[Jump to Recipe] These pumpkin bars are so easy to make and can be made with gluten free flour or regular all purpose flour (if you don’t have gluten sensitivities). They are dense, moist, and just delicious with their yummy cream cheese frosting. Other than having to by gluten-free flour, all the other ingredients are usually gluten free without having to buy anything special, but make sure you check the ingredients anyway, just in case. I first tried the non-gluten free version at a pig roast about 10 years ago, a friend of my in-laws had brought them and they were so delicious that I aske ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] I always have to have sweet potato and cranberries represented on my thanksgiving dinner table, usually in the form of the traditional cranberry sauce, and baked sweet potatoes with an orange honey syrup…but, I have come to realize that not everyone enjoys these two staples in their traditional way so I created this bread to represent both these items in one recipe . This bread is a play off of my banana nut bread (original recipe given to me by my sister). It basically uses the same ingredients but substitutes the banana with the sweet potato and 1/2 of the nuts with dried ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] If you are tired of eating too much meat and want a flavorful alternative then try these cauliflower tacos. Not only is it meat free it is also pretty low carb since it uses lettuce to wrap the taco in, instead of shells/tortillas. This saute would also go wonderful over steamed rice and still topped with the cheese, sour cream, and wonderful harissa! Of course, then, it wouldn’t be as low carb anymore but still a wonderful vegetarian/vegan meal. I have to confess, I meant to saute the peppers and onions with the cauliflower but forgot so just used it as garnish, which was gr ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] Its always fun to have a cocktail or mocktail that inspires love by its mere color and beauty. This bloody valentine drink does just that. It’s pretty, and tasty, and is a great addition to your Valentine’s Day themed table. I am making this as a mocktail but if you are in the mood for something stronger than you can add vodka. Rum, bourbon, whisky, or tequila will work too but vodka is a classic with cranberry and orange juice, as in vodka cranberry or a screwdriver, so it pairs well with this drink. A splash of orange liquor can also be added to enhance the orange flavor. Y ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] If you are sensitive to soy, or just don’t like the flavor, then give Burmese tofu a try. I hadn’t even heard of Burmese tofu 3 months ago, so I was excited to find a recipe for tofu that was easy to make AND that didn’t need any special coagulants like food grade gypsum, nigari flakes/liquid, or Epsom salt…and I LOVE chickpeas so this recipe is perfect for me. Not only that, you get a good dose of fiber and protein when eating it. A win-win! You can season the tofu mixture, before cooking, with various spices. I recommend trying the plain version the first time, so you know ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] I made up this concoction to have a non-alcoholic, flavorful red drink for a Super Bowl party. I wanted to make it red, being that it is one of the colors of our home team…the Chiefs (you can also use this as a Valentine’s day drink), and I wanted it non-alcoholic because there were some young people at the party . Well, it turned out to be very tasty and refreshing, so I thought I would share it with you. I didn’t even think it would be so good so I didn’t take any good pictures of the process. I also had some leftover soaking liquid from some alcoholic Pina colada treats t ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] I love making edible items for Valentine’s Day. I have wonderful memories of Valentine craft parties that I would have a week or two before Valentine’s Day, every year, for my youngest daughter and her friends. We’d make cards, frost cupcakes, eat, and play games. Fun times, now she is too old to want to do that . Not sure why, cause I still would love to do it . I use heart shaped cookie cutters since this is for Valentine’s Day but you can use any shape (a football for a Super Bowl party, perhaps?), or just cut squares, or other shapes, using a knife. Also, you want one o ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables. Preparing them like a stew, with potatoes, carrots, peas, onions, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil makes them even better. The first time I had this dish was in Greece (after all, it is a Greek dish ), my aunt Popi made it and I remember thinking that this was one of the most delicious and light dishes I have eaten. This recipe is my take on the famous recipe originally introduced by Nicholas Tselemendes, considered the most popular Greek chef of the twentieth century, who took the original recipe, which was made up of only art ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] Saganaki is a Greek dish that is prepared in a small frying pan with two handles. This process is best known using floured semi-hard cheese and frying it in olive oil (or butter). Traditionally, in Greece you fry up the cheese and serve it with lemon, although at some point restaurant owners started lighting it up with a shot of brandy or ouzo and yelled “OPA” and extinguished it with a squirt of lemon juice. It definitely brings up the “Kefi”, which means fun, doing it this way . The cheeses usually used for saganaki are graviera, kefalograviera, kasseri, and kefalotyri, bu ..read more

[Jump to Recipe] Do you like lamb? I am Greek so I grew up eating lamb a lot, especially during Orthodox Easter, and LOVE it no matter the cut or preparation. If you are skeptical about eating lamb, or have tried it once and didn’t like it, give this recipe a try. Lamb rib chops are personally my favorite cut so the recipe uses them, but you can also use lamb loin chops if you can’t find ribs. They grill crispy on the edges, moist in the middle, and have a wonderful flavor from the marinade that I use. If you ever go to Greece then you definitely should give lamb chops (pieethakia arnisiou) a ..read more