I’ve made so many different snacks and treats for Halloween parties over the years. I find the kids never want anything fancy, but they do like it when it’s a little creative and nothing they’ve ever seen before. This Spooky Halloween Party was a favorite last year and this year I have cute little cauldrons to serve it in.  To make this popcorn you can start with fresh popped corn, or popcorn from the store. Then you toss it with melted butter, salt, chocolate, and candy to t

I like to bake for my family, and sometimes I try to make recipes that aren’t too dessert-like so they’re good snacks to enjoy during the school week. These Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Muffins with Chocolate Chips are one of these recipes. They aren’t made with any oil or butter, instead I use a protein-packed Greek yogurt for moisture and fat. Then I add in flavor with peanut butter and a little honey for sweetness. If you want more sweetness, you can add more honey or sugar!

I love to make apple desserts in the fall. We always go apple picking and have so many apples to use up all at once! This Apple Strudel is made in the style of an elephant ear pastry. I fill pastry dough with shredded apple, sprinkle it with sugar and butter, and pop it in the oven.  The nice thing about this dessert is how incredibly easy it is. It’s a lot easier than making a pie from scratch, I think. I put my kids in charge of shredding the apples and then we work with th

I never get tired of salad recipes. There are an infinite number of ways you can make salad, they can be super healthy or a little decadent, and they really complete any meal. This Beet, Avocado & Quinoa Salad with Honey Yogurt Dressing is a recent favorite of ours. I love to make it in the fall when we’re in the mood for big salads that are hearty and filling.  The main ingredients of this salad are beets, avocado, and oranges. The peppery arugula gives it a nice bed of gree

This was such a fun episode to film in Greece. It’s a classic Greek recipe for Pan Fried Mastelo with Pasteli, which is a drizzle made with sesame and honey. You can find versions of this recipe in restaurants all over Greece and my family and I order it all the time. Today I decided to make it at home, which I do from time to time, and filmed it for you.  Mastelo is a soft white cheese that can be found in most grocery stores. For this recipe we bread it simply with flour an

Making Peanut Butter Tzatziki was new for me this summer. My husband and I tried it at a local restaurant in Greece and liked it, so I wanted to give it a try. Admittedly, I don’t think I would have ever put these flavors together without someone else doing it first. It’s unusual to pair sweet peanut butter with savory cucumber and garlic. But you know what, it totally works!  As it turns out this sweet and savory flavor combination is absolutely wonderful. I prepare it just

When I was in Greece this summer, I filmed this recipe for Kataifi Tyropita in my kitchen. It’s a Greek crispy cheese pie with honey drizzle that is very popular in our area. This summer I ordered it a lot at restaurants. I’ve never made it home before, which was one of the reasons I wanted to film my first try. I think it’s always important to remind you that I’m always learning recipes and I’ll probably never master every Greek dish because there are so many. But I will try

I almost can’t believe it’s taken me this long to film an episode about Chicken Piccata. I’m not lying when I say this is truly one of my family’s favorite recipes. My kids love it and request it regularly. I don’t think I could even calculate how many times I’ve made it at this point. The brilliance in this classic dish is the flavor of bright lemon and capers, a satisfying crispy chicken, and a simple starch like rice or pasta to soak it all up.  I start this recipe like I

I love a simple dinner that uses up leftovers in the fridge and in our house that’s Vegetable Fried Rice. Like most families, we started making this with the leftover rice we’d had from dinner or take-out the night before. We warmed it back up and added it to a skillet with egg, vegetables, and flavorings. It was so easy and it has remained popular in our family ever since.  The cool thing about this dish is that it can really hold almost any leftover vegetable you have in yo

This spring and summer I’m sharing a lot of classic recipes that satisfy and giving them a new twist. For this week’s episode I’m making this with classic summer tuna sandwich and turning it into Mediterranean Tuna Salad. We all love the classic version of tuna salad in our house. It’s makes for a great, easy meal no matter the time of day. My kids like it on toasted bread and served as a sandwich. It can also be served on a nice bed of lettuce or stuffed in an avocado. Somet

Sometimes a nice big plate of sticky wings is the single most satisfying thing you can eat. I really like to make these for snacks because my kids always have friends over and everyone gets really hungry after swimming. Also, if it’s a rainy day, they need something to keep them going while they’re inside hanging out watching sports!  This is a nice, easy recipe because you make the sticky sauce and coat the wings in a big bowl. It’s much easier than trying to baste them whil

It wouldn’t be right to let one more summer pass by without me filming an episode about the classic Chocolate Cookie Icebox Cake. This cake is a true classic and pleases just about everyone who tries it. I grew up enjoying this cake because my mother used to make it, and now I make it for my family. The premise of this recipe is that chocolate wafer cookies are layered with whipped cream and then popped in the fridge.  While the whipped cream and cookies are chilling, the cre

The beauty of pound cake is its simplicity. The ratios of ingredients are easy to work with and it yields a delicious, flavorful cake every single time. This Coconut Pound Cake is a favorite for us in the warmer months. We like the tropical flavor and often serve it with fresh fruit and whipped cream to create the perfect summer dessert.   Making this pound cake is really easy. In fact, there are many times I put my children in charge of making it. They like to get involved i

I love the sun and heat. One of the reasons for this is that I’m Greek and love nothing more than being on the beach by the ocean. It’s in my blood! We spend a lot time at the beach in Greece in the summer. In the winter we try to go south to get some sun when it’s really cold here in Connecticut. (Sometimes winters really make me miss my college days in Florida!) That said, I can bring the beach back to me whenever I make this Tropical Fruit Salad, no matter the weather outs

I love sheet pan dinners because they make a meal so efficient. The ingredients are cooked on the same pan and the clean-up is so incredibly easy! This Shrimp with Fennel & Chickpeas is one of those sheet pan meals that sounds like it would be complicated because to the multiple ingredients, but it’s actually simple because it’s made on one single pan.   This recipe begins with preparing the ingredients in their bowls. Make sure everything is tossed evenly with the marinade s

I always make sure I have a few good side dish recipes on hand that are delicious and versatile. This is the beauty of Cilantro Lime Rice. It’s super easy to make and can be paired with a lot of different, delicious meals. It even works well to be packed for lunches at work or school. I like to serve this rice dish on a weeknight with grilled pork or chicken. It also works well in burrito bowls, tacos, or with a baked fish on top.  The nice thing about rice is that it’s a bla

This is such a fun and interesting cake to make. I call it the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich Cake and it’s exactly what it says it is. It’s like a giant Chipwich. The same summer ice cream treat we all love, but on a giant scale.  The key to making this is using great ingredients. First, get cookies that are your favorites and are sturdy. Sometimes I’ll make homemade cookies, but I’ll often buy them, too. Then, use your favorite ice cream. In this video I do a classic van

This Citrus and Avocado Salad is a beautiful and bright salad for any time of the year. I love making it in the summer when everything is so super fresh and flavorful. If you can find citrus in the winter that is bright and juicy, this salad will work will then, too.  I love this salad because it can be served at almost any occasion, from the fanciest parties to the most casual meals. It does not take long to assemble and it tastes even better than it looks, which is somewhat

I’ve written about many different burger recipes on this website because there are so many good ways to make them. Today I’m sharing the Avocado Bacon Ranch Burger recipe because it’s wrapped in lettuce and is a great burger when you want a lot of flavor, with a healthier twist. The lettuce wrap can serve two purposes, first is a reduction in calories, and the second is that it’s gluten-free. Sometimes I like to skip the bun on my burger because it’s too filling, and the lett

This is one of the most time-honored summer desserts in the whole world. I can’t get enough of Classic Lemon Bars and I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment. I’ve been enjoying these since I was a child when my mother would make them. Now I make them a lot for my own family and I also make them a lot in the summer for my catering clients. When I’m serving these at a party, I cut them up into very small squares and they’re very elegant on a dessert platter.  The concept of