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I have been working for an ad agency on a corporate “social good” project for a multinational brand. I am the project’s Community Manager and Blogger. I manage the project’s Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest profiles. I write articles for the … Continue reading →
Last Sunday was Greek Easter and as always my family gathered for the day and dinner. The weather was beautiful. We grilled our leg of lamb outside. The boys ran around, played in the yard on the green grass and … Continue reading →
I have 2 Yorkies: Stanley and Stella. They are a delight! I feed them dog food that I make myself. Here’s what they get 2 times a day: boiled boneless and skinless chicken breast white and brown rice and plain … Continue reading →
Do you start your day with caffeine and sugar? Then just rush out the door? Ugh. I used to do that until I got educated. The first thing that you eat in the morning is very important. Many of my … Continue reading →
This is the first time I used my new Cuisinart® Ice Cream, Yogurt & Sorbet Maker. The recipe came straight from the Cuisinart website. It’s really simple. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium high heat; cook until … Continue reading →
I saw this poster shared on Twitter. I emailed per the instructions and the Casting folks said they would like me to audition. Instead of going to Chicago, they allowed me to send in an “audition tape”. So, they sent … Continue reading →
Last night Yianni and I visited Kouzina | GREEK STREET FOOD in downtown Royal Oak. The stainless steel prep area is shining clean and the service is fast and friendly. We tried quite a few items on the menu: Avgolemono … Continue reading →
Kreatopita – meat pie [or more correctly, Kreatoprasopita - meat and leek pie] is what my Mother made to celebrate the New Year. She would hide a coin in one of the corners of the crust for one of her … Continue reading →
I recently had a delicious glass of homemade Ginger Ale at my friend Twyla’s house. She gave me her recipe and I also did a little online research and came up with my own. Ginger has some incredible health benefiting … Continue reading →
Every year I make Christmas Koulouria with my grandsons, Maxwell and Benjamin, just like I did with my son, Robert when he was growing up. It’s our holiday tradition. The only thing different with this year’s recipe [or I should … Continue reading →
Yianni and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on Thursday. We decided to celebrate our special evening with dinner and dancing at one of our favorite restaurants, The Clawson Steak House. This restaurant has been owned and managed by the … Continue reading →
Here’s my step by step method for roasting a holiday turkey. This one was roasted for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. I also enlisted the help of my family. Yianni, Calvin and Rebecca did a great job. First you must … Continue reading →
I thought it might be fun to revisit some of my salad recipes and make a list of them all in one place. Enjoy! Tuna Quinoa Salad with Tomatoes and Basil Driscoll’s Raspberry and Blueberry Kale Salad David Rocco’s Panzanella … Continue reading →
We’re not cooking Greek. This time it’s Spanish. Here’s my recipe for Catalan Roasted Chicken with onions, carrots, cinnamon, thyme, pears, orange juice and zest, raisins and dried cranberries. I adapted this recipe from one in Sur La Table’s** cooking … Continue reading →
Last week Yianni and I went to my nephew’s wedding, Andrew Dallas to Amy Dunayevich, in Cancun Mexico at the Riu Palace Riveira Maya resort. I posted a bunch of photos on Facebook. Here are some highlights. The beach felt … Continue reading →
Today I made my first Cheese Souffle. It was a recipe adapted from Julia Child’s by Sur la table. At the Cooking School** the students make small individual souffles. Here’s my baked souffle. It would have risen higher if I … Continue reading →
This is a recipe I adapted from Sur la table’s Tuna Tabbouleh with Tomato and Basil. I used quinoa instead of bulgur, left out the shredded carrot and used tuna packed in water instead of tuna packed in olive oil. … Continue reading →
Earlier this year I posted photos of My Garden in Spring. What a difference a few months make. Here’s what my garden looked like then… Here’s what it looks like now… The Swiss chard is monstrous. The Buddha statue’s head … Continue reading →
I assisted Chef Nicholas Cornfield last night at a Sur la Table cooking class called “Greek Foods of the Greek Isles“.* The menu included recipes for: Phyllo Cups with Tomatoes, Feta and Oregano Flaming Prawns with Ouzo Tomato Roasted Summer … Continue reading →
Tonight I roasted some peppers and made Diane Kochilas’ Greek Feta & Red Pepper Dip. Chef Diane is an internationally-known cookbook author, food writer, culinary teacher and consultant. She has written 18 books on Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. Roasting peppers is … Continue reading →
Last night for dinner I grilled pork tenderloins Caribbean Jerk style from a Sur la table* recipe. I served it with Mango Salsa and Kale salad with Berries. The pork was prepared the day before and marinated in Jerk Marinade … Continue reading →
My new friend, Dorothy Hernandez, is the social media coordinator for Cooking Matters Michigan. It’s a cooking based nutrition education program operated locally by Gleaners Community Food Bank. She found my blog when she was looking for local bloggers who … Continue reading →
Last night my friends and I had the opportunity to taste test Eppa SuperFruit Sangria thanks to Danielle from The Baddish Group. It’s the first certified organic superfruit sangria made with Mendocino Cabernet and Syrah and organic fruit juices, drawn … Continue reading →
I recently was contacted by Danielle Clinton of The Baddish Group in NYC asking if I was interested in doing a post and that if so, she would send along a couple of Driscoll’s berry coupons. After a couple of … Continue reading →
I love Spring. My garden seems like a charmed place with all my perennial herbs sprouting up. Spring came early this year and I have already planted some veggies.My raspberries are growing up fast and strong. My chives are blooming. … Continue reading →
It was a beautiful day celebrating Easter with family and friends. A lot of preparation goes into our annual Easter feast. I baked bread.I dyed red eggs. (And inadvertently, my hands as well.)I made my family’s favorite potato salad. The … Continue reading →
Today I made bread for the first time following the Tassajara Yeasted Bread recipe. My last two posts have also been about the preparation of this event. I made the bread without a mixer, or a bread machine, using just … Continue reading →
Ten days ago I shared my desire to bake bread. Here’s my progress so far. I’ve begun reading The Tassajara Bread Book that arrived from Amazon. The Tassajara Bread Book is written by Edward Espe Brown, a Soto Zen Buddhist … Continue reading →
I want to learn to make bread. I want to learn to make it without even thinking. I want it to be effortless. I want it to be delicious… I want I want I want I want I want… also … Continue reading →
Here’s a traditional Greek way to prepare green beans. Serve this as a side dish or a vegetarian meal or if you are fasting for Lent. Here’s what you’ll need: 1/2 cup of olive oil 1 can … Continue reading →
You all know I am a wife, mother and Yiayia. I am the sales and marketing side of Hammond Enterprises LLC dba Fafoutee, which is my family’s video production business. I am also a blogger (obviously) and I write occasionally … Continue reading →
Every Christmas I make my Mother’s traditional butter cookies, Greek Koulouria. I used to make them with my son, Robert, when he was much younger. Now, I make them with my Grandson Maxwell. Max likes to make his cookies in … Continue reading →
Thank you Aliki and Jeff for hosting a wonderful Thanksgiving pot luck at Schnitz Ada Grill and for roasting the delicious turkey! Here is the poem, by Helen Steiner Rice, that was recited by cousin Becky. “Thank You, God, for everything … Continue reading →
On Friday 11/11/11 Yianni and I met some friends for dinner at Michael Symon’s Lola Bistro in downtown Cleveland. Iron Chef Michael Symon is Greek and Sicilian. His show, “Cook Like an Iron Chef “, is on the Food … Continue reading →
Is there any Greek angle on a blog post about meatloaf? I don’t think so. Did my Greek Mother, Grandmother and Godmother make meatloaf? Of course they did. And who doesn’t love the famous Wedding Crashers movie quote by Will … Continue reading →
Last night Yianni and I had dinner at Pier III restaurant using our iDine rewards program for the very first time. iDine* is a free rewards program where you can earn up to 15% back by dining at any of … Continue reading →
Yianni and I attended CRUSH Birmingham 2011 Wine and Food Classic at The Townsend Hotel benefiting Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan on Saturday night September 24th. My friends from Identity Marketing & Public Relations, Nikki Little and Brandon Chesnutt, along … Continue reading →
Occasionally I change my focus from traditional Greek recipes to Italian ones. Here’s a classic example from one of my favorite Cooking Channel celebs: David Rocco’s Panzanella. I made it with tomatoes and basil from my garden and an old … Continue reading →
Last weekend Yianni and I headed toward Grand Rapids Michigan to attend the Yassou! Greek Cultural Festival. Co-chairs Esther Caruso Koukios and David Darling did a fantastic job coordinating this wonderful weekend event at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. My … Continue reading →
There are a lot of recipes online for watermelon and feta salad. I found one from Giada De Laurentiis, another one from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, and yet another from Paula Deen. Of course, my online friend from Toronto, … Continue reading →
Yianni and I had a delicious dinner for two last night. We grilled a Delmonico steak seasoned with garlic pepper. It’s easy to make a seemingly ordinary week night dinner more special. Take some time when you set your table. … Continue reading →
Yianni and I entertained family and friends for dinner Monday night in honor of our guests, Brian and Laury, who were visiting Michigan. Yianni grilled pork tenderloins for the occasion. I marinated the pork overnight in this pomegranate marinade: 1/3 … Continue reading →
I’m a food blogger. I’m American, living in a Detroit suburb, but I blog mostly about Greek food. Here’s a question for my fellow food bloggers: Have you ever found a blog that does what you aspire to do, but … Continue reading →
It has been very hot here in Michigan this month with temperatures in the 90°s. Although it is hot and I am grateful for air conditioning, my garden is loving all this sun. It’s absolutely glorious! Here is my photographic … Continue reading →
Who doesn’t like a fruit salad? The weather has been really hot with a heat advisory on almost half of the country. I don’t really feel like cooking or eating much on days as hot as this, but a nice … Continue reading →
My friends Hubert Sawyers III of Tweetea and Becks Davis of Detroit Moxie organized a wonderful event last night for a group of us social media devotees to tour The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. Photography is only allowed on … Continue reading →
I hosted a Stella & Dot jewelry trunk show for 12 of my girlfriends. It was a true girls night out and we had so much fun! Our stylist, Wendie Christensen DeLano couldn’t have been more knowledgeable and helpful. Her … Continue reading →
We had a wonderful Father’s Day. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time. My last few posts have been about family occasions. I guess that is because, for me, family and good food always go together. I … Continue reading →
In a recent blog post I mentioned a new cole slaw dressing that I really enjoyed, “Simply Dressed” by Marzetti. So I posted a link to that post on their Facebook page. The next day I received an email from … Continue reading →
My step-son, Jason Hammond, turned 40 on June 3rd. Here he is with my grandson Maxwell. To celebrate we had dinner al fresco [on our deck]. I marinated chicken and Yianni grilled it. [Here's the recipe.] To go with the … Continue reading →
