After four days of explaining Greek pastries to the hundreds of lovely guests who eagerly supported our annual festival, it was a good time to repost one of the recipes. Galaktoboureko was one of the most asked-for desserts and the hardest to pronounce, though it didn’t stop anyone from trying! So what is this strange-sounding pastry? It’s an egg-based custard sandwiched between layers of buttered phyllo. But what sets this apart are two ingredients. Semolina, giving the custard a slightly firmer texture without losing the delicateness you’d expect from a pastry cream. And warm, simple syrup ..read more

Photo by Alexa Speyer I haven’t made this salad in a while, and I forgot that it was one that my family loved. So I decided I would make it this weekend. It’s the perfect, refreshing side dish on a hot, summer day. And since I was preparing it, why not repost it? After all, the recipe is buried deep behind so many blog posts that came after it.  Panzanella salad is a bread salad that is traditionally Italian. But, what can I say? I have to put my own spin on it by Greekifying it. It’s a fusion of sorts—like my family. My husband is Italian so this salad honors both of our culinary culture ..read more

Food has been on my mind, with Greek Easter approaching one week after Western Easter. Mainly because I’ve been preparing pastitsio, spanakopita, and tiropita. And then there are the baked goods like koulourakia and the traditional Easter bread, tsoureki. My strongest memory, food-wise, this time of year, is the smell of leg of lamb roasting in the oven, and the mouthwatering aroma of garlic permeating throughout the entire house, making my stomach growl. No, we were not that Greek family that roasted a whole lamb on a spit outdoors. Sorry, all you brave foodies, but I can’t do it. I just can ..read more

If you’ve read my books, then you know I insert recipes between some of the chapters. But this is the first cocktail I’ve added. I love anything cherry-flavored. Visinatha is like a cherry preserve. It can also be purchased as a syrup. My mother and Yiayiá would stir a few tablespoons of this confection into a glass of cold water and give it to me as a treat. The real treat was getting to the bottom and fishing out the cherries. In my latest release, Love is Worth Fighting for, Krystina discovers the visinatha martini in Athens and has one too many! Krystina’s Vyssinatha Martini &n ..read more

I can hardly believe that I’m about to release my sixth novel. As many of you know, in each of my books I slip a few recipes in between some of the chapters. Each one correlates to the storyline or characters in some way. Doing this also serves to help the reader better understand foods they might not be familiar with.  Many of these recipes were handed down to me by my mother, grandmother, or close family friends. Others, like for example, the chick pea spread, were created by me. Portokalopita is a refreshing orange pie or cake, depending on the baking pan used. The texture is a little ..read more

Here’s a recipe born from laziness and my hate for the cold weather. Laziness, because I didn’t want to go to the supermarket or leave the house. And I didn’t want to leave the house because it was 9°F. I love French onion soup, but I had just made that for dinner several days ago. I rummaged through my freezer and found a package of chuck tender steaks, a cut of meat I had never purchased before. They looked like filet mignon rounds, and I thought I’d give them a try. I had grilled a couple of the steaks a week earlier, but these more affordable imposters were not nearly as tender as the rea ..read more

I’m not one to cordially welcome the chilly days of autumn, but once I’ve resigned myself that the warmth of summer is truly over, I’ll secretly admit, with a bit coaxing, there is something comforting about cozy blankets and blazing fireplace. Fall is also the time of year when I pivot from salads and grilled foods to roasts and soups. Recently, I tried Carrot ginger soup in a favorite Long Island restaurant. I’ve always shied away from trying it before simply because I’m not a huge fan of ginger. I was afraid the ginger would overpower the carrot, but I was pleasantly pleased to find a perf ..read more

My mother developed this easy-to-make, decadently delicious recipe. I save this for special occasions, although I could gladly devour this weekly. Side with either asparagus or haricot verts to compliment this dish. On March 24th, 2021, my latest novel, Love by Design: Book Two in The Meraki Series, was released. As many of you know, I add recipes between some of the chapters to add a sense of taste and fully immerse the reader into the characters’ world. In the story, this meal was served at what should have been a pleasant evening. Scroll past the recipe for an excerpt of Love by ..read more

Currently, I’m in the final editing stages of my new book, Love by Design, the second book in The Meraki Series. Love is What You Bake of it – Book One revolved around Kally, a café owner with a big, loveable, but meddling family. Now it’s time for her sister, Mia, to find love and career fulfillment.  As always, food plays its own role in the lives of Greek families and my stories. I’m happy to share with you a new recipe to be featured in the upcoming book. Pomegranate Spinach Salad Salad ingredients 6 ounces fresh baby spinach ½ cup pomegranate seeds ¼ cup pine nut ..read more