I own a copy of the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

I’ve eaten countless times at the Greek restaurant — Center City Bistro — on Commerce Street.

And I think I know someone who has been to Greece.

But I’ve never attempted to be or do anything so Greek as cooking traditional dishes — until this weekend.

I had my first taste of baklava in the fifth grade. My class was studying the Ottomon Empire. An exhibit focused on the artifacts from 1299 to 1923 of the ruling class in present day Turkey.

And, as we learned, those folks liked baklava.

But I didn’t.

My picky fifth-grade taste buds thought the layered pastry was too flaky and had too many nuts.

I think I probably took one bite and called it a day.

My second go round with baklava was here in Natchez at Center City. The owner, Peter, talked my date and I into some one night. He served it with a little ice cream, I think. This time, I liked it better.

But it wasn’t until Saturday night that I liked it best.

We found a recipe online, and followed it to the best of our ability. Don’t ask me why making baklava became the thing to do. It wasn’t my idea.

I’m glad we made it, even though baking a cake would have been much easier.

Baklava consists mainly of filo (also phyllo) dough. Sheet after sheet of it, to be exact.

Natchez Market carries the thin, flaky strips of dough in the frozen foods aisle.

Once the dough thaws, you begin lining it sheet by very thin sheet in a baking pan.

Here’s the basic recipe we used, though we altered the proportions a bit. This recipe is adapted from about.com.

Ingredients

1 pound butter, melted

1 pound filo dough sheets

1.5 pounds (24 ounces) chopped almonds

1 pound shelled walnuts

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Thaw the filo before starting. Melt the butter.

Chop together the walnuts and almonds, and mix together with the cinnamon and sugar.

Brush the pan with the melted butter. Separate a sheet of the thawed filo. Lay a sheet in the bottom of the pan. Brush it with butter. Fold it over if necessary to fit in the pan. Do this until you have about 10-12 layers.

Then put a layer of the nuts and spices mixture on top of the pile of filo, cover with another sheet of filo and continue to top with about an equal amount of the filo sheets as you used for the bottom. If you’re a little short or a little over, don’t worry about it. Be sure each sheet is brushed with butter.

Cut the baklava into pieces. Bake at 350 for about an 20 minutes or until evenly browned on top.

Then, make the syrup:

2 cups honey

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Simmer together the syrup ingredients for 10 minutes and strain. It boils quickly, so keep a close eye.

When the baklava cools a bit, pour on the syrup.

Then, you are ready for sugary goodness. It’s a rich dessert, so don’t make it if you are on a diet.

I’m much happier with baklava now than I was in the fifth grade. And the extra work was worth the new kitchen experience.

I doubt a little baklava is going to turn me Greek. I’ll likely continue to avoid the lamb and opt for pasta at Greek restaurants.

But it’s nice to know there’s at least a little international in me.

Julie Finley is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com.