Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts

Thursday, July 1, 2010

rosemary ranch chicken kabobs




these kabobs produce tender, fragrant chicken. great with a light salad or with rice and steamed broccoli.


  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup ranch dressing
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (or dried)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 6-8 skewers


marinade: stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. let stand for 5 minutes. place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. cover and refrigerate for an hour.
preheat the grill (i used a george foreman style indoor grill). thread about 5 pieces of chicken onto each skewers and discard marinade.
grill skewers for 8 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear. serves 5-6. 

*adapted from allrecipes.com

Monday, June 28, 2010

bbq chicken pizza


would you believe that you can get away with using NO tomato sauce at all on a pizza? ok, ok, some would call it a crime...but i call it delicious. 

bbq chicken pizza
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or diced
premade pizza crust
bbq sauce
3/4 red bell pepper
2 green onions
cheddar cheese

spread bbq sauce over the entire pizza. add bell pepper and chicken. top with cheddar cheese and green onions. bake at 350 for about 12 minutes!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

chicken & bell pepper tostadas




sour cream sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1.5 tbsp onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 of a lime 
1 garlic clove, minced

combine ingredients at least an hour ahead of time and refrigerate, covered. 


guacamole:
2 avocados
1/8 cup tomato, diced
1 tbsp sour cream
juice of 1/2 of a lime
garlic salt
pepper

mash avocado in a medium bowl. mix in the rest of ingredients. make right before cooking tostadas.


chicken tostadas:
6 yellow corn tortillas
3 chicken breasts, shredded
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and flattened
1 yellow or green bell pepper, seeded, cored, and flattened
1 poblano pepper, seeded, cored and flattened
1/4 cup onion, diced
bag shredded cheddar cheese

2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
juice of 1/2 of a lime
dash salt
1/4 tsp pepper

line a baking sheet with foil and toast the tortillas in the oven until crispy. (about 10 minutes at 350 degrees).

on the same baking sheet, lay the peppers, outside skin side up, on top. broil for a few minutes until blackened. then cover in a bowl with saran wrap for a few minutes. this will make the outer skin easier to peel off.

while the peppers cook, mix the sauce: olive oil, garlic, lime, salt and pepper. add shredded chicken and onions and toss to coat well. once the peppers are done, dice them and add to the mix.

heat oven to 400 degrees. now, lay the tortillas on a baking sheet and top each with some of the chicken mixture. layer on some of the sour cream mixture. then top with as much cheese as desired. toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortillas are toasted.

taken from this fantastic website, except my recipe for guacamole! serve on the side with chips.

Monday, June 14, 2010

greek style kabobs


we were looking for a quick meal for a hot summer day, and decided to put together some basic greek ingredients together for an easy marinade. 

greek style chicken kabobs
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 cup olive oil (depending on preference- put in enough to cover the chicken) 
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tbsp pepper
1 tsp salt
vegetables to grill- i used 1 onion and 1 green bell pepper, cut into cubes
skewers

mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings in a medium bowl. add chicken cubes and let marinate. (we put this together quickly and 10 minutes was great- though an hour will add more flavor). cut the veggies while the chicken marinates. 


heat the grill and brush with a little bit of oil to prevent sticking. alternate threading the veggies and chicken on the skewers. cook about 7 minutes on each side, until cooked through. you can also broil these, a few minutes on each side! enjoy!!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

chicken rolls


these little babies include shredded chicken, matchstick carrots, celery, bell peppers, and soy sauce - seasoned with ginger and garlic. heat some vegetable oil in a pan and deep fry. after drying off on paper towels, serve them on a bed of rice with peanut or soy dipping sauce!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

lime paprika chicken kabobs


lime paprika chicken kabobs
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1.5 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

  • 4-5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 white onion, cut into squares
  • 1 green pepper, cut into squares
skewers



mix marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl. add chicken, cover, and let marinate in the fridge for an hour. when ready to cook, heat the grill and brush with oil to prevent sticking. 

thread the chicken and veggies on the skewers, alternating. cook for about 7 minutes on each side, until cooked through. these can also be broiled for a few minutes on each side if you don't have a grill! 

goes great with corn and coleslaw for a grill out! serves 4. 

inspired by allrecipes


Sunday, May 30, 2010

fruit & curry chicken salad



chicken salad is one of my favorite sandwich types...it's easy to make, you can mix it up, and you can make it the night before. this chicken salad is great on croissants or with pita bread. 


fruit & curry chicken salad

  • large can of chicken, shredded (about 1.5 cups worth)
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 2 tbsp white onion, chopped
  • 1/2 small apple - peeled, cored and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins
  • 2 tablespoons seedless grapes, halved
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise (more if too dry) 

combine ingredients and refrigerate at least an hour before serving. serves 4-5. 

*adapted from allrecipes.com

Sunday, April 11, 2010

bbq chicken pizza



somehow, you can never go wrong with barbeque sauce. EVER! 


bbq chicken pizza
2 boxes corn muffin mix (ex: jiffy, 8.5 oz each)
2 eggs
3.5 tbsp butter, melted
1.5 cups milk
1 cup corn (can be frozen) 
spray on olive oil
2 tbsp olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
dash salt
dash pepper
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp hot sauce
1 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 bag (6 oz) cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro


preheat oven to 400. 


combine the muffin mix, eggs, butter, milk, and corn in a bowl. spray a layer of olive oil in a skillet and wrap the handle of the skillet in foil (because it's going in the oven). pour in 3/4 of the batter and cook for 15 minutes, until golden brown. 


while the pizza base/crust cooks, chop the chicken into small pieces and cook over medium in the olive oil until fully cooked. use a spatula to cut the chicken into smaller pieces, about 1 inch in diameter. then add the garlic, onion, and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. then, add salt and pepper, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce. simmer on low for another 15 minutes. 


by now, the crust should be ready and slightly cooled. spread the BBQ chicken mixture over the cornbread crust and top with cheese. bake at 400 for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. top with green onions and cilantro and slice. serves 4. 




*adapted from rachel ray's Book of 10. 

Sunday, February 21, 2010

lemon basil tortellini salad


this pasta was a merger of two food experts, italy and greece. tortellini, the great stuffed pasta, hails from italy and is often served with cream sauce or soup. i have always liked tortellini, even by itself, but my love forever deepened when i discovered its comforting properties brought out by a ham and cream sauce on a rainy day in venice. on the other hand, the marinade for the chicken is inspired by a sunny day riding an ATV in santorini, greece, using major greek food ingredients (garlic, oregano, lemon).

how do we put them together? by merging! adding the traditional italian seasoning of basil into the marinade gives the chicken some depth, and sharing some lemony love (and olives) with the pasta brings out tangy flavors alongside the vegetables. and of course, a heaping dose of olive oil, which is adored by both countries.

lemon basil marinade
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2.5 tbsp basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp oregano, chopped
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon

mix ingredients together in a large ziploc bag or plastic tupperware container. shake, and set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before cooking. to cook, drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a skillet on medium heat. cook each chicken breast in the oil for about 7 minutes each side, until lightly brown and fully cooked through. no lie, i threw these things together and this chicken was perfectly delicious!


tortellini salad
1 family size package of 4-cheese tortellini
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup of olives, cut into small slices
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp basil, chopped
juice of one lemon

bring a pot of water to boil. add tortellini and cook for about 7 minutes (follow package instructions).

meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat. add garlic, and when the garlic sizzles, add the onion and bell pepper pieces. cook for about 6 minutes. pour veggies and oil into a large bowl, and add the rest of the ingredients. stir well. add the cooked/strained tortellini and the chicken from above (cut into bite sized pieces) if you made it earlier.

with the chicken and veggies, this is enough for 6-7 people. i served it with the fruit and nut salad (see following post!) and easy to make what i call "banilla" cups.


banilla cups (aka banana pudding + vanilla wafers)
no-cook banana pudding mix
milk
heavy whipping cream
mini vanilla wafers

follow the instructions on the pudding box, but instead of using all milk, use half milk and half whipping cream. whisk until it reaches a pudding-like consistency. use small clear plastic cups and layer with wafers and pudding! chill in the fridge until ready to serve. one small box of pudding should make enough for 5-6 servings.

Monday, February 15, 2010

chicken wrap adventures part 1



a tale of two chicken wraps!

chipotle chicken rolls
2 chicken breasts, shredded
5 green onions, sliced and chopped
1/5 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped (or use chipotle salsa if you don't want it to be too spicy)
dash salt
dash pepper
6 sheets phyllo dough
spray on olive oil or butter

mix everything together in a bowl. transfer to a plastic bag and cut the tip of the bag (to use to squeeze the mixture out). place a sheet of dough in front of you on the counter, with the long side closest to you. spray a thin layer of oil or butter on top. then add a second sheet on top and spray again. then add a third sheet and spray again. now, squeeze a thick line of mix all the way across the sheet on the long side, but leave a little space along the edges. roll the entire long length away from you, then pinch the edges shut. place seam side down on a nonstick pan, and spray a thin layer of oil or butter on top. do the same for the rest of the mix!

bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. let cool for a minute, then cut each log into 4 pieces. serves about 3.

avocado dip
1 avocado
1.5 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

mash avocado, then mix the rest of the ingredients in. the original recipe called for a food processor, so if you have one and want this to be a smoother dip, go for it! just add a little more lime juice and olive oil too.




southwestern chicken wraps
1 chicken breast
2 tbsp corn (from a can)
2 tbsp black beans (from a can)
3 tbsp cheddar cheese
1 green onion stalk, diced into small pieces
2 tbsp carrot sticks
1/2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp barbeque sauce
2 tsp ranch dressing
dash salt
dash pepper
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
6 sheets phyllo dough
spray butter or spray olive oil

boil chicken in a small pot of water until cooked through (no pink). if you cut the chicken into smaller pieces, it will cook faster.

mix the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl while the chicken cooks. after chicken is cooked, shred it and add to the bowl.


follow the same steps as above, layering 3 phyllo sheets with butter or oil in between each, spreading half of the mix along the last sheet. then roll. make a second wrap roll with the remaining mix and phyllo sheets.


 this is how to spread the filling! set the rolls seam side down on a pan and spray with butter or oil. then bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes (until golden brown). when slightly cooled, slice into 4 sections each. you can serve with different kinds of dip, including ranch, sour cream, guacamole, or my favorite "fiesta ranch dip" which is a dressing packet mixed with a 16 oz container of sour cream. serves 2-3!


*the first recipe is modified from a rachel ray's book of 10, and the second was inspired by the use of phyllo dough, but i made up the filling on my own.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

cheddar ranch chicken

i love ranch dressing. no seriously. i LOVE it. but somehow i have always found the ranch at restaurants to be so much better than the store bought bottles. did you know that hidden valley ranch is the original, first ranch dressing created? maybe i need to put up a recipe for creating it here-- but for now, here is a dish that uses ranch, along with many other distinctive flavors. i would say that the green onions are key to pulling everything together, appealing to all three strong tastes of ranch, teryaki sauce, and cheddar.

--> feasting facts - CHEDDAR CHEESE:
what's the difference between mild and sharp cheddar? age. the longer a cheese is allowed to age, the stronger (or sharper) its flavor. they are also different in terms of how easily they melt- the younger, the quicker it will melt.


cheddar ranch chicken
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 c. teryaki sauce
1/4 c. ranch dressing
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1.5 green onions, chopped
1/4 can bacon bits
1.5 tsp parsley, chopped
pinch pepper
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

combine oil, teryaki and ranch; marinate chicken ahead of time.

heat oven to 350.

heat some oil in a skillet over medium-low; saute on each side (about 4-5 min each) until light brown.

arrange chicken in dish, pour leftover marinade on top. sprinkle green onions, bacon, parsley, and pepper on top. bake for about 30 minutes; add cheese 15 minutes before done. serves 3.

*this recipe is a slightly modified version of this one. i just made the sauce into a marinade, which holds the flavor for longer, and only cooked the cheese toward the end. you could also use a slow-cooker.

Friday, January 8, 2010

the french way: chicken francese


pasta + meat + some kind of sauce = a simple recipe for dinner with a large group of people. it's not too complicated but gives you endless combinations, and most people like pasta. i had two awesome sous chefs help me with this meal. we added fresh green beans seasoned with salt and pepper (something simple to go with the complexity of the sauce) and a nice pear & apple salad with lemon poppyseed dressing. i'll put those recipes up in another post.

--> feasting facts: FRANCESE
like it looks and sounds, francese just means "the french way." if it helps, you can think of "french" toast as something that is dipped in egg. something francese means it is dipped in flour and egg, and then fried. most cookbooks will tell you to "dredge" the chicken in flour- don't be worried by this word, it simply means to coat something with something dry. in this case, roll the chicken around in flour (making sure it's evenly coated), dip it in the egg and voila!

--> feasting facts: COOKING PASTA

does adding salt help water boil more quickly? i did a little shameless research on this question. the short answer is no. chemically, salt raises the boiling temperature of water, which means the water must be at a higher temperature to start boiling, and thus will take longer. however, the long answer is that once you achieve boiling, the water is hotter, and thus the pasta, or whatever you are cooking, cooks more quickly. for this reason it seems that many chefs opt for this method. p.s., "rolling boil" just means that you can't stop the water from boiling when you stir it.

oh, and about adding olive oil to keep pasta from sticking-- i wouldn't recommend this because it makes the pasta slippery and your sauce will not "stick" as well to the pasta. however it depends on the kind of pasta you are making-- if you have something with many grooves (such as penne or conchiglie) or cavities (such as fusili or farfalle) it will hold the sauce, but if it's flat (such as fettuccine) it will be more likely to slide off. pasta has been around since before marco polo's time. and there are literally hundreds of varieties and shapes!


chicken francese with pasta and white wine & lemon sauce
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into small strips
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 cup white flour
3 eggs
1/8 c. milk
2.5 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 servings worth of dry pasta (check box depending on the kind you use)
1/3 c. dry white wine
juice of one lemon


heat a skillet on medium heat. for the pasta, fill a pot with water and add a dash of salt. set on high heat to bring to boil while you cook the chicken.

mix the salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and flour in a bowl. "dredge" the chicken in this mixture- basically roll each piece around until it is evenly coated and set aside on a plate.

beat eggs in another bowl and add the milk and a sprinkle of salt. don't dip the chicken yet though! wait until the skillet is ready.

now, add the oil in the skillet along with the butter. once the butter has melted, add the garlic. wait a few minutes, and then when you hear the garlic sizzle, or speak (yes it talks), now you can cook the chicken.

dip a coated piece of chicken into the egg mixture and transfer immediately to the pan. i had to take a few tries to get this right. you really only want a thin coating over the chicken or else it will actually get too eggy. (like, it will be a piece of chicken with part of a scrambled egg attached.) so, make sure you let the egg drip off over the bowl before transferring to the pan.

if you work quickly, you can get all the chicken into the skillet around the same time. i always try to have a pattern for how i put the chicken in-- i set the first pieces go farther away from me. this way, i know which pieces to check, and which to flip, first. let the chicken cook on a side until golden brown, and then flip and do the same for the other side. this should take about 6-7 minutes on each side, but always check and make sure to cut the largest piece of chicken in half to make sure they are all fully cooked!

put the cooked chicken on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. at this point you will probably want to put your pasta in the now boiling pot of water. now, the leftover oil and seasoning from the chicken, which you'll cook first, serves as the base for the sauce!

add the wine to the pan and let deglaze so you can whisk up the chicken or flour pieces left over. the addition of the wine allows those pieces to get unstuck from the pan and dissolve a little to create the sauce. reduce the heat for 1 minute, and add the lemon and parsley.

hopefully, if everything is timed about right, the pasta will be cooked (make sure you taste test it first!). strain the pasta and pour it into a bowl (don't rinse with cold water). add the chicken and pour the sauce on top! stir and enjoy, serves 4. :)

*adapted from rachel ray's recipe. i added lemon to the sauce and also made it into a pasta dish. 

Saturday, January 2, 2010

greek food night:: chicken pitas, tzatziki, baklava


one of the best meals i ate when i studied abroad was in athens, greece. it was basically a round table of goodness. my fellow travelers and i had been looking for a place to eat (as usual) for a long time and finally came across this cool restaurant, Exapinis. the plate you see below was heaven on earth!

since i try to host dinners from my study abroad friends every so often, one of the first meals we decided to share was a feast of grecian delight, modeled after our experiences in athens and santorini. a basic kebap or souvlaki meal consists of a meat (pork, chicken) marinated with 4 basic ingredients: olive oil, garlic, lemon, and oregano. olive oil, or "liquid gold," as homer called it, is one of THE food items of the mediterranean.

happily, the 4-ingredient combination is pretty much foolproof no matter the ratio! all of those ingredients have been around as staples in the greek diet since, well, ancient times. the seasoned meat goes well with some toasted pita bread and veggies like lettuce, onions, olives, tomatoes, and carrots. it's topped with a wonderful cucumber and yogurt sauce that's called tzatziki. tzatziki sauce is usually served as a side dish with a meal (or sometimes as an appetizer) with pita bread, or inside a kebap. kebaps are usually made with pork meat, but here is a chicken version!


greek chicken marinade
6 tbsp lemon juice (i squeezed real lemons, much better)
2 tsp oregano
7 tsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper

mix all ingredients and marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts for at least an hour (half a day if you want to really bring out the flavors) in the fridge. i usually put it in a large plastic baggie and stop by the fridge every once in a while to shake the bag around.

when ready to cook, heat oven to 350 and slice up an onion and some bell pepper and mix with the chicken and leftover marinade in a baking pan. bake for about 30 minutes (or until fully cooked). you can also cut the chicken into cubes, and alternate onion and bell pepper with chicken on wooden skewers and cook in a grill! this marinade is good for enough chicken for 4 people.


tzatziki sauce
--> you can buy tzatziki at the grocery store, but it is so much better and more rewarding when you make it yourself!

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
8 oz greek plain yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
pinch pepper
1 tsp dill (if you have some, if not it will still be tasty!)
olive oil (up to you how much, just don't let the sauce get runny)

dice or shred the cucumber (so that it is in small, small pieces). squeeze excess juice out of the cucumber (i set it in paper towels and let the towel soak up the moisture. you don't want the cucumber to be juicy because you are already adding juices to the yogurt and you want the sauce to be kind of thick).

combine the cucumber and rest of the ingredients in a bowl, adding the olive oil last (just add a teaspoon, stir and taste-- keep adding until you like the taste and before it gets runny). stir well and set in fridge for at least an hour until you want to use it, this lets the flavors really come out. (one time it was too runny for me so i tried to set it in the freezer for a little while...i don't recommend that haha, but it works if you don't have the right kind of yogurt!)

--> feasting facts - GREEK YOGURT:
greek yogurt is basically an unflavored, thicker version of plain regular yogurt. if you only have regular you can run it through a cheesecloth over a bowl to thicken it, but it will take a while (hours). you can usually find greek yogurt in the specialty or international food areas at the grocery store. or, one brand i have used is "oikos," which has about 3 products at my local walmart at the top of the yogurt section. as a side note, greek yogurt is also good mixed with honey and walnuts for a dessert! mmmmm. :)


if you're serving this all together, try toasting some pita bread (just enough to make it crispy) and using tzatziki as a dip. you can also make it into a kepab/kebob/kebab and wrap some chicken, veggies, and tzatziki into a pita wrap. i was surprised to note that fries are often served with this, either actually inside the pita or outside as a side dish. but it's not the same kind of fries you usually find at mcdonalds...they're healthier somehow! i've got to get the recipe for that! :)


to top this all off, a bottle of red wine (opa) and a delicious greek dessert are the perfect companions. baklava seems complicated but actually i have a few tricks to make it easy! i love to wow people with this dessert because it tastes amazing and really doesn't require too much effort!

--> feasting facts - PHYLLO DOUGH:
phyllo dough is an extremely thin pastry. it should be in frozen foods section: the dessert or frozen pastry section of your grocery. the kind i've bought comes with two packages- you should only need one package for this recipe. set the dough out on the counter and let it thaw for a few minutes before you try to unwrap it (you don't want it to be hard. i made this mistake and it all crumbled apart!). however, it's just as bad to let it dry out. so you have to work kind of quickly, because you'll notice after thawing it starts to feel more and more like paper. you can cover the dough with a damp cloth to keep moisture in if this happens.



baklava

9x9 deep baking pan
1 pound chopped nuts (you can use any kind you like. i usually get a package of mixed nuts that includes peanuts and walnuts)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 package (16 oz) phyllo dough
a can of spray butter (this is the "cheat" for this recipe! traditionally, you would spread the butter but this is faster AND easier)
1 c. water
1 c. granulated white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. honey

preheat oven to 350.

PART 1: nuts
put the nuts in a plastic bag and crush them with a hammer or other sufficient crushing device if they aren't chopped enough. mix in the cinnamon and shake.

PART 2: the base
spray the pan with butter and then use this. baklava follows a pattern:
2 sheets of dough
a layer of butter spray
2 sheets of dough (now you have 4)
butter
2 sheets of dough (now you have 6)
butter
2 sheets of dough (now you have 8)
butter
3 tbsp of the crushed, spiced nuts

repeat as many times as will fill your pan or you have ingredients for! i think i had about 3 repeats.

cut the base into diamonds and bake for 50 minutes.

PART 3: the sauce
about 20 minutes in to the baking, boil the sugar and water until the sugar has melted and the liquid is clear again. add vanilla and honey.

simmer on extra low for 20 minutes.

hopefully you will be able to time this so that the baklava is done when the sauce has simmered for long enough. immediately after you take the pan out of the oven, pour the sauce in the pan, covering all of the baklava. it should sizzle, steam, and crackle...cool! leave it out for a while and it will harden and smell deeeelicious. when it's cooled down enough, serve and enjoy!

*both the greek chicken marinade and the tzatziki are a combination of several recipes i found, but i changed up the ratios. like i said, it's pretty much the same basic ingredients, just depends on personal preference how much of each you would like. the baklava recipe is from one of my favorite websites.