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Living a Village-ish Life in Suburban California

Tag: vinegar

Balsamic Vinaigrette

January 16, 2018September 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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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!

Happy Friday! When the almonds start to bloom you know that spring has officially arrived in Central California, regardless of the alignment of the planet in its orbit around the sun or the predictions of a large rodent. The flower buds on our tree began to pop like popcorn about a week ago. At first there were only a few, and then I blinked and the whole tree burst into bloom. Right now it's humming with the sound of buzy little bees just clamoring for nectar. I know I seriously ticked off our resident hummingbird because it dove at me right next to my head!🤣 I hope your weekend ahead is a good one!

We all know that summer gardens bring a bounty of delicious produce, just begging to be stuffed with a savory filling and roasted to perfection. Ruby red tomatoes, deep purple eggplants, multi-hued bell peppers and tender green zucchini are all perfect candidates for this annual feast. But I say why stop at summer's end? Winter squashes all come with a convenient cavity perfect for stuffing, too! Their bright orange flesh softens as they bake, and pairs well with all sorts of fillings, like this seasoned lentil and rice mix. It's a hearty, yet not heavy, all-in-one meal and since it is meatless it's also a perfect option for the upcoming Lenten period for Pascha (Easter). The prep is easy, and you get a chance to kick your feet up and relax while it bakes in the oven! So come on over for a visit and to get the recipe and feel free to tag a friend and to share!

Chances are good that if you were not raised in a traditional Greek home, you've likely never heard of nor had this cookie. This is moustokouloura, yes a nice mouthful, in more ways than one! It is a lightly sweetened treat made with grape molasses called petimezi, again something you may not have heard of before. Petimezi is made by neutralizing the acidity of grape must with something like wood ashes then filtering and boiling down the leftover juice until it is a thick syrup, similar in consistency to molasses. The syrup is shelf stable, and was used as a sweetener long before there was refined sugar. It is also the key ingredient in these cookies. The cookies are also appropriate for Lent, since they have no eggs nor dairy. This all works out very well, since the grape Harvest is usually in the fall and shortly after would be the lenten period for Christmas and then Easter after that. Personally, I like eating these anytime of the year! Petimezi may not be easy to find, but there are other more readily available ingredients you can easily substitute for it. And of course, I have all the information you need in the recipe on my blog! So come on over for a visit, and let's have ourselves some tea and cookies for an afternoon treat!

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