Pomegranate Jelly

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Nothing quite compares to the stunning beauty of pomegranate seeds.  It is no wonder that Persephone was tempted to eat those offered to her by Hades in the Greek mythological story.  Sadly, just like in the story, pomegranate is only available during a short time of the year.  Hrumph!

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Greek Souvlaki (Not Shish Kebob!)

20180127_23130The best souvlaki I ever had was from a street vendor in my mom’s village in Greece.  I lost track of how many I ate that summer, but I’m sure the guy was amused by this little American girl’s appetite.  The meat was served right off a small wood-fired grill with a chunk of bread stuck on the end of the stick.  I couldn’t get enough of it then, and I still can’t now.

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Beer Braised Pork Loin Roast

20180826_185246Roasts are wonderful for a couple of important reasons: they tend to be cheaper cuts of meat, and they make a lot of food so I get to have leftovers and don’t have to cook every night.

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Homemade Peanut Butter

20180124_0757Okay, you know I can HEAR you rolling your eyes.  Yes, I bother to make my own nut butter for two very good reasons: 1) control of my ingredients, 2) I’m tired of fighting with jars of stiff peanut butter and having the jar win.

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Kalamata-Style Home Cured Olives

20180122_153844A few years ago I was doing some last minute birthday shopping for the Old Man at a local hardware supply store.  Lo and behold, I stumbled across something I knew he would want (like, really want): a Kalamata olive tree.

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Avgolemono Soup (Greek Egg & Lemon Chicken Soup)

20181004_202659rexdfI am home with a sick kid today.  I want him nowhere near me because I hate getting sick (does anyone like it?).  On the other hand, there’s that whole motherly love thing that drives me to want to take care of him.  Is there any better cure-all than chicken soup?  I think not.

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Spinach & Feta Omelets

20180115_065957I will never make it as a short order cook.  I’m not the fastest person in the kitchen, and no where near the neatest (I can hear the Old Man agreeing with the last statement just a little too much).  However, I have learned some tricks along the way to help streamline certain meals so that I can enjoy them the way I want, and I don’t have to get out of my pajamas to go to a restaurant, either.

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Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium)

20171029_144304I didn’t use to pay much attention to chrysanthemums in my earlier days.  They just seemed so “common place” and were always the cheap plants at the nursery.  But at some point I decided that my garden needed that quintessential splash of color in the fall, so I thought “what the heck”.

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Winter Spinach Salad

20180115_162453Sometimes in winter I’ll have the foolish notion that I miss summer.  And why not?  Days filled with eating warm, summer fruit right off the tree, swimming in the pool with the kids, harvesting fresh tomatoes and peppers.  Then I remember the week long stretches of 110+ F heat.  Oh yeah, that’s why I don’t miss summer.

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