Hoda and Kathie Lee: Fave holiday recipes

Put ingredients in a blender and blend with liquid from the chickpeas until the mixture is a creamy dip consistency. Serve with pita bread cut into triangles.

For filling:
Mix nuts with sugar. Add butter and water (filling should be moist not dry).

For syrup:
Mix ingredients and heat just till sugar melts and let cool in the refrigerator.

For assembly:
Melt 4 sticks of unsalted butter.

Unfold packages of fillo dough sheets. Brush 9x13 pan with butter.

Take 3 to 4 sheets of fillo dough at a time, put in the 9x13 pan and brush with butter. After you've brushed approximately 12 sheets with butter, spread half of the walnut filling and continue adding more fillo dough sheets, then spread the remaining walnut filling. Make sure to leave enough sheets to cover the last walnut filling and to brush with butter every 3 to 4 sheets. Drizzle the remaining butter on top.

Cut in diamond shape (don't cut all the way through).

Bake in pre-heated 325 oven for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Add cool syrup and complete the diamond shape cutting-remove from pan immediately.