Showing posts with label Baklava. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baklava. Show all posts

Dec 31, 2010

Return of the Slacker!

It has been 3 days since I last blogged.

3 DAYS!

I have a ton of excuses and I have a ton of justifications (which you will hear later on in this blog) but it all comes down to one thing. I am a slacker. And when I slack, I slack big time!

But it has been a couple of busy days. Tuesday we went to my dad's to learn how to make some Greek food; most importantly how to make Greek Baklava. Baklava is a Greek pastry and it is wonderful. It is full of nuts and honey and butter and light filo pastry. Most of the times when you find it in stores or at restaurants, the Baklava is dry. My dad (and the rest of the Platis Clan) like it wet, dripping with butter and honey.

We were supposed to meet at my dad's house at 9:00 in the morning and we were running just a little late. My dad had asked if we stopped by the store to get some juice. We all went to the store and has I was walking back to the car I had this sinking ill feeling. I couldn't feel my keys. I searched all over and I didn't have them with me. Kristy found them. They were in the car, still in the ignition.

I cannot remember the last time I did this. We don't have a cell phone and we couldn't remember my dad's or sister's phone number. So we walked the rest of the way to my dad's home. Which took us an extra 30-45 minutes. It was a lot longer than I thought it was. But we finally arrived and my sister took me back to our apartment and we got my spare set of keys. UGH! But the day got better as we had breakfast and made some excellent Baklava. Towards the end I could feel my chest tightening up and I could feel an asthma attack coming on. We came home and I took some medication and went to bed.

The next day I was feeling a little better and we headed over to my dad's once again for a Christmas party. We ate a ton of pizza and a ton of treats and I found a new obsession. ROCK BAND!

I have never played any of the Guitar Hero type of games but Nathan and Jillian invited me to join the band so I became the drummer. And I am addicted. We got my sister to come downstairs and sing some songs and that broke the ice and we all took turns singing. I gotta get Beatles Rock Band now!


But as the evening progressed, I could feel my chest tightening up again. I think there was something at my dad's that I was having an allergic reaction to that was setting off my asthma. We came home through a huge snowstorm and made it home. And I watched some TV (SCTV Classics) and went to bed.

The next day (the 30th) was my wedding anniversary. 13 YEARS!

1313!

Dec 16, 2009

Christmas Memories: Christmas Eve Goodies

Day 46

The last few days I have blogged about some of my favorite Christmas traditions and now I will share another one that I have not done for many years.

When I lived in Edmonton, every Christmas Eve my family and I got together and we went around delivering plates of treats to some of the people we know. We would just knock on the door and run, leaving the plate of goodies on the steps. These were not your ordinary treats either. This was a huge plate loaded with my dad's famous Baklava (Baklava is a Greek pastry. Loaded with butter, honey and chopped nuts and topped with a clove), my mom's famous Snowball cookies and Grandma Anhder's famous Fruitcake.


I remember one Christmas Eve in particular when we also picked up a Christmas tree and delivered it anonymously to a set of newlyweds that were very poor. It felt good delivering these treats. And the smell of Baklava cooking fills the house and just reminds me of those simpler times.

I asked my mom for those recipes so I can post them here. During this week I am going to attempt to make some of them. The Snowball cookies are the easiest to make so I am going to start there. These recipes originated from my Aunt Helen. Yet again, I am stealing an idea from a fellow blogger. Thanks Jennifer!


SNOWBALL COOKIES

1 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Finely Chopped Pecans
Confectioners Sugar

Bream butter, sugar and vanilla till fluffy. Add flour and salt to creamed mixture blending thoroughly.
Add pecans and mix well. Shape into one-inch balls and place on baking sheet.

Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes. Do not brown, they should be light. Cool and then roll in powdered sugar. Yields about 6 dozen.

I'll have to let you know how they turned out.