SMS Giveaway Winners and Cookie Recipes

Hello Everyone that decided to stop by again, Thank you to all of the new followers following.
The cookie most people enjoyed most is the Chocolate Chip Cookie, hands down :)

Here are the 2 Greek Christmas Cookies that we eat in our family!

My MIL made these, they are very delicious, and she always makes them in a crescent shape.

I found the Kourabiedes history so interesting, because you can find this cookie World Wide, just by different names, some of the other common names are the Russian Teacake and the Mexican Wedding cookie, read some more and other interesting places you can find it, here on Wikipedia.

This is the recipe my MIL uses from an old Greek Magazine, I have translated it for you. 

Ingredients:
2 cups of real butter (or 4 sticks)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. of Vanilla
2 Tbsp. of Baking Powder
1/2 cup Cognac or Brandy (we use Metaxa Cognac here)
3 cups Flour (may need more)
1 cup chopped walnuts (most recipes use almonds so you can use those as well)
Lots of Powdered Sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions:

1. Cream Butter and Sugar well until it turns white, 
2.  add in eggs, Vanilla, Baking Powder and Cognac, Mix, 
3. then slowly add in Flour until firm and then mix in nuts.

Bake for 15 minutes until light golden brown, don't over cook 

While still warm roll in powdered sugar and after they have cooled put even more powdered sugar on them and enjoy.
 

My son's favorite cookie is the Melomakarona,  (look at that even this one is on Wiki, haha!) I actually also love any cookie or cake that is soaked in honey water.  This is a really good recipe, but I would suggest using regular corn or sunflower oil rather than the olive oil suggested, I realize that might not sound very Greek of me, but Olive oil in Baking isn't such a great idea, of course this is my personal opinion.  Melomakarona A Greek Christmas Cookie

Some other cookie recipes that readers suggested as there favorite
Butter Rich Spritz Butter Cookies
Anginetti (Italian Lemon Drop Cookies)
One reader said her favorite cookie was a Kolache, had to look that one up and this recipe looks really delicious, Cream Cheese Kolacky
Jolien sent me this recipe, for a cake cookie, YUM, talking about getting the best of both worlds, Cake and Cookies!  Eierkoeken
Jessica sent me a cookie recipe for World Peace , now wouldn't it be nice if we could have World Peace just by baking cookies!

I hope you get to do some baking this holiday season, I know I will try out at least one or two of these recipes.

The winner of the Tin full of Charms is Judy!  Congratulations.

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My Life In Greece - FOOD

I thought I would start a fun new little series about my life in Greece, it will be a little bit of education mixed in with some humor.  I hope you enjoy it, and if you have a topic you would like discussed, for example: Gas Prices, then just let me know in the comments.

FOOD:
Greek food is known to be good for you, there is even the Mediterranean Diet that is a diet fad.  The only problem about living in Greece is that Greeks think the ONLY thing to eat is Greek food, it kills me, I miss my International cuisine.  Here are a few fun facts that perhaps you don't know.

Hummus IS NOT GREEK, but you will find it in all of the Greek Restaurants in the States, but you will not find it here in Greek Restaurants.  Hummus is a Middle Eastern Food, think Arabic, but the main ingredient Tahini IS Greek, it is a dip all on it's own it is a paste made from ground hulled sesame seeds, but  I think it is pretty gross and would rather have it made up into in Humus or better yet Halva.  http://travelthrugreece.blogspot.gr/2013/07/1-thing-i-like-about-greece.html

Tzatziki: τζατζίκι [sounds like -za-ze-key]  IS GREEK, my kids LOVE Tzatziki and eat a plate of it every day, they eat it with just bread, but there favorite is to dip french fries inside, it even wins over on ketchup and is so much healthier.  Here is the recipe for you to try.

TZATZIKI RECIPE:  (The more I spell this word the more I think I am spelling it wrong, lol)

Greek Yogurt (I believe the most common size to buy is 16 oz., is that correct?)
1 medium cucumber (grated and strained of all liquid)
3 garlic cloves-minced (less if you don't like garlic so much, more if you do)
1 tsp. of salt (salt to taste)
a dash of olive oil
a dash of red wine vinegar (we have homemade vinegar)*
- MIX
- REFRIDGERATE
- SERVE CHILLED

with grilled meats, bread, tortillas, pitas, chips, french fries, carrots, you name it, dip it!

*substitutions: lemon juice, regular vinegar, or nothing.
Okay I found a video, now she strains her yogurt, if you buy regular yogurt you will need to do this, but Greek Yogurt is so readily available now that I wouldn't even bother, if there is a lot of liquid on the top of the yogurt just dump it out.  I also just grate my cucumber on a plate, salt the cucumber and then tip the plate a little with the cucumber at the top and let it drain itself, you can squeeze it too like Eva does, I'm not a big fan of touching food if I can help it.

This is how my Mother In Law sounds, lol.
Please do not add anything else, no mint, or dill, I hate it when American Greek Restaurants do that, and my kids did too.  You won't find any of those herbs in a Greek, Greek Restaurant's Tzatziki sauce.
I hope you enjoyed a little "taste" of Greece ;)

Baked to much, I broke the oven!

Ooopppsss...
Have you ever baked too much that you broke the oven, I did, yesterday.

I baked our families favorite chocolate cake, recipe from Linda at Buzzing and Bumbling.
And my Apple Pie (recipe at the bottom)

Would you like a piece?

What would you pick?

Apple Pie, ala mode (with ice cream)

Or Chocolate Cake?

Well this little hand was reaching for the.....

Ice Cream, of course the one thing I didn't actually make.

She requested the chocolate cake since she watches Peppa the Pig.

But when she saw the ice-cream come out, that's what she wanted.

So last night when my husband wanted a pizza and he turned on the oven, poof.. the lights went out, the oven somehow blew a fuse.  We can't get a mechanic in till Monday, but that's okay, cause we have plenty to eat, lol.

Okay on to sewing, as I was talking to my friend Shirley who has been doing some really great EPP projects lately I was telling her I didn't have any EPP (English Paper Piecing- great for doing some sewing while on the go, so easy to take with you, I have mostly done hexagons, but there are other shapes out there) to do while the kids played outside and how I didn't really need to add any new projects to my WIP list.  Well then I got to thinking, hey I can do some embroidery while watching the kids play.

working on some embroidered feathers as a gift for a friend.

Shirley has her hexie project in the Show Off Saturday Linky Party at Sew Can She, it is number 14, and the person who gets the most clicks is featured in the Sew Can She Friday post, can you support Shirley and click on her project to see it.

 APPLE PIE RECIPE:

Pastry:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 cup butter (room temperature softened)

3/4 cup Greek Yogurt

(if it needs more liqued, add a Tbsp. of cold water, 1 at a time)

Knead dough until mixed thoroughly, place in fridge to chill, while you cut the apples. 

Apples:

10 Apples, peeled and sliced

1 Tbsp. of Cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 Tbsp. of Flour

Mix it all together

Take dough out of fridge cut in half and roll half for the bottom of the pie pan.  Pour apples on top, take 3 small slices of butter and place on top.  Then roll other half of dough and place on top of the apples, I roll the edges and then give the top a punch with a fork a few times.  Bake in the oven till the top is golden brown, about 50 minutes.
Now in order not to break your oven place a pan underneath to catch any apple juices that flow out of the pie pan.  I think this is how I broke mine cause I thought I would be smart and add water to the bottom of the oven after the pie cooked in order to get all of the juices off of the bottom. Ooppss..

Linking to these great parties!

Sewjo Saturday

The Best Chocolate Cake EVER

I am going to preface this by saying, I don't really like chocolate, gasp, horror, whisper "but urr a girrl", Yep, I am not really a big fan of chocolate.  My husband buys it all of the time for the kids and they scarf it down like it was going out of style, but the only chocolate I really eat is a Snickers bar.  But NOW I am a FAN, a big one...

"Oh Me Gosh" big letters OMG!  This is just the most fantastic thing to slide down your taste buds.  The texture, the moistness, the fudgy gooeyness, you will find the recipe HERE.  I got it last year from my friend Linda (her house burned to the ground this summer, so be sure to say something nice to her) and didn't make it until today.  It is her Grandmama's recipe and she is 105 years old this year, and if that doesn't convince you to eat more chocolate then I don't know what would.

Are you still here, go, go, get the RECIPE.
Make the cake!
Eat the cake!
and try to Share!

I don't have any pictures to share, we ate it to fast ;p

Southwest Tastes

I sure do miss my green chili and anyone who has lived near a part of the States that can get fresh roasted Hatch Green Chili and then moved away from that area will understand what I mean when I say that I miss my green chili.
Yesterday Arthur was looking through one of my cookbooks and he saw a picture of some food and he said "Let's make this."  Sweat-Hot Chili on page 33 from Gary Darling the chef at Aunt Chilada's in Phoenix, Arizona.  One of the ingredients for this recipe is a Green Chili Sauce, and lucky for us the cookbook provides a recipe to make your own homemade Green Chili Sauce (page 42).

 Green Chili Sauce
            (Makes 2 Quarts)
2       Quarts beef Stock
1 1/2  Yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped (we used 1 red)
2         Green bell pepper's, seeded and chopped
6         Green Onions, chopped
1          Medium Yellow Onion, peeled and chopped 
1 pound Green Chilies, roasted, seeded and cut into strips 
1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 Tbs. Salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3          Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

3/4 cup lard (we used butter)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Bring the stock to a boil and add all the ingredients except the lard and flour.  Simmer the sauce, uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Melt the lard (butter) in a skillet over medium heat and, when hot, whisk in the flour, a few tablespoons at a time.  Stir the roux until it reaches an almond color, then whisk it into the sauce.  Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
Note:  This sauce can be kept refrigerated for up to 5 days, and will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Green Chili Sauce in Sweat-Hot Chili Recipe over Rice.

I wish I could say that the recipe was a success and Arthur thinks that it was, but once you have real green chili and I mean Hatch green chili, then everything else doesn't compare.  We made the Sweat Hot Chili recipe with it even though this recipe also calls for Jalapeno peppers and we don't have those here I just substituted a little hot red pepper straight from Katerina's garden.

Sweat-Hot Chili 
            (Serves 4)

3 Tbs.  Lard (I used olive oil)
10 ounces beef sirloin, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 3/4 cup Green chili Sauce (made above)
4 Jalapeno chilies, seeded and cut into thin rings (I used 2 small red peppers, whole)

Garnish
1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
4 Tbs. chopped green onions, white part only
4 cilantro sprigs

 In a heavy saucepan (I used my non-stick skillet), heat the lard or olive oil over medium high heat.  When hot, add the cubed beef and brown on all sides.  Add the green chili sauce and jalapeno rings to the pot and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with a sprinkling of the two cheeses, green onions, and a sprig of cilantro.  
We didn't have the 2 cheeses listed above but I am sure it will be no problem finding them in the States and cilantro, well I could grow my own, but we have parsley growing wild in the garden so I just used that.

We had enough sauce that the next day I poured it over pasta and there was still leftover's so that I put the rest in the freezer and will probably use it to make enchilada's or smothered burritos.
Southwest Tastes is a great cookbook, I love the way they interview the chefs at different restaurants from around the Southwest, some recipes are hard to duplicate (does anyone really use lard anymore), especially here in Greece, but I know that I could open this book up every day for a year and find a new recipe to try.