Rule #1 of food blog design: Never launch a new design or features the day before you go on vacation or travel.

I thought I had learned this lesson, oh…..5 WordPress themes ago, but apparently I underwent a momentary lapse of good judgement last Friday. Not only were we going on a family vacation at Disney World, but we were hosting Food Blog Forum in Orlando at Disney World for 100 attendees and their families. (More on those fun times in another post!)

Scott and I started getting emails from readers that, “Your site be broke!” as one so eloquently wrote. But our energy was dedicated to creating magical moments for FBF attendees and our boys, and not for freaking out on a broke site. So we stopped checking emails and just had fun.

It was harder than I’m making it sound. There’s no such thing as “stop checking emails” or “turning off phones” for geeks like us. But we did our best and you know what? Our weekend was one of the best eeeevvveerrrrr!!!

Broccoli Spanakopita…or Broccolikopita

Spanakopita is a Greek pastry, usually filled with spinach and feta cheese folded in layers of filo dough. Most of the time, I see them folded into triangles (kinda like how you fold an American flag), but I decided that rolls were easier to shape, easy enough for my boys to help me in the kitchen.

Instead of spinach, we used fresh broccoli, something we had plenty of in the garden. Crispy, flaky and savory.

The first step is to lightly saute the onions, garlic and broccoli in olive oil. Season with a pinch of ground nutmeg and salt and pepper.

The broccoli should still be a little crunchy and bright green. Let the pan cool a bit and then stir in the raw egg. If the pan is too hot, the egg will cook. Remember, this all goes in the oven later for 20 minutes, so everything will be perfectly cooked.

Lay out a sheet of filo, brush with melted butter, then add another sheet. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the broccoli filling in the middle, near the bottom.

Fold over both sides.

Roll up.

Once you’re done with all of the rolls, brush the tops with butter.

Bake for 20 minutes and serve hot!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 45 comments

In a previous life, I used to work for a giant booze company. I used to commute between my home in the San Francisco (which was only 7 miles away from the office but took 40 minutes to drive sometimes) to the office near the Embarcadero or to the winery in Napa Valley in my little beloved 2-seater fancy pantsy convertible. I know, a tough life, huh?

On the days that I’d head to the city office, I would try to take the subway a couple times a week and on the walk after work back to the subway, I’d often meet friends for dinner at a Greek restaurant called Kokkari. Coincidentally, I just found out that my very handsome friend and fellow blogger Michael Procopio (*waving hi, Michael!*) works there.

The must-order item on the menu is Fried Smelt, little fishies fried whole and served with a garlic-potato skordalia (thick potato-based dipping sauce) and wedges of lemon. The finger-length fried smelt is eaten whole – tail, bone and all – and I call them my Greek French Fries as they are just as addictive.

Continue reading Fried Smelt...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 39 comments

Introducing the McGowan family! Angie and her family are fellow Floridians and they publish the popular Eclectic Recipes blog and the fact that she has a recipe category called “Spanglish” wins my heart. Oh and that cute little boy, Julien, she’s got there wins my heart too. I love Angie’s blog – her recipes are simple and happy – check out these colorful Springtime Flower Treats perfect for kids and the Nutella Mug Cake!!!!

This week, Angie is my guest on Steamy Kitchen, featuring her Greek Style Mac ‘n Cheese recipe — packed with olives, spinach, sundried tomatoes and feta cheese.

Enjoy!

Jaden

Greek Style Mac and Cheese

by Angie McGowan, Eclectic Recipes

I was just tickled when Jaden asked if I would like to guest post on Steamy Kitchen. I have been following Steamy Kitchen ever since I started blogging, and have picked  up many tips and tricks not only about food and cooking, but also about photography, blogging and all the other aspects of social media. Jaden is such a huge inspiration to me, and always there when I need a bit of advice in this much to complicated world of food blogging.

So I guess your wondering who I am.  My name is Angie and I have been blogging for about 2 years now. My blog is Eclectic Recipes, and I am also a daily contributor to Babble’s Family Kitchen. I grew up in rural north Florida, which is very southern and much more like rural Alabama or Georgia than south Florida. I grew up eating very southern foods. We raised catfish, chickens, goats, pigs and cattle (although not all at the same time). We had pecan trees, fruit trees and a prized persimmon tree. We had a huge garden with just about everything, and what we didn’t grow, we would get at local u-pick type farms.

I currently live in Orlando, Florida with my husband and three year old son, Julien. Although we don’t have any space for a garden yet, I try to plant as many herbs as I can in containers. I can’t wait until we have a good-sized yard where I have room for at least a small garden. When I’m not in the kitchen, I enjoy crafts, movie night with my family, and outdoor family activities like hiking, boating and skiing.

My family loves macaroni and cheese any way they can get it, but I get tired of doing the same old same boring recipe over and over. I like to experiment with using different cheeses, adding different vegetables, bits of ham or chicken, and even sometimes tuna. This is my Greek style mac and cheese. I used feta and  creamy havarti with dill to make the cheese sauce.

I got the havarti with dill in the deli section of my supermarket, and just asked them to cut my a half pound slice so I could shred it. I also added some good pitted kalamata olives, a few capers, a bit of sun-dried tomatoes and lots of fresh spinach. This made the perfect quick fix vegetarian meal, and since it’s mac and cheese, it will even satisfy your little picky eaters.  I served this as a main dish, but you could add some grilled chicken and a small Greek salad if you’d like.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 44 comments

A tasty spin on tradition Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe for Greek Style Meatball Pasta at SK on Tasty Kitchen

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments

Click for 6 additional photos of Lamb Kabob with Spicy Mango Chutney and Whipped Feta

It’s not easy trying to come up with great recipes I think you all will enjoy. Some weeks, I just want to cuddle up on the couch and French kiss a bag of Styrofoam cheese puffs. But I doubt that you, my loyal readers, would appreciate hearing about my steamy love affair with Ben and Jerry, or my secret stash of Snickers bars in the freezer.

I used to get my food inspiration by spending time at the supermarket, slowly and deliberately perusing the aisles. I’d usually start in the produce section, looking to see what’s fresh and glorious. I’d create recipes on the fly and fill my cart with ingredients from the imaginary dish that perched vividly in the thought bubble above my left eyebrow.

And then when I reached the seafood section, the glistening halibut would call for me, and blip! Sweet, buttery halibut with roasted tomatoes would quickly zap any trace of the previous dish in my head.

I’d have to run back through the aisles, returning ingredients and swapping out produce and plucking out new herbs. And then I’d get to the meat section and, oh, wow! Lamb is on sale! I can make Lamb Kabobs! I’d go through the exercise again.

I do consider this game great fun, though highly inefficient and awfully suspicious, especially to the loss-prevention team that eyeballs me every time I pass through.
Continue reading Lamb Kabob with Spicy Mango Chutney and Whipped Feta Recipe...