Tea on the terrace, and a slow morning for me. T and grandson are off exploring the island today and I am simply vegging out after my mad spurt of energy over the weekend.Very nice gathering yesterday. About 30 people came and went. Some ate, all drank something. T's brilliant idea of a kiddie plastic inflatable pool the same diameter as our round table, filled with ice and covered with a blanket proved an excellent solution as a self-serve drinks cooler large enough for all the beer, wine and soft drinks for a large gathering.
My Mahogany Chicken Wings (in spite of being a tad too "mahogany" due to spending a bit too much time alone in the oven!), and BBQ'd Beef was a grand success and now I will have to remember how I did it all well enough to write it down as five people asked for the recipes. Also requested: Boston Baked Beans (a la Corfu) and My very special Mocha Chocolate-Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting...
There are plenty of leftover sausages and hot dogs (and lots of melon) to keep grandson and T. happy. I may not have to cook for the rest of the week!! (they were vastly disappointed that nothing remained of the chicken, beef, beans or cake tho)
Still I do have to figure out what to do with the 3 lbs of hamburger I got as back-up, Plan B, though. Maybe I'll make Chili, as it's supposed to go very very warm by the end of the week ("feeling" over 114 F! 45.5 C!!) Mexican food is hot food for a hot climate.
NOT looking forward to the weather past Wednesday- and those hot temps are supposed to last at least a week. Obviously, it IS summer. Still it makes me think longingly of when we lived in Denmark. Summers were lovely and cool! (sadly also rainy more frequently)
Currently it's gorgeous. It was lovely and cool all day yesterday (25C/78F hottest) and it's supposed to be the same today. Last night I slept with a blanket! (it got down to 61F/16C.) It was soooo nice.
Well, enough babbling about the weather for now. Must try and get something done so I can be smug when T and grandson return this afternoon.
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They've returned from Hydropolis. 
Grandson had a marvelous time and made a couple of friends. (His only comment about his new friends: "Their accent is really hard to understand!" They were British.)
T. found things bearable. The tequila was in the "sunrise". He also remembered my rant over the lack of photographs from the other day, so he dutifully took some.
Best additional discovery: A GREAT Fish 'n Chips place called Flannigans, in Sidari, open year round- AND they have Guinness! (true, in cans...) Bad news, of course is that it's a 45 minute drive from here. Still, we will be making that trip come the winter time!
Can't pass up a night of Guinness, fish and chips and darts!
[NOTE: Recipes are posted in the comment section.
Ooh, could you please share you Boston baked beans (a la Corfu) recipe?
ReplyDeleteAs you may see on my blog today, I don't eat meat which makes me a bit of an oddity here, despite the fact that Greece SHOULD be a vegetarian heaven.
Glad your weekend was such a success - I could almost imagine myself sitting quietly and contentedly with you on your balcony this morning, sipping a frappe and admiring the gorgeous greenness of the Corfu countryside (instead of bashing away in an air conditioned office with no window, somewhere near the port of Piraeus). Sigh.
A few Unbirthday Recipes from the party:
ReplyDeleteBoston Baked Beans (a la Corfu)
There are probably a thousand recipes for Boston Baked Beans. This one is mine. (It classically has 1/4 lb of bacon or pork in it, but you can skip this and gently cook the onions and garlic in a good slurg of olive oil and add to the beans for your vegetarian friends.)
[30 minutes to put together- at least 10 hours to simmer- oh, and two overnights worth of 1) soaking beans and 2)simmering in crockpot!]
1 pound dried navy or great northern beans (or cannelli)
2 onions, chopped
1/4 lb panchetta/bacon chopped (lightly pan fried -oil/butter)
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 500 gr bottle "spicy Greek" ketchup
1/4 cup molasses (Tate and Lyle's treacle)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Soak beans in enough water to cover plus three inches over night. Drain beans and place in a large pot or slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. ( for vegetarian, you can cook the onions and garlic in a some olive oil if you'd like before you add them) Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 hours. I put it together the day before we eat it. I have a slow cooker so I just leave it on overnight. In the morning I turn it off, let it cool a bit, then put it in the oven to completely reheat, brown and soak up the excess juice (if there is any juice...if there isn't add a bit of water before you bake in the oven!)
[Short cut is to buy the LARGE can of baked beans at Diellas, pour off a cup of the liquid DO NOT add the cup of water!, but do add 1/2 bottle of spicy ketchup. The recipe is the same from this point on: Place the beans in the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients...etc]
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Pulled BBQ'd Beef (or Pork)
Great to use it for barbequed ribs and chicken, but it’s also special to use with a piece of roasting meat (either pork or beef [like what is used for mince] ). I put the meat in a pressure cooker simmering for an hour with 1/4 cup of water, a few carrots, some celery leaves and an onion quarterd. When the hours is done, let the pot cool with the meat. Remove the meat and discard (or feed the dog) the veggies and broth. Then tear the meat apart with two forks (discard gristle) and stir it into the sauce. Reheat in a slow cooker for a few hours to make BBQ Beef sandwiches. Put on warmed hamburger buns.
Jessica's Very Good BBQ Sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Onion, finely minced
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed/minced
1 1/2 Cups catsup (I love to use Greek Spicy Catsup!)
1/2 Cup Vinegar
1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 Cup sugar (brown is good)
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder (sweet – not spicy)
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Heat pan and add olive oil. Add the onions and cook til transparent. Add garlic. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low til everything starts to thicken. tada! [FYI- this recipe doubles VERY well and you can use it weeks later! Just pour the very hot sauce into a glass jar and seal and it keeps upopened for weeks in the fridge! It reheats brilliantly.]
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Mine Own Mocha Chocolate-Chocolate Cake
2 c. flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. cocoa
1 c. oil
1 c. hot coffee
1 ounce dark baking chocolate melted
1 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
FROSTING:
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Combine all ingredients except black hot coffee. Mix. Add hot coffee. Batter will be thin. Pour into 9x13 pan. Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees. When cooled, combine cream cheese powdered sugar (if needed add a splash of milk). Frost then serve.