it is really easy to get distracted over a 45 minute time period, if you are me.
Check this thing out, I do not know what it is called but once you’ve seen it you will know what to look for when you buy your canning supplies. I know for sure that this TORTURE DEVICE was in the hospital room when my first son was born. WHO KNEW it was also a CANNING device? Use this thing to lift the bottles out when they are done. Do NOT touch, they will burn your hands fiercely and ruin your manicure for sure.
Place in a safe spot and let cool for 24 hours. The lids will be flat, not popped up, but don’t test them or you might ruin the whole process somehow…at least that’s what my MOM said. Thanks for the details Mom. Also, why does it look like the lids that just came out of a boiling pot look dusty? This I do not know…they are not DUSTY, don’t judge my house cleaning skills. Thank you.
Tangy Artichoke Dip
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts
8-10 green olives (black olives work)
1/4 c. red onion
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. mayonnaise
2 t. worchestershire sauce
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients other than cheese in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
Spoon into baking dish and cover with cheese. Press the cheese slightly down into the mixture.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
I like to serve this with Triscuits.
Mac & Cheese
3 cups Macaroni (I like the large noodles)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I like sharp, but sometimes use both Sharp and Medium)
1 T. Ground Mustard
1 T. Paprika
3 T. Butter
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 Cup onion, chopped fine
1 c. Half and Half
2 c. Milk
1/2 c. flour
1 Egg
1 cup unseasoned Panko bread crumbs (accept no substitutes)
Boil the macaroni to al dente, make sure to add 1 t. salt to the water, drain, but do not rinse.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until the onions are transluscent, not crunchy at all. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, half and half, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg…this step is really important! Take a little of the sauce out of the saucepan, maybe 1/2 cup, and stir the egg into it. Then, add the egg mixture back into the sauce pan. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
In a separate pan, melt 3 T. butter, and add the Panko bread crumbs. Stir until the bread crumbs begin to slightly brown. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.
Olive-Artichoke Crustini
I found a similar recipe to this and added a few twists. So far the kids have turned up their noses, but all of the cultured grown-ups around here LOVE them!
1 cup Green Olives with Pimiento
1 14-15 oz. can Artichoke Hearts
2-3 T. Capers
1-2 cloves garlic, run through garlic press
1/3 cup Olive Oil
French Bread
Parmesan cheese, grated
In the food processor, combine olives, olive oil, capers, garlic, and artichoke hearts. Pulse until chopped and combined thoroughly, but not a paste. Let me repeat…not a paste! Slice 1″ thick pieces of french bread, bake in 400 degree oven until they are crunchy, and slightly browning on the edges.
Remove from oven, spoon the mixture on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for two minutes until cheese has melted.
Originally uploaded by Ms. Burke
Garlic Cheese Bread
1 loaf crusty French bread
1 stick butter
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup Jack cheese, grated
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup real mayonnaise
4 green onions, minced
Dash of salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
Mix cheeses with the mayonnaise and the green onions. Add dash of salt to taste and set aside or keep in fridge until you need it. Cut loaf of bread in half, then each half into half again. Working 1/4 loaf at a time, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet and add 1/4 of the minced garlic. Place 1 of the 1/4 loaves face down in the skillet, swirling it to soak up the butter and garlic. Allow bread to toast in the skillet, removing garlic if it starts to get too brown. Repeat with remaining butter, garlic, and bread. Spread cheese mixture on warm loaves and bake in a 425 degree oven until cheese is hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
Originally uploaded by Ms. Burke
