The Go Greek Meal

JK: As I mentioned previously, we kept this a meatless meal. I fixed the meal this evening using the following recipes from the Barefoot Contessa's Go Greek Meal:

* Easy Tzatziki with Toasted Pita Crisps
* Greek Salad
* Dinner Spanakopitas

Comments: I had never used Greek yogurt before - I liked the texture. But, I don't care for unflavored yogurt, so I'm not a good judge of this flavor. Interesting, tho. I'm also not a cucumber fan, but a little of this at a time, as a dip/spread with the pita, is rather tasty. I wouldn't make it again just for me - but for another Greek themed meal, this would definitely be on the menu.

Comments on the Greek Salad: Very good. There's quite of bit left over, so I've drained the veggies to remove the excess vinegar/oil. Don't want it to get too soggy or marinated. Yes, I'd do this one again.

Comments on the Dinner Spana- kopitas: OK I was hungry. I ate two. If I hadn't had the salad plus the Tzatziki & pita, I might have had 3 spanakopitas.

Overall, I enjoyed preparing the meal -- it just took me a lot longer than the recipes' suggested prep times. I'll blame that on my tiny kitchen with very little counter space. Also enjoyed eating the meal :-)

Gathering Ingredients

JK: We'll be doing our "Barefoot Contessa's Greek Meal" next weekend using recipes are from her Go Greek program. (But, we will skip the lamb kebabs.) I've purchased some of the ingredients, including the Greek yogurt suggested in the recipe for the Tzatziki: Fage. Sometimes it's difficult here in the rural Midwest to find ingredients that are more common in large cities, but I was happy to find Fage in the health food section of the grocery store.

The recipes call for a total of 20 oz of Feta cheese. I can find (and have used) the crumbled type, but had never noticed solid Feta. A few days ago, I just happened to browse the refrigerated units at the nearby (and locally owned) dairy shop, and was very surprised to see blocks of Feta! I'll purchase that mid-week.

The one ingredient that is New to me is "flaked sea salt." So, I searched the Internets and found this helpful web site: Salt Information. I didn't find this at my local grocery, but I'll try a couple others this week. If I don't find it, I'll use Kosher salt. By the way, I found a few blogs about these recipes that might be useful/interesting: from Annie's Eats, and Lisa is cooking.