Ingredient: ground cinnamon

baklava rolls

Baklava Rolls

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Baklava Rolls

  • 1 cup finely ground walnuts (pulsed in a food processor)
  • 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
  • 12 sheets phyllo dough; thawed
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter; melted

Syrup

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon rose water
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Combine walnuts, panko breadcrumbs, sugar, cinnamon and clove in a mixing bowl and stir to evenly combine.
  3. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board and lightly brush with melted butter. Lay another sheet of phyllo on top and lightly brush the second sheet with melted butter.
  4. In a straight line, sprinkle 1/6 walnut mixture parallel and 2 inches from the bottom of phyllo. Fold bottom over mixture and roll all the way to the end. Brush top of phyllo with butter to seal the roll. Gently scrunch both ends into center of roll, trim approximately 1 inch from both ends and place in a greased 9X6 inch baking dish. Brush top with butter.
  5. Repeat with the remaining phyllo creating 6 rolls total. Brush all rolls once more with butter.
  6. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.
  7. Meanwhile prepare the syrup. Combine all ingredients for syrup in a sauce pot over high heat except for the rose water which will be added after the mixture cools. Stir together and bring to a boil. Let boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest.
  8. Remove rolls from oven and cut each into 3 pieces. Strain syrup over rolls and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
  9. Gently remove baklava from baking dish and arrange on a large serving platter. Best at room temperature.

Equipment needed-

  • Food Processor
  • Sauce Pan
  • 9×6 baking sheet
  • 2 Mixing bowls
  • Spatula
  • Pastry Brush
  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
Appetizer, Dessert
Middle Eastern, Vegetarian

Apple Strudel

Apple Strudel

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Apple Strudel

Apple strudel consists of an oblong strudel pastry jacket with an apple filling inside. Apple strudel dough is a thin, elastic dough.

The oldest known strudel recipe is from 1696, a handwritten recipe housed at the Wienbibliothek im Rathaus.

Whether as a type of sweet or savoury layered pastry with a filling inside, the strudel gained popularity in the 18th century.

Dough

  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

  • 4 to 5 apples, any tart variety (peeled, cored & thinly sliced)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup fresh cake or bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup butter (melted)
  1. To prepare the dough: Whisk the egg, butter, and salt with about 3/4 cup cold water.
    Combine just enough of the liquid with the flour
    to make a soft dough. The dough should feel
    resilient but remain very slightly sticky. Drizzle in a
    tablespoon or more water if the dough is too
    ragged, or sprinkle in a small amount of flour if it
    is too moist and mushy. Knead for five minutes by
    hand, (2 minutes if using an electric mixer) until
    smooth, soft and warm. Form it into a smooth
    ball, wrap in plastic film, and let rest for at least 1
    hour, preferably 4 hours.
  2. To prepare the filling: Toss together in a medium sized bowl, the apple slices and lemon
    juice. Add the walnuts, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon and toss until evenly coated.
  3. To assemble: Spread a table with a clean cloth and sprinkle evenly with flour. Place the
    dough in the center of the table, flatten with your palms into a 1-inch thick round, and
    then begin stretching the dough from the center to the edge. Use a combination of the
    sides of your hands and the tops of your knuckles to work the dough gently and evenly.
    Continue stretching the dough until you can see light through it. If there are occasional
    holes at the center, just pinch together to seal. Don’t worry about holes or tears near the
    edge of the dough.
  5. Brush the entire strudel dough evenly with butter. Sprinkle half the crumbs on one half
    of the dough, and on the same side arrange the apple filling in a long row close to the
    edge of the dough. Sprinkle with the remaining crumbs. Fold over the edge and roll the
    strudel into a log shape, using the cloth to help support and roll the pastry. Tuck in the
    sides and roll up completely, arranging the strudel seam side down.
  6. Transfer carefully to a buttered or parchment-lined
    baking sheet, curve the log into a crescent shape, if needed,
    to fit the roll onto the pan. Brush with butter and chill for at
    least 30 minutes (or overnight).
  7. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the strudel until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let
    cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Tools Necessary-
Mixer with paddle or pastry marble
Medium bowl
Whisk
Measuring cups and spoons
Spatula
Plastic Wrap
Table Cloth
Adult Supervision

Dessert
Austrian

Nachos with Fresh Fruit

Nachos with Fresh Fruit

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These fresh fruit nachos are so much fun to make.  They only take a short bit of time and they really make the family happy while they are playing video games, watching moves, board games or just snacking around the house.

Kids love making these and have them invite their friends. You will be the neighborhood hero!

Nachos with Fresh Fruit

Fresh nacho chips made with cinnamon sugar, topped with a fresh mango yogurt and topped with fruit and your favorites.

They say we made the nacho here in Texas, but I can’t find any live footage of this. These are a wonderful version of a healthy choice nachos that are fun to make and fun to eat.

  • 10 flour tortillas
  • 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 kiwi fruit
  • 1 pint fresh blueberries (cut in half)
  • 1 mango (sliced)
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons butter, sweet cream unsalted (melted)
  • 1 cup strawberries (diced)
  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt

Preparing the nacho chips

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small cup or bowl. Set aside.
  3. Melt butter. Lightly brush butter on one side of the tortillas, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon/sugar mixture on each side.
  4. Stack 3 tortillas on top of each other then cut in ½, then stack and cut in ½ again forming triangles.
  5. Place on baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes or until crispy. Place chips on serving platter or in a large bowl.

Preparing the mango yogurt

  1. Mango yogurt: Cut mango, add to blender with yogurt, blend, remove from blender into a small cup/bowl, refrigerate until ready to use. Put in squeeze bottle for fun.

Assembling the nachos

  1. Finely dice fruits and chill in a refrigerator, if using fresh blueberries, wash them before cutting them in 1/2.
  2. Top nachos with mango yogurt sauce. (I use a squeeze bottle- this sauce is great on ice cream as well) then with diced fresh fruit (kiwi – green, strawberries – red, blueberries – blue and any optional fruit you desire)

Suggestion: Top with chopped pecans, sliced almonds, or other nuts of choice; grated/shaved chocolate, coconut or combination of dried fruits.

Be creative!

Top all of that off with either honey or Agave syrup.

Fresh fruit may be substituted with frozen, just drain extra juice off.

Try using bananas, papaya, raspberries, blackberries, and chocolate to grate on top.

Dessert, Fruit
American