When I Am Tired

A glass of red, yoga pants and puppy time are pretty much the greatest things in the world.

One heck of a tasty party was thrown this weekend. Stay tuned.

Year-Old Cake Makes Me Think

...we interrupt our regularly scheduled food  programming for a moment of thoughtfulness...

The Husband and I celebrated our one year anniversary last week and what a celebration we had! Have I mentioned that I'm completely spoiled by the greatest guy in the world? It's true. In grand tradition, we enjoyed a piece of our cake topper and watched our wedding video (this guy is THE BEST and he loves one of my dearest friends awful). It's so nice to have this video, because I frankly don't remember much of our wedding day... too much emotion to remember things.

Our marriage ceremony was very personal and officiated by my good friend Kevin. One of the things I do remember and was reminded of when we watched the video was Kevin asking this... what do you want to be famous for? 

The question was asked in a roundabout way involving Steak n'Shake references (that's just how Kevin is), but as we closed out our first year together, I found myself meditating on this question. In the context of a wedding ceremony, it meant that we should try to be famous for our love for one another and a great marriage....but this question goes so far beyond a marriage ceremony. 

I'm not sure "famous" is even the right word (you'll never catch me on American Idol), but rather what do you want to be KNOWN for? I'll try not to get too quarter-life-crisis on you here, but I think it's an important question to ask yourself. If my early twenties were supposed to be a time of figuring out who I wanted to be, I now find myself in my late twenties in a stage of becoming who I want to be. And it's increasingly apparent that I was totally off in the figuring out part (maybe it was all those beers and late night shenanigans). 

This becoming thing is a bit terrifying... mostly because I have nothing figured out. The question of what I want to be known for has really helped me to focus my thought and feel less overwhelmed. So while there's a lot I don't know about the future, I know that I want to be known for these things: 

-- My love and loyalty to my husband, family, friends and God.

-- An always open door and full table.

-- A creative spirit.

-- Laughing often. 

So in these overwhelming moments of figuring out and becoming, ground yourself in the end goal. What do you want to be known for?

...and now back to food blogging...

Spano-Articho-Kopitas

Sometimes you just feel like taking your time in the kitchen. As an infrequent baker, I rarely work with complex doughs or multistep preparations. A few Sundays back the Husband was away and I literally had NO plans. No laundry, no work, the blog was even broken. So naturally I busted out some phyllo dough and NPR (do Republicans ever say that?). The dog took up interest and even hung out under the table.

I'm a spinach freak, so have always loved a good 'ole Greek spanokopita. I decided to put a little twist on tradition by adding artichokes. Frozen artichokes are great for spontaneous times like this.

It all starts with familiar friends. Unassuming freezer ingredients prepare to take centerstage.

You must squeeze the spinach of liquid. Repeat... MUST... even if your hand looks like a weird deformed claw.

Eggs bind everything together.

Since phyllo dough can dry out quickly and be a general high-maintenance bitch, get everything ready to go. And yeah... I just called dough a bitch. A damp paper towel protects the wimpy phyllo from the harsh conditions of my kitchen.

Butter calms the whole situation and generally makes life easier to deal with.

The flag folding skills you learned at sleep-away camp will come in handy.

Bake until golden.

And dig in for god's sake...that was a lot of work!

Spano-Articho-Kopitas
Makes about 20 pastries

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
20oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove extra liquid
8-10 frozen artichokes, thawed and chopped
4 eggs, beaten
Bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups crumbled feta
3 tablespoons almonds, toasted and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 package frozen phyllo dough, thawed (mine came with two rolls of 24 sheets)
1 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil and add chopped yellow onion. When onion becomes translucent, add artichokes and scallions and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

In a BIG bowl, combine spinach, eggs, 3 tablespoons bread crumbs, parmesan, allspice, salt and pepper. It is imperative that the spinach be firmly squeezed to remove the liquid BEFORE you combine with other ingredients. Add artichoke and onion mixture and gently fold in feta and almonds.

Gather all of the ingredients to assemble the pastries, since you will need to move quickly. Phyllo can dry out easily, so place sheets on a cookie sheet and cover with a damp paper towel.

Lay first sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter and lightly sprinkle with bread crumbs (just enough to keep the dough from sticking). Continue to layer, applying the butter and crumbs each time, until you have four sheets of dough placed. Slice lengthwise. Place one heaping tablespoon at the end of the dough and starting with the corner fold into a triangle, continue folding like you would a flag. Place completed pastry seam side down and brush lightly with butter. Sprinkle a bit of salt.

Once all pastries are complete, bake for 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned.

For leftovers, freeze unbaked and sealed in a zip top bag. Thaw before following baking instructions above.

Annnnnd We're Back....

Praise the sweet internet Lord... my blog is back! So sorry for the prolonged absence... in a ploy to control the planet Google shut down all kinds of Blogger jazz for the past week without any kind of explanation. So incredibly frustrating!

I've got a few things coming your way in the coming days including a PARTY! So for now...

Note: I didn't create this image, but totally forgot to save down the link to it. Kudos to whoever put this together.

Curry Chicken Salad

Survey says ya'll like chicken salad. Enough that you made my Basil Chicken Salad one of the most read recipes on the blog to date. So when I had leftovers from 5-Spice Beer Can Chicken, I naturally thought of you, dear blog readers. 

Let's take a detour to spicy town, shall we? Curry makes this chicken salad extra special, in a sassy kind of way. And HELLO color!

The sweetness of the golden raisins provides a lovely balance to the punch of curry, while cilantro provides brightness.

Curry Chicken Salad
1lb chicken, chopped
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro, minced
2 heaping tablespoons curry powder
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1/2 cup golden raisins
S&P

Combine yogurt, curry and S&P until mixed. In a separate bowl, toss chicken, almonds, raisins green onion, cilantro and celery. Toss dressing and chicken mixture.

Enjoy as a sandwich or with pita chips and vegetables.

Today is Special

One year ago I married the greatest guy in the world. Thanks for your constant support, neverending appetite and for always doing the dishes.

We celebrated in classic fashion this weekend. Cheers my love.

Kofte Kebabs

Beer and travel have a way of bringing people together. In college I went to Istanbul to study Ottoman history and architecture (useful, I know) and drank beer and met great people along the way. One of these dears popped in to remind me this weekend of the Bud Light equivalent beer that we enjoyed so many nights in Istanbul, Efes. While we've both since moved on to greener brewed pastures, the flavors bring back fond memories.

With Istanbul in my heart, I set out to recreate another Constantinople classic -- Kofte. This spiced meat kabob is incredibly flavorful and is just about the best street meat you can find.

But before we get to the meat on the stick. Sigh and reflect with this snapshot goodie of yore. Awww... makes me miss it!

One of the better things I picked up in Istanbul is a mini spice grinder. With just a few cranks you'll unlock incredible spiced flavor.

This is what makes things so tasty... garlic, finely minced onion and a mess of spices. Should you have the chance to visit Istanbul, the Egyptian Spice Market cannot be missed. With aroma hanging heavy in the air and luscious stacks of fresh spices... your senses are overwhelmed. Plus there are samples.

Combine ingredients like you would a meatloaf or meatball, but you'll form these around skewers for grilling.

Okay... maybe not the most glamorous food, but hey, it's street meat! Even if you're not in the mood to reminisce, this is the tastiest meat on a stick this side of the Bosphorus.

Kofte Kebabs
1lb ground beef
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons onion, finely minced
1/4 cup parsley, finely minced
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon paprika
S&P

Soak wooden skewers in water. Combine ingredients and gently combine by hand, taking care not to overmix the meat. Form into 1 inch balls and gently press on to skewer. Allow to rest in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

Grill over medium, direct heat for 3-5 minutes per side.

Serve with tzatziki sauce and with tabbouleh or couscous.