Mountains! Beach! or Both!…

Shrimp Dip

8 oz cream cheese
2 T sour cream
2 t worcestershire sauce
1 t lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup shredded mexican cheese blend
3 T chili sauce
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
10 black olives, chopped (optional)
20-30 cooked medium shrimp, each cut into 4 peices
3 green onion, chopped
 
Beat cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl until smooth.  Add the Worchestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic and 1/2 cup of cheese and mix well.  Spread in a 1 qt serving dish.  Layer the chili sauce, remaining cheese, bell pepper and olives over the cream cheese mixture.  Top with the shrimp.  Garnish with the green onions.  Serve with corn chips or pita chips.

As you know I have been very excited about the new Cookbook from the Junior League, Capture the Coast – page 108…so it shouldn’t be a surprise that this recipe comes from there.  This recipe is the southern version of Baklava.  Instead of using traditional walnuts…we use pecans. Think Pecan Pie but Greek style… Yum Yum!!!  And if you are ever having guests over, bake these up and your house will smell divine!

Tampa’s Baklava

• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves (optional)
• 8 ounces finely chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 16-ounce package of phyllo dough, thawed

Combine the honey, sugar, water, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the cloves in a medium saucepan and mix well.  Cook over medium heat until all of the ingredients are dissolved, stirring constantly.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the pecans, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt in a bowl.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Unroll the phyllo dough and cut into 8×8 inch sheets.  Cover with waxed paper topped with a damp towel.  Keep the unused portion covered until needed.

Layer eight sheets of the phyllo dough in a greased 8×8 inch baking pan, brushing each sheet with butter.  Sprinkle one-fourth of the pecan mixture over the top.  Cover 3 more layers of dough, using eight sheets for each layer, brushing each sheet with butter and sprinkling each layer with one-fourth of the pecan mixture.  Cover with the remaining eight sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with butter.  Cut diagonally into 1 inch diamond shapes, cutting through all of the layers.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until brown.  Remove from the oven.  Pour the honey mixture over the warm baklava.  Let stand for 1 hour or longer before serving.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

This recipe comes from the new Tampa Junior League’s Cookbook, Capture the Coast.  We were invited to BBQ at the Rommel’s and I brought the dessert.  It was my first time making a 3 layer cake, and I don’t think I did to bad….

Caramel Cream Cake

Cake

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3 cups of sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbl vanilla extract

Caramel Frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together.  Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the flour mixture and sour cream alternatively, beating constantly.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour into three greased and floured cake pans.  Bake for 25 to 25 minutes or until the layers test done.  Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Invert onto a wire rack to cook completely.

For the frosting, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Stir in the brown sugar and evaporated milk.  Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour over the confectioners’ sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth.  Cool slightly.  Spread between the layers and over the top and side of the cake.