Happy Easter

in Inspiration -

Wishing y’all a very happy Easter with all the traditions, delicious dishes, colourful surroundings and chocolate your heart desires!

Happy Easter

As much as I was snubbing it as a rebellious teen, Easter is now one of my favourite times of the year; perhaps the fact that, for the past few years, I have been spending it away from my family has intensified a love I had no idea was there. It really does signify spring for me and all the beautiful things that come with it: colours, smells, brighter days and longer nights. I also find myself over and over again enchanted by the many traditions associated with it, the ones I grew up participating in (or pompously ignoring) and others I became aware of later on. [READ MORE]

Lemon zest & cardamom Easter cookies

in Desserts, Taste -

These lemon zest & cardamom Easter cookies are basically a slight variation of one of my favourite recipes from My little Expat kitchen.

Lemon zest & cardamom Easter cookies

As I’ve mentioned on Friday (and on past Easter-related posts), my family relishes traditions of any kind; my father especially, is drawn to activities that involves bells and whistles of any kind and preferably, if not necessarily, an audience. He therefore tirelessly participates in Easter traditions which are somewhat grand, aka meat preparation, and literally makes the entire process all about him. It is annoying, amusing and adorable in (almost) equal measures; at the same time, since he really knows what he’s doing, we just let him do it and take lots of photos while he does it, to keep him happy and motivated. What is always missing from the festivities is homemade desserts. Absolutely no baking took place in our house during the Easter holidays, so even though koulourakia (cookies) and tsoureki (a brioche-like sweet bread) were around, tempting the ones fasting, they never were homemade. [READ MORE]

Food for thought

in Food for thought, Inspiration -

This food for thought is all full of spring and anticipation for the coming week: Easter traditions, flower power, delicious cookies and wanderlust. 

food for thought

Growing up, the week before Easter was always quite significant; there were lots of traditions involved (some already existing, others having emerged through the years in our family), lots of preparations, fighting and making up. As these were always taking place in our village house, I remember it all so vividly: spring was powerful and omnipresent in the countryside, in every smell, every colour. Each passing moment was significant, different and filled with the season’s enchanting power. I haven’t spent Easter at home in a few years now, but in my heart, throughout this week, I am always there. It is one of my favourite illusions and cooking sustains it wonderfully. So stick around for a couple of my favourite recipes- Easter cookies are coming your way on Monday and tsoureki, my favourite sweet bread and an Easter staple, will make an appearance on Wednesday. Have a great weekend y’all! [READ MORE]

Shortbreads, strawberries & cream

in Desserts, Taste -

I can’t think of a more spring appropriate dessert than this: shortbreads, strawberries & cream! Delicious and lightly sweet, they are to die for! 

Shortbreads, strawberries & cream

I believe that the best way to enjoy strawberries is simply by washing them and devouring them on the spot; to frills, no gimmicks, no extras. And still, here I am adding to them; delicately sweet shortbreads, perfectly crumbly and irresistibly buttery, layered with a light almost cream, made with Greek yogurt, thick mascarpone and maple syrup. It is a good fit though; all these layers and different textures, they are distinct companions to these rose jewels, without however overwhelming them. Stay with me if you please. [READ MORE]

Strawberry love

in Inspiration -

Delicious recipes from some of my favourite blogs; sweet, savoury & refreshing, they’re full of strawberry love and are sure to inspire you too!

strawberry love

Strawberries, these little pink-red, heart-shaped beauties, they always take my breath away. It’s not just their looks; their taunt, chubby flesh, so sweet and juicy, is a temptation I’ve never been able to resist. In fact one of the most vivid childhood memories I have stands proof of exactly that: I am oh maybe 8 or 9, in the balcony of our house; it’s late spring, early summer, a perfectly warm, sunny day, like the ones only Athens can boast about. With me is my dear grandfather, my mom’s dad, the sweetest man I’ve known. And he’s brought strawberries. And they are so damn sweet and juicy and shiny and the water they’ve been rinsed it is shinning on them. And I have one, then another and another and again, quickly, greedily, while my grandfather is slowly savouring each little bite of his strawberries. I’m left with a terrible tummy ache for the rest of the day- but also with this much memory, one of the many I deeply cherish. [READ MORE]

Food for thought

in Food for thought, Inspiration -

All about food in this food for thought: delicious cocktails, extraordinary ladies, a gorgeous seasonal pizza & healthy sandwiches. 

Food for thought

Happy Friday, everyone! It feels like spring is finally here- although London weather has a reputation for being notoriously and at times charmingly unpredictable. None the less, we’ve had lots of sunshine the past few days, enough to give me welcome bursts of energy and sudden urges to walk around and get lost in the city (literally, I managed to actually get lost a few blocks close to my house, but because of the sunlight, every wandering moment was sheer pleasure). A few summer plans concerning The Tasty Other are slowly taking shape and I hope I’ll be able to share more soon. In the meantime, I am looking forward to a baking workshop I’ll be teaching this weekend (all with traditional Greek Easter recipes)  and hopefully some time spent in the sunshine with my favourite ladies. Here’s some inspiration for you: this time, it’s all about food! [READ MORE]

Halva & dark chocolate blondies

in Desserts, Taste -

Deliciously cakey and soft, these halva & dark chocolate blondies are subtly sweet, fragrant and guaranteed to make you crazy about halva. 

Halva & dark chocolate blondies

Halva is one of my all time favourite sweet things; I love its tahini flavour, slight sweetness and irresistibly crumbly texture; that aside, it’s so dear to me mostly because of all the memories each bite brings. As a staple in the 40day Greek Orthodox lent diet, it has always been part of my family’s spring diet- and a much beloved one at that. My family is not religious, but has always reserved an intensely soft spot for traditions- not to mention sweet treats and tahini. [READ MORE]

Food for thought

in Inspiration -

A new Soho House, a delicious olive bread, the irresistible madness of David Lynch and villages to pack up and move to- all in today’s food for thought. 

This past week in our beautiful, strong, hurt, generous, defiant London was- well, you know what it was. I think I am going to take cue from Mike and avoid talking about it, as there really isn’t much to say. The last couple of days I’ve been waking up with a slightly bruised heart, but still filled with energy and anticipation for what’s to come. The weekend will be spend at friends’ birthdays and gatherings with (possibly) lots of beer and (definitely) delicious food. Stay safe and strong and keep your hearts and minds open. [READ MORE]

Dawn Garcia

in The Others -
So happy to be featuring the  mighty Dawn Garcia, creator + CEO of ATOD Magazine, print Editor of Lapalme, writer, screenwriter, host, mom and entrepreneur. 
Dawn Garcia
Mike met Dawn about a year ago, while in LA for the Academy Awards; he loved her instantly and just would not shut up about her energy, social skills and overall badassness. When we went to Cali for our honeymoon, she was at the top of our list of people we wanted to spend time with. When I finally met her… honestly, forget about her accomplishments and the very many hats she wears professionally; the most amazing things about Dawn are her generosity, warmth and adorable family. We spent an evening with them in their beautiful LA home and in no time, I felt that deep admiration, kinship and connection, that exquisite bond women share with each other, which is both empowering and an extraordinary driving force.

[READ MORE]

Vegetable platter

in Small bites, Taste -

My favourite vegetable platter features lots of crunchy veggies, toasted sourdough, mozzarella balls & my favourite, smooth, green, sour & sweet dip. 

Vegetable platter

One of the things that makes me happiest is having friends over and feeding them. I always prefer preparing the food myself (be it small bites or an actual meal) and not relying on store-bought options- so when guests do arrive, I’ve been through a bizarre state of mild stress and almost absolute bliss. And they can both be attributed to cooking, which stresses and relaxes me in almost equal measures. My biggest joy is to prepare a platter, abundant in some of my favourite things. These most often belong in the dairy family (there’s few things I love more than a good cheese platter), but as of late, I have been experimenting with including more freshness, crunchiness and colours. [READ MORE]