Baklava from The Pioneer Woman

Baklava always takes me back to my childhood and the Greek family friends who were our neighbors.  I was blown away the first time I had a chance to try these syrupy sweet delicacies, I had never had anything like them.

It was a treat to see The Pioneer Woman prepare this delicious pastry on the Food Network.  While it is a rather tedious process, the results are well worth it.

Ingredients
1 package Phyllo Dough
4 cups Chopped Walnuts Or Pecans
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1-1/2 stick Butter, Melted
2 cups Honey
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract


Directions
Remove phyllo dough package from freezer and place in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw. Remove from fridge 1 hour before using.

When working with the phyllo dough, only remove the sheets you immediately need, keeping the other sheets covered in plastic wrap, then a damp cloth.

Toss together the chopped walnuts and cinnamon. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly butter a rectangular baking pan. Make sure the sheets of phyllo will generally fit the pan (if they're a little bigger, that's okay.) If they're much bigger, just trim them with a sharp knife.

Butter the top sheet of phyllo with melted butter, then grab it and the unbuttered sheet below it. Set the two sheets in the pan, buttered sheet face down. Press lightly into the pan. Repeat this twice more, so that you have six sheets of phyllo in the pan, three of the sheets buttered.

Sprinkle on enough walnuts to make a single layer. Butter two sheets of phyllo and place them on top of the walnuts. Add more walnuts, then two more buttered phyllo sheets. Repeat this a couple more times, or until you're out of walnuts. Top with 4 more buttered phyllo sheets, ending with a buttered top. Cut a diagonal diamond pattern in the baklava using a very sharp knife.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the baklava is very golden brown.

While the baklava is baking, combine 1 stick of the butter, honey, water, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.

When you remove the baklava from the oven, drizzle half the saucepan evenly all over the top. Allow it to sit and absorb for a minute, then drizzle on a little more until you think it's thoroughly moistened.

Allow the baklava to cool, uncovered, for several hours. 

Photo and recipe source:  The Pioneer Woman

Dark Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake

There is something about ending a meal with a cheesecake that makes it special.  My specialty is baking and cheesecakes are my favorite dessert to make . . . I think I missed my calling to be a pastry chef!  Needless to say, I have made my share of a variety of cheesecakes.  

My favorite source for my cheesecake recipes is my old Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook that I have had since I was a very young adult.  Although I still refer to that old cookbook, one of my favorite food websites is Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

This cheesecake is one of the most beautiful cheesecakes I have seen . . . I will be making this on the next special occasion that comes up!

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)
6 oz. BAKER'S Bittersweet Chocolate
1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions

Heat oven to 325°F.

Mix graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours.

Microwave COOL WHIP and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 to 2-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. 

Cool 15 min.; slowly pour over cheesecake. Garnish with raspberries.

Source:  Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Grilling/Smoking . . . A Collection of Recipes

There is nothing like the aroma of grilling/smoking meats outdoors.  The Captain and I recently treated ourselves to a grill/smoker since he is a master at smoking meats on the grill.  No gas grill here, we love the taste and aroma of meats prepared on a wood fire.  Since we will be putting our grill/smoker to good use, I have been looking for great grilling/smoking recipes.


For starters, at one of my favorite food blogs, Closet Cooking, Kevin has posted a collection of 25 recipes for the grill.  In particular, the grilled shrimp recipes caught my eye.


From the Taste of Home . . .

Top 10 Burger Recipes

Top 10 Grilled Pork Recipes

Grilled Kabobs

Grilled Beef Recipes

Grilled Chicken Recipes

Grilled Fish

Grilled Ribs

Grilled Shrimp


Food Network's Grilling Central


BBQ Pit Boys



McCormick Grill Mates

Recipes, Techniques and Tips


Grilling with Kingsford Charcoal



BBQ Rib Recipes by Kraft



Amazing Ribs



Chatham Artillery BBQ Team


From Smoke Grill BBQ

Smoked Shrimp Kabobs

Smoked Chicken 

Smoked Beef

Smoked Pork


From eHow . . . 

How to Smoke U Peel Em Shrimp


From Smoker Cooking . . . 

Grilled Shrimp Recipes and Marinades

Smoker Recipes

Grilling Recipes


From The Mullet Festival . . .

Smoked Mullet




From The Cooking Channel

Grill Power



From DIY Ready
44 Saucy BBQ Recipes & Ideas for Creative Kitchens


The Secret to Grilling Perfect Burgers

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese by The Pioneer Woman

Macaroni and cheese gone wild and way decadent with delicious lobster.

How much better can mac and cheese get?

The Pioneer Woman has put her special spin in this recipe with four different cheeses!

Gotta try this soon :)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces macaroni
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, plus more for buttering the pan
• 2 lobster tails, meat removed and chopped into large chunks
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shelf-stable grated Parmesan, such as Kraft
• 3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar
• 3/4 cup grated fontina cheese
• 4 ounces goat cheese (chevre)

Directions


Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the macaroni until still very firm; the macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan generously.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it just starts to brown, throw in the lobster and stir and cook for 1 minute. Set the lobster aside.

Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the same skillet. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking to combine. Let the roux cook for a minute or so, whisking constantly. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly, then cook the white sauce until thick and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Next, add the half-and-half, 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper, and stir to combine. Add the Parmesan (holding back some for the topping), Cheddar, fontina and goat cheese and stir them around to melt. Stir in the lobster and macaroni.

Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared pan and top with the reserved Parmesan. Bake until bubbly and a slight crust forms on top, 20 to 25 minutes.


Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond

SHOW: The Pioneer Woman
EPISODE: Just Me and the Girls

Click here for more macaroni and cheese recipes.