Baklavah, finally.

It dawned on me this morning that I never got the baklavah pictures up here. That's because I have too much to do. But since I'm a glutton for punishment, I don't buy those rolls of ready-made cookie dough. No pre-made pie crusts for this family, oh no. I have to make the most involved, most labor-intensive desserts I can think of. Hence the baklavah.

I was taught to make this by a real-live, authentic Greek guy. No kidding, his parents moved here from Cyprus. Their names are Kiriakos and Yanula (Kirk and Joann to us Americans).

So here it is, in all its glory.

Start by buttering the 13x9 pan. Lay a sheet of phyllo in the pan and brush lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon or so of plain bread crumbs. Do it again. And again. And again. And again. One more time. You should have six layers of phyllo with butter and bread crumbs in between. (note: keep a damp towel over the phyllo you're not working with - it dries out in seconds.)
Grind 1 1/2 pounds walnuts and mix with a little sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. I would tell you exactly how much, but I have misplaced my recipe. My life is just a tad overwhelming right now, and frankly, you're lucky to be getting pictures at this point. If you really want the amounts, e-mail me and I'll search harder.

On top of the six layers of phyllo, spread a layer of walnut mixture thick enough so you can't see the phyllo.

Now repeat that process as many times as you need to to get to the top of the dish. I used one full box of phyllo, about 2 sticks of butter (PLEASE don't use margarine. Gag.), and all the nut mixture. You should have six layers of phyllo brushed with butter on top.

Put the whole thing in the refrigerator to harden the butter - about 20-30 minutes.

Carefully cut in a diamond pattern:

Then stick a whole clove in each diamond:
Bake at whatever the temp is for however long it says to. Yeah, sorry, I still can't find the recipe.
While it's baking, make a syrup of 1 C water, 1 C sugar, 1 C corn syrup, a teaspoon of honey, a few strips of orange peel, a couple of cloves, and I think that might be all.

When the baklavah is golden brown, take it out and immediately pour the syrup over it all, getting it in all the cuts. You want it to seep down in there.

Let it cool before you try to dish it up or it will slide apart and make a huge mess. And then you'll have to eat it with a fork which takes much too long.

Hide it from Mike.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Things that make me go "hmph" and "huh?"

Yesterday I ran into Old Navy to get my son socks. Yes, he's particular, but they fit better and last much longer than the Walmart variety. So I was in Old Navy.

And all over the store, everywhere I looked, were signs advertising the latest clearance merchandise that said, "Get What You Should've Got!" Overlooking the very obvious incorrect grammar, I wondered if that was the true American spirit of Christmas coming out.

Then this morning, Ben was eating some leftover chicken for breakfast (don't judge) when he commented, "I can sort of taste something like fish in here."

I asked if that was the Vietnamese chicken I had made a few days ago, and he said that it was. I told him it tasted fishy because there was fish sauce in the marinade. At that point, I went to the refrigerator to get the fish sauce, since I have no idea what it is or what it's made with--I just followed the recipe.

I started reading the label and here's what it says, exactly, without adding or omitting any words:

Ingredients: Anchovy fish, salt, sugar, water (only natural water--no water added).

So, just to set the record straight, this is not dehydrated-and-then-reconstituted water. Not water from concentrate. It's the real thing. Just in case you have a water allergy or something, that would be important to know.

Be thankful ~

Karen

No one knows where it went.

I have had my face buried in my computer for most of the day trying to finish editing a resource list. When it was sent to me, the sender told me to just read through for spelling and punctuation errors, make sure all the links worked, stuff like that. She said it would only be minor stuff.

Then we talked on the phone and discussed editing for readability, deleting the redundant descriptions of similar products for a different grade levels, stuff like that.

Then I actually started working on it.

Oh, my word. It's much more of a disaster than she realized. I am rewriting and reformatting and moving things hither and yon (that's a technical term) in my feeble attempt to make the whole thing look nice and have consistency. At one point I had Ben in there trying to put bullets where I couldn't get them (not the gunpowder-filled kind, the little dot kind)(although I considered the gunpowder-filled kind).

I made it to page 61 of 69 and decided I'd had enough.

Oh, I kid. In reality, the family was screaming to be fed, so I made my now-famous turkey-dinner-in-a-dish--a layer of stuffing, a layer of turkey, a drizzle of gravy, topped with mashed potatoes and baked until it's all hot.

Sounds easy, doesn't it?

It's lying.

The stuffing is homemade--StoveTop won't do--with sausage and apples in it. The turkey is injected with Creole Butter marinade and deep-fried. OK, you got me on the gravy--it's out of a jar. Mashed potatoes? Don't you DARE try to feed my family fake ones. But if you plan well, you can make enough of everything at the actual turkey dinner, then hide the leftovers from the human garbage disposal (Elijah), to have what you need to make a quick and easy dinner one night. Those are big if's, but they pay big dividends, and with this economy, something needs to be paying dividends.

Believe it or not, I started this post with an idea for something witty and intelligent, but that something is apparently lost in my dopamine-induced stupor--turkey does that, you know. If I can think of what it was, I'll be back.

Be thankful ~

Karen

How much prodding do you need?

Oh, joy of joys, today was my favorite day of the year: the annual scraping of the cervix, to quote Miss Fiddle-dee-dee.

In fact, I have put off the supposed yearly physical for two and a half years now. Not because I dread it so much, but because I just didn't have the time.

Let me just pause here and tell you that that is the lamest excuse on the planet, and you should be ashamed of yourself for using it. Ahem.

So I was very much prodded into making my long-overdue appointment after reading DeeDee's lecture, because I, too, have a history of abnormal paps. The last atypical one was in 1985. That's 23 long years ago, but you know how they tell you you'll have to be vigilant for the rest of your life? They aren't kidding. It's the rest of your life.

Today I was told I have a polyp, no big deal, very common, we see these all the time, blah, blah, blah, and I kept nodding and smiling and thinking, "Am I really dumb enough to have done this? To have waited two and a half years? To take even the tiniest of chances with my family?" Because that's what it is - it's gambling with my family's future. My youngest wants to finish high school with ME as his teacher. My daughters want ME to be at their weddings and to hold their babies. My eldest wants ME to see him be commissioned into the Air Force. Ben wants ME. And without being conceited in the least, they need ME, not someone else.

Honestly, if I die, who will clean up the dog hair?

So my appointment with the next doctor is being made, as is the one for the annual smooshing of the boobs. I can't wait. I have a new perspective.

What about you? Are your most-loved appointments overdue? Go make them right now. Go.

Be thankful ~

Karen

A quickie, because that's all I have time for.

Today when it was time for biology, I said to 15-year-old Elijah, "C'mon, Lije, let's read about mitosis."

He replied, "Mitosis on the ends of my feet. Where are yours?"

Be thankful ~

Karen

Who am I kidding? I'm just taking up space until I have time to put the baklavah pictures up here.

I'm so bummed! We totally missed the ugly Christmas sweater contest over at BigMama's. Abbie and I have been on the lookout and found this ugly sweater-vest at our church's yard sale last weekend. (I hope no one from there reads my blog and recognizes it.)

Coming soon - a photo tutorial on making baklavah. I learned how from a real-live Greek!

Be thankful ~

Karen

ps. We're not hearing anything, so I'm thinking there's a baby over at Chickadee's. And I guessed the 18th! I'm so excited!

Husband Tag

I've been tagged by my cousin, Cathy, with the husband tag. I could tell some funny stories about some of these, but then you'd be stuck here ALL DAY or you might just leave right now, so I'll keep it short.

Husband Tag
1. Where did you meet? At a Wednesday-night prayer meeting. I introduced myself and he forgot his name.
2. How long did you date before you got married? We didn't. We wrote letters. But since I'm really bad at remembering lengths of time, Ben will have to tell you how long.
3. How long have you been married? But I have this one - 24+years.
4. What does he do that surprises you? I can't think of anything right now.
5. What is your favorite feature of his? His arms - he's got really big muscles. :)
6. What is your favorite quality of his? He's not a quitter.
.7. Does he have a nickname for you? Sissy Lynn - I have no idea where it came from.
8. What is his favorite color? Pretty sure he doesn’t have one.
9. What is his favorite food? Lasagna. But only MY lasagna. According to him, everyone else's is disgusting.
10. What is his favorite sport? Baseball.
11. When and where was your first kiss? Ahem.
12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We throw money at our children. When we open our checkbook there's a sucking sound.
13. Do you have any children? Five.
14. Does he have a hidden talent? He can remember any sports statistic. Really, ANY statistic. He's a walking ESPN encyclopedia.
15. How old is he? 48
16. Who said I love you first? Me. Yep, I'm pretty sure about that.
17. What’s his favorite type of music? Music from the Wilds. And anything Brooke sings.
18.What do you admire most about him? He's not afraid of hard work.
19. Do you think he will read this? Yes, and probably leave a comment too.

There you go. Anything to say, dear?

Be thankful ~

Karen

I have a sickness.

I was in Kohl's today trying to find jeans with my 6'4" son, when I spotted this sign:

Did I think about Christmas present advertising?

No.

Did I consider all the gold, silver, and red decorations dripping from the ceiling?

No.

I immediately thought of verb tenses.

Is there a pill for this?

Be thankful ~

Karen

I need a recovery night.

My, I've been busy. The life of a working mom is crazier than I thought it would be, but not because of family obligations. No, the children and husband all help with cleaning, laundry, dishes, no, it's not the household stuff that's troublesome.

It's my brain. I do things to myself that cause undue stress, so that I lay my head on the desk and almost cry. Let me explain.

I have been working on editing a 104 page document since last Tuesday. I figured out the program and had a merry time of it until today when I got to the epilogue. The author included on the last four pages 24 quotes from various places in the document. Some of which I had already edited. And now I had to make them all match. Can you see where this is going?

I envisioned myself searching 100 pages of text for a particular quote, making the appropriate changes so they matched, and on to the next one. 24 times.

I was sick. I sat in disbelief that it was really happening. But then I decided that, well, this was what I signed up for, and I would just work like crazy and get it done.

I moved on to the endnotes and would do the quotes last.

Then I had an epiphany. A flash of brilliance (well, maybe only 60 watts, but for me, it was a flash)!

I remembered. . . FIND!!!!

There's a function that lets you type a phrase and click "find next" and it FINDS IT FOR YOU!!!! Hallelujah and glory to GOD!! I was never so thankful for the geeks at Microsoft!

In 15 minutes I had found all the quotes, edited them all to match, and saved the whole thing.

Right now the house is empty. The children have all gone out, Ben is still at work, and I am suddenly exhausted. They say this happens after an adrenaline rush.

Who says editing is boring?

Be thankful ~

Karen

'Tis the season. Or something like that.

A miracle has taken place at my house this morning.

That's Elijah with a book. Of his own choosing. And his own free will. I might even let him skip math.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Where have I been?!

I have been a working mom for exactly 24 hours and I'm already wondering how to get it all done!

I've started doing some editing for a magazine part time, and of course everything else in life needs attention right now. Elijah has to get the support letters out for his missions trip next summer. Mike needs a plantar wart cut out of the bottom of his foot (that was yesterday). Abbie has finals and needs help studying. I had a massage scheduled.

Yes. A massage. Did you really think I would cancel THAT? I do have my priorities. My friend Cara from church is a medical massage therapist. And I have this muscle spasm in my back that flares up when PMS hits. It's not pretty. But Cara has magic hands and turned me to jelly today. So all's well that ends well.

Anyway, this editing thing is quite educational. Here's what I've learned in one short day on the job:

1. If an appositive has a restrictive function, it is NOT set off by commas. So that sentence up there about my friend Cara from church? It really doesn't get commas! I'm amazed.

2. My training editor has the patience of Job. I sent her four e-mails full of questions before 9 am and she hasn't fired me yet!

3. Disenroll doesn't have a synonym. At least not one that I could find. And that's sad because I just don't like that word.

4. Deb felt Sticky Bean move yesterday! That's exciting news, and while it doesn't have anything to do with editing, I just felt the need to share it. Because I'm Grammy! And I can!

OK, back to my e-book (insert cracking whip sound effect).

Be thankful ~

Karen

The fun never ends.

Today is sure to be a fun time. Mike is going to get a plantar wart cut out of the bottom of his left foot and paying for it, too, since he's not covered under our insurance anymore. I've told him the numbing shot will hurt, but he is blissfully unaware of just how much. I've had this done several times and can honestly say that it rivals natural childbirth in pain intensity, only without the fun outcome. All you get is a hole in your foot. On the other hand, it's a pay-one-time ordeal, and childbirth is the pain that costs you for at least eighteen years.

Abbie will have her weightlifting final, which consists of three tries to perform a bench press, squat, and bent-leg deadlift with proper technique. And she gets actual college credit for this! She'll be glad when it's over - she's had a tough time being in a class of grunting males.

Elijah is going to haul firewood to the garage, and I am going to teach school, do laundry, and make phone calls.

It'll be an exciting day.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Teen Missions

So. My youngest child is going to Switzerland. But let me back up a bit.

Seven years ago my oldest daughter decided she wanted to go on a missions trip. She was 15 and had her heart set on Russia. So we started researching. We called all the mission boards we knew of and were told they didn't take teens. We considered sending her with different church groups, but never found one we were comfortable with. Then a friend told us that when she was a teen, she went on a trip with Teen Missions, International. And that was the end of the search.

Deb registered to go on the Siberia trip in the summer of 2003. The kids have to raise their own support through letters just like any other missionary. The process begins in December and takes months, but Deb got to see God provide like she never had before. Then three weeks before boot camp (two weeks of intensive training in the Florida swamps) she got a letter telling her the Siberia trip had been cancelled because they were unable to get Visas. She had to choose another trip. The girl could have gone anywhere in the world, so what did she pick?

Cuba.

And off to Cuba she went. Their "missionary" contact wouldn't give them their water purifyer, they saw young men hauled off by the police for disagreeing with the national propaganda, they were saught by police when they went to a fishing village far away from Havana, the entire team got horribly sick, she slept in a church with scorpions and tarantulas, and she came home with an intestinal parasite.

She loved it.

Then in 2004 Leah went with TMI to Poland to teach English to Polish teens in the Christian English Language Training school in Poznan.

In 2005, Abbie and Deb both went to New Zealand and Australia (Deb was 18 by that time, and went as an assistant leader) to present the gospel in musical form and go street witnessing in Christchurch, NZ and Brisbane, AU.

These trips were by far the most personally challenging things my daughters had ever done, and they came home very different people. Something about making you responsible for yourself, your own laundry (done in a bucket), your own devotions, your own attitude, your own walk with the Lord. But as difficult as they were, the girls have all wanted to go back. Leah and Abbie want to volunteer at the two week bootcamp next summer.

When Abbie was getting ready to go on her trip, we mentioned that the last one to go would be Elijah, and he scoffed. He insisted he had no interest in going on a trip with TMI, but somewhere over the last three years that changed.

The day after the list of next summer's trips came out, he was looking them over deciding where he wanted to go. He chose Switzerland. His team will be working at the YWAM facility there, doing some construction and painting. In their off time and on the weekends, they will go out in the community to pass out tracts and witness. He is excited out of his mind. He wants to buy his boots NOW.

So if you have teens, or even pre-teens, check out TMI. They will thank you for it. And check out the pictures of last summer's boot camp here. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I have a houseful of people who can answer any question you have.

Be thankful ~

Karen

This just in: CBS is showing the documentary "The Lord's Boot Camp" about Teen Missions on Dec. 13 at 9 pm. Look for it in your area!

Edited to add: Be sure to read the comments left by two of my daughters who have gone on trips with TMI. They are more convincing than I could ever hope to be.

You may need spare earbuds too.

In my effort to do my part regarding public service and all that, I share the following must-have addition to your emergency-preparedness kit. Because, while the floodwaters are rising, the tornado sirens are blaring, and the hurricane evacuation orders are coming fast and furious-like, you won't want to be without your iPod. Your music of choice could mean the difference between life and death. Get this TODAY and keep it with the bottled water, first-aid kit, and extra flashlight batteries.


Be thankful ~

Karen

My mother's very own Sausage-Apple Stuffing recipe. You're welcome.

2 apples (mom says use Granny Smith, but I used Gala and it was good. I also use three.)
1 lb roll Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic, or two cloves
1 - 14 oz bag Pepperidge Farm seasoned stuffing (cubes or whatever they call the other stuff - I like the kind that's sort of crushed a little)
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage (I use the kind in a jar and use a little extra)
1/2 C. finely chopped fresh parsley (again, use the stuff in a jar - it's easier - and I don't use nearly this much)
1 can chicken broth
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Peel and slice apples thinly. Saute sausage, breaking up clumps, until almost brown. Throw in onion and garlic and continue cooking until sausage is done. Add apples to skillet and stir.

Put the stuffing in a large bowl. Dump on the sausage/apple mixture, add sage, parsley, and enough chicken broth to make it moist. Drizzle with butter and toss. I put this in a buttered 13x9 dish and cover with foil to bake about 45 -60 minutes. It's incredible.

Don't let the family eat it all. Put leftover stuffing in a pan, cover with cooked turkey, drizzle with gravy and cover with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 deg. for an hour. They will kiss your feet.

Be thankful ~

Karen

ps. Winston finally gave up the ghost last night. What a relief.