Baklava

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
• 1 pound chopped nuts
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

 

 

Banana Sour Cream Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

 

 

 

Apple Pie by Grandma Ople

INGREDIENTS

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

 

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

 

 

Ok... here is what was for dinner tonight... and it only took me 5 minutes cooking time! (I don't count waiting for water to boil!)

 

What you need:

Frozen cheese tortellini

Butter (depends on how much pasta you have... 1 stick, give or take)

Fresh sage (4-8 leaves)

Garlic ( a clove or two to taste)

Frozen veggies of your choice (Those steamfresh ones are great!)

Bagged salad

Canned breadcrumbs (Italian season, or plain with dried Italian seasoning added)

Grated Parmeasan cheese

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK.  Get your water boiling for the pasta.  You have about 5 minutes once you put them in, so get the veggies in the microwave (Or on the stove if you prefer... I would normally, but this dinner is more about quick!)  Put the pasta in the water (set the timer)  and get the butter in a large saute or fry pan.  Mince the garlic into the melting butter... when it is all melted, add the sage. (Whole or chopped, your choice)  Toss up the salad with dressing.  Right about then, the veggies should be done and will need to sit for a minute... or salt them if they are on the stove.  When the pasta is done, use a slotted spoon to drain mostly and transfer to the butter pan.  Toss pasta in the butter and add a little pepper.  Plate the pasta, veggies and salad. Sprinkle the pasta with the breadcrumbs and grated cheese and you are done!!!   Very quick and very yummy!!!

 Here's todays Dish! See ya tomorrow at 10 AM!

Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread
• 3 3/4 cups cubed white bread
• 1 pound ground turkey sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup turkey stock
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.
2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.
3. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosely fill.

 

 Alright, I posted this one last year to get you started... Enjoy! Look for these posts everyday at 10 AM!

Peppermint Brittle

"A Christmastime treat! This holiday confection is gobbled up quickly by guests, and it is so easy to make. The cool crunch of peppermint with creamy white chocolate is a divine combination."

Original recipe yield: 2 1/4 pounds

PREP TIME	5 Min
COOK TIME	5 Min
READY IN	1 Hr 10 Min

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds white chocolate
• 30 small peppermint candy canes

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a large jellyroll pan with heavy-duty foil.
2. Place white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on medium setting for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth.
3. Place candy canes in a plastic bag, or between two pieces of waxed paper. Using a mallet or rolling pin, break the candy canes into chunks. Stir peppermint into melted white chocolate. Spread evenly in pan, and chill until set, about 1 hour. Break into pieces by slamming pan on counter.

Happy Holidays!!

Easy Alfredo Sauce

 

1 (8oz) Block Cream Cheese

1 c. Parmesan cheese

1 Stick of Butter

1/2 c. milk

----------------------------------------------

Put it all in a pan and heat it up over med-low.  Whisk to smooth it out.  I add a little black pepper, nutmeg, and about 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard.  If you prefer it a little thinner, add a little more milk to get desired consistency. Great on fettuchini, even better on cheese tortellini!

 Starting immediatly after Thanksgiving, I will be starting the Holiday Dish posts again! I did these last year and they were a lot of fun! If you have a holiday food dish that you would like to submit here, email zach@steeplemedia.com! Check back on the 25th for your first dish!!

(Thanks, Zach for getting this on the Blog page!)

Here is the recipe I promised:

 

Chicken Stuffed Jumbo Shells

1 Box Jumbo shells

1 Box Stove Top (I use low sodium chicken.  You can use leftover stuffing too!)

2 Cups Cooked, cubed or shredded chicken (or turkey)

1 Cup Mayonaise

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 can water

Shredded Cheddar Cheese (About 1 1/2 cups)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Cook shells according to pkg directions

* Prepare Stove Top

* Mix the stuffing, chicken and mayo together

* Stuff shells with stuffing mixture

* Mix soup and water, pour some into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish

* Place shells in dish and top with the rest of the soup and the cheese

* Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

This dish is easy to cut in half too!