INGREDIENTS
2 pounds phyllo dough
5 cups coarsely ground walnuts
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 to 1 1/2 pounds melted butter
Syrup for Baklava
3 cups water
3 cups sugar
Juice of half a lemon
DIRECTIONS
Mix nuts, sugar and cinnamon together. Butter a 17×12” baking pan and layer phyllo dough in the pan, brushing each piece with melted butter. After eight layers, sprinkle one cup of the walnut mixture on buttered layers.
Layer again with five layers of phyllo dough, brushing each layer with melted butter. Again, sprinkle with one cup of walnuts on top. Continue the layering process until five layers of nuts have been spread, then cover with eight layers of the dough, brushing each layer with butter.
Cut in one-inch strips lengthwise and then on diagonal, forming a diamond shape. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Make the syrup by bringing sugar, water and lemon juice to a boil. Boil for five minutes and set aside to cool.
Remove dough from oven, and slowly pour syrup over the top. Let set for two hours before serving.
This recipe was printed in the St. Brendan Parish cookbook, which was printed in 2009 as a fundraiser.
A reflection by Deacon Russ O’Neill, who serves as a permanent deacon at Holy Spirit Parish in Uniontown.
Christmas is more than Santa and reindeer and gifts and lights. Christmas is a time to be aware of how blessed we are by God’s saving presence in our lives; to be aware that He whom we call Emmanuel reflects the yearning desire on God’s part to be with us, to be part of our human condition—our losses, our shattered dreams, our disappointed and fractured relationships, the things that turn us upside down. The Christmas message is that God doesn’t want to leave us alone. He wants to reach out and be in our lives.
The prophet Isaiah says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and rejoicing.” If you have been walking in darkness and gloom, let it be cast off by the light of Christmas. The power of Christmas is to bring us back home—a home that reminds us how much we are loved. The power of Christmas is to bring joy and rejoicing back into our hearts.
Jesus can be reborn within each of us this day and every day, every time we invite Him in, each time we allow Him in every corner of our life. So after all the celebrating is over, after the last present is opened and the last dish washed—whether that’s Saturday, or the next day, or the next day—let’s take a little time to reflect on our lives and God’s role in it. And ask yourself: Where in my life do I need God to be born anew now? Where do I have the most difficulty finding God? What can I do to keep faith and God alive in my heart, in my family, and in my home? In what unlikely way is God trying to come to me, to show me how much He loves me? Merry Christmas!
