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Hello, foodies…

Besides North Carolina of course, the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen is Greece. I remember looking down from a mountain (that we ascended on the backs of donkeys!) and the world below seemed surreal…there was this giant cruise ship in the harbor and I could cover it with my pinky. It was just so quiet…I don’t remember a time I felt more at peace.

The whole country was like that…just beauty you can’t even imagine. And, I also tasted some of the best food I've ever had. There was a local stand that made fresh crepes stuffed with Nutella. I don’t care to tell you how many times I visited that stand during my stay, but I can still taste the freshness of that crepe and that Nutella melting in my mouth. HAPPY DANCE!!

I truly hope that I’ll vacation in Greece again someday—and that you all can get there, too. In the meantime, we’re “off” to Greece this Wednesday, foodies, as we celebrate “Cheese Month” on ITKWD! The Greeks have some of the tastiest finger foods…feta, olives, stuffed grape leaves, roasted peppers, hummus, and more. So we decided to make our very own Greek Appetizer Platter. And, we made two traditional entrée-like dishes into apps just for fun:



Greek Appetizer Platter
 
This recipe is prepared with the Temp-tations® 13-Piece Everyday Entertaining Set (H191927).
 
Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Lamb Kabobs with Tzatziki Sauce
 
Ingredients:
Tzatziki Sauce:
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic, minced
1 cup seedless cucumber, squeezed dry and grated
 
Kabobs:
1 lb ground lamb
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp tomato paste
14–16 bamboo skewers
 
Directions:
 
To make the sauce, add all the ingredients (except the cucumber) to a food processor and mix until combined. Add the cucumber and pulse until just combined. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
*To save time and enhance flavor, make the sauce a day ahead of time.
 
To prepare the kabobs, preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the ingredients to a medium-size bowl and mix until well combined. Shape the mixture into 14–16 small logs, about 2" long and 1" wide. Insert a skewer into the narrow end of each log and place the logs onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake 8–10 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve with the Tzatziki Sauce.
 

Spanakopita Bites
*You can also make this recipe into a pie. Just add an additional egg and spoon the mixture into a pre-baked 9” pie shell. Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes.

Ingredients:
 
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 (7-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
30 premade mini filo cups
 
Directions:
 
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
 
Add the oil to a small sauté pan and set the heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the scallions and toss. Remove the pan from the heat and let the veggies cool.
 
Add the spinach, parsley, dill, egg, ricotta, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sautéed veggies to a large bowl. Mix until the spinach is well incorporated. Fold in the feta cheese.
 
Add a generous tablespoon of the mixture to each of the filo cups then place the filled cups on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Here’s your blog question for this week: where is your favorite vacation spot? Italy? Florida? The Grand Canyon? Tell me where you went and what you ate! And, post some of your vacation pics on my Facebook page. We’ll show our favorite shots on the air Wednesday night! We’ve got an EARLY start time this week…6pm ET, foodies. It’s a 4-hour event, so we’ll be on till 10. Mark your calendars!

Keep it flavorful!
—David