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Living a Village-ish Life in Suburban California

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Soups & Stews

Whether it is simmering pots filled with fresh vegetables, hearty stews with tender meat, or classics from this side of the Atlantic, there is something for everyone.

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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 fully realize that some of you are still dealing with winter, or at least what I would consider winter. You're probably thinking it's normal spring, but you have to remember I'm a Californian and I need a jacket when it drops below 75. 🤣 We're already flirting with triple digits on the thermometer, which means that we're also already harvesting some garden goodies. You may have seen pics of our strawberries, but there's another "crop" coming in that I look forward to... grape leaves! Yes, the leaves, not the grapes. Spring is the best time to get the tastiest and most tender leaves for making dolmades with. We'll save enough leaves to last the year so that we can have these tasty treats anytime. Harvesting and preparing the leaves is easy, so if you have access to grape vines, you'll want to come on over to find out how to do this yourself!

There are times when dinner just needs to be assembled. Like, you're tired, it's been a long day, but you just can't get yourself to the point of ordering pizza (again) kind of tired. This Southwest inspired soup fits the bill quite nicely. It's made from a few canned staples and frozen veggies, but trust me, it's nothing that's going to make you question your life choices. In fact, if you're using quality ingredients, it's actually healthy as well as delicious! It's made with beans, corn, and tomatoes, along with some seasonings and other items you likely have in your pantry. Make it indulgent by topping with a little cheese and sour cream if you so desire. Dinner will be served with minimal effort and time, and everyone will be happy. So come on over, dinner will be ready soon!

My dad is fond of saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I share this fun family tidbit with you because I really had intended to post this recipe for pomegranate jam quite a while ago. You know. When pomegranates were still in season here. But clearly I didn't. I debated about waiting until next season when it dawned on me that I was thinking soooo northern hemisphere. Ahem, there's a whole other half of the world that is just about to enter into pomegranate season and maybe, just maybe, they have pomegranates, too. I bet they do, and "they" could very well be you. So here you go, a super easy, seriously delicious recipe for pomegranate jam. No, not jelly. We're getting the most bang for our buck and using as much of those garnet hued treats as possible to make this, and you won't be sorry you did!

Strawberry season is in full swing here, and I'm all for it! They are so delicious eaten fresh, but let's face it, they sure taste awesome with a little aded sweetness! When you add in some velvety cream and luscious vanilla, you have a treat that is truly divine. This ice cream is all of that combined. The base is a rich vanilla cream with a generous helping of sweet strawberry jam made from fresh berries swirled in. It's so refreshing, not grossly sweet or overly fatty like so many desserts can be. Don't worry if you don't have an ice cream maker, this recipe can be made into ice cream bars, too! Yay!! So come on over for the recipe, it's ice cream time!!

I have been making jams and jellies for nearly 30 years now. There was a lot of learning I had to do in order to finally get to a point where I could whip up a few jars in no time at all. Even on a worknight (though generally not my preferred time!). I realized that as I have been putting together and posting recipes for these preserves, that I was getting rather repetitive in my instructions because I wanted to make sure someone else could make them successfully even with limited or no experience. Hey, we all start somewhere, right? So I've put together a post that goes over all the basics you would need to get going if you'd never made jams and jellies before, or have not had great results with the process in the past. Hopefully this will inspire you to make your own sweet treats! So come on over for a visit, it's jelly time!!

Have you tried growing strawberries before? It's pretty darned easy, and eventually you find yourself with more than you'll know what to do with. Okay, that's a lie. There can never be too many strawberries! 😂 We have so many spread all over, but I'm not complaining! Aside from what we eat fresh, a lot will get blended with other fruits from our garden and turned into yummy fruit rolls or frozen fruit pops (my kids absolute favorite). I plan on putting together some new recipes for preserves and desserts to share with you soon. Please share in the comments some of your favorite ways to enjoy strawberries!

One of the great things about being a part of a multi-generational community is the opportunity it provides to mingle with those whose life experiences go further back than mine. I love hearing their stories and learning from them. This recipe was inspired by a dish made by a wonderfully spunky lady at my church who was a regular in the kitchen putting together delicious meals for our various functions. She has since passed on, but I get to relive those fun memories of her every time I make this chicken recipe. It's full of so much flavor from generous amounts of garlic and Greek pepperoncini peppers, and a delightful broth forms that just begs to be ladled over pasta with a hefty sprinkling of grated mizithra or parmesan cheese (or both!). This will become a favorite, so come on over for the recipe!

It's a great day when I find a plant for my garden that can carry out multiple "tasks". Whatever I plant needs to be tolerant of our summer's extreme heat as well as mild freezing, it can't be a water hog, and it would be great if it feeds us and the wildlife. Oh yeah, good looks are a plus! 😁 Fortunately, there are many that can do all of this, like this unique variety of oregano. This is Cretan oregano, and as you can tell it's a native of the Greek island, Crete. Each year it puts out a massive array of dainty flower clusters that brings aaaallll the various bees to the yard. The flower explosion goes on for months and this small bush is just humming with happy little pollinators. Unlike many types of oregano, this one is upright and doesn't spread. Oh, and it tastes great! I have information on growing this amazing herb, so come on over and let's take a stroll through the garden together!

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