eat light:

mmmmmmm

i just made a huge pan of baklava for the party tonight. the house smells of an amalgam of cinnamon, rose water, orange blossom water, and walnuts.

fyi: you don't actually have to follow the thawing directions on the phyllo dough package, which say to thaw in the refrigerator for 7 hours or overnight, and then allow to stand at room temperature for 2 hours before using.

fuck that. just go buy the shit, take the plastic-wrapped roll out of the box, and let it sit on the counter while you get everything else ready (which means making the special syrup, making the walnut filling, and melting the copious butter which must be patiently brushed onto each individual sheet of phyllo as you layer them, one by one, into the pan). by the time you're ready for it, it will be thawed out plenty, and fine to handle. lay out some waxed paper. unroll the phyllo onto the waxed paper. layer some more waxed paper over the top and cover with a damp towel. each time you take off a sheet of dough and place it into the pan, replace the top layer of waxed paper and the damp towel.

if you follow these instructions, everything will turn out just fine.