My World

Tsiknopempti (Burnt Thursday)  is the Greek equivalent of Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). It is  celebrated eleven days before the start of Lent. The "Burnt" part refers to the grilling of meats (barbrcue), a big part of the celebration of this day. Photo Credit The weekend following "Burnt Thursday" will also have parties and other events such as  the Carnival. Technically, that Sunday is the last allowable day for eating meat and is sometimes called "Meat-eating Sunday" .  In Cyprus it's called "sikoses" from the greek verb "sikono" literally meaning "to rise" , but , as a metaphor it means to be up and dance and be merry and eat to your heart's content ! Right now, all the Greek restaurants and tavernas are literally packed and the Greeks party, eating grilled meats, drinking wine, ouzo or retsina and dancing. Many Greeks also paint their faces black ...to match them with the spirit of tsiknopempti (Burnt Thursda...

Trahanas is known all over Cyprus as well as in many parts of Greece. It is a delicious and nutritional food, probably the world's healthiest fast food. It is soup with cracked wheat kneaded in soured milk . Let's see how this traditional food is prepared . After the wheat is thoroughly washed, it is blended in a hand mill. Then it is mixed with soured milk and the mixture is placed in the fire. When it boils well, the mixture coagulates, and then it is moulded into small elongated pieces which lay in the sun where they dry out. These dry pieces are stored and so preserved for a year in the freezer. Each time you wish to cook trahana soup, you take the desired quantity from the stored dry pieces in the freezer. The pieces are placed into water, where they inflate and open. Haloumi cheese can be added, chopped into small pieces, which also cooks inside the soup. Trahanas is served hot after some salt, pepper and lemon (optional) are added. Here is the recipe of Trahan...

When I first visited Chios in August 2013, I fell in love with its intoxicating fragrances. It is the island of orchards and orange groves, of mastic and jasmine. Mastic and jasmine are in the air as you walk along the pebbled courtyards of this noble island with its gorgeous stone mansions. The tree that makes the flora of Chios unique is the mastic tree and its sap. The tree is very much like a shrub, with spreading branches and an ashy trunk. It's either light or dark green depending on how old it is. The natural resin, the mastic, oozes from these trees. The cultivation and processing of mastic is still done today in the old, traditional way. This requires many working hands, time and effort, something which makes the genuine Chios mastic unique. The jobs involve the tapping of the trunk and then the collection of the mastic. This takes all summer and has many stages. First, the ground is cleared and smoothed under each tree. The trunks are cleaned, scraped and...

I never used to cook. Actually, I hated cooking!  For years on end, I used to get my mother to cook or have food delivered. However, in the last five years or so, cooking has become a favourite occupation. It helps me relax and unwind after a long day at work or it brightens up a dull weekend. When I have some more free time, I enjoy creating my own recipes - like my very personalized version of chicken bourguignon. The first shocking fact about my recipe is that I didn't add mushrooms! I can't eat them!  The second shocking fact is that I decided to add a yellow pepper! The third shocking fact is that I served my personalized chicken bourguignon with whole-wheat spaghetti and grated cheese! I must humbly admit, however, that it was delicious! Hmm... I guess I must give it a different name!  Chicken Anastasia, for example? Ingredients (serve 4) 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in small cubes 1 onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 car...

The first and important thing to know is that  the table cutlery in formal dinners has a specific order. The ones that are away, that is, away from the plate, are the ones that we have to use first. And then we will continue with the rest following the same order. The forks are located to the left and the knives to the right. The spoons are also located to the right if there is soup in the menu. The cutlery for dessert is located in a horizontal position at the top of our plate. If there's a salad, the salad spoon is the first to use without a knife. When it comes to the glasses, there are three types in general. They are located from left to right in the following order: water, white wine, red wine. According to the occasion, we could find a champagne glass that will be the fourth and last glass. At the dinner table, we don't lean on the table or use our hands to support our head.We never fill up our plate!  We can have a second serving later. We never pick up food ...

February arrived in Cyprus with a huge grin and gorgeous sunny days. I could almost smell Spring in the cool breeze coming from the sea, flirting with my veranda throughout the weekend and spoiling us with mild temperatures rising to 20 degrees celsius on the coast. But just about as I was starting to consider getting rid of coats, boots and umbrellas, today's stormy weather made me have second thoughts. February in Cyprus is  a moody month. It will drift along lazily with its moods...on a whim. Now it's sunny, now it isn't!  Larnaca Medieval Castle Regardless of its moody attitude, February is one of my most favourite months. Its birthstone is the amethyst which symbolises piety, humility, spiritual wisdom and sincerity. Its main zodiac sign is Aquarius like my husband whose birthday is on February 17.                           ...

Regardless of whether you are for or against celebrating Valentine's Day, I believe that love is a blessing and deserves to be honoured on a special day. As far as I am concerned, I look forward to Saint Valentine's Day soon after New Year's party! It's that time of year when you can party again, this time with your significant other. Even if you're not in a relationship, don't be a Valentine's Scrooge, think positive and get into the spirit of Valentine's Day! Who knows! Cupid can have an eye on you and by the end of the night , you might consider changing your Facebook relationship status! There was no Facebook when I fell head over heels in love with Alkis in Switzerland, back in 1976. No one celebrated Saint Valentine's Day in Switzerland then. Yet, we promised each other that we'd always celebrate our love! And we did! We'd write each other love letters and we'd have a candlelit dinner for two. We always had a celebra...

When in Athens, one of my most favourite places to visit is the area of Plaka. Only a short walk away from the buzzing city centre, Plaka is a haven of peace amid the usual hustle and bustle of the city. Winding roads, neoclassical mansions, houses with red-tile roofs, balconies with bougainvilleas, jasmine or geraniums compose "the neighbourhood of the gods" dominated by the Acropolis - the sacred rock that makes us Greeks so very proud of our illustrious ancestors and our Greek heritage - the most advanced civilization the world has ever known. It's no wonder Plaka takes pride of place in the Greeks' hearts, especially in the hearts of the older Athenians who would have a glass of Retsina in one of the typical Plaka tavernas. In those days, every taverna had a guitarist playing old Greek songs such as the old Plaka "Kanta des". Later in the 60s, Plaka became the birthplace of the Greek "new wave" music inspired by the mainstream of the 6...

For the last ten years or so, my husband and I have adopted a healthy eating pattern  without this meaning that we don't occasionally indulge in a less healthy diet to our heart's  content!  Developing  healthy eating habits isn't as confusing or as restrictive as many people imagine. The essential steps are to eat mostly foods derived from plants, vegetables , fruit, whole grains,low-fat meat, low-fat dairy products, and legumes.  Here are some of my favourite healthy-eating appetizers: A. Zucchini with Eggs (serves 4) Ingredients 4 teaspoons olive oil 4 zucchini, sliced 2 eggs, beaten a pinch of salt pepper to taste Directions Heat the olive oil Add the zucchini and cook until golden brown Add the beaten eggs  on top, then mix. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. B. Grilled Aubergines (serves 2) Ingredients 2 large aubergines cut in thin slices (rings) olive oil (to sprinkle) salt and pepper to taste Directio...

Halloumi is a Cypriot, firm, brined, white cheese traditionally made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk, but cow milk is also used these days. Its texture is similar to that of mozzarella except that it has a strong, salty flavour imbibed from the brine preserve. Cooking halloumi practically removes most of its saltness and empowers it with a creamy texture. Halloumi is always served in summer with some watermelon and it's an essential part of a Cyprus meze . The cheese also tastes lovely when grilled, pan-fried or thinly sliced on a salad. Halloumi cheese Source: cheese.com Actually, it is a very versatile cheese. You can  eat it in a sandwich with tomato and cucumber, you can grill it or fry it  and serve it as a snack, you can grate it and serve it with pasta  or you can use it as a topping for pizza. The only thing you can't do with it is boil it. In this recipe, I have grated halloumi and used it as the basic ingredient of haloumopita - a traditional chees...

Insight every fat girl There's a thin girl trying to get out Sweet and sad and slinky That nobody even knows about (Fran Lanesman) Interlaken, Switzerland - July 1978 In my early twenties, as a student in Switzerland, I was really fat. I could have been even fatter but I walked a lot and went horseriding 3 times a week. I didn't know how to cook, so I indulged in junk food such as burgers and pizza, sweets, chocolate, crisps and fizzy drinks - not to mention raclette or cheese fondue ! Within a year, I had forgotten all about my mum's healthy cooking based on the Mediterranean Diet . Consuming so many fatty and unhealthy foods for a long time took its toll and I had to have my gallbladder removed at the age of 25. my favourite sweets Since then, I've decided to adopt a healthier eating pattern. At the beginning, healthy eating made me feel depressed and unhappy. It was as if I were permanently on diet. I also gave up fizzy drinks - cola in parti...

I always tend to think positive even when I feel hopeless. I never see my glass half-empty - it's always half-full. In my life, I've been through thick and thin, yet I've always thought these difficulties were a blessing in disguise. My father used to tell me that a pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities while an optimist is one who makes opportunities out of his difficulties. So I've learned to make opportunities out of my difficulties and construct instead of destroying. Beyond the darkest of nights, there's always the promise of the dawn, the greeting of the rising sun. And as Maria says in The Sound of Music , when God closes a door somewhere opens a window. Every cloud has a silver lining. Can you see that silver lining? While I was surfing the Internet last weekend, I came across a site which caught my eye. You might like to have a look as well. THE OPTIMIST CREED Promise Yourself - To be so strong that nothing can disturb your...

I am a christian, a Greek Orthodox, and I solemnly observe our religious events and ceremonies. I am not a very religious person, though, in the sense that I rarely go to church and I only fast during the Holy Week before Easter. Does that make me a sinner?   I've often wondered if going to church every Sunday or fasting or having a spiritual father will make me a better christian. A very good online friend of mine, Morris, once explained the importance of visiting the House of God. Why? Will God love me more if I visit His house every Sunday? Will He punish me if I don't? In my religion, God is omnipresent, He is ubiquitous  and He is certainly not a punisher! God is Love and He is there to help us in rocky times. My God's son, Jesus Christ, was persecuted and crucified in order to save us from sin. So, how can God be a punisher?   My God is compassionate and merciful and He can hear me wherever I am. I believe in the power of prayer. But I don't th...