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Living a Village-ish Life in Suburban California

Tag: pollinators

“Everett’s Choice” California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum var. latifolium)

August 23, 2020 by Mostly Greek (Dorie)

Columbine Flower (Aquilegia spp.)

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 by Mostly Greek (Dorie)

Narrow Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)

May 3, 2019May 3, 2019 by Mostly Greek (Dorie)

Lithodora diffusa

April 12, 2019April 11, 2019 by Mostly Greek (Dorie)

Caryopteris x clandonensis “Dark Knight”

September 20, 2018September 25, 2019 by Mostly Greek (Dorie)

Imposters!

September 14, 2018September 25, 2019 by Mostly Greek (Dorie)

Room for Rent, Cheap!

April 16, 2018January 28, 2019 by Mostly Greek (Dorie)

Gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri)

November 7, 2017September 29, 2019 by Mostly Greek (Dorie)

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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"Do you smell it? That smell. A kind of smelly smell. The smelly smell that smells... smelly." ΤΤΣΙΚΝΟΠΈΜΠΤΗ!!! (* winks and nods at fellow Spongebob fans *). Today in Greece it is Tsiknopempti (tseek-noh-PEMP-tee), or in a very badly translated way: smelly Thursday. But instead of smelling a busload of anchovies, it's the aroma of meat roasting over wood fire grills, and they will be found on every street corner and in between today. For those of us in the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith, our Lenten season leading up to Pascha (Easter) is drawing near. This means a lengthy period of fasting from animal products is on the horizon. This also means that the time to indulge is NOW. The most common food that will be consumed today will be souvlaki, usually made from pork seasoned with lemon, garlic and Greek oregano. The aroma is smelly, but in the most heavenly way! Do I have a recipe for this? But of course I do! So come on over, the grill is getting fired up, and be sure to tag a friend and to share!

Seafood and Greece are essentially synonymous terms. With so many miles of shoreline and countless mountain lakes and streams, it's really no surprise that fish and shellfish are such common staples found on a Greek table. Often they are simply prepared with a hefty drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Sometimes they are given a nice "bath" in a tangy, seasoned tomato sauce, like this pasta dish here. It's so simple to prepare, but not shy on flavor, and it's a perfect protein rich dish to serve during our soon-to-arrive Lenten season. Feel free to stop by for a virtual visit to get the recipe! Be sure to tag a friend and to share!

Καλό μήνα! Wishing all of you a good month for March! Spring is starting to sproing here and things are beginning to look better with each and every day. These are apricot blossoms (white flowers) and nectarine (pink). It will still be a while before I get to enjoy any of these fruits, but if there's one thing that gardening has taught me is that life goes at it's own pace, not mine. What can you do? Just kick back and enjoy the show!

There's something about Saturday breakfasts that set them apart from other meals throughout the week. Maybe it's because this is the one morning that most of us have a chance to relax and actually enjoy the start of the day, without all the typical hustle and bustle of the rest of the week. Our weekends are usually busy, too, but there's still more freedom to slow down a bit and prepare an actual meal. This frittata packs a ton of flavor and hearty goodness in each bite with smokey bacon, creamy feta (assuming those tik-tok fans haven't bought it all🤣), and tangy-sweet tomatoes. And yet, it's not a complicated dish to put together. It's supposed to be a relaxed day, right? Of course I have a recipe for you, all you have to do is come on over for a visit! Have a cup of coffee while you're at it, and feel free to tag a friend and to share!

Looking forward to fresh peas in the near future! I've already nibbled on a few already and oh my, they are some good ones this year. Very sweet! Here's a garden tip for you, freeze your peas right away if you aren't going to eat them immediately. The sugars in peas are rapidly converted into starches after they are harvested. It's not bad, but your peas will not be as sweet and tasty as they would otherwise be. Freezing halts that process. This is why you'll seldom see peas sold fresh! Also, has anyone ever seen purple flowers on their garden peas before? This is a first for me! Very pretty!

One of the downsides of working from home during this time has been the very accessible pantry and refrigerator. Despite the fact that we generally don't have a lot of junk food at home, snacking has become a bit of an art form for us. The best way to head it off is to have easy to prepare foods that will satisfy long enough to reduce the snacking temptation. These cinnamon raisin rolls are made with a lightly sweetened sourdough, and as a result are packed with flavor. A little warm up and a pat of butter or cream cheese make it a perfect and quick make-ahead meal to keep you going and help stifle the need for snacking. The recipe is ready for you so come on over for a visit!

We have a rather cruel tradition here in the United States. Shortly after the holiday feasts when the last thing our sugar drenched bodies need is *more* sugar, these cute little girls sucker people into buying lots of cookies, and all to support a good cause. They are Girl Scouts, and they and their cookies are irresistible. So we (really me) buy a lot, thinking they will last (they don't), and then those cute little girls are nowhere to be found until the following year. It's a little frustrating. So this means making my own. Yes, I know I could buy some others, but the store bought are simply not as good as my own. Especially these white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. They are good. A little too good. And now they get to be yours to make, too. Buttery, crisp on the edges, nutty, gooey melted chocolate... time for some tea and cookies! Come on over for a visit to get the recipe and feel free to tag a friend and to share!

My family has often joked that we eat enough chicken to be able to sprout feathers. I think they are exaggerating myself, but to be fair, we do eat it fairly often. Chicken is easy and so versatile, so why not? This recipe went over really well, with a ginger and green onion sauce fortified with lots of garlic. It has a flavor inspired by teriyaki sauce, and left us with loads of flavorful broth perfect for spooning over a side of rice. It was also incredibly easy to put together, which is a requirement for my weekday cooking. The recipe is ready for you, so come on over for a virtual dinner!

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