Ingredients

• 1 c Long-grain white rice
• 1 c Plus 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 c Finely chopped yellow onion
• 3 Green onions, including
• green tops, finely chopped 1/4 c Minced fresh parsley
• 2 tb Minced fresh mint
• 1/2 c Pine nuts
• 1 ts Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 ts Ground allspice
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 1/4 ts Freshly ground black pepper
• 16 oz Jar grape leaves

Servings: makes about 50 dolmas Several stems of fresh parsley About 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice About 1 cup homemade chicken stock, canned chicken broth, or water, heated Additional freshly squeezed lemon juice Grated or minced lemon zest for garnish Wash and drain rice. Heat 3 Tbsp of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and saute until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the drained rice, 1/2 cup of the remaining olive oil, green onions, parsley, pine nuts, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Rinse the grape leaves under running cold water to removes as much brine as possible, pat dry, and stack on a plate. Place 1 leaf at a time, shiny side down, on a flat work surface. Cut off and discard the tough stem end. Spoon about 1 Tbsp of the rice mixture in the center near the base of the leaf. Fold the stem end over to cover the filling, fold both side inward lengthwise and then tightly roll leaf toward pointed tip end to form a compact packet. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling. Pour about 2 Tbsp. of the remaining olive oil in the bottom of a large pot and strew with a layer of parsley stems to prevent grape leaves from sticking. Arrange the stuffed leaves, seam side down and almost touching, on top of the parsley, making as many layers as necessary. Drizzle the remaining 5 Tbsp olive oil, the lemon juice, and 1/2 cup stock, broth, or water over the leaves. Top with a heat-resistant plate and weight with a heavy can to keep leaves from unwinding during cooking. Cover the pot, bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook until rice is tender, about 1 hour. During cooking, add a little heated liquid as needed to keep dolmas moist. Remove from the heat and cool in the pot. Sprinkle with lemon juice to taste, garnish with lemon zest, and serve at room temperature.

How to Make Pillow Stuffing

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Louise Harding

Louise Harding holds a B.A. in English language arts and is a licensed teacher. Harding is a professional fiction writer. She is mother to four children, two adopted internationally, and has had small businesses involving sewing and crafting for children and the home. Harding's frugal domestic skills help readers save money around the home.

By Louise Harding, eHow Contributor

Pillow stuffing doesn't always have to be purchased in the store. Decorative pillows in particular can be stuffed with a variety of recycled materials enabling the crafter to both create a beautiful project and to recycle materials that might otherwise be thrown away. By utilizing items such as an old mattress sponge or craft sponge remnants, or by cutting fabric strips and scraps into small pieces, the crafter can make pillow stuffing in a very economical way for pillow projects. Does this Spark an idea?Types of Pillow StuffingWritten by Kathleen Sypolt

Photo: bedroom image by Ni Chun from Fotolia.com

Photo: bedroom image by Ni Chun from Fotolia.com

The key to a good night's sleep is a comfortable pillow. Many styles of pillows exist, to fit a variety of preferences. Pillow stuffing is made from an array of materials at a wide range of costs. Because the position of your head, neck and shoulders greatly impacts your quality of sleep, however, finding the perfect pillow filling for you is a must.