As promised- recipes for greek feast!

Chicken/beef/lamb/pork souvlaki

6 oz of meat (a typical chicken breast) will make TWO skewers, so get as much meat as you need for each family member. One skewer is generally enough for each person along with the side dishes, but for bigger appetites, make more! These store well for lunch the next day, as well.
Ingredients:
4 whole cloves garlic, chopped
2 lemons, juiced
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp onion powder

Cut your meat into 1" cubes, in a bowl combine with lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and onion. Cover and place in the fridge, let marinade at least 30-60 minutes, but you could prepare this the night before.. the flavor will get more intense however, so if you don't want it too lemony don't let it sit more than an hour. The lemon will begin to "cook" the chicken or other meat, so don't be alarmed if your meat looks "cooked". Soak your bamboo skewers in water during the marinade time and then thread your meat onto the soaked skewers. You don't want to crowd the pieced of meat, but they should be touching (so they don't dry out during cooking. They will cook fast!)
Cooking method.. well, be creative! You can grill them, of course.. but you can also broil or bake them. In the winter when I cant get out to grill I use my grill pan on the stove- but remember, those things smoke up the house!!

Serve warm, or wrap well and place in fridge. They will heat up well in the microwave, making them a great thing for parties! You can make these the day before and then heat them up right before guests arrive. For appetizers, just place 2-3 cubes on the end of a skewer for a perfect snack portion.


Kristins "Greek" salad (this makes a huge salad.. because I always save the rest and eat it for days afterwards! This is one of my favorite things to eat in the whole world)

4 large cucumbers, washed and peeled
1 large white onion, peeled
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded (skip if you don't like heat)
2 green peppers, washed and seeded
8 Roma tomatoes, washed
1 container of Kalamata olives (PITTED!!) RESERVE LIQUID, don't throw away!!
12 oz block of feta (I like blocks better than crumbles but use whatever you can get!)
4 tbsp red wine vinegar

cut all of your veggies into 1" cubes, and dice your jalapeno, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in your olives, then add red wine vinegar and toss again. Now slowly pour in olive juice and toss as you go until you feel like the salad has enough liquid to coat all your veggies and is the right taste for you. You can mess with this, I like vinegar so I add lots.. you could add less, or none! Its all up to your personal tastes.
Top with feta cut into 1/2" cubes

Roasted Potatoes
8-10 small yellow (or red) potatoes, washed but not peeled, cut in halves or fourths
2 tbsp SLICED garlic
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
5 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Toss potatoes in garlic, seasoning, and oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until fork soft. Sprinkle on your Parmesan and bake for another 2-5 minutes until it begins to brown a bit.

Taziki sauce (for dipping souvlaki in, good on potatoes too!)
Small container plain greek yogurt (plain yogurt will work too, just wont be as thick)
1/2 of a small cucumber, seeded and minced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 pinches dill (fresh or dry)
6 tbsp minced white onion

Mix ingredients together, and place in fridge until needed. The longer it sits, the more flavor it takes on! I like to make this the night before.

For my hummus and pita recipes.. check out my other blog, Housewife Gourmet...
Pita recipe: http://housewifegourmet.blogspot.com/2007/07/my-pita-bread-recipe.html
Hummus recipe: http://housewifegourmet.blogspot.com/2007/07/why-my-hummus-tasted-like-spackle.html