Sunday Southern Days

Bread. Bread, y’all. In the Instant Pot. And I couldn’t have figure out a greeker lineup of ingredients, like olive oil and Greek yogurt, among others. Note: This is not a rising bread. This recipe will yield a dense, tender, moist bread. Ingredients: 2 c all-purpose flour 2 t olive oil, divided  1/2 t salt 1/2 t baking soda (NOT baking powder) 1.5 c plain Greek yogurt (any fat content is fine) -- CLICK HERE for my Instant Pot Thick Greek Yogurt Recipe Water  Other stuff you’ll need: Electric pressure cooker Wire rack insert  29 ounce aluminum can, clean and no wrapper (I used a leftover diced tomatoes can)  Piece of aluminum foil  Instructions: Rub 1 t of the olive oil inside the can In a glass bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt with a fork Stir in the Greek yogurt. It should be a sticky ball. If not, add in a splash of water at a time, kneading for a minute after each soash until a sticky ball is formed.  Place into the oiled can.

We are Greek, yet I have never attempted to make my own Greek yogurt (I know, *gasp*). We are Fage faithful purchasers, since this is what my husband and I both grew up and deem "the real stuff." But since our Crock-Pot Express joined out family at Christmas, I decided it was time to try it out. Worst case, I was out a half gallon of milk. This recipe was a huge (good) surprise though! Perfect tart taste and thick, creamy consistency. Ingredients: 1 half gallon of milk (use can use any fat level, I used 2%) 3 T of Fage Plain Greek Yogurt (be sure it says "Live Cultures" on the container) Instant Pot or Crock-Pot Express Cheesecloth Mesh Strainer or Colander Digital Thermometer Large Bowl Hel pful Tip: O nce you start making your own yogurt, save 3T of your last batch to add to the new one as your “starter”.  I like to freeze it as a yogurt cube, then I never have to worry about saving some. Instructions: Starting with a

Sometimes when you combine favorite things, it just works. I give you the wonderful combination of Spanakopita and Meatballs! These were a fan favorite last night, great for making ahead, and freeze well. Meatballs 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 tsp. minced garlic (or two cloves, minced) 1 lb. ground turkey (you can also use ground chicken or beef, if you prefer) 3 eggs 1 lb. frozen spinach, all water pressed out 1 c crumbled feta 1 tsp. Montreal or steak seasoning 2 T olive oil 2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Saute onion for 3-4 minutes in 1 tsp. olive oil, remove from heat, and place in mixing bowl. Add garlic and toss together. Squeeze all of the water out of the spinach. Add to onion mixture and separate the spinach as you mix. Add in raw ground turkey, steak seasoning, olive oil, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients well with a wooden spoon, breaking up the meat or spinach as needed, and well-incorporating the eggs.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas .... Well at least at our house it is! And as the resident Greeks on our street, our neighbors rely on me to supply them with some annual Greek treats. So while the rest of you are whipping up Peanut Butter Blossoms and Gingerbread, we're making Melomekarona! Here's what you need to get started: Ingredients Zest of 1 orange 1 c sugar 7 1/2 c all-purpose flour 2 t baking powder 1 t baking soda Pinch of salt 1 c orange juice 1 c olive oil 1 c vegetable or canola oil 1 c sugar 1 c honey 1 c water 2 Dashes of cinnamon Zest of 1/2 lemon Place the sugar and orange zest in a bowl. Massage them together like you are playing in the sand to release the zest oils into the sugar. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a Kitchen Aid, mix together the orange juice, olive oil, and vegetable oil. Add the zest and sugar mixture.

The Captain and I have been on a pretty solid roll of healthier eating lately (just disregard my 10/1 post about the Southern Ground Music & Food Festival). Tonight for dinner, I started with a base of a Stone Fire Flatbread -- pre-baked and found in the bakery section of Jewel grocery store ( stonefire.com/our-flatbreads/pizza/ ). Here is how it piled up: (from the bottom) - Stone Fire Flatbread (whole wheat) - 2 T EVOO - 2 t minced garlic - 1 red pepper, cleaned and diced - 1 lb. of frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze out all of the water - 1 diced 6 oz. chicken breast (I used the Market Pantry pre-cooked frozen chicken breast from Target) - 1 container (6 oz.) Athenos herbed crumbled feta - 1/4 c low fat Mexican shredded cheddar mix Top with 2 T drizzled EVOO on top, then bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Enjoy!!

To honor the recent passing of our koumbaro (a best man in the Orthodox wedding ceremony), I wanted to bake prosforo to be donated for our church's future services in his name. Of course, I referenced by trusty Norfolk church cookbook for Presvytera Goumenis' recipe. As this is the preparation of a religious article, you open with the following prayer: Dear Lord, this bread that we are baking represents each one of us. We are offering ourselves to You, our very life, in humble obedience and total commitment to You. We place ourselves on Your holy altar through this bread to be used by You in any way that You feel will help enlarge Your kingdom. Accept our gift and make us worthy to receive the greater gift that You will give us when You consecrate this bread and give it back to us as Your Precious Body. modified for 4 loaves 5 lbs. Bread Flour 2 t Salt 3 packs Quick Rise Yeast 5 cups Water Add 3 packs of Quick Rise Yeast with abo

Chances are, the majority of you have not heard of koulakia before. They are a dumpling stuffed with feta cheese, typically found in Greek cuisine. My mom made these growing up from my great-grandmother's recipe, and I'm here to share it with you. Warning: This is not an exact measurement kind of recipe. We're going to make it like yiayia made it, eye-balling it. So know that you may need to adjust flour and water ratios along the way. Starting off: 2 c white all-purpose flour 3/4 c water (add slowly 1/4 c at a time, kneading into the flour to make the pasta dough) 2 t salt I toss this all into the Kitchen Aid with the dough hook on a low setting as I add the water so I can see how it's coming together. Set a large pot of water to boil on the stovetop while we make the dough. Once you've achieved a ball of dough (you're shooting for no crumbles and not too sticky), flour a surface and roll out flat. You may need to do this in batches dependin

Good morning, campers! Mom was visiting and we made the obligatory stop down in Greektown for Kokyva supplies (Kokyva is a Greek Orthodox wheat-based dessert made for funeral and memorial services; my mom makes the best), as a little Greek grocery shopping. I had to grab a paper box of Amita peach juice. It's the best.