Happy Birthday .....to the cook!

It is birthday time...for the cook! If I don't cook a cake myself I will most likely be presented with a ready made one from some bakery (usually as delicious as mine..if not better!).
Frequently people dream of large delicious cakes for their own birthday too. As we grow older cakes take a secondary role and some people don't even want a cake or candles.    

My husband, when asked if he wants a cake, will almost always ask for a strawberry cake; his favorite! This year my boy asked for a McQueen cake and got his wish granted. In my case, and I am sure for other people as well, the cake is not the most important element of the celebration. Being around people who love you and cherish you is of out-most importance. Nevertheless, food does play an important role in my life. Consequently, a lemon tart is in order even though I have to prepare it myself. 

You will find my favorite lemon tart recipe under the dessert section. 

Have a try and enjoy the freshness of the lemons :) 

Celebrating asparagus

During the spring months we are blessed with the presence of a wonderful vegetable on our supermarket selves; asparagus!

(picture from worldcommunitycookbook.org) 

Asparagus has been around for a few hundred thousand years. Ancient Greeks and Romans used it in their cooking either fresh or dry. Greeks also discovered some remedy qualities in it. This is not a surprise since it is known for being an excellent source of vitamins A, C and high fiber. It is also a good antioxidant. It cooks fast and could potentially lose its flavor and color unless cooked properly.

Asparagus can be used in cold or warm salads, as a main or side dish, as cocktail food on canapes as well as in soups. I love asparagus because it is a tender, fresh, vitamin-rich, colorful vegetable that cooks easily. I always use it in salads, risotto and grilled. It goes well with many beverages but I prefer a good dry white wine.

I have added a wonderful asparagus risotto recipe in this site.

Enjoy!

McQueen Strawberry cake

I recently decided to try my luck at making a Lightning McQueen strawberry cake for my son's fourth birthday party. I knew how to make a strawberry cake but had no clue as to how to carve a cake and use marzipan. As with everything I do in life, I conducted a research and found a few good options on how to do it; some easier than others. Here is the result of my effort. This cake made one little boy very happy!

Lightning McQueen Strawberry cake



Vegetarian options in Greek cuisine?

I often meet people who are vegetarians and have been left disappointed by the lack of vegetarian options in the Greek cuisine. My immediate reaction is 'no way', 'we have so many wonderful vegetarian dishes'. Having said that I totally understand their point of view. Visit any taverna during the hot summer months and you will find a plethora of grilled meat dishes. There is also a wide range of side dishes and salads on offer which vegetarians usually go for. Of course, one could argue that for the fish-eating vegetarians there is always a great selection of fresh fish. Regardless, it is often true that the 'home-made' dishes on taverna menu lists are limited. So much so that even those dishes are usually meat based.

To name a few, here is a list of wonderful vegetarian dishes you can prepare (some of these can be found in Greek restaurants but often could include meat). You can find some of these dishes in my blog.

Fasolakia (Greek beans in tomato sauce_some include chicken but I cook it without)
Bizelia (or 'arakas'/ Green peas)
Fakes (Lentil soup)
Psarosoupa (Fish soup)
Fasolia gigantes (Butter beans in tomato sauce)
Spanakorizo (spinach and rise in egg-lemon sauce_some might include pieces of meat)
Revithia (chickpeas)
Piperies gemistes (stuffed peppers_ many add minced beef but in my family we did it without)
Tiropita (cheese pie)
Spanakopita (spinach pie)
Prasopita (leek pie)
...
and many more :)