Fun @ Girls Night Out

Friday night was Girls Night Out at the Bead Boutique!

I was excited all week to see what the beads I had Jen design looked like!

Of course, I wasn't disappointed!

When the night ended I had created 4 pendants. Erica completed 4 pendants and 4 sets of earrings. 4 cage pendants and a valentine candy necklace...All were too cute. Vickie created the cutest diva like bracelet and necklace to match! Maggie also gets a special surprise for Valentine's Day... A special candy pendant made especially by Grandma Vickie!

Erica learns how to wrap wire to create a pendant!

Vickie show off one of her diva creations!

The following recipe was shared by one of the women attending. The 3 of us thought it was awesome....It will be on my to do list for the next holiday!

Baklava CHEESECAKE

source: athens.com

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce package sugar cookies, finely crumbled

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2teaspoon cinnamon

20 sheets Athens Fillo Dough, thawed

1/4 cup butter, melted

Syrup:

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

To prepare crust:

Combine cookie crumbs and butter with fork. Press crumbs on bottom and up sides of 9" springform pan.To prepare cheesecake, in large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on high speed for about 10 minutes until fluffy. Add lemon juice, vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Beat until smooth. Pour into springform pan.To prepare baklava, combine walnuts, sugar, butter and cinnamon in bowl and mix until crumbly. To cut fillo sheets into 9" rounds, cut a pattern out of wax paper that is 9" round, and fold in half. Use this pattern to cut through 20 sheets of fillo. Overlap 7 sheets of fillo (using curved edges of fillo to fit along side of pan) to cover the cheesecake filling, buttering each sheet as you lay it into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining walnut mixture over the fillo. Place the remaining 6 fillo sheets over the nut mixture, buttering the sheets.Lightly score into 10 equal sections without cutting all the way to center or outer edge. Bake in preheated 325°F oven for 1 1/2 hours or until golden brown. To make syrup, combine the honey and water together and heat. Spoon warm syrup over cheesecake. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours before slicing.Yield: 10 servings

GENERAL FILLO DOUGH HANDLING DIRECTIONS1. Allow fillo dough to thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature before using.2. Carefully unroll fillo sheets onto a smooth, dry surface.3. Cover fillo completely with plastic wrap, then a damp towel.4. Keep fillo covered until needed. Do not leave uncovered for more than one minute to avoid drying out.5. Microwave butter until melted. This will give you a lighter and flakier pastry.6. Brush each layer of fillo with melted butter, margarine or oil.7. To prevent edges from cracking, brush edges first and then work into center.8. Be sure to brush the last layer of fillo with melted butter.9. Fillings should be chilled and not excessively moist.10. Fillo may be rolled and refrozen to store when not in use.