Good Day

Today was a pretty good day overall. Last night I was craving baklava - I really wanted some, but all of the grocery stores in town were out of it. How can that be? Out of such delicious goodness?! So when I got home, I went online and looked for a recipe. Made a list of the ingredients and went to bed.

This morning, after I got up and got dressed, I went to town and bought the ingredients. It was my first time making baklava, but let me tell you, after it was made... oh it was sooo good!! Words can't described the delicious sweetness that practically melted in my mouth. Oh wait.. they just did :p

If you love baklava as much as I do, I am going to post the recipe here

• 1 lb (16 oz) package of phyllo dough
• 1 lb of chopped nuts ( I did just walnuts, but you can experiment and add whatever nuts you like)
• 1 cup butter (I know, seems like a lot, but trust me, you're going to need it all, maybe even a bit extra)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey (you can add more or less for a desired taste)

My first mistake was NOT thawing the phyllo dough the right way. Because I forgot to read the instructions on the box. Typical me. Anyway here are the directions for making the baklava...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a 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 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers.

You don't have to serve it in cupcake papers. I didn't. My dad loved it. I am going to try and make it as often as I can - and the more I make it the better it will turn out every time! Anyway good luck and enjoy :) 

River Flows in You by Yiruma