Despidoodle

the digital alias of Despina Panagakos Yeargin

  • Orange Cake

    Orange Cake

    Citrus is king when it comes to cakes that are moist, pleasantly fragrant and refreshing. This type of cake is GLUTEN-FREE and LOW-CARB and  DAIRY-FREE and EASY to prepare and so DELICIOUS. And you only need a small piece. I serve it dusted with powdered sugar and sliced strawberries. Sometimes I add a generous dollop…

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  • Preservation of a Summer Tradition

    Preservation of a Summer Tradition

    I have a beautiful story about two beautiful souls, Wilson and Pansy Hayes. It’s too long to share here, but I can tell you that they were old-fashioned foodies, the kind of people who grew and raised almost everything they ate. They had a healthy and deep respect for the land and its creatures, and…

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  • Summertime Stewing the Greek Way

    Summertime Stewing the Greek Way

    The traditional Greek kitchen is farm-to-table, it’s clean eating, it’s sustainable and it’s unbelievably delicious using very few ingredients and the most basic of cooking methods. It’s amazing! I love it! But it also confuses me. What I mean is that these few cooking methods have more descriptive names than the actual methods. An example–stews. …

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  • Elegant Green Cocktail

    Elegant Green Cocktail

    How do you make a green martini? First, you make two Greek recipes, Tzatziki (uses cucumber) and Zucchini Fritters (yes, uses zucchini). In the assembly of both recipes, you are required to grate the green vegetable and squeeze out most of the juice. What to do with the juice? Well, the easiest and smartest thing…

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  • Independence Day Cooking

    Independence Day Cooking

      Yes, it’s a burger! Independence! Yes, we thank our strong-minded, freedom-seeking founders for giving us the foundation for this country that we call home. Many of us, transplanted from other countries, call this our home and, like those who were born here, give it our taxes, time, ideas and support. We work within our…

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  • Happy Birthday America–Let Freedom Ring for All

    Happy Birthday America–Let Freedom Ring for All

    As a proud and grateful citizen of the United States of America, I feel freedom. Freedom to move about as I wish, to read what I wish, eat what I like and say what I feel in my heart. That freedom is not available equally to all citizens of our beautiful country. And there are…

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  • SUBSCRIBER ALERT

    SUBSCRIBER ALERT

    Hello, friends! A quick note to update you on the subscription service that I’ve been using and what you’ll need to do if you wish to continue getting a notice when there’s a new post on the blog. If you wish to continue getting an email with each new post on the blog, please send…

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  • Raw Zucchini Salad Greek Style

    Raw Zucchini Salad Greek Style

    Greek Style Raw Zucchini Salad (Adapted from a recipe by Martha Stewart)   3 medium zucchini cut into small cubes ½ cup red onion finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt A few grinds of black pepper 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (use only 4 tablespoons if…

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  • Celebrating Feta Cheese

    Celebrating Feta Cheese

    Bread, olives and feta. Greek food trinity. As a Greek, I celebrate feta every day. It’s difficult to stray from a typical summertime snack of a meaty slice of delicious and juicy tomato and a couple of bites of feta–that tangy and lightly salted Greek cheese that all Greeks grow up with on the table…

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  • Greek Cookies & Greek Yiayia & River Cruising

    Greek Cookies & Greek Yiayia & River Cruising

    Strange title? Yes, but it all comes together, I promise. Making new connections and maintaining them is one of my favorite activities. Here’s a short story to explain. In December of 2018, Dewey and I took a river cruise from Paris to Normandy, France. It was memorable. We met many interesting people. Many of them…

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