Skip to content

Search for:

Living a Village-ish Life in Suburban California

Home
Our “Village” Life
Recipes
Gardening
Contact

herb gardens

Laurus nobilis (Grecian Laurel or Sweet Bay)

Posted on August 3, 2018September 25, 2019 by Dorie

20180802_105840 You know, a recipe typically calls for 1 to 2 bay leaves. Then you do another dish, and another. Those leaves start to add up. They aren’t cheap. Growing your own is.

Continue reading Laurus nobilis (Grecian Laurel or Sweet Bay)

Advertisement

Share this:

Tweet
Print
Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Posted in Drought Tolerant, Gardening, Herbs, The Plants We Grow, UncategorizedTagged Gardening, greek cooking, greek food, herb gardens, mediterranean cooking, organic gardening11 Comments

Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum var.)

Posted on November 16, 2017September 29, 2019 by Dorie

20171027_084830 Purple pesto, anyone? Deep purple color, sprays of pink flowers, amazing basil taste. It’s kind of nice when nature wraps up all the best features into a single plant. This basil makes a stunning addition to any salad and turned my basil jelly a lovely garnet hue.

Continue reading Purple Basil (Ocimum basilicum var.)

Share this:

Tweet
Print
Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Posted in Gardening, Herbs, The Plants We Grow, UncategorizedTagged Gardening, greek food, herb gardens, preserves, urban homesteading6 Comments

Follow us for more fun!

Pinterest
Instagram
Facebook

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!

Search for:

Email Address:

What’s popular today?

Latest Instagram Posts

I think the stars have aligned in my universe because it turns out today is International Donut Day, and I just so happen to have everything I need to make these quick and easy "loukamades", the Greek version of donuts. I put the name in quotations because this is a shamefully easy version of this wonderful Greek dessert. Loukamades are traditionally made with a yeasted dough that is fried to a crisp golden brown, then drenched in honey syrup, and sprinkled with cinnamon and chopped walnuts. This version takes a huge shortcut that saves a great deal of time but still gives a delicious end product. Head on over for the recipe so you can enjoy these tasty treats, too!

Each year, I await my cabbage harvest with eager anticipation because cabbage rolls. That's really all that needs to be said, don't you think? And if you have a little bit of patience, you could follow my process for fermented cabbage heads and have the most AMAZING rolls, ever! Even if you don't, this recipe will be sure to please. Here cabbage leaves are rolled around a meat and rice filling flavored with herbs, then topped with a generous amount of tangy avgolemono sauce (Greek lemon and egg sauce). There are so many wonderful flavors all on one plate here, you won't want to pass this recipe up! Come on over for a visit to get it!

Do you ever do things that you later wonder where you thought you were going with that idea? That's where I'm at right now.

I'm a huge fan of leafy greens, but one of the problems with them is that they shrivel down to almost nothing when they are cooked. But that won't be a problem with this pasta recipe! Here, spinach is mixed with tomatoes and a simple array of seasonings to make a great tasting (and very healthy!) pasta sauce for a hearty meal you'll crave any time. It's such a quick meal to prepare, so come on over for the recipe!

If you're ever in Greece and you see people off to the side of the road pulling "weeds" and tossing them into bags, the smart thing to do would be to join them. Chances are good that what they're really doing is harvesting "horta", or greens for eating. What type depends on what's available, but frequently things like dandelion, chicory, amaranth, spinach, or chard are often the most sought after. All are simply prepared and dressed with the ubiquitous mixture of lemon juice and olive oil. A simple meal, but full of flavor and a bounty of nutrients. Now is the time when many of these "weeds" are in abundance and at their best flavor. I have a simple recipe for getting the most out of this rustic dish, so come on over for a visit!

Today's harvest included lots of marjoram (a relative of oregano), winter savory, Greek oregano, another tray full of strawberries, and the last of the blood oranges. Not a bad morning!

During each of the major holiday seasons, I'll take advantage of any sales on the typical foods to be stored away for later enjoyment. For many, ham is the traditional meat served at Easter, and after the holiday has passed, there's often sales on those that didn'tget purchased. Personally, I'll never trade lamb for ham for my Pascha feast, but I do still like a good ham. One very easy way to enjoy it is in this simply prepared pasta dish made with chunks of ham and tasty green peas. All that's needed is a little seasoning and dinner is served! You can treat this as an all-in-one meal or add so.e additional veggies on the side. A sprinkling of parmesan or crumbled feta makes it even better! The very easy recipe is up on my blog so come on over for a visit!

The grape leaves on our vines are starting to leaf out nicely, so now my thoughts are turning to these tasty treats. These are dolmades, grapes leaves rolled around a tasty savory filling, cooked to perfection, then slathered in a rich and creamy sauce made from whipped eggs and lemon juice. Each one is a delicious mouthful! They look harder to make than they really are, and it's easy to make a lot then freeze them for later enjoyment. I have all the tips you need along with the recipe for making these, so come on over for a visit!

Archives

Blog at WordPress.com.

Follow Following
- Mostly Greek
- Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.

Loading Comments...

Write a Comment...

Email

Name

Website

%d bloggers like this: