This past weekend was one of my favorite holidays, Easter! I think I love it because it’s set in one of the most beautiful times of the year, Spring.

Also, it’s a chance for everyone to get together and enjoy each other without the pressure of gifts. That Spring themes of detoxing and renewing follows Easter and really makes this time feel different than the other holidays. 

We need it now...more than ever!

Of course there was lots of food is involved and last year on the blog I talked about my favorite traditional greek dishes. My family is Greek and the traditions are every important to us but this year I decided to experiment a bit. I tried out a few fun modern Greek-esque dishes and I wanted to share in case you might need some inspiration as well....and, of course, the major difference was we all got together and had Greek Easter via Zoom!

Below I have included two different dishes I made: an appetizer and of course a dessert! Since we all are at home more now...maybe you can try when you get a chance.

Appetizer - Grilled Bread with Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, and Oregano

• 4 3/4-inch slices of bread (country style)
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• 1 tbsp. feta cheese (crumbled)
• To Taste: olive oil (extra virgin)
• Garnish: Greek oregano (dried rigani)

Note: Quantities depend on the number of people and the size of their appetites. Be creative!

Grill the bread over coals, in the oven, or on a countertop grill until the ridges are clearly defined and the bread is crusty. Brush well with olive oil while hot. Top with enough chopped tomatoes to cover, and add crumbled feta cheese to taste. Sprinkle with oregano, and serve.

Dessert - Butter Cookies with Sesame

• 1 lb. unsalted butter
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs (reserve 2 for brushing cookies)
• 6 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 oz. Ouzo
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using the mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and ouzo and mix well. While the mixer is running, add eggs one by one and mix until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture little by little. The dough will be soft and malleable but it should not be sticky.

You should be able to pinch off a ball of dough and roll it in to a cord or thin tube.

If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit more flour. Allow the dough to rest a bit before rolling into shapes.

To shape the cookies, pinch off a piece of dough about the size of a walnut. Roll out a cord or thin tube of dough about the length of a dinner knife. Fold in half then twist two times. You can also make a coiled circle or an “S” shape.

Beat the remaining two eggs in a bowl and add a splash of water to the egg. Brush the cookies lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Bake cookies on parchment paper or on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until they are nicely golden brown.

Enjoy!

  October turned out to be such a beautiful time to be in Europe. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a family vacation but my mother had already planned a river boat cruise from Amsterdam down through Germany and I was scheduled for a fine jewelry conference in Vicenza, Italy.  When we were finished with our respective trips I decided to meet them both in Zürich and toured the city for a few days.

My mom's husband, Gordon, headed back home to the states, and my mom and I continued to several cities in Switzerland before ending our trip with a three day shopping spree in Milan. It was such a great trip and I wanted to share a few images with you guys.

We started in Zurich, which is a Swiss German speaking city. This is me and mom enjoying the scenery and talking about how fascinating with all it’s multi-languages Switzerland is.

Red flowers and multi colored buildings with shutters are so typical of northern Switzerland and this was a shot of my favorites. Also, we couldn’t resist inducing in some of the best chocolate in the world- Laderach Swiss chocolate, yum!

Next on our tour was Lucerne Switzerland. It’s still considered central Switzerland and is Swiss German speaking. We loved the old wood bridge internationally known. I am sure you can recognize it from a movie or two. Also, everywhere we looked there were fountains and flowers.

We got brave one day and climbed the big medieval tower walls. To our surprise on the other side were these fabulous long haired cows! We couldn’t stop taking pictures of them!

Next stop, we headed to the western side of Switzerland. These are the French speaking cities along the northern part of Lake Geneva. I found a beautiful spot to take a picture.

We then took a train with the most amazing views and had a beautiful lunch and a glass of wine on Lake Geneva.  On the way to Lausanne we witnessed many beautiful chateaus and villages dreamily wiz by.

We made it to Bongiorno. Here we are in the Italian speaking section! This is the southernmost lake in Switzerland and the city of Lugano. Mountains are all around the beautiful lake and this was the view from our hotel terrace and a shot of a fabulous Italian villa.

Just look at this view from Mount Bre. We had a fabulous lunch and spent the afternoon enjoying nature’s bounty. How perfect did my earrings match Lugano. The sodalite stone was perfect with the lake blue water. So much inspiration and I can’t wait to go back.

Till Next Week,

As Mother’s Day is fast approaching (it’s next Sunday!) I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for all the moms out there, especially my own.

I have huge amount of respect for motherhood from witnessing my own mom doing everything she could to make sure I had all the opportunities to follow my dreams. She is the reason I’m here doing what I’m doing and loving every minute of it.

I also know it can be a thankless job at times but no matter what mothers push through fueled on the love for their children and the strengthen within.

Next Sunday is one of the few times it’s all about mothers. While we all get wrapped up in buying the perfect gift, I truly believe this is one of those holidays that is truly about the thought that counts, spending time more so than money is what really touches a mother’s heart. (While some jewelry doesn’t hurt either) Take the time this Mother’s Day to spend with your mom if it’s possible, I know I am.

This past year I’ve been so lucky to have my mom close and I’m soaking up every minute of it.

Til Next Week,