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1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough**

1 pound chopped nuts (could easily use 3 cups instead of 4 to save on expense)

1 cup butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup water (1 1/2 cup water)

1 cup white sugar (1 1/2 cup white sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)

1/2 cup honey (3/4 cup honey)

(**I used Athens Fillo Dough--it comes already cut to fit a 9x13 pan perfectly. Jaxon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan. (I used a glass pan so I wouldn't worry about cutting one of my metal non-stick pans. Reduce oven to 325 if using glass. Mine was done after 45 minutes but I'd watch from about 35 minutes on so as not to overbrown.)

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. (I melted the butter and brushed it on with a pastry brush.) ** Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. (There will be about 12 thin layers of nuts.) The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep. (No nuts here.)

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 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water just until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes. (I added the vanilla after it cooled, otherwise I think it would cook some of the flavor out.)

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.

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I got this recipe at Allrecipes. I looked at dozens of recipes all over the internet, there are lots of small variations , especially in the syrup, but this one had almost 500 reviews and nearly every single review gave the recipe FIVE stars. Works for me. And since I was very nervous about tackling this I read every single review. (yes, all of them!) Lots of tips and suggestions but I ended up just following the recipe exactly as she wrote it. If you want to take a look before leaping here's the address:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baklava/Detail.aspx

My biggest tip is not to sprinkle your layers too heavily with nuts. You are going to have about 12 layers of nuts, with two sheets of Phyllo between each layer. That 2 or 3 tablespoons just seemed so scant to me but I was warned if I made the nuts too thick then the Baklava didn't hold together as well. That is correct. It is also best to chop your nuts very finely. I used my mini food processor. It's good if some of the nuts go almost powdery. It makes the Baklava stick together better. Just make sure you don't make nut butter!

I used a mixture of pecans, walnuts, and cashews. Many recommended pistachios and I will definitely add some of those next time. I also wish I'd used almonds. That's something else to play with next time. The flavor will be a little different depending on which nut dominates. The pecans are strongest in this batch but the walnuts chime in too. The cashews I can't really taste but I only used about 1/2 cup this time.

Probably the most difficult part was cutting it into squares before cooking. DO NOT skip this step. It is essential. When you pour on the syrup it needs to be able to run between all the squares, plus the dough once cooked is really crisp and fragile and would be a nightmare to cut at that point without crispy layers flying everywhere. (Imagine cutting potato chips.) So be sure and cut it into the shapes you want before it goes into the oven. A diamond pattern is the most favored but I stuck with squares for my first time as it was hard enough without having to figure out where to cut for diamonds. Just make sure you have a really sharp knife. Once I put the knife in I didn't lift it out again until the end of the row. I just rocked it gently up and down and moved steadily along. Don't worry if some of the top layer moves around. You can push it all back into place when you finish all the cutting.

Many posters recommended making 1/2 again the amount of syrup. I didn't do that but I will next time. It seemed like just barely enough. I'd rather have a little extra that I throw out than not enough. I was going to make another half batch after pouring it on but decided to wait until they sit overnight. If they aren't moist enough I'll make some more in the morning. Once the pastry is cold you are supposed to pour the syrup on while it's hot, so it's never late to change that part. Letting them sit for 24 hours before sampling was impossible. They are supposed to be even better if they sit a WEEK. So this would be a great make-ahead dessert. I doubt I'll ever find out about the week part as they won't last that long around here, no way! They also freeze beautifully. I leave them in their cupcake paper and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. That way I can thaw one at a time when I want a treat. Unfortunately I can rarely thaw just one!

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp oil

5 x large onions, peeled and sliced thinly

Splash of water

Salt

1/2 cup brandy

3 sprigs fresh thyme

6 cups Homemade Chicken Broth (recipe from this episode)

Salt and pepper

4 slices slices multi-grain bread, cut into rounds to fit bowls, toasted

2 cups Swiss, Gruyere or emmenthal cheese, grated

Directions:

Toss the butter, oil, onions and water into a large soup pot with a few pinches of salt.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and let the onions soften over a medium high heat, about 10 minutes.

When the water has evaporated, remove the lid, turn heat to low and begin to slowly caramelize onions, stirring frequently. This will take about one hour.

When the onions are a deep golden colour and have shrunk dramatically, add the brandy, thyme and broth.

Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat your oven's broiler. Ladle the soup into 4 onion soup or ovenproof bowls and fit a slice of toast over each bowl.

Sprinkle each evenly with the cheese and place bowls onto a baking sheet.

Place under the broiler and broil until the soup is bubbling and the tops are golden brown.

4 tbsp butter

2 lb. of any mushrooms, sliced, the wilder the better

1 x large chopped onion

1/4 cup dry sherry or Madeira

1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp of chopped fresh thyme

1 x bay leaf

4 cups of chicken, beef or vegetable stock

1 cup cream

salt and pepper

1 x bunch of flat leaf parsley

Directions:

Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the onions and mushrooms. Sauté for five minutes or so until the mushrooms are wilted and release their moisture.

Add the wine, thyme, bay leaf and flour and reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking for another five minutes or so stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pot.

Add the stock and cream and simmer for another 20 minutes or so. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve as is or if your prefer puree all or part of the soup. Sprinkle each bowl with lots of chopped fresh parsley.