Melissa - Thanksgiving

Well! Thanksgiving was a success, even if I didn't get to spend it with any of you. :( But I did do a rotisserie chicken, and holy cow - it was SO GOOD!!! Everyone LOVED it. It was flavorful throughout the entire thing, and perfectly moist - I seriously cannot recall a single time that I've had home cooked chicken with moist breast meat before this. I never liked the white meat because it was always so dry. But oh.......my........gosh. It was amazing. Here's what I did:

Whole roasted chicken

5 lb. chicken

2 Tbsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

The night before you want to cook it: Remove giblets from chicken, rinse. Run fingers under skin, separating it from the meat but trying not to tear it. Cut small slashes above the legs, and several on the front and back. Combine all spices. Rub most of the spices under the skin, using the small slashes as access holes for the legs and wings. Rub remaining spices on skin. Place in gallon ziploc bag, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, turn the chicken over. When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove from ziploc bag, and completely wrap in tinfoil (shiny side in) or in turkey bag. Place in baking dish and roast at 350 for about 20 minutes per pound, plus 15. (Or if you have a rotisserie, it would be about 2 hours.)

I also did the woodford style cranberries. I love this dish, I make it every year. I'm super surprised that no one else gets as excited about it as me, but........more for me!!

Cranberry Salad

1 package cranberries (12 oz.), chopped (I pulse them in a food processor)

1/2 C. sugar (2/3 if you need it more sweet than tart)

1/2 tsp. salt

2-4 C. red grapes, halved

1/2 C. chopped pecans

1 C. whipping cream, whipped with 1/4 C. sugar

Soak cranberries in sugar overnight. Add sliced grapes, nuts & salt. Up to 1 hour before serving, whip cream and fold in. Droooooooooool.

Baklava Cheesecake

That's right. Baklava. And cheesecake. Together.

Baklava has actually become a Christmas tradition for me. I've made it every year for the past 4 years, and I really love it. I bring it to the ward Christmas party. Here's my regular Baklava recipe, then the cheesecake one - which I totally made up (although I'd heard of Baklava cheesecake before, and that's why I wanted to try one.)

Melissa's Baklava

Syrup (make first):

3/4 C. sugar

3/4 C. water

1/3 C. honey

1 tsp lemon juice (it doesn't seem like much, but trust me: you don't want to overdo it.)

Combine ingredients in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool in refrigerator while making pastry part.

Pastry:

8 oz. phyllo dough (from the frozen section, it will be in a long thin package next to the frozen pies and pie crusts. Just make sure you get phyllo sheets, and not cups.)

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 C. butter, melted

Take one package of phyllo dough out, put rest in freezer. Let thaw unopened several hours on countertop. Mix nuts with cinnamon. Melt butter. Get 9x13 pan ready. Open phyllo package, and working quickly (don't be stressed, its not a big deal if you are not very fast. Just don't let the phyllo dough sit for hours and dry out before you start) layer 5 sheets of dough in baking pan, brushing small amount of butter between each layer. (Try not to saturate dough with butter, it will make it mushy.) After 5 layers, sprinkle 1/3 of the nuts over the top. Layer another 5 sheets with butter, then another 1/3 of the nuts. Repeat, layering the rest of the phyllo dough on top. (Its good if the dough is wrinkly and not lying flat - it will make it flaky and good.) When all assembled, use a sharp knife to cut into bite sized squares or diamonds. Try not to cut all the way through to the bottom, leave a few layers uncut. Bake @ 350 for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and flaky on top. Immediately after removing from oven, pour chilled syrup over the top, making sure to get all the edges and in between all the pieces. Let cool UNcovered, then chill.

Okay. Now that you have an idea for how to make Baklava, here is the Baklava cheesecake.

Baklava Cheesecake

Pastry:

8 oz. phyllo dough, thawed

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. melted butter

Syrup:

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. water

1/4 C. honey

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Filling:

2 packages cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 C. sugar

3 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 eggs, room temp.

Mix all syrup ingredients in small saucepan, bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is completely melted. Chill in refrigerator.

Working on filling, mix cream cheese with sugar, honey, cornstarch, & lemon juice. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well between each. Set aside. Mix pecans with cinnamon, melt butter. Lay parchment paper in a cheesecake pan, open phyllo dough. Cut 1/3 off end of phyllo dough, so you have squares rather than rectangles. Layer 5 squares with melted butter brushed in between. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of nut mixture, then layer 5 more squares. Pour cheesecake on top. On cutting board start layering phyllo dough in layers of 5-6, with 1/3 nut mixture between each, ending with phyllo dough. Use 2 rectangles side by side when squares are all used up. Trim corners of phyllo dough if desired. With sharp knife, cut into 16ths almost to the cutting board, leaving a few layers uncut. Transfer to top of cream cheese filling, trim as desired. Bake @ 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until phyllo dough is golden brown and flaky on top. Remove from oven, and pour chilled syrup over hot Baklava filling carefully, making sure to get between cuts. Let cool to room temperature, then chill overnight. Use cuts in Baklava as a cutting guide.

I totally just tried some a few minutes ago, and it was Greek perfection! YUM.