Mindful menu Plan and Dinner Dilemmas

Good morning!
That was a rather quiet weekend with the girls away from home!
As from Friday and for the next ten days or so we shall have C's parents staying with us. Since both my in-laws are meat eaters, we are going to follow a menu of both meat, dairy and vegetable dishes.
We shall have meat on Tuesday and Thursday, vegetables on Wednesday and Friday, as these are days of fasting for the Greek Orthodox, though we shall be eating olive oil, and dairy the rest of the week.

Monday-the girls will be back from their school trip. We shall make spaghetti bolognaise, using spam-type corned beef.
Here is how I cook it:
Saute onion in a little olive oil until tender. Add the corned beef and turn until light brown. Then a little cup of wine. Let it evaporate. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper, a couple of cinnamon and pink sticks. Let the sauce simmer and serve on spaghetti with grated parmesan cheese.

Tuesday-I shall stay at home to clean up the in-laws quarters, so I shall make something fast, I shall make a salad nicoise with two kinds of lettuce, onion in circles, tuna, gouda cubes, tomato and capers.

Wednesday-I shall again stay at home to cook and freeze food for the week ahead. I am making a pastitsio (pasta with mince meat and bechamel cream sauce baked in the oven) and a cheese pie to freeze and stuffed tomatoes and peppers that I shall put in the fridge and bake on Thursday evening.

Thursday-the most busy day of the week. We shall probably order a pizza!
Friday-In-laws arrive. Rice stuffed veggies.

Saturday-Fish in the oven served with Greek salad (tomatoes, onion, green pepper, olives and olive oil)

Sunday-BBQ and green salad.

As for dessert...hmm! I am sharing with you the photos of some italian sweets, photographed in Rome during our trip for Easter.

In this lovely little cafe we had these little sweets and a coffee that said Happy Easter. How cute is that?

Wishing you a peaceful, flavorful week! More Menus here.

Also linking for the first time to





which focuses on healthy, real food.
Also linked to Dinner Dilemmas. The question this week is:


What is Your Favorite Easy Meal to Make?

 This is close between spaghetti and omelette. But to pick one, it will have to be spaghetti. We like our spaghetti al dente.After boiling in plenty of water and sea salt, we heat some olive oil in a pan and turn in the pasta for a whilen so that oile goes everywhere. Serve hot, draining most of the extra olive oil. Add grated parmesan. Hmm, pasta for the soul!

MPM-Special food for special days

Good morning, dear friends,
Last week we celebrated two special days. The feast of the Announciation and Palm Sunday. Next Sunday it's Easter! Although we have a very sentimental and deeply religious time ahead of us with some very emotional services, readings, and hymns, we already begin to feel the air of delivery from the gloom of our sins, thanks to our Lord. 
This week is the last week of fasting before Easter.In all its wisdom, our church has thought of our human weaknesses. The Fathers of the first centuries of Christianity have taken into account the need of the soul to cleanse while the body cleanses. Fasting and prayer go hand in hand.
However, on these two days, we make an exception. We can eat fish.
Fish at this time of the year in our household as in many traditional households in Greece means cod. It comes salted from the North Sea. This one is from Iceland.

The cod filet must stay in the water overnight and then the water must be changed again, because the cod is too salty. That is how it is preserved.

Then, we mix flour with some beer and bread crumbs, we wrap chunks of the fish in it and fry it. Skordalia (aioli) is the best company to cod. First, we boil the potatoes. Then we peel them and process them as we would for a puree. We then make a fine paste of garlic, salt and vinegar, to taste. I use equal amounts of potatoes and garlic cloves. We then add the mashed potatoes, folding in slowly the olive oil. Tasting is required and quite enjoyable!

One of my favorite kitchen gadgets.

Helping hands are welcome. Great time for conversation, too.

Mixing the skordalia with the wooden pestle.

Almost ready. We may need some extra olive oil once served, to taste.

One can make a Greek salad to accompany it, but since we like to eat according to the season, lettuce with fresh onions and fennel is a great salad.

Now, for the rest of the week, as we shall be busy preparing for Easter,we shall stick to some familiar treats, seen here, but strictly without the cheesy options.

Yesterday, we also made Easter cookies. I was afraid I wasn't going to make them this year, as my mil's food processor broke down and we are not going to buy a new one soon. So, I decided to do everything by hand. Highly recommended, dear friends.

Finally, for this post, I have read this article over at our host's, Organizing Junkie. I have read two of Cathy Peel's books, The Family Manager and The Family Manager's Everyday Survival Guide. They were great and helped me enormously in getting started with the family life.I am not familiar with the newest book suggested at the website, but the 10 points picked are great.

I wish you all a holy week. 

Menu Plan Monday-New Recipes

Goodmorning dear friends,

Something strange has been happening at home in tha past few weeks. Our girls took an interest in their mom's American culinary heritage. the truth is, C and i have been trying to help them fit in as best as we could, and thank God, we did:-). Before leaving from our summer vacation, they asked me for a recipe for "real" burgers. I obliged, offering them their grand mother's book. They made the best burgers I have had in ages.

So, where am I in this? Do I do an "American Week"? Stick to normal and see how it goes? Encourage them by offering a one night per week home movie cum burgers night? Please advise!
I found some nice recipes that I intend to use. I have also received some lovely new cooking books. I am going to post about them, but for the time being , have a look at my sidebar.
We have the outlaws at home this week, too, so I might as well do some special cooking. As in dress to impress, I suppose. No, really. I am doing some staples that they like. Lentil soup. Spinach pie. And I am also making green beans. I like them topped with grated cheese, as in parmesan or Greek kephalotyri, which is a hard goat and sheep cheese.

I made the soup and beans last night. I also made part of the stuffing for the pie, and I am going to finish it tonight. Here is a look of my steamy pots and pans last night.




You may find my lentil soup and my spinach pie recipes here. To do the beans and chicpeas above, follow the recipe in this post.

Today, September 14th, the Greek Orthodox church celebrates the Exaltation of the Cross, that is when the Emperor Constantine of Constantinople and his mother Saint Helen, found the cross of the Lord in Jerusalem. Read more here.

Now you may ask what this glorious day has to do with my Menu planning. It does, dear friends, because today is a day of fasting. No meat, no dairy, not even olive oil. So we are having a raw food, fruit and vegetable day, with some bread for extra energy and comfort for those of us working outside the home. (Psst! I also had one of these sweets. The best are made on the island of Syros in the Aegean. Remember to add these to the shop!)


The food prepared yesterday and today will cover the second half of the week, Wednesday through Friday. Saturday is an eat-out day as we have a wedding to attend.

Here is the new recipe I am trying:

Chicken & Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup flour
4-5 chicken breasts (cooked and cut up)
1-14oz can chicken broth
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
milk *optional*
1 can biscuits (I like to use Pillsbury Grands)

*****************************************************

Place cooked and cut chicken in a greased 9x13 pan. Simmer butter, salt, pepper, and broth in sauce pan. When melted and hot, add flour and whisk until smooth. If your sauce is a little too thick, you can thin it down with a little milk or broth. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Top mixture with biscuits. Bake according to directions on biscuits. Enjoy!! **you could add some veggies to this

Recipe found here.

As summer draws to a close, we shall be making this perenial favorite, too, using the last tomatoes from our balcony garden.

(Picture found here).

I haven't forgotten about the Greek recipe requests. I just haven't cooked those dishes you asked for, yet, so as to post the step-by-step I promised.



With thanks to Laura for hosting!

I hope you all have a good week, and may God bless you.

Menu Plan Monday-Greek Tavern food at home

Goodmorning, dear friends,
Have you ever travelled to Greece? Do you wonder what the food tastes like in this part of the world?
Today as promised, I am offering you a taste of what eating in a Greek tavern looks like. Summer is still here with us, though we got our first rain today. Let us keep the summer a little bit longer, shall we? At least until schools start next week, and we get back to our meal planning routine.

First, the atmosphere:






Second, the menu.



There, I can see calamari. We love them fried. No one can resist! But they are great stuffed, too, only you'll need bigger ones. Great with ouzo or a beer.


And lovely fresh beans in tomato sauce. And Greek salad, of course.

Here is the recipe:

• 2 pounds fresh green beans or other long "string" bean
• 2 cups tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
  
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 potatoes, washed, peeled and cut in cubes (optional)
  
• 1 small bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tea cup of water
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Wash the beans, cut off the tips and remove the stringy piece of fiber along the seam. Rinse.

In a soup pot, sauté the onions in olive oil with a wooden spoon until they turn translucent. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir well, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 50 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add more (hot) water if needed during cooking.

They can be served either warm or on the cold side, so they make a great make ahead dish. Serve with feta cheese, or top with grated hard cheese. And of course fresh bread.

Sometimes, though, only soup will do.




As in evening soup. After the dentist-with two fillings comfort soup. Make it two, add croutons, soup.


This is delicious, steamy, after the Sunday morning service in church chicken soup. Yes, at 10.45 a.m. In a tavern that stays open 24/7!

I have taken the habit of starting my day with this bitter-sweet drink. It wakes me up for work!

And for dessert? Watermelon, melon and figs, while they last. Then in the evening we may get some candy floss. Or "Old woman's hair", as it is called here!



Now, shall we play a little game? Click on the Menu images to view larger. Then leave me a comment, letting me know of a recipe you would like me to post (that will be my own authentic recipe). I will cook the recipe of your choice, with step by step photos. What do you say?

Thanks to Organizing Junkie for hosting.

See you next week!

Menu Monday-no cooking meals

I must confess to you: I have grown out of cooking.

The weather was hot and I was lazy. So I wasn't that much into cooking. Thankfully it is still Summer here, and the last of the summer crops is in full glory. So, have a look at these pictures of our menu from last week. It will be this week's menu, too.

Bread. Brown, whole wheat.

Greek salad. A classic. Served in Monte Carlo, too, a travelling friend tells me. You'll need tomatoes, medium ripe, homegrown are best cut warm. Cucumber (idem). Olives. Black Kalamata are my favorites. Feta cheese. Green peppers and caper, if you like. Oregano. Olive oil. Some add a tiny touch of vinegar, as in a few drops. Insider tip: once you can see the bottom of the bowl, reach for the bread and clean the plate. Now that's original, Greek eating.

Fancy something lighter? Here it is:

Cheese is mozzarela and parmigiano reggiano. You may also use cream cheese. (See below)

I love figs! Also pictured, the first apples of the season, and grapes from Corinth.

Pears are lovely, not yet fully ripe.


The benefits:

Meals are light.
Easy to prepare.
The kids can help, too. They very much enjoy the fact that I don't have to repeat "eat up!". They just do. And we can concentrate on the family part of the family meal.

Enjoy!

Now for a little dessert, perhaps? Try this lovely seasonal pudding. It is made using grape wine must and is sold in every bakery and super market here, until the end of September. (It lasts long stored outside the fridge in a cool, dry place). Then the cookies come out...but I'll tell you about that then...


Have you made this cake yet? Check the recipe and head to thy kitchen!

P.S.I think my un-cooking may have to do with our eating out over the summer vacation. Hmm! I'll share the delicacies next Monday. With thanks to our host. See you then.

10 Reasons to Have Family Meals More Often

When was the last time your family had a meal together? I don't mean sitting in the car munching on burgers from the drive-through. I mean sitting down at the table and sharing a home-cooked meal.

If you can't remember when you last enjoyed a family dinner, make plans to have them more often. Experts have found – and continue to discover - plenty of benefits for both children and adults when families have dinner together at least three times a week.

Here are 10 reasons why you should have family meals more often:

Good For The Body

1. When families eat together, everyone tends to eat healthier. People who have frequent family meals consume more calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E. It could be because home-cooked meals are healthier than fast food and restaurant meals. (Source: Archives of Family Medicine)

2. Children tend to eat more fruits and vegetables when they frequently have dinner with their families. They also tend to eat fewer snack foods. (Source: American Dietetic Association)

3. Children in families who eat dinner together are less likely to be overweight (Source: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine). This makes sense, given the findings in #1 and #2 above.

Good For The Brain

4. Children from families who eat meals together get better grades than their peers who don't have lots of family meal times (Source: Lou Harris-Reader's Digest National Poll).
So family dinners are not only good for the body; they're also good for the brain.

5. When families eat together frequently, children have better language skills compared to kids from families who don't have family mealtimes often. (Source: Harvard
University)

Good For Emotional Health
6. Children of families who eat together report feeling happier and are more optimistic about the future, than their peers who have infrequent family meals. (Source: Lou Harris-
Reader's Digest National Poll)

7. Teenagers are less likely to use drugs, smoke, and drink alcoholic drinks, when their families eat together regularly. (Source: Columbia University)

8. It may come as a surprise, but among Moms who work outside the home, those who have family mealtimes reported feeling less stress than those who had family dinners less
often. (Source: Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal)

9. The more often teen girls had meals with their families, the less likely they were to have symptoms of depression and suicidal behaviors. (Source: University of Minnesota)

Good For Family Bonding

10. Eating together gives family members the chance to communicate and build relationships, something that both adults and children appreciate very much. (Source: Nutrition Education Network of Washington & Oprah Winfrey's "Family Dinner Experiment")

I hope these reasons motivate you and your family to try and eat together more often. We're all busy - even children have plenty of after-school activities. But as the list above
shows, family meals are worth every effort we put into them. It helps to plan ahead so that we're not scrambling to get dinner ready or panicking because we don't have all the
ingredients we need.

To make it easier to get the family around the table with a home-cooked meal, check out Dine
Without Whine's menu planning service. It costs just a penny to try it out!

Menu Plan Monday-What to eat at Lent

Happy new week ahead. I hope you all enjoyed the weekend with family and friends. Here is what's on our groceries and menu list for this week.






Tomatoes. Olives. Seafood. Taramasalata. Halva. Lagana bread. As we are heading more and more toward Spring, the need for intricate cooking lessens, and our bodies look for fresh, natural, juicy foods. Which is good for the body, but also frees up the mind for more heavenly pursuits.

Today, I would like to share with you another food resource. Spring is allergy time par excellence, hence the need for adjustments in the food front. How wise is our church, to guide us into healthier habits, taking care of both our souls and minds!
Have you ever come across Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes: More Than 100 Mouth-Watering Recipes for the Whole Family (A Cook's Bible)? It just got published as a paperback, and it's worth checking it out, as it really has a lot to suggest for the whole family.

The author, Grace Cheetham, also has a website with information and recipes for people dealing with allergies. It offers gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free recipes, arranged by breakfast/lunch/snack, etc. There is also information on ingredients and aliments, as well as useful links and specialized stockists.

So, do check the Allergy Free Cook website. For more meat and dairy-free ideas also check my post here. Menu Plan is hosted today by $5 Dinners. Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy life.