The dog. Torturing the children.

Christmas Market-ing

The Christmas Markets in Europe are so much fun to visit this time of year (the only time of year you CAN visit them).  We went to one tonight that was set up in some caves or dungeons or something under an old Castle or Fortress (I know...super specific).  Anyways, it was a neat set up.  We got there and realized that we had left our SD card for our camera in the computer.  Oops.  LUCKILY I had my new Flip video camera that Matt gave me for Christmas (EARLY) with me.  So I got a couple videos for your viewing pleasure.

You can thank me later.

BAKLAVA

So posting this recipe is something I've meant to do for a long time, but I felt like I had to MAKE it and take pictures along the way before I could post it.  What better time of year to make Baklava than Christmas?  This is my Mom's recipe that is pretty much world famous.  Lemme tell ya, I've been to Greece, Matt's been to Turkey, and my Mom's baklava is better than theirs.  I'm just saying.  So here's my Christmas present to you (have you ever had so much build up to a recipe?  Ya, it's THAT good.). 

Prepare 24 hours ahead of serving.
Heat Oven to 300 degrees
9X13 pan- greased
5 cups walnuts finely chopped (21oz)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 lb fillo dough (phyllo dough)
1 cup melted butter
12 oz honey

 This is what Fillo dough looks like.  You can get it in the freezer section at the grocery store near the pastries.  Put it in your fridge when you get home, it's good in the fridge for 4 weeks.  Sit it out on the counter an hour before you start making the baklava so it's room temperature.

Start out by chopping up those walnuts.  This is the worst part of the job...it takes forever!  You want them really finely chopped.

 They should look a little something like this.  Once you're done chopping, mix nuts, sugars and spices in medium bowl.

 Next, melt your butter and butter your pan.

 Before I get out the dough I usually tape a few sheets of wax paper to the counter to make clean up easier.

This is what your dough will look like when it's out of the package.  Looks like paper.

 Cover your dough with a wash cloth to keep it from drying out.

 Take one sheet of dough and fold it in half.  Then spread it with the melted butter.  Take another sheet of dough, fold it in half also, lay it on top of your piece you buttered, then butter that one too.  So with two sheets of dough, folded in half and stacked, the dough will be 4 sheets thick.  Make sense? If you run out of butter toward the end...just melt some more!

 Once you've buttered your second sheet of dough, your're going to use a big spoon to sprinkle your walnut mixture about an inch and a half thick across the LONG edge of the dough.

 Roll snugly from the edge you sprinkled your nut mixture.

 It should look like a hot dog.

Grease your PAN! Then,  place it in your pan.  As you ad more and more rolls you can really squish them in there.  Make it a tight fit.

 This is what my set up usually looks like.

 Once your pan is full, butter the whole thing generously.  Make sure you get the ends and in the cracks really good.

 Cut into one inch squares.

 Bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes until light golden brown.

When they're really hot, right out of the oven, drizzle with honey.  Don't miss the edges and the ends! Once you're done with the honey, cover the pan and let it sit for 24 hours.  It will be delicious a few hours after you've made it....but even BETTER the next day!  If it tastes too dry, add more honey!

I know the dough is hard to work with, it tears really easy.  If it tears, just piece it back together and keep going.  It doesn't have to look perfect.  Just make sure it's firmly wrapped and it will taste AMAZING.  Makes great gifts for neighbors and friends.

You're WELCOME!

ps- my mom puts them in small candy papers (looks like mini cup cake papers) to give them out as gifts.  I just stick them on a paper plate.  Because I'm fancy like that.  :)

My day looked a little something like this:

In a perfect world these pictures would be in the reverse order.....but today is not my day.  I didn't want to wait to reload them AGAIN. 

I cut bangs again...

And I'm really glad I did.

Pretty girl.

We got back to Germany two days ago, and Hallie was back in school today.  Jet lag and all.  Little trooper.  When I picked her up I asked her teacher if she had fallen asleep during the day, and she said that she hadn't.  I was shocked.  When I opened her school folder, I was giddy with happiness to have finally gotten her school pictures.  I love school pictures.....and she looks so stinkin cute this one. 

   We're readjusting to our lives nicely.  The kids seem happy to be back in their own house with their Dad and their dog.  I REALLY missed our dog (eye roll).  I'm happy to have a husband again.  It turns out that he's not deploying any time soon.  As soon as we got this news we started planning our trip back home to Germany, since there wasn't any reason for us to stay in California anymore.  The trip back this time was SUPER easy, an anwers to the prayers of a very stressed out Mom. 

I have some really fun pictures from our stay in California that I'll post as soon I unpack the camera.  This may take weeks.  :)