Despidoodle

the digital alias of Despina Panagakos Yeargin

  • Essential Pots & Pans

    Essential Pots & Pans

    Recently, my stepdaughter Tara asked me for cookware recommendations. She’s had a full set of a popular brand that her mother gifted her about twenty years ago. Today she’s looking to replace this set. Maybe you’re in the market also? If so, read on. This is not my kitchen. It’s a photo I took during

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  • Independent Recipes

    Independent Recipes

    Today is Saturday, July 2nd. It’s not the Fourth of July, but the holiday that celebrates independence also promotes independence, so some people are celebrating with food and fireworks today. I imagine that it suits others to gather and grill on Sunday, July 3rd. That’s fine. We’re talking about a country of independent people, minds,

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  • Maintenance Issues

    Maintenance Issues

    My husband, Dewey, and I have a kitchen full of copper pots and pans. We also have cast iron, stainless steel and the ever-useful non-stick omelet pan. Thanks to Dewey’s passionate searching of TJMaxx stores everywhere we travel, we have some of the best hand-crafted French copper cookware that he found at greatly discounted prices.

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  • GrecoSoCo Flavor Bomb Burger

    GrecoSoCo Flavor Bomb Burger

    My husband, Dewey, loves a good burger! And who doesn’t? Recently, in an effort to have my burger and eat it too (in a low-carb fashion) I removed the buns, ketchup and mayonnaise and blended the burger with my Greek Heritage Cooking Horiatiki Salata, a.k.a. Greek salad. And this is how the latest GrecoSoCo recipe

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  • GrecoSoCo Salmon Croquettes & Briam

    GrecoSoCo Salmon Croquettes & Briam

      The GrecoSoCo cooking journey continues. You may remember (from earlier posts) that I often blend my Southern husband’s traditional recipes with the Greek methods that I grew up with. Sometimes I combine two traditional recipes, one from Dewey’s family and one from mine. It’s a beautifully paired combination of the physically and culturally different

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  • Greek Summertime Eating

    Greek Summertime Eating

    In my family, this is a traditional summertime dinner or weekend lunch. It’s a bit of a unique combination, but it’s satisfying and quite delicious. We call this Burned Butter Pasta & Greek Salad. Stay tuned, please. My mother prepared this once a week during my years growing up in Australia. As Greek immigrants, we

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  • Spinach Quiche Puff Soufflé Thingy

    Spinach Quiche Puff Soufflé Thingy

    If I’d said it out loud, you would have turned your head, right? Spinach Quiche Puff Souffle Thingy. That’s right! We know the classic quiche makes for an easy breakfast, brunch, lunch and even dinner. Paired with a green salad, it’s full of nutrition and pleasing savory flavor. We also know the classic souffle, which

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  • Down Under Cocktail Food

    Down Under Cocktail Food

    Eating sausage rolls at the bus exchange in Canberra after school is one of the warmest food memories of my life in Australia. My sister, Antonia, and I have arrived at the central bus depot and have to wait for the bus that will take us to the hospital where we will visit our mother,

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  • A Salad for All Seasons

    A Salad for All Seasons

    Lentil salad, YES! Macaroni salad, NO! Instead of cooking tasteless pasta to mix with tasty vegetables, aromatics and a tangy dressing, how about cooking up nutrient-dense lentils?  They work for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and omnivores. Lentils taste good with just about anything and they cook up in the time it takes to chop a few

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  • The Big Kahuna of Aioli

    The Big Kahuna of Aioli

    We all know about the Big Kahuna, but the Big Aioli? What gives? Well, the Big (Grand) Aioli refers to the Big Enchilada of garlic sauces.  It’s about the most garlic-laden mayonnaise that you’ve ever had, and all of the accompanying items that transform it from a mere dip or sandwich spread to a thoroughly

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