So Long Blogger

Kalofagas has relocated to


www.kalofagas.ca



Hello friends,

The time has come for what I thought was going to be a simple outlet for cooking my food, sharing it and having an outlet for my constant food thoughts, to move on.

This food blog "Kalofagas" has led me to meet some fantastic new people in my life, learn new things about food, cooking and the kitchen and renew my passion for good food and drink.

Blogger, you were good to me but the time has come to move on.

You may all continue to follow my food thoughts, delicious foods and photos from the kitchens I cook in, the restaurants I dine and drink in and the places I visit.

Please update your readers, bookmarks, front pages to reflect my new site address in www.kalofagas.ca and we'll continue to cook, eat, drink and be merry.


If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com OR at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

Pragmatic Pastitsio and a Food Event

Late last year, my friend Tony from Olive Juice contacted me and told that he is hosting a food event called "Taste of the Mediterranean". It's a food blogging event sponsored by igourmet.com and each month, a journey and celebration of each dish takes place, focusing on a popular dish from that from each of the regions of the Mediterranean.

Tony asked me if I would be a part of the panel for judging the dishes each month and I immediately said yes. It's always been my goal to promote Greek food and this just the event to do it!

Last month it was "focus France", and February it's fabulous Greece. You can visit Tony's site here to read the itinerary of this culinary tour around the Mediterranean basin. Having said that, do you fancy a trip around the Mediterranean? This month join us in Greece where we showcase the very popular dish called Pastitsio.

Pastitsio is Greece's answer to lasagna where the traditional recipe is assembled using tubular pasta known as Makaronia #2 (bucatini), ground mince and a topping of Bechamel sauce.

There are many takes on Pastitsio around Greece, nutmeg being the prevalent spice in the Bechamel and any one or a or a combination of bay, clove, allspice and cinnamon are employed (in the mince) to kick up this favourite.

Be it Greek or non-Greek, eaten at a Greek restaurant or at your Greek friend's home, one will find a slab of Pastitsio being served by your most hospitable Greek host or hostess.

Part of being Greek is being tolerant, pragmatic, inclusive. Melina Mercouri once described Athens like a mother, ever stretching her arms to embrace yet another child.

THAT's the way of Greeks, our spirit...our love of people, family and friends and being the most gracious host(esses) to our guests.

There are many approaches you can take to Pastitsio. Tony has just offered up his take here. I too have posted a Pastitsio recipe and you have have a peek at my version here.

The Pastitsio canvass is wide open. Do you have a desire for the classic Pastitsio with ground meat, pasta and Bechamel? Perhaps you want to make a vegetarian Pastitsio? Are you in the mood for a Seafood Pastitsio? A Lenten Pastitsio or one with legumes?

There's more...ever thought of a Dessert Pastitsio? The possibilities are endless. Celebrate Greek food and try your hand at Pastitsio. Be imaginative with the ingredients, the spices, the construction. I only ask that you have fun in the kitchen, enter the event with verve and celebrate Greek food and all Mediterranean food this month and in the coming months.

Each month, a winner will be selected by way of a vote from our distinguished panel. Your dish's entry earns you a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from igourmet.com. What are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and get cookin'!

Simply cook up your version of Pastitsio, take photos, relate the thought-process to your dish and blog it by February 28th. Link back to Tony's Taste of Mediterranean page and you can even use the logo!

P.S. I encourage my readers from Greece (and abroad) to participate as well. Feel free to offer up a dish in Greek or any other language you are most comfortable in communicating.


If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes Book Winners

It's Friday, I'm in a good mood and I'm awed by the overwhelming response to this book giveaway.

I'm going to give away two books, as chosen by a computerized random number generator.

The first winner is #11, comment left by Elsee;

The second winner is #109, comment left by Dimitra.

Congratulations ladies and welcome to a whole new world of baking bread. Please email me at truenorth67 @ gmail DOT COM and provide me with your full name and mailing address.

Thank you again to everyone who left a comment...I think I'll do more giveaways...this is fun!

Finally, see you all soon at my new blog's address....stay posted!

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.
© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

Iberian Acorn Ham

Last month, just in time for Christmas, my dear friend Nuria of Spanish Recipes sent me a package containing vacuum-sealed Iberian Acorn Ham. For those not in the know, Iberian Acorn Ham is a cured ham which is only produced in Spain the meat comes from free-range hogs that feed on only what's in the wild, including acorns.

Most of you are familiar with prosciutto but I urge to look for and try a few slices of Iberian ham. It's flavour can be described as buttery, a slight tang to the taste and a warm, brown finish as it melts in your mouth.

Iberian ham is best served when brought to room temperature and little accoutrement is needed with this fine product.

Here, I cut up some small logs of Greek Manouri cheese, wrapped the ham around it, added some greens for colour and contrast and served this with a pickled cherry pepper from our family's cellar.

No olive oil is needed here (as the ham is quite oily) but I dressed this appetizer with some lemon zest and freshly cracked black pepper. Don't forget that in the background stands oneof my mom's homemade and delicious bread rolls.

Nuria, thank you so much for your generosity, your warm friendship and always delicious food on your blog. I urge all of you to pay a visit to Nuria's site, tell her "Peter sent ya" and only visit her site on a full stomach, otherwise you'll be instantly hungry.



If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

San Diego is Victorious

Yesterday, whilst on Twitter - I was catching up on the day's "tweets" when some of my blogging friends were cheering for the San Diego Chargers in the match-up against the Indiannopolis Colts.

For those living outside of North America, yesterday the NFL (American Football) kicked off it's playoffs and bars are filled with men and many wives and girlfriends are orphaned for the next few weeks as the men in their lives are pre-occupied with this sport.

Kelly of Sass & Veracity was taunting and refusing to accept my prediction that the Colts would be victorious. None of my male bravado or sports handicapping was of use as San Diego defeated Indianopolis in an overtime 23-17 win. I lost a bet, I eat humble pie - I am the goat.

Here's where the homage starts...

The San Diego Chargers are awesome, they are excellent sporting specimens and any team that stands in their way of a Superbowl title will be surely trampled by their mighty momentum.

The City of San Diego is one of the best cities one could live in: it's located in Southern California, bordering Mexico and on the Pacific Coast, desert on the other end and mountains hugging the other... How can anyone say no to year' round good climate?

Upon reading up on San Diego, I get the vibe that San Diego is also a mecca for some good eats with an array of cuisines and restaurants that can suit every budget.

Watersports? San Diego. Nightlife? San Diego has array of bars, restaurants and nightclubs and even some Broadway shows! Sports? San Diego has hiking the mountains, tons of golf courses and of course, the San Diego Chargers.

The best reason why anyone would go to San Diego is the people. You will be greeted with the warm hospitality, kind of like the ocean breeze that will breath on you and remind you that you're nowhere near any place as cold as Indianapolis!

The American football playoffs have begun, try and catch a game and use this a moment to invite some friends and share some food and engage in some friendly rivalries.

Drop by my place, you'll have a large platter of Buffalo-style chicken wings waiting for you!














If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

'Twas the Night Before Christmas,

when all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

We're upon that magical day, Christmas. I feel it today...that state of mind, the Zone. It's not just a holiday, it's a state of being...almost out of body - surreal.

Christmas, the holidays, the end of the Year all wrapped-up in one month. A time to give thanks, to reflect on what was and to set goals, have hope and onto new beginnings.

This past year was a good year in my realm and I thank my friends, family and foes for being there for me and for making me stronger.

I thank God for providing me with food, clothing and shelter where others in this world are not so fortunate.

I thank God for blessing my family and myself with good health. As us Greeks say, if you don't have your health - you have nothing! Health above all.

I thank you, my dedicated readers of my blog who take the time to leave comments, send me emails full of warmth and kindness and express your joy at trying out one of my featured dishes.

I thank my new friends in the blogging community who take the time to share their lives, open their kitchens and share their family's secret recipes and traditions. Everyday, I am inspired by your zest for cooking, food, hospitality and friendship.

Some of you have even got out on a limb to meet up with me in person and my motto is...there's always room for another friend.

What will 2009 bring?

I hope for a world that is safer, kinder to Earth, more tolerant, less nepotism, more merit, an end to hunger, the reduction of disease and pestilence, Democracy and justice for all and last but not least...that everyone once again possesses hope for a better tomorrow.

Here in my home, the table is set and tomorrow we'll be feasting on a dinner centered around Prime Rib Roast.

While we're waiting for dinner, there will be lots of treats and snacks for one to nibble on. One such snack is known as Passatempo.

Passatempo means "passing the time" and for Greeks, the best way to do this is to chat with friends and family over a glass of Ouzo, Tsipouro or wine.

Just like in ancient times, Greeks eat when they drink and drink when they eat. For us, walnuts, sunflower seeds, toasted nuts or chestnuts along with dried fruits mixed with spices help us along during the cocktail hour.

In Greece, one can see stand set up on the streets, main squares or farmers' markets offering up an array of nuts and fruits to majority of Greeks who stroll each day or night during their routine Volta (stroll).

Before I sign off for the day, I'll be sure to leave you with a Passatempo recipe.

Another Christmas favourite at the Greek table are cookies and the two most popular ones are Kourabiedes and Melomakarona.

Kourabiedes are a rich, buttery almond cookie that get a vigorous dusting of icing sugar. They kind of remind me of the wintery outside.

The other cookie is Melomakarona and these spiced cookies are baked with aromatic spices wafting from the oven and then they are given a bath in syrup and topped with a mixture of ground cinnamon and walnuts...a reminder of the safe, warm and cozy haven of the family home.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, to the many non-Christians out there....Happy Holidays and may you have a spiritual and reflective time with your family & friends and to all...reach out and be a friend to someone new. There are many lonely people in this world and everyone deserves a friend.

Passatempo

1 cup of almonds
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of cashews
1 cup of pumpkin seeds
1 egg white
1 Tsp. of fresh thyme
1 tsp. of paprika
1 tsp. of ground cumin
1 Tbsp. of brown sugar
1 tsp. of ground coriander
2 tsp. of hickory salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Pre-heated 325F oven

1. Mix all of your spices and seasonings in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, add your mixture of nuts and the egg white and toss to coat. Now add your spice mixture and toss to evenly coat your nut mixture.
2. Spread your nut mixture out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Serve to your guests warm.
   

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: My Big Fat Greek Thanksgiving

When Foodbuzz announced the launch of "24, 24, 24", even they did not foresee the huge success it would garner. Twenty four people hosted twenty-four dinners in twenty-four in twenty-four hours.

The dinners were enthusiastic celebrations of the foods people adore and and enjoy in each corner of the world they inhabit.

I imagine many food bloggers submitted proposals and Foodbuzz sadly had to turn away some people. I was still on vacation in Greece when the event was announced but I submitted a proposal soon after Foodbuzz relayed the news that "24, 24, 24" would be a monthly event.

My approach was to feature a Thanksgiving Dinner with some Greek flare. Here in Canada, we celebrated Thanksgiving on October 13th and our US neighbors will be celebrating next month.

In Canada, the emphasis of Thanksgiving lies squarely on giving thanks to the harvest and celebrating the precious bounty at the table.

Canada is a multi-cultural society and I truly believe it's one of the best countries in the world to live in. As Greeks living in Canada (along with peoples of other ethnicities), many of us have also embraced Thanksgiving. It's a noble holiday to commemorate and I one I do not take lightly.

Last night I hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner using Greek ingredients and Greek recipes using seasonal products. My goal was to awe my guests with dishes that screamed of being Greek while staying true to a Thanksgiving Dinner.

I also had the pleasure of enjoying an all Greek wine night with my guests. With the assistance of Steve Kriaris of the Kolonaki Group and Alex Pulcini of Pavlou Estates, I was able to pair a 5-star wine selection with this Thanksgiving feast.

I would also like to thank my cousin, Nicholas Hadzis who took the time to write out the ornate menus you see here.

Another thanks goes out to Marianthe Mesbouris who tooks tons of photos while I was prepping and serving up each course...thanks Red!

A thank you to my brother Danny and his girlfriend Natalia, my cousin Effie, my good friend Amy and sisters Evelyn & Roula. You all made the evening memorable and as always...the laughs kept on coming!

Let's get on with the food, shall we? Today, I'm going give you a quick run down of the food served in the order that they arrived at the table but I will give you the recipe details in the week ahead.
































































First up, we had the mezedes or Greek appetizers:

Horiatki Dip...inspired by leftover Greek salad....don't throw that out...make it a dip!

How about crostinis with caramelized onions and (Throumpes) Greek olives with thyme and oregano?

Or here's a play on Dolmades, made to look like "Greek sushi".

What would a Greek evening be without the use of phyllo?

These spinach and cheese phyllo cups were snapped up in no time!

Next up in the long line of service was the soup course. Fancy a Beet soup with Greek oregano and Greek yogurt?

An autumn Greek salad with seasonal greens and a vinaigrette of olive oil, mustard, balsamic vinegar and Petimezi.

What's a Thanksgiving dinner without the turkey? Here, I brined the turkey with Mosxato wine, bay leafs, peppercorns, garlic, thyme, parsley, allspice and orange juice. The turkey was also stuffed with rice, chestnuts, raisins, giblets and pine nuts.

The "fixins" to accompany the turkey were a mashed potatoes and celery root with buttermilk, roasted garlic, thyme and chives.

These roasted root vegetables were aromatized with a blend of sage, cinnamon, nutmeg and fennel seeds.

Can't have a Thanksgiving without Cranberry sauce. I put my Greek twist on this by adding a hint of clove and orange zest.

The main course was followed by a Greek cheese platter featuring Vlaxotyri, Kasseri from Mytlini and Cypriot Halloumi.

Despite having satiated guests, one always has room for dessert. In Greece, Bougatsa is a much loved breakfast treat filled with custard (crema) and here I've turned into an autumn dessert. It's Bougatsa with poached quince and almonds, finished off with a dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon.

That was My Big Fat Greek Thanksgiving. Watch all this week for me to give you the nitty-gritty on each recipe, notes on the wine pairings and any other afterthoughts on the dinner.

Time for clean-up...

You're All Invited

Why don't you all come over to my place for dinner? I'm having a Big Fat Greek Thanksgiving Dinner.

Tomorrow I'll post all the delicious dishes...from mezedes to Epidorpio (dessert).

In the meantime...would you like a nibble of some Greek "sushi"?

Foodbuzz's Official Launch

Foodbuzz is a website that acts as a meeting place for most of the food blogs that exist out there. From Foodbuzz, one can search for your favourite recipe, read reviews of eateries in your city or perhaps even a city you'll soon be traveling to.

I've been with Foodbuzz for nearly a year and it's put me in touch with many wonderful people, their blogs and the staff at Foodbuzz have been most helpful with blog & networking advice.

This past September, Foodbuzz also spearheaded the 24, 24, 24 Event whereby twenty-four dinners were hosted in twenty-four cities in twenty-four hours.

In case you missed it, there's a cool YouTube clip that's a musical slide show of the fabulous dinners hosted around the world.



I was on holidays when 24, 24, 24 was announced, which made it impossible for me to participate. I promised myself to jump at the opportunity to host such a blog and food event if the opportunity presented itself again.

If I'm not visiting blogs or posting as much, it's because I've been extremely busy. Stay tuned...this weekend's gonna be "buzzing" with activity!

Lights, Camera...Kalofagas

Kalofagas - Part 1 from Peter Minaki on Vimeo.

Here it is, the clip you've been waiting for...a snippet of the filming I did this past summer while in Athens, Greece.

I spent the whole day filming which began with gathering some footage at Athens' Varvakeios market, followed by a day of having myself filmed while preparing three dishes and having myself introduce two other chefs with two of their dishes.

We concluded the day with some footage in and around the hotel where we filmed and a send-off on the hotel's rooftop overlooking Athens.

I may seem repetitive but I would like to thank Dimitri Vorris, the producer/writer/director who went out on a limb to produce this pilot, Athinagoras and Christos - the two chefs who filmed with me on that day and the Fresh Design Hotel in Athens.

This day was fun, a learning experience and it gave me a whole new respect for those food personalities who work hard to make a TV show. Just think about it...those food celebs are spending 12 hours a day to make a 30 minute program for you, the viewer.

The footage from this filming was never meant for sale as a TV show but to serve as a "pilot" or promotional piece to sell the idea of "Kalofagas" for TV media.

Myself and some friends are currently sending DVD copies and clips to people who we think such a concept could be of interest to.

There are two other dishes prepared for me, Dimitri can surely edit them and send them to me and with your support and encouragement...more clips will arrive here in no time at all!

Sit back, enjoy and please offer your comments and feedback in the comments section below. This was a learning experience for myself and I along with Dimitri would like to hear what you have to say.

Cheers!

Gone Fishing

Today I leave for a long anticipated and much deserved vacation in Greece. I will be relaxing at my family's summer home in Halkidiki, heading down to Greece's capital, Athens and also visiting the Greek island of Sifnos.

Later in the vacation I will also head up to my parents' towns in Florina and then back to my summer home and finally an overnight stay in Vienna, Austria on my way back to Canada.

I will be swimming, tanning, cooking, sampling new dishes, playing "catch up" with family and friends and making some new friends!

I'm looking forward to meeting some new friends, brought to me by the miracle of blogging and so far I've found the food blogging community to be full of genuine and hospitable people.

I should be back in Canada in the first week of September but that might get pushed back another week.

Even though I will be on vacation, I will also be in the thick of it with blog-related activities. In my goal to showcase Greek cuisine, I want to also enlighten you all on Greece's excellent wines.

I have three wine tours scheduled during my vacation and when I'm back, I will share my experiences with you and expand on Greek wines.

Another task at hand is a long awaited surprise and I think the time's right to share with you all that I will also be spending a day in Athens filming some footage for a promotional DVD.

This past Spring, I was approached by film writer/producer/director Dimitrios Vorris. Dimitri is an avid reader of my blog and he approached me about taking the "Kalofagas" concept to another level.

After a lengthy exchange of ideas and an agreement about our approach, we agreed to meet this summer in Greece and film some footage. Our goal is to attract sponsors to a show that showcases Greece's food and drink culture with the country of Greece and it's people as the backdrop.

I am very excited to commence this phase of my blog and although this is very early in the game, it's going to be a lot of fun!

During my absence, I will not be posting any new entries on the blog but I encourage you to visit my Greek blogging friends' sites, as found in my food blog links.

I want to thank all of my regular readers for providing me with support, encouragement, food inspiration and wonderful humanity.

My biggest thanks go out to all those who went out on a limb to try out some of the dishes from Kalofagas. Getting word that a dish from this blog was enjoyed is the greatest satisfaction I get from blogging.

I'll be back in September rested, recharged, full of new stories, inspiration and more great Greek food!

Blogging Rant

Yesterday, through the miracle of my Google Reader came the title of an entry called "illegal or not", from Melissa of Alosha's Kitchen.

Please read her saga here and then come back and tell me how you feel.

I'm about to tell you how I feel. Melissa, like any good food blogger went on a search for a potato salad and she found one she liked at Cooks Country, part of the conglomerate of America's Test Kitchen and Cooks Illustrated.

Although she made many changes to potato salad recipe, she still gave credit to the original inspiration (Cooks Country). Now imagine the shock and disbelief when Melissa received an email from them that they do not allow their recipes to be modified in print.

Yep...you read correctly.

Let me get this straight...the folks at America's Test Kitchen make their careers out of re-tooling food classics and they swear that their recipes are refined, tested and flawless. Bullshit!

Years ago, before my blogging days, I had made their Jambalaya and to my horror, it tasted like shit, looked like diarrhea and rightfully ended up being dumped down the toilet.

As food bloggers, the extreme case of plagiarism and passing off work and recipes as one's own is the extreme and rare case but by and large, most of us will link to an inspiration or laud with pride how a dish we made had turned out fantastically.

As true food lovers, we want to share our experiences with other lovers of food. It's our nature.

I can assure you I will not watch America's Test Kitchen (locally on PBS Buffalo), buy any issue of Cooks Illustrated or peruse Cooks Country for a recipe. Their attitude has left a bad taste in my mouth and until I see some serious reversal of policy on their behalf, they've been 86'ed.

While we're on the subject of linking to recipes and giving credit, here's my take on it...any dish that you see here is from myself, family or friends and the remaining dishes are linked back to the cookbook, chef, website, blogger, article or TV show.

One peeve I have is when people link to a recipe and they merely post something to the effect of "I got my recipe from here".

Why do the bare minimum? The inspired dish was good enough for you to try, make, eat and blog about it - why not give that dish it's 5 minutes of fame?

I'm delighted and humbled that many of my dishes have been cooked, enjoyed and blogged about by my peers here. All I ask is that you let me know you're going to post about the dish, link to my original post, citing myself and the site, "Kalofagas" and the courtesy will be reciprocated.

If you haven't gone over to Alosha's Kitchen by now, here's your second chance and don't be afraid to state your opinion. Melissa did and I salute her!

Dr. Kalofagas or Mr. Hyde?

Somewhere between when I started this blog just over a year ago and now, some people have gotten the impression that I'm some Wally Cleaver or something. The nice guy next door who will never say the wrong thing or curse or swear.

I think the reality is that I'm probably closer to an Eddie Haskel, use profanity to help express myself and to the chagrin of some women, I've told them exactly how I feel if they are annoying, nagging or expect the world handed to them on a silver platter. I was just called a Prick (again) last night.

The George Carlin clip is a classic and he's still relevant. So, do you want me to recite my favourite cussin' words? Really? I knew you'd say that.

I got fired up this past weekend watching Giada's Everyday Italian. She appeared on an episode called "Greek Fusion".

If it wasn't for her great set of tits I'd write her off completely. At least she has tits...Rachel Ray doesn't.

The 5 foot titted wonder blasphemed Greek dishes by trying to put an Italian twist on Greek classics. Giada, you're a nice gal, I'm happy that you're now the proud mother of a baby girl but ya fucked up.

Greek Caponata? Look here, Tits...the dish is called Tourlou, it's not a stretch of the ingredients to make it like a Greek.

Orzo Stuffed peppers? What's wrong, in all of Italy or Los Angeles...you couldn't find one cup of rice to stuff some peppers? Oh yeah...your hubby stuffs his crotch with them.

Crispy Smoked Mozzarella With Honey & Figs? This sounds like something Pizza Hut would serve me for dessert rather than at a Greek taverna.

Her pinnacle of fucking up Greek food came with her take on baklava. Her simple baklava was phyllo pastry jammed into muffin tins with the expertise of a 12 year old applying her first tampon and she had the nerve to call it baklava.

Oh, I forgot...her show's called Everyday Italian and, apparently she forgot too.

Allow me to bring everything home here. To my Italian friends...imagine the horror in my adding crumbled feta in a Spaghetti Bolognese?

Would you fancy a Greek adding 7-Up to a FATTORIA LE PUPILLE SAFFREDI MAREMMA ROSSO 2004 or wouldn't it be cute...no, brilliant if I blogged about my ultimate pasta dish and put my Greek twist on things...the perfect pasta...cooked in 20 minutes (almost to a polenta)?

I think you get my drift. You as bloggers have every right to cook anyway you see fit but if you're stepping out and trying a dish outside your culture then pay some respect to the dish and to the cuisine.

When I make an international dish, I always think to myself, "will the Chinese, Italian, Frenchman or Japanese person sit down and genuinely enjoy the dish I've just served?

Giada failed miserably and many bloggers are guilty of it too. Please stop...it's fucking annoying.

While I'm "at it"...allow me to remind some people that a Greek salad consists of ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, red onions, salt and pepper, dried Greek oregano, extra virgin olive oil, Greek feta and that red wine vinegar & olives are optional.

Silence of the Lamb

It's Saturday afternoon and I've just thoroughly washed my Ontario, milk-fed spring lamb. Watch me turn this sacrificial lamb into He-Man, outdoor, open-pit, BBQ greatness.

Look! Over Here....

Today was a pretty damn good day. The weather is looking bright, the temperature is rising and the blog is reaching out to new avenues.

Judy of No Fear Entertaining emailed me with the excitement of rock groupie about how my recent Churrasco chicken dish got picked up on NBC San Diego's affiliate TV station and also in Madison, Wisconsin.

Judy's instincts were bang-on to try out (at my urging of using ground bay) in the Churrasco chicken marinade. She blogged about it, linked back to my blog (Thank you) and the San Diego TV station picked up on it and posted the recipe on the food section of their site.

Judy, you rock! NBC San Diego...Thank YOU!

Five Things You Wish You Didn't Know About Me

Heather from Gild the Voodoolily caused me to squirm the other day and get your minds out of the gutter (no prostate check) but she "MEME'ed" me, "tagged me" like rhino in the Serengeti that's been earmarked to divulge all.

I was thinking, how much shall I divulge? What shall I share or what shall I keep?

I wasn't enthused about being tagged but I'm a good sport and I'll pretend to play along.

Let's say I were to play the MEME game, I would:

1. Perhaps I'd be the type of person that always like to have the different foods on his plate separate...meat at 12 O'clock, potatoes at 3 O'clock, veggies and 9. Regardless of the presentaion, I'll rearrange my plate's food so that's it separate.
2. I might be the type of person that still hides under the covers at night when thunder & lightning strikes..."I see dead people"!
3. As a young boy, whilst playing with other kids and cousins, the toys used to get all mixed up and the parents were left with the conundrum of how to separate the toys. Lil' Petey had the unique talent of being able to to actually "sniff out" which toys belonged to whom as each home, person, item had a unique smell to it.
4. As a Greek child, I was hyper, would play - ALOT and would sometimes go out of the house in the morning and return at night. I would get spanked. As a Greek kid, the ritual spanking occurred courtesy of the "pandofla" or slipper. I am forever emotionally scarred.
5. Finally (if I were playing the MEME) game, to this day I still receive anonymous Father's Day cards. I've been promised to meet my offspring next year, "fer sure"!

There you have it folks, a little window on who I am and now it's time for me to dispense with further discomfort to five others:

Katerina from Daily Unadventures in Cooking
Elly of Elly Says OPA!
Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita
Louise of Blue Cat-Gato Azure - Chat Bleu
Costas of I Love Olive Oil

These are the rules: 1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their Blogs.