Google Plus Invitations For Food Bloggers

I joined Google + (Google's new social network, if you haven't heard) earlier this month, and have been gradually getting the hang of it. My initial impression is positive - it seems to be taking some elements from Facebook, some from Twitter and adding others of its own.

So far, people have been joining by invite only, but it is supposedly going to open up to the public in the next few days (if they consider that they are ready). However, I have just started a Foodies Circle in my account and would like to invite fellow food bloggers to join it.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join Google +, then just click on Contact Us at the top of the blog and send me your e-mail (preferrably gmail - you'll need it for Google + anyway) and the address of your food blog and I'll send you an invite and add you to my Foodies Circle.

If you are a food blogger and are already on Google +, then just click on Contact Us and let me know your name on Google + and I'll add you to the Circle (if you want).

Greek Salad

It's summertime here and one of the pleasures of life is to sit down with a Greek salad (Horiatiki), dunking your bread in the olive oil and drinking a light beer or whatever your fancy is for a cold drink. We realised that we hadn't included Greek salad in the blog, so here it is. It's very simple and I'm sure a lot of you already know it.

The ingredients are:

Tomatoes (3 medium)

Cucumber (1)

Green Pepper (2)

Feta Cheese (150g)

Greek olives (15)

Raw onion (optional)

Oregano

Olive oil

The amounts of each ingredient really depend on the size. Above, I have included in brackets the amount that we used for the photo you see.

The salad is very easily prepared, chopping the tomatoes to a medium size, slicing the cucumber and the green pepper. Throw them in a salad bowl and slice some raw onion if you wish. Crumble the feta cheese on top, lightly sprinkle oregano on top along with salt to taste and finally pour as much olive oil as you wish on top.

Eat and Enjoy!
 

Data Cake

This is a neat visualization of the relationship between Data and Knowledge! Just thought I'd like to share.

Image by EpicGraphic

8 Easy Greek Recipes For Kids

A lot of people are keen to find easy Greek recipes for kids. We've listed some below that we have found to be favourites with kids. Just click on the links to go to the recipes.

KEFTEDAKIA

YOUVARELAKIA

PASTICHIO

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

CHEESE PIE (TIROPITA)

SOUTZOUKAKIA

PATATOPITA (POTATO PIE)

TIGANITES

Eat and Enjoy!

 

Authentic Greek Recipes Now Listed In Alltop!

Great news! This blog has now been listed on Alltop - in the Food section and the Recipes section. Alltop lists the best blogs and sites along with their feeds, so it's an honour for us to be listed there!

If you want to see the latest on any topic from the best sites out there, then just pay Alltop a visit by clicking on the image at the top of this post.

Finally, a big thanks you to our readers - without readers a blog is meaningless!

New Page With Recipe Photo Thumbnails

We've just set up a page on the blog with a fairly large selection of photo thumbnails of recipes on this blog. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you have a quick look and then click through directly from the photos to any recipes that take your fancy.

If you want to see this gallery, just click on the link Recipe Photo Gallery at the top of the page or go directly from here.

What do you think? Is it helpful?

Ikaria - Why Do People Live So Long On This Greek Island?

 Image: www.icaria.gr

Ikaria (or Icaria) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea, not far from Samos. It takes its name from Icarus, the son of Daedalus, in Greek mythology. Daedulus wanted to escape from Minos, King of Crete, and made 2 sets of wings - for himself and his son. He attached them to their bodies with wax and they flew away towards Athens. Unfortunately, Icarus got so excited by the view, that he flew too close to the sun, the wax melted and he fell into the sea where the island of Ikaria is now.

However, Ikaria is now in the news following a study by Greek cardiologists released this week. "While in the rest of Europe only 0.1 percent of the population is over 90 years old, in Ikaria the figure is tenfold, 1.1 percent," Christina Chrysohoou, a cardiologist at the Athens university school of medicine stated.

One of the major factors for this longevity is the healthy diet.

Read the rest of the report from AFP here -

Did You Know? Greek Culinary Firsts

Did you know that the first cookbook was written by an Ancient Greek?

That the tall ,white chef's hat originated in Greece?

The Greek food gourmet, Archestratos, was a poet from Gela in Sicily. He wrote his humorous, didactic poem Hedypatheia - 'Life of Luxury' - in 330 B.C. The work gives advice to its readers on where to find the best food in the Mediterranean. 

The tall, chef's hat originated in the Greek Orthodox monasteries during the middle ages.To escape persecution, some cooks, along with other educated members of society, would take refuge in monasteries. The cooks wore white uniforms and tall white hats to distinguish them in their work from the regular monks, who wore large black hats. They also didn't wish to offend God by imitating their pious black-clad peers.

So, now you know!

Test Your Knowledge Of Greek Food Vocabulary!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

July 4 - Celebrate With Greek Dishes!

Image: GreekShops

 We'd like to wish our US readers all the very best for Independence Day on July 4! Especially for those of you with Greek origins, why don't you prepare some Greek dishes for your celebration? Below, we've suggested some of the most popular Greek recipes from this blog, which you might like to try. Just click on the names to go to the recipe. 


Lamb Kleftiko


This is by far the most popular recipe here. The photo below shows the 'packages' just before they go into the oven.