Finally Made "Santa's Helpers"
gardengrlz
5 years ago
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Feathers11
5 years agochloebud
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Oly's Baklava - Sherry's Santa's Helpers - THANKS!
Comments (7)Here is the recipe! Baklava - oly SYRUP 3 cups sugar 2 cups water 1 cinnamon stick 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 cup honey NUTS 1 lb finely chopped walnuts 2 teaspoons sugar 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon scant 1/8 teaspoon cloves BUTTER 3/4 lb unsalted butter Phyllo Because there are several components to baklava- syrup, walnuts, and clarified butter - Eash step can be done in advance, then when I'm ready to assemble, it doesn't seem like such a big job. I use Apollo Brand Fillo, because i can buy it fresh at my International Grocery. I make the baklava in a 12in x 8 1/2in disposable "cake pan" you can get at the market. The phyllo comes in 12in X 17in sheets, you can cut the sheets in half and they fit perfectly in the pan. No waste! I use 1/2lb phyllo for each pan. SYRUP I make this at least a week in advance (sometimes longer) It can sit in the refrig for several weeks - This helps to blend the flavors. Bring the sugar, water and cinnamon stick to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 mins. Add the lemon and honey and bring back just to a boil. Cool and store in refrig. NUTS Mix walnuts with sugar, cinnamon and cloves. (I do this sometimes months in advance, put them in a baggy and store them in the freezer). BUTTER Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove foam from the top and discard. I'm basicly lazy, LOL, so I put it in the refrig, to harden overnight. When I'm ready to use it, I make a slit in the solidified butter and pour off the milk solids. When you're ready to assemble, remelt. ASSEMBLY Brush bottom of pan with melted butter. Line bottom of pan with 8 sheets of phyllo, brushing each with melted butter. Sprinkle with a scant 1/2 cup of nut mixture. Cover with two sheets of phyllo (each brushed with butter). Continue layering nuts and two sheets of phyllo, until you have 7 layers of nuts. You should have 8 phyllo sheets left (from your 1/2 lb.)to make up the top. Brush each layer with butter. With a sharp knife, cut baklava into four lengthwise strips and then cut diagonally in small diamond shapes. Only cut about 1/2 inch down into baklava. (You will have small end pieces that will not be diamond shaped. The cook gets to eat these!!) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 mins., or until golden. Remove baklava from oven and, while still hot, carefully pour 1 3/4 cup room temp. syrup evenly over. (It will look like it's too much syrup, but don't worry, it will get soaked up) Baklava is best if made 2-3 days before you plan to serve it, so it's the perfect make ahead dessert. It will last at least a week at room temp. Do not refrig. When you are ready to serve, cut with a non serated kitchen knife. Using a sharp knife will puncture the pan. -- yasou Baklava can be made in any size pan, just cut the phyllo to fit. I've had baklava ranging from 1 inch to 2 inches thick. It's all good!! If you're going to cut the phyllo to fit the pan you should have more than enough scraps to use for extra layers. A "layer" can be made up of pieces of phyllo,the butter does a good job of fusing them. The one thing that is important is that you do not piece the very top layers. My recipe only uses 28 sheets, but you could use less. I would go ahead and make the full recipe of syrup and nut mixture. The extra syrup will keep nicely in the refrig for a long time, the extra nuts and claified butter freeze great. For a 8x6x2 pan I'd use 1/2lb of the nut mixture,(divided evenly between layers of phyllo) and about 3/4 to 1 cup of syrup. Bake it about 30 mins. An important thing to remember is that the browner(is that a word?? LOL) the baklava is the more syrup it will absorb. So in plain words, if you under bake it, and it's very light in color, it doesn't need as much syrup. Make sure it's nice and golden. If you want, put it together and freeze it, unbaked. Do not thaw before baking, just adjust the baking time....See MoreSanta's Helpers - 3 ways
Comments (8)He did, Woodie! Here you go Linda. It is like having a coffeecake in a cookie. This is Sherry's original reci-pe. "Santa's Helpers." Cookie: 1/2 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar Add 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla Beat until smooth Add: 2 cup flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp salt Beat until smooth Topping: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup sour cream 1/2 tsp cinnamon Stir until smooth and then add: 1 cup chopped walnuts Divide dough into quarters. Form each quarter into 6 balls. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. With finger, make a wide deep depression in each cookie, clear to the edge. Fill with topping. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, (or in a convection oven, about 9 minutes) If you undercook these, the filling is so heavy that it will break through when you pick them up, so I make them crunchy. You could also not make the depression in them as deep and there would be more dough to suport the filling so that it did not break through. These are my family's favorite cookies, and we have never ever seen them anywhere else. (They were my secret weapon) Also, if I make a huge depression in them, I sometimes make half again as much filling so I don't run out. Makes 24 cookies...See MoreSanta's Helper
Comments (10)For 2017: Santa Claus has begun his rounds ...track him as he travels around the world via NORAD! You can even call NORAD and they’ll answer any questions you have about Santa’s route…not a recording, but a real person! We did it several years ago and my then young son loved it! Here’s the URL: http://www.noradsanta.org Not home Christmas Eve? Use the Santa Tracker App! You can track him on your cell phone or tablet! Check the Google Playstore or the Apple App Store. To keep the kids busy, they even have fun activities! . NOTE: Google Maps also has a Santa Tracker: https://santatracker.google.com/village.html...See MoreThe red lily beetles finally made it my way...
Comments (16)Clark, 'Red Dutch' is considered a OT (Oriental-Trumpet) hybrid, I find it very reliable and nicely fragrant without being as overpowering as some. This grouping has been so vigorous I'll need to get in there and lift and divide come next spring. Mxk3, I live within a forest, there seems to be plenty of spiders and beneficial insects and I'm wondering if the released predatory wasp has possibly made it's way here. There's a lily breeder just a hop skip and jump away with a VAST collection and unique own hybrids, I bet he'd be relieved to have the wasp! Dee, yes, am happy how clean and healthy the lilies are this season and that rather ugly looking spider is helping to do his part! :) Roxanna, I'm always waging war with deer! Yesterday, I was sitting at the table and along comes a deer to munch down on the plants, I scared him off in grand style when I flung open the front door nearby to him, jumping out of his skin leaving hoof prints in the asphalt, lol. Bugger, though got the developing buds on the two hybrid teas, gggrrr!...See Moresooz
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