Baklava

                                                      Baklava

1 16 oz. package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts (chop fairly fine)
1 cup butter melted
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 pan.

2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut  stack to fit pan. cover phyllo with a damp cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle with 3 tbls. of nut mix on top. Repeat. 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 then make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 min. until baklava is golden and crisp.

4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 min. (you can add a little lemon zest to the sugar sauce if desired)

5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

ready to go into oven

Ready to eat!

Classic Pizzelle

Today I baked pizzelles for Christmas. My mom's favorite.  I never get the 60 that the recipe says I should get though. I did a little research on the internet and found out most pizzelle irons make 3 in. cookies, mine makes 4 in. that must be the reason. I think I put too much batter on each one too. There must be a technique to this. Oh well practice makes perfect, but gosh I'm gonna have to get a couple chickens if I keep this up!

Classic Pizzelle

6 eggs
3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbls. vanilla essence or a drop of anise oil
1 c. butter
2 tsp. baking powder

Melt butter on a low heat in a small sauce pan. Beat eggs in a large bowl and add vanilla essence (or drop of anise oil). Add sugar to the egg mixture and beat well. After butter has melted, allow to cool slightly and then add to egg and sugar mixture. Sift in flour and baking powder into the wet mixture, stirring well to ensure all flour is completely mixed. The batter will be stiff. Bake using pizzelle iron. Full batch will make about 60 cookies

On to the Ginger snaps now!

Mama's in the Kitchen

Hard to believe it's finally here, but the first day of spring is this coming Sunday. Which means...sandal season is right around the corner! I don't know about you, but after this winter, my tootsies are not fit for public display. Now I could book a pedicure appointment, but being the frugal (-cheap) girl that I am, I'm making my own mani/pedi scrub. It's exfoliating and moisturizing, and super easy to make yourself. It's a great gift for moms, girlfriends, even for guys-but then you should probably call it 'big man scrub'-or something like that.

Mani/Pedi Scrub:
1 cup olive oil (I buy el cheapo)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup kosher salt
Stir until blended together,then add
a few drops of essential oil (longest lasting), or the zest
of a piece of citrus+ a few drops of extract
(for instance orange zest+ orange extract)
Makes about 2 cups