Chicken Bastilla

Of all the Moroccan foods I've tried, this recipe is my favorite. I will admit I really was surprised. I thought the combination sounded crazy. Chicken with cinnamon, scrambled egg mixture, almonds and all topped with powdered sugar? It couldn't possibly be good, right? Not only did I love it, my whole family loved it. My son said it is one of his all time favorite foods. There are a lot of steps to this recipe and it does take awhile to make but it really is worth it. I recommend going to the link listed below the recipe to the source since Cooking with Alia has a video. Watch the video before making this recipe. Oh, it is so good!

Moroccan Chicken Bastilla
Chicken filling:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of saffron
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 lbs. chicken breast
2 cups chicken broth

Egg filling:
6 large eggs

Almond filling:
10 oz. blanch almonds
4 oz. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp water
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
vegetable oil for frying

Dough ingredients:
1 package of phyllo dough
8 Tbsp butter, melted
1 egg yolk

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over high heat.
2. Add the onions, parsley, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
3. Add the chicken breast and mix. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth and allow the mixture to cook.
5. Cover and allow the chicken to cook for 20 minutes. 
6. Remove the chicken from the mixture. Place the chicken onto a plate and allow to cool. 
7. Once cooled, shred the chicken into small pieces. Set aside.
8. Lower the heat to low.
9. Add the 6 eggs to the mixture in the pot. Mix well. 
10. Allow the mixture to cook 10 minutes. Stir often. Once the liquid has evaporated, remove from the pot and place in a bowl to cool. Set aside.
11. In a large skillet, add oil. Heat over medium heat.
12. Add the almonds and fry until golden brown. 
13. Remove the excess oil from the almonds. 
14. Add one Tbsp of the almond oil to the shredded chicken. Mix well. Set aside. 
15. Into a food processor, add the almonds, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and water. Pulse until the almonds are crushed. Set aside.
16. Brush a deep pie pan with melted butter. 
17. Carefully, fold 3 pieces of phylllo dough into half. Place onto the bottom of the pie pan. Brush with melted butter.
18. Hold another 3 pieces of phyllo dough in half. Place the folded piece on the side of the pan with 1/3 of the length draped over the edge of the pan. The phyllo dough should be overlapping the bottom layer. Brush with the melted butter. 
19. Continue to drape the sides of the pan with the halved phyllo dough. Brush with the melted butter.
20. Spread the egg mixture into the middle of the pan.
21. Cover the egg mixture with two layers of the phyllo dough. Brush with melted butter. 
22. Add the shredded chicken into the middle of the pan. Cover with two layers of the phyllo dough. Brush with the melted butter.
23. Add the almond mixture into the middle of the pan. Cover with two layers of the phyllo dough. Brush with the melted butter. 
24. Carefully, fold the draped phyllo dough over the almond mixture. Brush with melted butter. 
25. Any remaining phyllo dough should be draped over the top of the dish. Tuck any sides inside the pan. Brush with melted butter. 
26. Brush the top of the phyllo dough with the egg yolk.  
27. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
28. Bake the 20 to 30 minute or until golden brown.
29. Remove from oven and decorate the top of the bastilla with sifted powdered sugar and cinnamon.
30. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted by Cooking with Alia.

One year ago...............................I made Blueberry Muffins.
Two years ago.............................I made Berry Tea.
Three years ago...........................I made Steak and Ale Pie.

Did you already know..............................
-The Arabs introduced Moroccans to meat infused with spices and wrapped in a pastry.
-Chicken Bastilla is a traditional Moroccan chicken pie.
-Chicken Bastilla was initial made with fledgling pigeons.

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

Since my husband loves peanut butter, I wanted to make him a peanut butter pie. I figured it really should be topped with miniature peanut butter cups. I will admit this dessert is pretty good. It has a slight tang from the cream cheese. It is creamy from the cool whip. My husband loved it. It is very simple. I highly recommend it especially if you are serving it to someone who loves peanut butter like my husband.

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
1 (8 oz.) container of cream cheese spread, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups creamy Cool Whip topping, thawed
1 (6 oz.) Oreo Pie Crust
1 cup miniature peanut butter cups, quartered
1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whip the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar together until incorporated.
2. Fold in the Cool Whip topping. Mix until incorporated.
3. Spread the mixture into the pie crust.
4. Top with the peanut butter cups and chocolate chips.
5. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Recipe inspired by Kraft.

One year ago..................................I made Lime Pie.
Two years ago................................I made Cheese Crackers.
Three years ago..............................I made Icebox Dessert.

Did you already know...............................
-It takes over 500 peanuts to make 12 oz. of peanut butter.
-In the U.S., peanut butter must consist of 90% peanuts.
-The fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth is called archibutyrophobia.

Quiche Lorraine

Since I can't eat healthy all the time, I handed my son a cookbook and asked him to pick a dessert recipe. My son picked the only savory dish in the whole cookbook filled with desserts. I will admit this dish is my favorite dish I've made this year so far. My son even helped make it. He has been helping in the kitchen more which I love. I know this isn't a healthy meal. I know it is full of cheese and bacon but it is great. Since making this dish, my son has asked for me to make it again. Yes, it is that good.

Quiche Lorraine
1 unbaked pie crust
6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) Swiss Cheese, shredded
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
3 large eggs, well beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
toppings: crumbled bacon and chopped green onions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line the bottom of a deep dish pie pan with the pie crust. Set aside. 
3. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat. 
4. Sprinkle half of the cheese onto the bottom of the pie crust. 
5. In a small bowl, mix the evaporated milk, eggs, salt, pepper, green onions, bacon, and the remaining cheese. 
6. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. 
7. Bake the pie for 35 minutes or until the quiche is cooked through and the crust is cooked.
8. Allow the quiche to cool for 5 minutes. 
9. Garnish with additional bacon and green onions. 

Recipe adapted from Very Best Baking cookbook.

One year ago....................................I made Cookies and Cream Cookies.
Two years ago..................................I made Italian Ranch Dip.
Three years ago................................I made Creme Brulee.

Did you already know..............
-Quiche Lorraine is quiche with cheese.
-In Lorraine, France, the typical quiche doesn't contain cheese.
-Quiche Alsacienne is quiche with onions.

Peanut Butter Pie

My son wasn't feeling the best this weekend so we stayed home. I knew the moment he was feeling better because then he was so hungry. He decided he should have two breakfasts. I asked him if he was a hobbit and he was eating his second breakfast. He told me sure. Well, I wanted to make my husband something nice so I made some peanut butter pie. Of course he liked it but he was surprised it wasn't heavy. My daughter told me it reminded her of a peanut butter cheesecake. It does have cream cheese in it. This pie taste so good.

Peanut Butter Pie
2 cups Nilla wafer cookies, crushed
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
6 oz. light cream cheese, softened
1 cup powder sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup heavy cream
garnish: additional peanut butter and whip cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the crushed Nilla wafers, sugar, and the melted butter.
3. Press the mixture into a pie crust.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. 
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
6. In a large bowl, cream the cream cheese, powder sugar, and peanut butter until fluffy. 
7. In a medium bowl, whisk the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
8. Fold the whip cream into the peanut butter mixture. 
9. Pour the mixture into the cooled pie crust.
10. Refrigerate the mixture for four hours.
11. Garnish if desired, heat 1/2 cup peanut butter until liquid. Drizzle the melted peanut butter over top of the peanut butter pie.

Recipe adapted by The Neelys.

One year ago.......................I made Blueberry Pie Filling.

Did you already know..............
-In 1892, J.R.R. Tolkien was born in South Africa.
-J. R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit when he was teaching at Oxford University.
-J.R.R. Tolkien was friends with fellow author C.S. Lewis.

Lime Pie

Did you have a nice weekend? This is the first time this year we went to the beach. We almost forgot to bring chairs and sunglasses but we did remember the packed lunch. I would have brought some of this pie but I wanted to share some with my Mom. She appreciated it. My sister said she liked it since it wasn't so tart. It wasn't so tart because I had ran out of limes. I had many lemons but I didn't know how the citrus mix would turn out so I opted for less limes. Since I didn't use key limes, this is just lime pie. This is a fast and delicious dessert.

Lime Pie
3 Eggs
2 cans (14 oz. ) Sweetened Condense milk
3/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
pinch of salt
1 graham cracker or vanilla wafer pie crust

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy.
3. Add the condense milk, lime juice, lime zest, and a pinch of salt. 
4. Mix until incorporated.
5. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.
6. Bake the pie for 15 minutes. 
7. Remove the pie and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
8. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago............................I made Steak Stir Fry.
Two years ago..........................I made Icebox Dessert.

Did you already know..............
-Limes turn yellow as they ripen. 
-Limes are native to Malaysia. 
-The Crusaders introduced limes to Europe.

Macadamia Nut Pie

I love macadamia nuts. Sometimes it is a good thing some things are expensive like these nuts. I would eat them more than once a year. If I bake with macadamia nuts, I usually add them to cookies. When I first saw this Parade recipe, I knew I would eventually make this pie. This pie is similar to a pecan pie but with macadamia nuts. It is a pretty easy pie to make and oh, so delicious. I really had to share this pie since it is so rich and tempting. I will admit I added additional nuts to the original recipe since I scooped out too many macadamia nuts from the bulk bin. I felt a little awkward putting them back so I just took them all. Would you have put some back? Maybe for a snack later?

Macadamia Nut Pie
1 cup dark corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
8 oz. macadamia nuts
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Roll out the pie crust and line the bottom of the pie pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the corn syrup, sugar, and eggs.
4. Fold in the macadamia nuts and melted butter.
5. Pour the mixture into the unbaked pie crust.
6. Bake the pie for 50 minutes or until the filling is set. If the crust begins to brown, then cover the edges with foil.

Recipe adapted from Parade.  

One year ago....................................I made Hot Cross Buns.
Two years ago..................................I made Peanut Butter Ice Cream.

Did you already know.........................
-Macadamia nuts are difficult to shell since they have the hardest shell of all the nuts.
-Do not feed macadamia nuts to dogs since it could cause severe lethargy and other symptoms.
-Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller gave the nut its scientific name macadamia after his friend John Macadam.

Mint Cheesecake Pie

Do you like math or do you shun it? Today is mathematics day at my children's school. Their school asked the kids to wear a shirt with numbers on it. My son had lots of shirts with numbers on it but I could only find a shirt with tiny numbers on it for my younger daughter. I tried talking her into wearing one of her brother's shirt (since he wore her pants) but she wouldn't agree. My oldest daughter said it needs to be pi day and not math day. My oldest daughter said in high school the kids would bring in pies for pi day. My youngest daughter said she would rather have pie than wear one of her brother's shirts. My oldest daughter will be having pie. How about you?

Green for St. Patrick's Day!

Mint Cheesecake Pie
Crust:
1 1/2 cups oreos
6 oz. butter, melted
Filling:
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp mint extract
1/4 tsp green food coloring (if desired)
8 Andes mints, chopped roughly
8 oreo cookies, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, combine the crushed oreos with the melted butter.
3. Press the oreo mixture into the bottom of an 9 inch pie pan.
4. Place the pie plate in the refrigerator to chill while preparing the filling.
5. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well incorporated.
6. Add the two eggs and mix well.
7. Add the sour cream and combine. Scrap down the sides to make sure the filling is incorporated.
8. Add the mint extract and the green food coloring and mix until the filling is green throughout.
9. Slowly, add the mint chocolates and the crushed oreos to the filling.
10. Pour the filling into the prepared pie pan. Place the pie pan onto an aluminum lined baking sheet just in case it over flows.
11. Bake the pie for 45 minutes or until the filling is almost set in the middle.
12. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving or chill for a couple of hours. 

Recipe adapted from Domino Sugar.

One year ago................................I made Irish Mint Chocolate Ice Cream.

Did you already know..................
-Pi is used to calculate the ratio of a cirle's circumference to its diamater. 
-Pi is the irrational number 3.14159265359.....
-Albert Einstein's birthday is March 14th (pi day 3.14)

Apple-Cranberry Pie

I remember when I was growing up my Mom would make a lot of cobblers. I'm not complaining since I love cobblers. During the holidays, we would have several pies. When I was in high school, I remember making an apple pie. It was delicious.

I really wanted to make an apple pie for Thanksgiving but I decided to make my daughter's request for cherry and strawberry pies. My Mom brought a pumpkin and peanut butter pie. So, the apple had to wait.

I had left over fresh cranberries which I wanted to use up. The package of cranberries has an apple cranberry pie listed. I used the apple pie recipe I usually make and just added the cranberries. It is a great combination.

Apple-Cranberry Pie
Two 9 inch pie crust
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Dash of salt
7 cups apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg and 1 tsp milk to brush the top of the pie crust

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
Slowly, fold in the apples until well coated with the sugar mixture. Set aside.
Line the pie pan with one of the pie crust.
Layer 1/2 cup of the cranberries on top pie crust.
Add the apple mixture on top of the cranberries.
Top the apple mixture with the remaining cranberries.
Dot the top of the mixture with the butter.
Cover the apple mixture with the second pie crust in desired design just need slits in the top of the pie crust.
Whisk the egg with the milk in a small bowl and brush the mixture onto the top pie crust.
Cover the edge with aluminum foil if desired to prevent excessive browning just remove during the last 20 minutes of baking.
Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is brown and the juices are bubbling on top of the pie.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook.

Do you like my little apple cut outs?

Did you already know....................
-Pie pastry is thought to originated from the Greeks.
-Medieval England, preferred their pies (or as they called them pyes) filled with meat.
-Apple pie is originally from England.