Chicken Gyros*

I grew up across the street from Katina. She was a widow, thin with gray hair, and she was spunky and generous. Originally from Greece, Katina shared plates full of homemade Greek pastries and cookies with my family. I'm pretty sure she made Kourabiedes, Karidopita, Melomakaroma, and a deep fried, rolled, phyllo treat dipped in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon - I'm not sure what it was, but Mmmm.

A couple of years ago I decided to make gyros. I made them "by-taste" from tasting gyros at the Greek Souvlaki and Yani's Greek Express. When combined with classic movies like Jason & the Argonauts (about the myth), with stop-motion special effects by the talented Ray Harryhausen you can't go wrong! 
  

It's just a little creepy when Talos turns his head. "Oh gee! Run!"

The skeleton battle is classic.

Chicken Gyros*
Olive oil
4-5 Chicken tenders*
1 white onion

1 cucumber

1 package crumbled Feta

1 1/2 C sour cream
Milk
Black pepper
Ground pepper
Greek seasoning
Italian seasoning
1 package Greek flat bread (not pita bread)

Add olive oil to your pan, add 4 grinds of black pepper, and the chicken tenders and cook thru. Cut the chicken into bite sizes and put back in the pan, add a little olive oil if needed and add Greek and Italian spices to taste. Remove from heat. Slice up and quarter cucumber. Cut up onion into large chunky pieces.

Dice about 1/4 C of cucumber. In a bowl add sour cream, diced cucumber and thin a little with milk - add Greek and Italian seasoning to taste. To combine, warm the flat bread so it will "wrap" easier (25 seconds in the microwave). Place spoonful of chicken towards one section (the top of the gyro), add cucumber, onions, feta and sauce to taste. Roll like a cone and eat.

*You can easily make these vegetarian by omitting the chicken.

Suz

P.S. The featured Baklava came from Apollo Burgers. :)

Pop Tarts II

Have you wondered, as a "foodie," what the best possible mode of transportation is for your iPod, or or cell phone? Have you considered a toaster pastry?

My daughter wanted to make these, and knew how to put them together, so we headed to the craft store and the rest is history. What flavor are these Pop Tarts, er, toaster pastry pockets? Cherry! Red sprinkles with cherry filling on the inside; extra padding to protect your electronics not to mention added cuteness.

(Don't miss the other Pop Tart recipe, the kind you bake. Mmmm!)

Toaster Pastry Device Pockets
2 pieces of light brown felt (pastry)
2 pieces of red felt (cherry filling)
1 piece of pink felt (icing)

Red beads (shaped like sugar or sprinkles)

Embroidery floss (pink and light brown)
Embroidery or thin tapestry needles

Place your electronic device on the fabric and cut about 1/2 - 1 inch around it on each side. You will need to cut out 2 pieces of brown felt, 2 pieces of red felt and 1 piece of pink felt.

Sketch your icing shape with pen or pencil on to the pink felt. Make your sketch a little big so you can cut around the "sketch" on the inside so there's no outline from the sketch showing. Next sew the "icing" (using pink embroidery floss) to one piece of brown felt. Using same color floss sew on the "sprinkles."

Trim the red felt about 1/8th inch. Center the red felt inside the brown felt then with the brown floss, sew together the edges of 3 sides of your "pastry" (the 2 long sides, and 1 short side, to create the pocket). Try to catch the edges of the red felt as you sew, to secure the layers together. The brown felt will cover the filling as it is sewn closed. Last of all, "finish" the edges at the top that aren't sewn together, for the "look" of a pastry (see photos above).

Enjoy sans calories!

Suz