Pistachio Fluff/Watergate Salad

 Hello!  It is AH-MAZING to be back with you all!  I took a much-needed, unexpected break, but I am refreshed and am excited to share this recipe with you.

This is kind of a retro recipe, and probably thousands have shared it but here we are.  I have seen this salad so many time, but....  I have sisters who are OBSESSED with all things cottage cheese (which I LOATHE) and I can't trust a stinking salad they make because it always has cottage cheese in it!  The short story is, if they ever offered it, I was too scared it involved cottage cheese and never partook, so to speak.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago, my beloved Uncle Tom passed away.  Love you Uncle Tommy!  We were at his funeral dinner and I saw said salad.  I decided to try it.  I asked one of my least trusted cottage cheese sisters if it was in there and she said, "NO, it is pistachio fluff", because that was supposed to increase my trust in her.  We sat down, I took a deep breath and tried it.  MIND BLOWN.  How simple of a recipe could be so good is beyond me!  I came home, told my husband and he asked me to make it.

Sister number 1 told me how to make it and here we go!

• 1, 3.4 oz box of INSTANT pistachio pudding.  Don't try to make the cook and serve work. It won't!
• 1, 20 oz can of crushed pineapple WITH the juice, don't you dare drain it!
• 1 oz container of whipped topping (you can always make your own, I stayed true to the retro version)
• 2-3 cups of marshmallow but my inner child used the whole bag.  WHAT? She is naughty!
• 1/2 cup pistachios, walnuts or pecans (optional)

Now it is this easy.  Combine the pudding mix and pineapple WITH juice until completely combined and nice and green!  Fold in the entire container of whipped topping.  Now the marshmallow thing, was all just a happy mistake.  Let your inner child measure the marshmallows.  Sprinkle in your nuts if you are choosing to use them and make sure the entire thing is well combined.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hours.  

Now I won't tell you if I am or am not eating some for dinner right now as I type this but I can just vouch the longer it sits the better it is.  

I have seen this served as a side dish, a dessert, I mean what matters is that you actually eat it! Am I right?

I hope you enjoy, don't forget to watch the video on my YT channel, and hit FOLLOW on this page!  So glad to see your beautiful faces!

ENJOY!

Pistachio Oreo Fluff

Happy June everyone!  Can you believe it is already here?  School is out for most of you, graduations, summer sports, days at the beach, swimming and more will quickly begin!  But alas, it is also bathing suit season.  This terrifies me in ways I can't explain.  I know!  Let's have dessert and not think about it!

It is also time for lots of BBQ, picnics, family reunions, etc.  You will likely already have a stocked arsenal of recipes for such events, but please, let me share with you something new, SUPER easy, and delicious.  It isn't so overly sweet, but light and creamy and fluffy and OH SO GOOD!  This recipe was just inspired by a recent collaboration video I did on my YouTube Channel!  I taste tested the new Pistachio Oreo Thins!  My husband is a pistachio lover, and these thin Oreo's were no different.  I wanted to come up with something easy for summer, no baking or cooking, simple, not many ingredients and so here we go.

1 pkg Pistachio Oreos
1 3.4 box INSTANT Pistachio Pudding
2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/3 cup SHELLED Pistachios (adjust to your taste)

In a bowl combine pudding, and heavy whipping cream.  Using a hand mixer or stand mixer if you are doubling or tripling the recipe for a larger group, mix until creamy and stuff peaks are formed.  Take approx 10-15 Oreos and crush them with your hands into the mixture.  Fold mixture to combine.  Cover and chill at least 1 hour, more is better!  Before serving, crumble over a handful more Oreo cookies and your chopped pistachios for a wonderful salty crunch!

Like I said, this is not a super sweet dessert.  It is just perfect and the texture is delightful!  The occasional chunk of cookie, or salty crunch of the nuts.....perfection!

Enjoy this dessert.  I wrote this amount for a small group, doubling or tripling is easy and better suited for a larger amount of people!

Give this a try!  Let me know how you liked it!

Baklava, my way!

Hello everyone!  I am so sorry I haven't posted a blog for a few days.  Sometimes life gets busy and really cuts into my blogging time.  I will work on that, I swear!  

I feel kind of strange.  I have no funny stories about this recipe. I mean, usually something hilarious happens or there is a good history.   I forgot how hard it was to work with phyllo dough and just cussed alot.  I know, imagine it.  Anyway, I wanted, as usual to change things up.  I have never made baklava, only eaten it, and eaten it, oh and eaten it.  So here is what I came up with and I think it was dang good.   So get your baklava making pants on, you know the ones with a stretchy waist so you have room to grow as you pick and eat and pick and eat. Yeah!  Those are the ones.  You comfy now?

I had some serious camera issues during this experiment.  This is why the top cover photo, isn't just a piece, it is missing the glaze and the pistachio's on top.  Don't ask, just accept it.  It was a miserable camera day!  

Here is what you will need:
1 box Phyllo dough
3/4 cup roasted almonds
3/4 cup macadamia nuts-roasted
1 cup butter-melted
2 tsps cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar (can use splenda brown sugar)
3/4 cup pistachio's crushed (use a rolling pin to get them crushed)

Simple Syrup Mixture:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey
2 tsps vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients in small saucepan.  Heat until it comes to a boil, only swirling the pan, and not stirring.  When it comes to a boil, shut it off and set it aside to cool, add vanilla at this time and stir!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and using a pastry brush, brush the pan, bottom and sides LIBERALLY and set aside. In a food processor combine brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon. Process until your mixture is in small bits, not completely mutilated, you still want SOME texture.

 

Use a damp CLEAN kitchen towel and roll out your phyllo dough on it.  Trim up the dough with a serrated knife if you need to, so it fits your pan.  Keep it covered it will dry out SO fast.  Using a pastry brush, brush butter on the top layer, cover the entire thing and then carefully place it in the baking dish.  

Do this with 10 sheets of dough.  Stacking them on top of each other.  Then sprinkle 1/3 of your nut mixture on top.  Layer 7 more sheets of dough in the same manner, brush with butter and place on top.  Then add another 1/3 of your nut mixture.  Layer 5 more sheets and then the rest of your nut mixture.  Add 3 sheets on top and you are done!

 

Make sure to cut your pieces before baking as it will be to brittle and crispy to cut nicely afterwards.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, when the top is nicely browned it is done.  Don't let it go to far, but make sure to let it get nice and brown, not just barely tan. 

 

You know what I mean?  I thought so.  

 

Now just as soon as you take it out, pour over the simple syrup mixture.  Cover the entire pan of baklava with it and here is the hard part.  Let it sit for at least 1 hour, 2 is better.  Let it cool COMPLETELY and the syrup to soak in well!  While the syrup is still sticky on top, sprinkle over crushed pistachio's.  *this particular photo, bombed, thus the top photo of the baked baklava with no syrup or pistachio's!  

I hope you enjoy it!!  We sure did!

Your "my husband loved it but called it MOCKlava" chefwannabe

Chris