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!
Continue reading Pomegranate Jelly
The 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.
Continue reading Greek Souvlaki (Not Shish Kebob!)
Roasts 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.
Continue reading Beer Braised Pork Loin Roast
A 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.
Continue reading Kalamata-Style Home Cured Olives
I 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.
Continue reading Avgolemono Soup (Greek Egg & Lemon Chicken Soup)
I 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”.
Continue reading Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
Traditionally in Greece, lamb is more of a spring-time thing. But with the invention of these nifty things called refrigerators, freezers, and mass world wide transit, things like lamb are available year round. Good for me, because lamb is one of my favorites. Continue reading Greek Lamb Stew
If you live in a part of the world that doesn’t get snow (jealous?!), most of the growing advice for cool weather crops won’t work for you. Trust me, I’ve tried following the seed packet instructions, only to get nothing. Zip. Zero.
Continue reading Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)
Those shiny, round, and bright red tomatoes at the store are lying to you. As you pass by them they whisper to you about how good they will be. Don’t fall for their tricks. You know that they will be dry and flavorless, because it’s not the right season. Continue reading Greek-Style Roasted Winter Vegetables
They are humble, plain, and sometimes less-than-attractive when cooked, but humans have been cultivating and consuming legumes for thousands of years. In fact peas and lentils have been used in Greek cooking since ancient times. You don’t get a much better example of “withstanding the tests of time” than that.
Continue reading Split Pea and Lentil Soup
Mostly Greek 