Author: Despina Yeargin

The greenery perks up the dinner and prepares us for the zesty flavors of the main event. For me, it’s critical that they be interesting, fresh and vibrant. Here are two options, or go for a third option and use them both! One jar of pickled beets and a few simple ingredients This is a…

I will be sharing recipes to help you build an easy-to-prepare Christmas dinner. Over the next seven days, I’ll share recipes and tips for your twelve days of Christmas preparation, cooking and feasting–a few things that you can prepare days ahead or the morning of your dinner, a few recipes and tips for staying calm and…

Gratitude. Today I give thanks for all who take time to check in here periodically. I am grateful for your interest and your support. It is very important to me to share my Greek culture through recipes and to provide you with enough everyday cooking options to inspire you to cook more in your own…

Fresh basil has an aroma that seems to lift the spirits. We love it in pesto, in so many salads, stewed vegetables and in my creamy basil dip. At this time of the year, we are fortunate to find basil in grocery stores. Using it in a dip brings a bit of sunshiny summertime to…

Hilton Head. Have you heard of it? The island on the coast of South Carolina? Dewey and I have been visiting Hilton Head for 31 years, first spending a long weekend there after our wedding. We have returned every November to celebrate our anniversary and often during the summer for an easy and unhurried time on…

When the temperatures drop, I think of soup. First comes my Greek lentil soup. Easy, inexpensive to make, filled with nutrition, so delicious and great for healing any ailments–colds, cranky mood, lost love. Next comes a bean and root vegetable stew with a story. You can find that recipe here. And then there are times when…

I live in South Carolina. We’re just getting back to normal following the cleanup of yard debris from Hurricane Helene. We were emotionally challenged during the 6 to 12-plus days without power. We want to get back to our routines. We’re moving forward with caution. We need to live life with ease for a while.…

I’m the one! Yes, the one who loves everything purple. (Imagine Prince singing Purple Rain here.) I wear purple. I love purple irises–they make me happy. I could stare lovingly at a beautiful amethyst stone for hours (while drinking red wine, of course, which is actually purplish, not red). I’m always drawn to purple when…

You can’t get more Mediterranean and less complicated than this dish. Surely, even eggplant haters would look at this dish and think, why am I salivating? Of course they would. This is just beautiful to behold and so satisfying to scoop up onto a piece of toasted sourdough bread and call it lunch! Or dinner.…

A delicate filet of fish simply seasoned and cooked over Mediterranean-style vegetables. How does that sound? Difficult? Delicious? Flavorful? Too fancy to prepare at home? Difficult? No! Delicious? Yes! Too fancy to prepare at home? Absolutely not! Flavorful? Yes! Loaded with flavors and nutrition. Ready for the recipe? Click here. This is one of the…