This week, after I made the phyllo dough pie, I had so many leftover sheets of dough I decided I needed to tackle another recipe. I remembered my friend K using her extra dough to make baklava, so I asked her which recipe she used. Turns out, she used the “Simple Baklava” recipe from Giada. It’s a good one, but I’m not all for using too many ingredients. So here is the original alongside my final recipe.

Giada’s recipe

*1/2 cup almonds
*1/2 cup walnuts
*1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
*1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
*2 tablespoons sugar
*1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
*Pinch of salt
*1 stick butter, melted, divided
*3 tablespoons honey
*12 sheets phyllo dough

My take on it…

*1 cup almonds
*1/4 cup raisins
*2 tablespoons sugar
*1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*Pinch of salt
*3/4 stick butter, melted, divided
*3 tablespoons honey
*6 sheets phyllo dough

Turn your over to 350. Then, all you have to do is stick the almonds in the blender with the cinnamon, blend, add the salt, blend and dump in a bowl. Then add your honey and sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and mix. It works itself into a nice little paste. Then you have to take your sheets of dough, layer 6 of them sheet, butter, sheet, butter, etc.

(I had WAY too much butter left over, so I would suggest starting with 3 tablespoons and melting more if you need it. Seriously. I made Jeff make popcorn so we could use the rest of the butter, and the popcorn tasted like movie popcorn–THAT is how much I had left over. And I can’t waste, so we ate baklava and popcorn.)

Then you cut it into squares (I did in half then made each half into three) and stick the sheets into a muffin tin. Giada says to use mini-muffin tins, but as I don’t have such things, I used a muffin tin, and they came out fine. Scoop your honey/almond mixture into each phyllo/butter-lined-muffin-hole and then fold the top of the phyllo dough over the top. Bake for about 25 minutes (or until they turn brown and smell delicious.)

Let them cool for 5 minutes. And devour! Voila!

They may not be beautiful, but they sure tasted good, and they were a hit in my office when I brought them to staff meeting!

So I decided last week I was going to make “Turkey and Phyllo Pie” from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. But the recipe calls for leeks, which I am sure Jeff wouldn’t eat, and also we’re not too fond of turkey. So I altered it a bit, and made it with chicken instead.

Original recipe:

2 leeks, thinly sliced
1 clove garlice, minced
1 tablespoon butter
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed/drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cooked turkey
4 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Here’s what I used:

1 clove garlice, minced
1 tablespoon butter
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed/drained
1 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cooked chicken
4 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Basically, you cook your chicken, simmer your garlic, and mix everything together sans chicken. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then you add the chicken. Then you spread the melted butter on one sheet of phyllo dough, put it in a pie tin folded crosswise, and do the same with the other 3 so that the entire tin is covered with dough.

Then you dump in all the goodness that is your spinach cheese mixture, and fold the phyll dough towards the center. Then you stick it in the oven and let it bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. And eat. Delicious!

And…for the left over phyllo dough, you make baklava. More on that to come.