Greek Baklava

Whenever I tell someone that I love making Baklava, they look at me like I'm crazy. "Isn't that really hard?" they always say. No, just time consuming. But once you taste the results, you start dreaming of making it again. And as they say, practice makes perfect, as well as quicker!

This recipe comes from a cookbook called Dessert Cooking Class Cookbook that a friend of my mother's gave me for Christmas. I think she knew me all too well!

Greek Baklava

1 box (1 pound) phyllo dough, thawed if frozen

1 cup melted butter, cooled to room temp.

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups walnuts, finely chopped

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

In a greased 11 x 9 inch pan, using one half of the dough, layer one sheet of phyllo at a time, brushing each sheet with the melted butter. Fold over ends as necessary. Keep unused sheets covered with paper towels dampened with water to prevent drying.

Mix 1/4 cup of the sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts together. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the buttered phyllo in the pan. Layer the remaining phyllo, one sheet at a time, brushing with butter until all phyllo is used. Brush last layer with butter.

Cut baklava diagonally into squares, cutting completely through all layers. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees until crisp and golden, about 45 minutes.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, water, lemon juice and honey in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Heat to boiling and pour over hot baklava. Let stand loosely covered 8 hours or overnight (if you can stop yourself from eating it all by then :)

“Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good."
-Alice May Brock

Garlic Harvest

Growing garlic was a bit tricky for me. When I got the seeds from a sweet older lady neighbor of mine, she told me to plant them in the fall and harvest the next year. The following year, I dutifully pulled the garlic out only to find it was too small. Whoops. I left the rest of the garlic in the garden and figured I'd try again next year. I never did have time to plant more in the fall. But this spring, I notice the garlic come up again. I wasn't going to harvest them until fall, but my husband, curious guy that he is, wanted to see if it was ready. It was! To celebrate, I made lasagna and garlic bread tonight for dinner using as much fresh garlic as I dared. It was divine.

To prepare the garlic for the bread, I placed about 5 cloves into a small piece of aluminum foil and drizzled olive oil over it then pressed the foil closed. I placed it in the oven along side the lasagna and baked it for 35 to 40 minutes. When it was done, I spread it over Italian bread that I sliced in half and spread with soft butter. I broiled the bread until it was lightly browned and crispy on the edges. The flavor was so mild and buttery. So good!

"Three nickels will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat."

-New York (Yiddish or Jewish ?) Saying.

Keira The Gerbil

Welcome to little Keira! She's so cute...and I can't believe I'm saying that. My almost 9 year old daughter decided she wanted a gerbil for her birthday. And she wanted it yesterday. My husband and I held out for two months under the constant "I would reeeaaalllyy love a gerbil!" campaign. Finally, the hubby broke (I knew he would- softy) and we bought a gerbil on Tuesday. Mind you, the official 9th birthday isn't for two more weeks. Parenthood- I'd have better luck against a typhoon.

"The one thing children wear out faster than shoes is parents."

-John J. Plomp

"Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected."

-Red Buttons

Louisiana Banana Bread

Banana bread is one of those classic recipes that keeps you searching to find just the right recipe to adopt as your own. I've made many different kinds of banana bread, but none that truely stood out as a favorite. With most recipes, the bread would turn out too dense on the inside and too dark on the outside and I would end up throwing out the last half of the bread, which kind of defeats the purpose of using up the old bananas! This recipe was different. It came out light and fluffy and full of flavor. And better yet, as soon as it came out of the oven, my kids started eating it. It was gone within 24 hours. Yeah! Eat it warm with a bit of softened butter spread over it. Oh, yum!

Louisiana Banana Bread

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon juice

4 eggs

2 cups mashed bananas

1 tsp. salt

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sour cream

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two loaf pans by spraying with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Add bananas and mix well.

Sift dry ingredients together. Add slowly to wet ingredients and alternate with sour cream. Do not over mix. Fold in nuts. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

Makes two loaves.

Adapted from Southern Recipes at About.com

"I'm getting so old, I don't buy green banana's anymore”
-Chi Chi Rodriguez

"Golden, Ripe, Boneless Bananas, 39 Cents A Pound."
- Advertisement

Strawberry Pie

For our family's 4th of July get together, I wanted to make something I hadn't made in a long time. The last time I made strawberry pie, I didn't have any kids, had a full time job and was just a few years into my marriage. In other words, a zillion years ago! But all that strawberry pickin' the other week got to me, so I bought more strawberries and went to work. It was easier to make than I remembered. I usually make my own crust, but I went for store bought this time, and the pie was done real quick. What I forgot was how wonderful this pie smells and tastes! Everyone loved it, including my usually reserved mother in law who requested some to take home with her. This time, I don't intend to wait years to make this pie again.

Strawberry Pie

5 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon butter

1 (9 inch) pie shell and lattice pastry top

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and drain berries. Combine sugar and cornstarch. Mix in the cinnamon and salt. Add the berries and mix well. Set aside to let juices form.

Prepare pastry and line pan with one layer. Dump the berries into the pie shell and dot with butter. Add the lattice top and crimp edges of the pastry.

Place in oven with an old cookie sheet under the pie to catch drips. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Lower heat to 375 and bake an additional 45 to 50 minutes or until the pie has bubbled for at least 15 minutes. Remove and place on rack to cool. Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

“When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmmm, boy."
-Jack Handy

Independence Day

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty."
-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Saturn Peaches

One of the more different things I've encountered lately is Saturn Peaches (I know, I need to get out more). I came across a package in Sam's Club last week via sense of smell. The scent was unbelievable. When I got them home, I tried one and boy, I was glad I was standing next to my kitchen sink! These babies are juicy! The inside is almost white, with just a hint of peach color. The skins seem a bit more tough and thicker than a regular peach but still very tasty. Since trying these, I've learned they are also called Donut Peaches. Makes sense. I'm wondering if these peaches have been around a while and Pittsburgh is just getting into the swing of things (a normal occurrence here) or everyone else around the country is experiencing these as new as well. Either way, I'm glad I tried them. Now I need to find a recipe I can use them in!

"The ripest peach is highest on the tree."
-James Whitcomb Riley