vegetable samosas

It was about time I tasted Indian food. Everyone has been talking about it, how yummy it is, the rich taste it has…. but me. And I had to wait until my dear friend Shradha flew over from New Delhi, with a suitcase full of spices and strange things like coconut milk (desperately trying to find it in Greece, ever since I tried Shradha’s curry chicken), to try the most famous Indian snack – samosas. So, Shradha tells me samosas are this great snack, that everybody eats, but apparently nobody makes! They just have it when they go out. And being the great cook that I am, and Shradha being the fearless chef that she is, we decided to roll up our sleeves and dig deep into the world of aniseed dough and potato filling. Oh, how glad I am we did! Seriously: me & samosas had a love affair. And I am planning on keeping it. Forever. It might seem a bit hard, and well… it is kind of time consuming, but you really have to try it. If you are too lazy, you can always hire me as a chef, and I will make tons of samosas for you! Enjoy xx* 

mocha cake

OKAY, BY NOW I AM SO PREDICTABLE, EVEN I AM TIRED OF SAYING WHAT AN EASY RECIPE I HAVE fOR YOU. BUT TO MAKE MY POINT CLEAR, I WILL NOT WRITE DOWN THE RECIPE, YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PICTURES. NO NO…. I AM NOT TOO BORED TO WRITE, I AM JUST MAKING MY POINT HERE! MAKE THIS AND IMPRESS EVERYONE AND PRETEND YOU HAVE PULLED OFF A REALLY DIFFICULT TASK (NO ONE WILL KNOW IT WAS SO EASY TO MAKE THIS).

ENJOY!

birthday cookie cake

A friend once told me that you are not supposed to make your own birthday cake. But since I am an – almost- commited food blogger, and I tend to boast about my sweet tooth and cooking skills, I said I would do it on my own. I know I have talked about super easy recipes before, but this goes beyond easy. I mean the cookies could just place themselves on the plate on their own… I wouldn't be amazed if they did! So, I have to confess I tried this cake 5 years ago. And I tried it again about 3 months. Which lead me to this recipe for my birthday cake. That’s right, I am old. anyways, can you imagine lusting and dreaming about a particular recipe for 5 whole years? Talk about patience! And memory (see? I am not that old). Sorry for the lack of pics, I started playing around with my camera, which ended up in me formatting my memory card. So, I am officially starting illustrations on this blog! Enjoy!

chocolate chip cookies

It’s not like I haven’t cooked anything the past…. 5 months. I have. I made risotto and pizzas and pasta, I also made a trams, which I thought would be a complete failure, but in the end everybody ate… I just didn’t have the right mood, the right pictures or the time I needed. So here I am, once again with these chocolate chip cookies, which was I think the first desert I ever made. I even have numbers next to the list of ingredients, guiding me what to put in my mixing bowl first and what to add later on. That’s right, I was that when I started baking my first cookies. But they are so simple and so tasty. I have to admit, I prefer eating the batter than baking them, but I can hear my mom’s voice instructing me not to eat raw eggs, because I am about to catch a disease that will put me to bed for I don’t know how long! It’s still good. And I don’t blame her, she is not that familiar with the cookie dough movement. Anyways, enough with my talking… start baking people, because these feelgood cookies will keep you company this weekend. And on Monday you can go back to your hectic program and full time workout at the gym… but until then, dig yourselves in a bowl of chocolate chip cookies and enjoy your weekend. Feels good to be back. enjoy. xx* 

lena's shrimp pasta

Oh, it’s been a long summer! I am one of the lucky ones that gets one month off. I know, I know, you wish you were me. Well, I say: you wish you were me eating Lena’s shrimp spaghetti! Simply delicious! A friend of mine from my University days, Lena has always been the one to master the art of cooking, so I had to force her to make something for me when coming at Syros. Here’s what she decided to cook! Enjoy!

greek farmer's pizza

You know what heals? God heals…. and time heals…. and food heals. Since this is a cooking blog, and my garden is looking its best (I have run out of ideas on how to use all these vegetables it is giving me), I said I would pile them all up in a nice and easy pizza. Light and colorful, just like summer should be. I hope you enjoy.

baby shower muffins

I know it’s been a long time since I last paid a visit to my kitchen,but thank God, there’s a lot of work and I have taken upon a new project – imatiothiki! Really really excited about that. But, food is still food, and my sweet tooth finally woke up when my friends and I started planning Maria’s baby shower! What better way to celebrate the arrival of a baby girl, than with muffins filled with cookie dough and cream cheese icing! It may sound too much, but it’s actually super yummy and super easy to make. enjoy! xx*

soft orange cake

I used to think that deserts were all about chocolate… maybe ice cream as well. Oranges no. They were out of the question. Until my mom’s friend brought over her famous soft orange cake and I decided to give it a go. That was it. I am telling you, you haven’t had so much fun with oranges before. It is almost like a cake – pudding, undescibably thick taste, yet fresh in its own orange-y way. So this is officially my farewell to winter and its fruit. From now own I am expecting lighter deserts, a whole bunch of other fruit and products. Bye bye rainy days. enjoy! xx*

mom's strawberry jam

As I promised, here is my mom’s famous strawberry jam. In fact it is really easy and super simple, but I think that is why it is so delicious. Lots of people add lemons or even vanilla to their jams, but not my mom. She wants it clean and simple. And in fact, whenever people taste it, they ask for a jar to take home! I hope you like it, and make the best of the last strawberries of the season! enjoy! xx*

blueberry jam pie

I will not say i have been totally lazy lately. I will instead cover it all up and say I have been extremely busy, wich is partially true. Maybe I have been avoiding the sugar factor all together, because I can hear the waves on the beach and I can almost feel the sun burning my skin… summer is just around the corner. Oh yes, I am being optimistic, despite the bad weather and the rain. So, I suppose you all are in the same mood as I and I recomend the lazyest, but super tasty blueberry jam pie. By the way, in Greek it is called pasta flora, which literally means flora pie (flora is a greek female name). Anyways, coming up, I have my mom making strawberry pie! She is a pro at it and she doesn’t yet know that she will be a guest chef on my blog!  enjoy xx*

oh, the new york cheesecake

 

NOT A RECIPE… JUST SOME FLATTERING COMMENTS ON MAGNOLIA BAKERY‘S CHEESECAKES. ALL KINDS OF THEM. WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE AND PECANS, WITH VANILLA BEANS OR CHOCOLATE COOKIES! THE CUPCAKES, I HAVE TO SAY, WERE A BIT DISAPPOINTING, BUT THE CHEESECAKE MADE UP FOR IT! THEY ALSO OFFER A BOOK WITH THEIR RECIPES, WHICH IS A VERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO ENRICH MY CHEESECAKE EXPERIENCE  OH, YES. I AM IN NEW YORK CITY. EATING. MORE TO COME SOON. XX*