Baked Greek Chicken with Potatoes - YUM!!!!

Greek Chicken with Potatoes

This recipe has been upgraded and there is a video of it included at the bottom of this post.

Tasting my Sauerkraut

Recently I made healthy, delicious and probiotic-rich sauerkraut at home and today I am giving it the BIG taste test. I remove the lid, weight, and plastic seal and got my big fork ready. It was DELICIOUS!

Since I liked the taste,  I will store it in the refrigerator to stop the fermentation process. It can stay in the refrigerator for several months.

Here is the Youtube video:

Happy fermenting!

Steamed Lobster Rolls

Every time we visit Ogunquit (beautiful place by the sea), Maine, we go to The Lobster Shack at Perkins Cove for lobster rolls. Having a lobster roll using a freshly caught lobster is just heavenly.

Because I didn't want to deal with the death of a live lobster via steam, I bought three large lobster tails from Sally's Market in Newburgh, NY. The tails were already deveined and ready for use.

Since they were frozen, I kept them in the refrigerator for two days to completely defrost them.

I used:

• three lobster tails;
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery;
• 1/2 cup finely diced shallots;
• about 1/2 cup mayonnaise;
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley.

Feel free to use salt and pepper if you would like.

Here is the complete video from my YouTube channel:

Happy cooking!

Making Sauerkraut

I love sauerkraut. I love eating it on sandwiches or as a side dish.

I've created an informative YouTube video showing all the steps to making sauerkraut.

Happy fermenting!

The Mulch Pile: Aerobic vs. Anaerobic

Happy New Year! I wish you health, happiness and lots of gardening for the new year.

So far this year, the weather hasn't been that cold, snowy or rainy so I went to the backyard today to "play" with the mulch piles. I knew the mulch piles needed to be rotated because I've been adding stuff to them and they looked very dry.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, aerobic means living or active, and the word anaerobic means living, active or existing in the absence of free oxygen. Do I have to mention that these are Greek (Hellenic) words? Do I? The prefix "an" of the word anaerobic means "without".

Mulch piles need to be aerated for them to become aerobic. A mulch pile without air becomes anaerobic and this slows down the decomposition process.

Using my pitchfork, I pulled out all of the material and gave it a good toss and every once in a while I added a little hay too. The mixture in some areas was too wet and in most other areas was too dry. I made sure that any clumps of leaves were broken up and everything was nicely mixed up. I found a few larger twigs that I cut into tiny pieces because the materials break down much faster this way. I sprinkled some water and then, using the pitchfork, I tossed everything back. Phew! Done! One down, three more to go.

Once the organic material was in place, I placed a pallet in the front of the opening of the mulch and tied it with a string. The mulch needs three simple things: organic matter, water and air. Too much of any of those three items will slow down the decomposition. I try to turn the mulch about once a month.

In the spring, I will not have to buy any bagged "topsoil" or organic matter from any local garden center. I surround the word topsoil with quotes because it is mostly sand. For the first time this year I am using the Ruth Stout method of gardening. No tilling, no weeding, no watering, just watching the plants grow.

Happy gardening!

Chicken á la Brett Kavanaugh

Brett Kavanaugh is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and he was nominated by President Donald Trump to succeed Anthony Kennedy.

Before his nomination, Professor of Psychology Christine Blasey Ford claimed that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s while the two of them were in high school. Two other women also accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. Kavanaugh denied all three allegations.

The Senate Judiciary Committee invited both Kavanaugh and Ford to provide testimony about the allegation. During Kavanaugh's testimony Kavanaugh talked at length about his drinking habits while growing up in suburban Maryland.

Kavanaugh said:

"I drank beer with my friends, almost everyone did. Sometimes I had too many beers, sometimes others did." The he continued "I liked beer, I still like beer,"

Well, this recipe is inspired by Kavanaugh's love for beer.  Here is the youtube video.

Keep on drinking beer Brett!

Green Beans Cooked in Oil - Fasolakia Ladera - Φασολάκια λαδερά

I created a sweet youtube video for this traditional vegan Greek dish.

Fasolakia Ladera, green beans cooked in oil, is a category of Greek, Hellenic, dishes where vegetables are cooked in lots of olive oil and tomato. Fasolakia Ladera is a main course served with artisan bread and feta cheese.

The list of ingredients is:

• 1 1/4 lb beans with their ends cut,
• three onions,
• three medium potatoes,
• three garlic cloves,
• 1/3 cup olive oil.

I used my brand new Instant Pot for this recipe.

Happy cooking with pressure!

Getting Ready to Make Sauerkraut

Recently we had lunch at Karma Road, a vegan restaurant in New Paltz, NY. The village of New Paltz is best known around the world for its outdoor attractions, and we’ve going there since the late 1970s for a quick bite or to just walk around. Good times! I had a "reuben sandwich" at Karma Road that was just delicious. The sandwich had sauerkraut on it which accented the tempeh very well. I knew I had to make sauerkraut a.s.a.p.

Off to Adams I went to buy a variety of cabbages: green, purple, and savoy. I was thinking about adding one or two thinly shredded carrots, you know for color. Yum! This is exciting!

Sauerkraut is particularly nutritious because it is fermented. Sauerkraut contains probiotics that are beneficial bacteria that act as the first line of defense against toxins and harmful bacteria. They can also improve your digestion and overall health. I'm sold on this already.

Tomorrow mid-early afternoon I will begin the process of making sauerkraut and I'm all ready for this. I have several of one-quart Ball jars, the cabbage, the carrots, and salt. Done!

Happy fermenting and stay tuned for more of this.

Learn Greek Gestures

Do you know what a mountza, μουτζα, is? Here is a quick lesson in Greek gestures. Enjoy!

Happy Greeking!

UPDATE: Buckwheat Bread Recipe - A Gordian Knot!

After six days worth of preparing the dough, I was able to bake one loaf. Phew!

Here is the youtube video.

The next step is to create another post with a video containing the complete recipe.

Vegan Greek Chickpea Soup - Ρεβυθοσουπα

Yes! Finally I got to make this legendary Greek dish. My mom made this often when I lived in Greece and I loved it. It is simple and the taste is amazing. Did I say that it is vegan? This dish can be made leaving the chickpeas whole as I did here, or you can make a smooth version of it by using an immersion blender. Feel free to add a diced tomato if you would like.

Start by soaking a bag of dry chickpeas overnight or you can use two cans of beans, but the amazing taste and texture will not be there. Please use dry beans!

The ingredients are few and they are:

• One lb dry beans;
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil;
• two medium shallots, diced;
• 1 tablespoon salt;
• Juice of two lemons. The lemons we had in the refrigerator weren't at their prime, but I used them because I was too lazy to go to the supermarket again. If you have better lemons, one of them would suffice.

Do you know how to choose "good" olive oil? There will be a post for that soon, but for now use one that is extra virgin.

Here are the ingredients I will be using.

I soaked the chickpeas overnight and drained the water they soaked in before I started to cook them.