Tiropitakia

1 pkg phyllo dough defrosted overnight in fridge

1 1/2 c feta cheese crumbled

3/4 c cottage cheese ( i used lowfat)

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh parsley diced

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp dried dill

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 eggs beaten

1 stick butter (has to be butter for this dish)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375F. In a small bowl, add your cheeses, your herbs, spices and beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly, set aside.

2. On a clean flat surface, bring out your phyllo dough.

3. Open it flat.

4. Preserving your phyllo dough so it doesn't dry out is very important. We have found that a long piece of wax paper is just as good (actually better, because the dough doesn't get soggy). You place a long piece of wax paper over the dough strips or whatever length you need.

5. If your not going to work with your dough right away. Still place the piece(s) of wax paper over you dough. Wet a couple of pieces of paper towel, wring out excess moisture. Place over the wax paper. This will ensure your dough will not dry out.

6. When you are ready to make the tiropitakia, divide your dough into strips.

7. It's much easier to do all the cutting at once, then cover the dough and take out what you need.

8. If you can't work with your strips immediately, don't panic. Roll the strips into a ball. Wrap with the wax paper and then place into a ziplock bag, seal and place in fridge for up to 2 days.

9. To make the tiropitakia; Melt your butter. I use the microwave, and usually do 1/2 c at a time. Take 2-3 strips of phyllo dough, baste with melted butter. Add 1tbls or so of filling.

10. You can decide which side you work with, I alway's start with the right top corner for some reason. Starting at the top right corner, bring your phyllo dough over the filling making a triangle. Flatten slightly to ensure all the pastry will have filling in it.

l11. Now take the top LEFT pointy corner of your filled pastry, and bring it down on the left hand side

12. Working again with the LEFT pointy part, bring your triangle over to the RIGHT.

13. Working now with the RIGHT top pointy part, bring it down straight on the right.

14. Continue doing this till you reach the end of the dough. At this point, just cut off the excess piece. Place on a plate till ready to use.

15. When you are ready to bake, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (easier clean up), spray with non stick cooking spray, baste the tiropitakia with melted butter. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 18-22 minutes, till nicely golden.

16. These can be eaten as is, totally addicting, and so elegant on a plate. The various uses of this wonderful pastry dough is next to none. You can make them savory or sweet. Fill them with whatever you would like. I hope my tutorial has helped you... and make sure you come back and share your amazing phyllo dough recipes with us!!! Enjoy!!

The Bread

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French Bread, Split Lengthwise
• 2 sticks Regular (salted) Butter, Softened

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread one stick of softened butter on each half of the loaf.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until butter is melted and starting to soak into the bread.
Crank on broiler and broil bread for 3 to 5 minutes, watching the whole time. Remove when butter has started to brown and blacken. Don’t under-broil it! The flavor really kicks in when the butter’s color changes.
Slice into strips and serve immediately.

Chocolate Fondue

--1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet, dark, milk, or white. Your choice.)
--1/2 cup heavy cream
--1 tsp vanilla

optional
you can doctor this up with:
--1 T Grand Marnier
--1 T rum
--1 T Peppermint Schnapps
--1 T Bailey's Irish Cream
--1 tsp peppermint, orange, coconut, etc. extract
--pinch of espresso powder

The Directions.

Put chocolate chips in the crockpot. Add the heavy cream and teaspoon of vanilla. Cover. Plug in and cook on low (or the ON setting for the LD) for about an hour. Stir.

Serve with apple chunks, banana slices, cubes of pound cake, strawberries, or marshmallows. Or all of them and invite me over.

Cake Batter Fudge

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cake mix

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter or margarine, cut into small squares

1/4 cup milk or 1/8 cup soy milk

sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Mix cake mix and icing sugar in microwave-safe bowl. Add butter and milk. Don’t stir.

Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir immediately until completely combined. Add sprinkles. Do not overmix as sprinkle colour may bleed.

Spread into greased pan. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

* Makes one 6 x 6” container, or double for an 8 x 8” pan.


* Notes: If the batter comes out too runny, stir in about 1 tsp or sugar or cake mix at a time until stiff. If too thick to stir in all components, slowly add 1/2 tsp of milk at a time, but batter should be thick!

Baked "Buffalo" Hot Wings

For the wings:

5 pounds chicken wings

4 tablespoons neutral oil

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups flour (optional)

For the sauce:

1 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

For dunking:

6 ribs celery, cut into 4-inch long sticks

Blue Cheese Dip

* Using a relatively mild Louisiana hot sauce is an important part of the process. If the hot sauce is quite hot (like, say, Tabasco) the Buffalo sauce will be far too spicy by the time you use the right amount to get the consistency you want. Starting with a sauce like Frank's, which is what they use in Buffalo, allows you to then add cayenne until it's as spicy as you like.

Procedures

1. Prepare the wings:The wings are traditionally cut into three pieces. Using a heavy knife, cut through the joints in the wings to separate then into three pieces. A sharp knife should slide through the joint easily; there is no need to cut through any bone. It's easiest to see the joints with the underside of the wings facing up.The tips of the wing, which contain little to no meat, can be discarded or saved for the stock pot. Rinse the wings and pat them dry, then toss in a bowl with the oil and a good pinch each of salt and pepper.
2. 3
   The sauce: Melt the butter over low heat in a sauce pan and add the remaining sauce ingredients, whisking well to combine. Keep the heat low and only as long as necessary to melt the butter: you don't want the butter to separate. Taste for spiciness, and add cayenne if desired.
3. 4
   To Marinate or Flour? Depending on your method, the next step is to either toss the wings with a quarter of the sauce and refrigerate for an hour, or toss them in a bowl with the flour. The former method will infuse the wings with flavor, while the latter will create a crisp exterior that will eventually soak up lots of sauce. It's up to you.
4. 5
   Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet with a neutral oil such as canola, using a paper towel or brush to ensure it coats all of the surface. Arrange the wing pieces skin-side-up. They should be snug, but not too crowded. Keep in mind they will shrink as they cook.
5. 6
   Cook undisturbed for 30 minutes until golden brown, and until the wings release easily from the baking sheet. Using a pair of tongs, turn the pieces over and return to the oven to bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp.
6. 7
   When the wing are finished cooking, pour the Buffalo sauce into a shallow bowl (you'll probably have to do this in batches) and add a few wings at a time. Turn them in the sauce until well-coated, then transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining wings.
7. 8
   Get a jug of blue cheese or make your own! Serve with celery sticks.

Avocado Hummus

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained

2 avocados, sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

2-3 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Place the first five ingredients in a food processor (chickpeas, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and water). Pulse until blended. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking, pulse to combine. Begin drizzling in the olive oil until the hummus gets to the right consistency, it should be nice and creamy. Blend until smooth and serve topped with paprika and garnish with a sprig of cilantro (optional) and a drizzle of avocado oil (optional). Serve with pita chips.

OVEN-FRIED SALT & VINEGAR POTATO CHIPS

Ingredients

• 3 large russet potatoes, sliced 1/32 inch thick using a mandolin
• 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
• non-stick cooking spray
• kosher salt
• cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Place potato slices into a pot and over with white vinegar. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Cover and remove from heat and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450ºF. Grease 2 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Drain potato slices and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange half of the potato slices on the baking sheets. Spray again with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle each slices with a kosher salt. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until chips are golden and crisp. Allow chips to cool on a paper towel. Repeat with second half of potato slices. Enjoy!!

Kettle Corn

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
*Special Equipment – A large pot with lid

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add popcorn and sugar giving it a quick stir and then cover with lid. Once popcorn starts popping, pick it up and give it a quick shake every few seconds until popping slows down, between 3-4 minutes. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. Do not make the mistake of removing the pot from heat without transferring to a bowl. Due to the high heat of the pot, if you don’t transfer the popcorn it will caramelize and perhaps burn. *Also, do not attempt to make a batch of this in a dutch oven. I made a second batch thinking it would work and it caramelized to quickly and burned.