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Living a Village-ish Life in Suburban California

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Posted on November 6, 2017December 5, 2017 by Mostly Greek: "Living a Village-ish Life in Suburban California"

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Welcome to Mostly-Greek! I’m Dorie, a Greek mom and yiayia (grandma) living the suburban life with my family in the heart of California like it’s a Greek village!

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I have a solution to your garden weed problems: eat them. Well, some of them, at least! This one is not only edible (generally considered a better option than those that aren't 😉), but it's also considered a nutritional powerhouse as well as being tasty. This is purslane, in Greek γλιστρίδα (glee-STREE-thah) and it will grow quiite easily in a variety of areas, hence it's status as a weed. It has a slightly tart and lemony flavor that pairs well with summer-ripe tomatoes and creamy feta cheese. It's perfect for a light and healthy salad, and you might just have some growing in your garden right now! I have some tips on how to identify and harvest this delicious weed, so come on over and let's pull some weeds together!

I have only two more days of freedom left before another school year begins. This is always a bittersweet time for us. In the meantime, I'm still enjoying daily doses of fresh figs, and drying the extras for later consumption when the hot days of summer have faded away. Growing figs is pretty easy, even in colder climates. Check out my post about growing these classic Mediterranean treats!

Now is not oven season. At least not if it isn't necessary. Though today isn't horrible temperature-wise, there's still no need to heat up the house by running the oven excessively. It's a good thing this slice-of-chocolate-heaven dessert doesn't need to be baked! This is μωσαϊκό (mosaic), a chocolate confection studded with chopped walnuts and bits of cookies. It's a decadent treat that gets chilled in the fridge and takes 15 minutes to make (seriously, the best part!). We love having a slice... or maybe two... with our morning coffee or afternoon frappé. It's also a great dessert for making ahead or saving in the freezer for later. The recipe is waiting so come on over for a treat you won't want to miss out on!

Holy jeepus, it is hot out there, and there aren't a whole lot of options for staying cool aside from lying on the floor with fans and AC running. Do you know how uncomfortable floors are?? I propose an alternative, something cool and actually enjoyable. Popsicles. Popsicles are an excellent choice. And these are even more excellent, because they are made with real fruit and dairy. Life is too short for sub-par ingredients, you know? This is actually a sherbet, a frozen treat that combines fruit with milk. Not as overly sweet as sorbet, nor as heavy as ice cream. In short the perfect middle ground. These are made with fresh blackberries, slightly tart limes, and creamy whole milk. There's just enough sugar to make it all pop, and yes, you can also make it in scoope-able form with an ice cream maker if you so choose. So come on over for the recipe and let's kick back with a nice cold treat to beat the heat!

We have returned from our travels through the Pacific North West and have come home to a garden full of fruits and veggies needing to be dealt with, and quickly. Unfortunately (but seriously, unsurprisingly) we not only brought home a few souvenirs, but also the latest and greatest version of that disease going around. Thankfully we are doing well enough, and I'm actually semi-functional. But for now, easy is the way to go. We are currently bringing in lots of summer squash and eggplant. There's far more than what we can use right now, so much will go into the freezer and the dehydrator for later use. This year I'm experimenting with drying eggplant slices for making moussaka, the classic Greek casserole made with layers of eggplant and a seasoned meat sauce topped with creamy Bechamel. Yes, it's as decadent as it sounds! I plan to prepare it like usual, but not cook down the meat sauce as much to allow the dried eggplant to absorb the liquid. I think it will work well! I have the recipe for moussaka on my blog, ready for you to try it out, so come on over for a visit, it's been a while!

Greetings from the top of Garfield Peak, elevation 8054 feet, with Crater Lake in the background! We are in and out of service for a bit while taking a road trip through the Pacific North West. This wasn't the original plan for this summer, which was to go to Greece. Ticket costs and delayed passports kind of wrecked that. But in the end, memories are made no matter where you are, and I think we'll have some good ones when all is said and done!

Every so often I need to do a cleanup of the refrigerator to move out veggies before they move on to the afterlife. One of my favorite ways to save them for good use (i.e. us actually eating them) is to make Greek hortosoupa, or veggie soup. It's one of those recipes that's really just a general guide since there's no hard and fast rules on how to make it. The end result is a richly flavored soup filled with goodness perfect for dunking chunks of hearty bread into. This particular batch is pretty big, so it will be divided into batches and put into the freezer for quick and healthy meals that everyone enjoys. By the way, this process makes two things from one! All the scraps from the veggies will get made into broth that will add more flavor to whatever soup, stew, rice, pasta dish I decide to make next. Super score! Come on over for the recipe and the method for making the broth!

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