I'm going to make baklava today. Never made it before. My recipe
calls for "1 recipe simple syrup". I'm wondering if I should use a 1
or 2 water-sugar ratio for this purpose??

And while I'm at it, anyone have a tried and true recipe for baklava?
Tried and true by *you* that is! Mine calls for the filo to be rolled
"jelly roll fashion". I've always seen baklava in diamond shapes
which I assume means it was baked in a rectangular or square pan, none
of this rolling stuff. And can it be frozen? Pre or post baking??

Any advice appreciated!

many thanks, blessings to all,
Jonquil

Here's my favorite lentil soup recipe. Feeds a small army :-)

6 slices bacon, diced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
1 cup diced ham
2 cups lentils, sorted, washed and drained
5 cups water
1 medium celery stalk, with leaves, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt, pepper to taste
1 can (1 pound) tomatoes, undrained
4 cups tomato juice
1 pound turkey kielbasa sausage, diced
4 tablepoons (or more to taste) cider vinegar
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley


Fry bacon in a stockpot and add the onions, carrots and ham. Saute for
5 minutes. Add the lentils, water, celery, thyme, salt, and pepper,
and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook slowly, covered, about 30
minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are
soft. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice, and diced sausage. Cook another
10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and remove from the stove. Serve
sprinkled with parsley. Serves 8-10

*Note: I usually thin this quite a bit with either more tomato juice,
water, or both

variation: add 1 cup small pasta pieces (mini shells, etc)