angel food cake

I was horrified. I had to bake a cake with no egg yolks, no butter, nothing. Angel Food Cake. My first reaction? You have to be supernatural to get it right. Yes, it tasted differently than any cake I have tasted before, but once you get the hang of it, this thins is like meringue getting married to a cake, skipping all the calories and being as soft as foam. It's amazing. It truly, wholeheartedly is. Give it a go. Just so you don't end up wondering what that thing is really all about. 

oatmeal cranberry cookies

When you taste something delicious, you need the recipe. So I had to ask Ioanna of Pasta Flora to share it with me. She has the best recipes to share. 

When life goes bad you need the sugar, so you need to get yourself int he kitchen and bake something for your heart and soul. 

When in doubt bake cookies. And eat them all, until you are full and all you can think of is how full you are and nothing else but that.

When done with the cookies, just pick yourself up and walk. And that's how life goes on. 

kid's white chocolate cake

So things have been rough lately. But I won’t be wining on this post. I will give you a remedy my friend. Despite the reduced salaries, the fights, the disappointments, the frustration, the lack of money for much needed holiday, there is still baking for you. Had you forgotten? Oh, but the smell of the butter coming out of your oven and filling your kitchen, the white chocolate. How long has it been since you last had white chocolate? It helps, I tell you. It slowly runs through your veins and pats you on the back. It’s true. And how about a child’s laughter? Doesn't that help as well? How about baking a white chocolate cake for the kids? Maybe you can even leave the food styling to them. That helps too.

banoffee to get you out of (almost) everything

So, yes I have been a lazy blogger. But I decided to spend my days consuming food – and then hitting the gym and running on the treadmill until I reach the level of almost passing out. After all, I don’t think anyone can say that they prefer being served delicious cakes to being the one that bakes them and cleans up the kitchen afterwards.

Since it’s almost summer, and the temperature is above the levels it should be, I went for a recipe that requires almost no heat, and no baking whatsoever.

I have always been the one to declare that I hate fruit in my desert. I love fruit in general, just not mixed with sugar. That was until I decided to try out a banoffee recipe I found online. You simply must try this. I have become a pro at making banoffees, I make them for birthdays and as a thank you gesture and as a you’re a great friend, have some desert gesture. Banoffee is the desert that takes you out of almost any situation you get yourself into.

Try it out. Forget about the calories. Life is too short to care about calories.

a lazy blogger

i know i have been a lazy blogger. that's about to change. 
till then, here is a list of the 10 most delicious christmas recipes, made by my lovely friend pasta flora.
i took the pictures, i ate the desert, she made the list... and baked the cake.

tomato jam

Summer was long. And my garden is thriving - well, was... tomato season is over and I am stuck with so many of them. I am canning them and will be turning them into great soups to keep me warm when the temperature drops, I am cooking them.... I feel just like Baba on Forrest Gump with this never ending ways of serving shrimps. But, this year I said I would also go with something different for a change. I would turn my tomatoes into jam. That's right tomato jam! Served with cheese or meat balls or even adding it in your salad sounds good enough for me :) I found the recipe through the New Yorker somewhere, somehow. And it's totally worth copying. Enjoy :)

church cake

Every Saturday I go to church. I am Christian, haven’t I told you? Well, we all gather and have some coffee before we get started with singing and studying. This Saturday it was my turn to do the baking. And even though it’s super hot outside, I went for chocolate. It’s for the kids, the kids at the church always love chocolate. I do too. This recipe comes from the long gone years of my childhood. Every single birthday party, mine or a friend’s, had to have that cake in the menu. I think it’s one of the cakes I have baked the most, but for some reason I haven’t shared the recipe with you until now. Yes, I waited until it got 40’C to share with you a chocolate cake recipe. This is what you call a sweet tooth. Hopefully I will produce much more delicious food this month. I know I have left stress free, relaxing and seriously soul healing cooking behind, but it’s about time I changed my schedule and daily routine and baked some more. 

Enjoy! xx*

carrot cake

Did you notice? Spring is here. You cannot concentrate at work and all you can think of is sun bathing with a glass of iced coffee on your hands? Me too. I bought my first bathing suit a couple of days ago. I am already in summer mood. And I can’t wait to buy strawberries and make creamy deserts full of fresh fruits.

But I think we should give winter and its vegetables a proper goodbye before we head on to something lighter. So let’s say our goodbyes with a recipe Pasta Flora shared online of her famous carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I am baking for a large crowd, so I made 1,5 of the recipe. You could even double the portions. It will still taste as good, I promise.

honey chamomile cupcakes

Since it is still cold and spring has forsaken us and since I am going through a major cold / illness with fever and soar throat and menthols and chamomile to soothe my stomach aches, I decided to use my natural medicine to bake something nice. Of course I know that spring will come at some point, and I will be regretting all the junk food eating I have been doing to comfort my grumbling (I am an energetic person. I hate staying in one place for long. Doing nothing does not agree with me.). But till then, I have to pat myself in the back, treat myself to delicious snacks (and then suffer the stomach ache again – my cravings have no end), and just indulge in some remedy – comfort food until my temperature falls back to normal. Oh, and one more thing. I would like take this opportunity to tell you about an amazing greek breakfast blog I have been following called Bread & Tea. I think it is run by an architect from Thessaloniki. Make sure you drop by and say hi.

red velvet cupcakes with green cream cheese frosting

I have been such a lazy blogger! I know… I know… it’s just that we have been getting so much sun here in Greece, which is the antidote to all things that are on the news right now. And imatiothiki has been keeping me so busy, that I barely have time to cook. Oh, no. It’s not that I don’t eat – mind you. I just buy my muffins from Starbucks or local bakeries. But I have friends throwing dinner parties and friends having babies and gatherings to attend, so I decided baking delicious cupcakes is the best thing you can bring to a friend. I found this recipe online and it is the best best best recipe I have ever tried concerning cupcakes and cream cheese frosting, so bake away – there’s still plenty of time to lose that extra baggage till summer arrives. I apologize for the lack of photos on this post. This does not mean that they are any less delicious than the other recipes. Enjoy!

orange greek yoghurt

Okay, I know it is not fair. I have spent the week in Washington D.C. eating amazing Georgetown Cupcakes – I think I tried every taste. I also has lots of my favorite Reese’s, breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien and here I am writing about mixing sugar, orange juice and greek yoghurt. But I promise you, this is the lightest, most refreshing desert you will ever have, and it will give a whole new perspective to your every day yoghurt. This is me, trying to persuade you, to eat healthier. I feel I will explode from all the sugar my body has been getting and the snow outside isn’t giving me any motivation to put an end to this desert-craving-person I have become. Enjoy!

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*