Just call me Rachael Ray... yeah right!

About a month ago my friend, Cindy, asked me to do a cooking demonstration for a Relief Society activity. I was a little nervous but mostly excited as I thought about what dishes to demonstrate, and of course I had visions of the activity going just like a Rachael Ray show. I'd show the uncooked version of whatever I was making and then voila from under the counter I would pull a piping hot, fully-cooked version of that same dish... just like magic! However, as I started planning for the activity I realized that cooking shows like that must require an army of people in the background, not to mention hours of careful planning to make sure the timing is just right. After I realized how much planning it would require I went through a period of denial that lasted a couple weeks with many kind friends asking what they could do to help... except remember that I was in denial so I didn't know what help I even needed, just that I would probably need a lot of it. Well, after I finally emerged from my state of denial a few days before the activity I started planning and recipe-testing like crazy! My poor husband had to eat caesar salad 3 nights in a row until I got the recipe just right. On the fourth night when we were talking about dinner he reluctantly asked, "Do we have to have caesar salad again?"

After all that the activity ended up being a lot of fun. My army of background helpers turned out to be three of my good friends who really helped make everything a success. Cindy and Tiana also made the church's ugly orange countertops a lot easier to look at with their cute decorations.

Plating up caesar salads for tasting.

Waiting for the mushrooms to cook.

The menu ended up being a caesar salad with homemade dressing, a portabella daniel (which might sound a little strange but is absolutely delicious even if you think you hate mushrooms), and baklava.

Caesar Salad (serves 2)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove

1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. pasteurized egg

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/8 tsp. anchovy paste

1/2 medium head romaine lettuce

2-3 tbsp. parmesan cheese

Fresh ground black pepper

Wash romaine lettuce, wrap in paper towels and put in refrigerator to crisp. Sprinkle wooden bowl with salt, rub garlic clove into salt to season the bowl. Add lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, egg, olive oil, and anchovy paste and mix together. Tear lettuce into bowl, add parmesan cheese and black pepper, and toss with dressing. Top with croutons and additional parmesan cheese if desired.

Portabello Daniel (serves 2)

2 portabella mushrooms

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

1-1½ c. chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 tbsp. parmesan cheese

2 slices provolone cheese

2 tbsp. almonds, sliced and roasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash two portabella mushrooms. Place upside down on a greased cookie sheet. Press garlic into mushrooms and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. While mushrooms are baking mix spinach with parmesan cheese. Remove mushrooms from oven and pile spinach on top and return to oven for another 5-10 minutes until spinach is warm. Remove from oven and turn on broiler. Top mushrooms with a slice of provolone cheese and broil until cheese is browned and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Baklava

4 c. (1lb.) chopped walnuts

½ c. sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. allspice

½ lb. phyllo dough, thawed

1 c. butter, melted

Syrup

1 c. water

1½ c. sugar

½ c. honey

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

Make syrup before you start the baklava. Boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Add honey, lemon juice, and vanilla. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch pan. Toss nuts with sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut to fit pan. Cover phyllo dough with dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle with 1½ c. nut mixture. Layer and butter 2 more sheets; sprinkle with 1 c. nut mixture. Repeat 2 more times, topping final nut layer with 6 sheets of buttered phyllo. Trim edges if needed. With sharp knife cut baklava crosswise into 1½-inch strips. Then cut strips diagonally at 2-inch intervals to form diamonds. Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. This freezes well. Cover loosely as it gets soggy if it is covered tightly. Best made 24 hours in advance.

Enjoy!