Punjabi Samosas

Some More Samosas
We all have at least one food item where you can neither eat just one nor a little bit. Unfortunately for me, I have several.

In some cases, it is a dish that reminds me of my childhood. (And, yes, there are days when I would like to go back to when I had no responsibilities whatsoever. Please and thank you.) If I am being honest, most of the time I overindulge it is because whatever I am eating simply tastes so stinking good.

Punjabi Samosas are one of those things. I am not a one-and-done girl when it comes to samosas. I will eat them for dinner, and I will eat them for breakfast the next morning. This is why whenever we order takeout, I always get extra. They come in a wonderful variety of fillings, but I always circle back to the tried-and-true Punjabi version with potatoes and peas. They are the perfect combination of spices and carbs.

I do not make them at home too often—mainly because of the hassle of deep frying. But I have recently bowed to public pressure and purchased an air fryer. I didn’t want to love it. But, I’ve found that I kind of do. So, my next order of business is to try the samosa recipe below using my air fryer. This could be dangerous for my waistline!

If you don’t have an air fryer, you can certainly do them the old-fashioned way or bake them in the oven.

Punjabi Samosas
Adapted from Indian Healthy Recipes
Yields about 10 samosas

Punjabi Samosas are a crisp Indian chaat (or snack) with spicy potato and peas filling. They are one of the most commonly eaten snacks in India. Serve these with a tamarind or mint chutney. They can be deep-fried, baked, or air-fried. Read more…

Greek Meatball Sheet Pan Dinner

Bowl Me Over
I am a huge fan of weeknight sheet pan dinners. I used to love them because when the kids were all home it was a fast and easy way to cook dinner. And, knew that they were eating real food. Now I love them because, after twenty-five-plus years, I have dinner-making fatigue. And, sheet pan dinners mean easy clean up. But, I have recently been combining that love with another love, bowls.

Bowls are great. Especially when it seems weird to eat at the dinner table because it is just the two of you. Bowls make eating dinner on the couch in front of Jeopardy! So much easier. (It’s not as tragic as it sounds. We don’t do that every night.)

The recipe below is a new addition to my Bowl Rotation. I love the bright flavors. Reminds me that Spring has, in fact, sprung!

Greek Meatball Sheet Pan Dinner Recipe
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
Yields 6 servings

This Greek Meatball Sheet Pan Dinner is served with sweet potato fries and lots of Tzatziki sauce. Combine all this in a bowl with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and a tasty olive and feta dressing. Serve this easy dinner with fresh pitas bread for a meal that hits the spot! Read more…

Dolmades

Midday Mezze
Readers who have followed this blog for a while might remember a post I wrote in September of last year about crawdad lunch. For those of you who are not familiar, crawdad lunch is what my family calls a lunch that consists of salami, cheese, crackers, and maybe some fruit. It has evolved over the years to something a little more sophisticated.

I still have crawdad lunches—especially when the weather is warmer. In fact, I had one yesterday, but this was not your five-year-old’s crawdad lunch. My lunch consisted of pita bread instead of crackers, salami, grapes, mixed pitted olives, some hummus, and, lastly, dolmades.

If you are not familiar with dolmades, they are cigar-shaped stuffed grape leaves and they are yummy. They can be made the classic way with meat but are just as tasty in their vegetarian form. Dolmades can be eaten on their own with a squeeze of lemon or dipped in some tzatziki for a pop of tartness. Either way, they make for a perfect lunch.

I made these over the weekend for my daughter who is having a busy week and wanted to food prep her lunches. Dolmades are a great choice because they will last 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. And, they have a bit of everything you need to get through the day—carbs, protein, veggies, and of course, flavor. They are also extremely portable for those beautiful Spring days when you want to be outside and need to pack a lunch.

This recipe makes quite a few, so feel free to half it.

Dolmades Recipe
Adapted from The Mediterranean Dish
Yields 60

This flavorful, traditional Greek dish is made by stuffing grape leaves with a delicious mixture of rice, meat, and loads of fresh herbs and warming spices. Then they are cooked in a bright lemony broth. Read more…

Fish a la Spetsiota

It’s Greek To Me
If you ever feel like you’re in a cooking rut, take a Saturday and go through your cookbooks. As you weed out the ones to be donated, you will discover books you forgot you had. The ones you loved at one time but since have languished on the shelf are desperate to see the light of day.

This was me last Saturday.

Because my love of cookbooks (read: addiction) exceeds the amount of room I have to store them, it became necessary for me to cull the herd, as it were. Some books were easy to remove. Those were the books I acquired as editorial copies during my Barnes and Noble days and frankly never really used.

Then there were the books you never get rid of even if you don’t use them on a weekly basis. The Art of French Cooking (my grandmother’s copy) for example or The Joy of Cooking. Anything by James Beard or the 1941 copy of The Escoffier Cookbook (also my grandmothers…you get the gist).

The hardest decisions were made with the regional cooking books. I was shocked to note that I have just as many Cajun/Louisiana cookbooks as I do Mexican cookbooks, and I have a lot of Mexican cookbooks. I couldn’t bring myself to part with any of those. There were a few French ones that I just didn’t really need anymore but France is still well represented as are Spain and Italy. I was surprised, given the fact that I love the cuisine, that I didn’t have a wide selection of Greek cookbooks. I have a number of Mediterranean cookbooks but only a few that are specifically Greek.

One of the books I do have is The Glorious Foods of Greece by Diane Kochilas. It is a fantastically comprehensive collection of recipes from across all of Greece and its many islands. I recommend it highly. Diane Kochilas is an authority on Greek and Greek American cooking and her books are a must-have for any well-rounded library.

Apparently, I need to do a little work on my well-rounded library….

Maybe it’s because spring is right around the corner or maybe it’s because it’s been a while, but after my spring book cleaning I find myself with Greek food on the brain. The bright fresh flavor of lemons, olives, and olive oil are calling to me in a big way. But first, I need another Greek cookbook or two…I wouldn’t want all that new shelf space to go to waste….

Fish a la Spetsiota
Adapted from Diane Kochilas
Yields 4 Servings

This classic Greek Fish a la Spetsiota recipe comes from the island of Spetses off the eastern coast of the Peloponnese. This dish has many versions and this simple one is a favorite. Read more…