Dedicated to Mister Fichter

Here is something that's pretty funny to me. This old man was my friend Laura's neighbor. His eyes were like Milhouse's behind those coke-bottle glasses, and he was very cute. i assume that he died a long time ago, but I found this picture in the Oxford Press and I want to share it.
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If I want to squeeze into a size 6 again, I can't ever eat this. I don't think I can even smell it. But it sounds really good. Actually, CLAY sounds good at this point, but I'm determined. I walked home from work the long way and then played catch with Spencer for a while (we had to do it yesterday and today, because tomorrow it's going to snow....yuck), and I even dove for the ball a couple of times!!


Walnut pastries in honey syrup

Servings: Makes 14 pastries

Note: From "Arabesque" by Claudia Roden. Use a supermarket brand of filo where the sheets are about 12 inches by 7 inches. Orange blossom water is available at Middle Eastern markets and gourmet shops.

3/4 cup clear honey

1 1/2 tablespoons orange blossom water

2 cups walnuts, coarsely ground

1/3 cup sugar

Zest of 1 orange

14 sheets of filo

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1. In a saucepan, make the syrup by bringing the honey, one-half cup water and the orange blossom water to a boil and simmer for 30 seconds. Then let it cool.

2. Mix the walnuts with the sugar and orange zest.

3. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Open the package of filo only when you are ready to make the pastries. Keep them in a pile so that they do not dry out. Lightly brush the top one with melted butter. Put a line of about 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of the walnut mixture at one of the short ends of the rectangle, into a line about three-fourths inch from the short and long edges. Roll it up loosely into a fat cigar shape. Turn the ends in about one-third of the way along to trap the filling, then continue to roll. Continue with the remaining sheets of filo.

4. Place the pastries on a baking sheet, brush them with melted butter and bake them for 40 minutes, or until lightly golden and crisp. Turn each pastry, while still warm, very quickly in the syrup and arrange on a dish. Serve cold with the remaining syrup poured all over.

Each serving: 273 calories; 3 grams protein; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 17 mg. cholesterol; 48 mg. sodium.