One of the ways to cope with fasting for Lent is snacking and quite often, I’m left with the constant desire for sweets during this challenging time. No dairy, no eggs makes eating desserts almost impossible. Almost. Enter this easy Lenten treat that’s inspired by the Tahinopites of Cyprus. Close family friend and Cypriot-born Helen [...]
From the photo, can you guess what a Portokalopita is? Portokalopita is an Greek compound word translated into “orange pie”. The first time I ever saw this dish was recently at my friend Maria’s blog, “Kali Orexi”. I have never before heard of this dessert, I have never ever eaten a Portokalopita. I was awestruck [...]
Back when my blog was in its infancy and I was still using the Blogger platform, I had participated in many blogging events and one of the more interesting events was where food bloggers would participate in a kind of “Secret Santa“. Participants would draw names from a hat and then send a small amount [...]
Aren’t mom’s the best? Just when I thought my mom showed me all the tricks in her book (brain) of kitchen techniques, she smacks-down this little ditty on the kitchen counter! I’ve seen these in assortment trays from Greek bakeries. I’ve eaten these at Greek festivals. I seen these offered by other cuisines (Middle-Eastern, Lebanese [...]
Today is the eve of the American Thanksgiving and many of you are either traveling or busy prepping for tomorrow’s huge dinner with family and friends. Canadian Thanksgiving occurs in October (fell on Oct12th this year) and one of the dishes I wish to share with you is this homemade pumpkin pie. You have already [...]
Those who have visited Istanbul (Constantinople) will have feasted on the array of eclectic sweet and savory dishes. Back in 2007 during my trip to Greece, I snuck in a side-trip to Istanbul, Turkey for a long weekend. One of the desserts I enjoyed was Kazan Dibi or in Greek…”o πάτος του καζανιοϔ. For those [...]
Here in Greece, trees are planted for their shade as much as they are planted for their fruits. Here at my family’s summer home, we have a pear tree that blocks the late afternoon sun and it also provides us with more than enough pears. Want some pears? Come over….guaranteed to get a full bag! [...]
In the summertime, us Greeks try and beat the heat any way possible. Days are spent at the beach, siestas in the middle of the afternoon and cooking when the home has cooled down or minimizing cooking. During the summer in Greece, meals are prepared the evening before or that morning and simply reheated for [...]
You’ve been asked before and you’ll be asked again…”is there anything better tasting than fried dough”? This delicious treat comes from the island of Cyprus. This predominantly Greek-speaking island lies in the easternmost corner of of the Mediterranean Sea (between Turkey and Lebanon) has a cuisine very similar to mainland Greece but it also possesses [...]
Cooking, food, menu planning is as much about your culinary upbringing as it is about your instincts. Sometimes I’m wrong about a recipe or new riff on a classic. Thank goodness I’m right most of the time. Case in point was this Creme Brulee with Mastic. Although there are some savory applications for mastic, it [...]
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