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After a busy month, and a big absence I am back with more recipes. As you probably guessed by the tittle, I am going to speak for the condiments, those creamy things that are on every fast food table and on every refrigerator. The trinity of those condiments are the mustard, the ketchup, and the mayonnaise. All those condiments, are very easy to make, but for some reason we have been taught that they only come in jar. Well they don ‘t!!! They are easy to make and they are so flavorful, that once you try them, you will never go back to the store bought again. Well you might go, but you will not like it. 

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Cream cheese is the top choice spread for bagels. It is a great way to add, energy and nutritional value to the bagel. And I am not joking; bagels contain a substantial number of carbohydrates, fiber and some vitamins, but they lack in fat and protein. Cream cheese can full-fill both aspects and on top add the calcium. So it is in deed highly nutritious. The cream cheese is not really a cheese as it has more common with the yogurt, than the cheese we all know. According to the USA FDA it should have 33% at least milk fat, up to 55% water and acidic pH 4.4 to 4.9. It is not naturally maturing (aging) similarly to yogurt. It is different than yogurt though since it utilizes salt as flavoring where yogurt does not. According to Kraft, the first American creme cheese was made in 1872 by William Lawrence, and I say american since similar types of cheeses were made in various part of the world. 

So it is christmas again. and then New Years, and since Thanksgiving I had no posts. Things at work got bussy and cooking wise I was overdosed. I will be back soon with a few great recipes for cookies and a series I am preparing on the basics of fastfood. But, one thing I need share with you is the food of the thanksgiving. And some of the recipes. Most of them have been featured on the blog. Some of them are secrets and will not be shared.

Thanksgiving is here. But what is thanksgiving? Food is one thing, Black Friday and sales is another, but these are just some of the ways to celebrate the oh-so-important holiday. One of the things that makes this one important is the absolute no relation to any religion. Catholic, Protestants, Jews, Evangelists, Orthodox, hindu and every other religion can celebrate this holiday with no reservations or regrets. There are of course other similar holidays like the 4th of July, the Veterans day but those are revolving around the American nation and not around the family. What was missing was a universal family oriented celebration. A day that we will bring the family around the table and take a moment to be thankful for all the good things that are happening. This became the quest of a woman to make this day, a day that we can use to cherish family and love. It was a quest to make a day that will stop the time; force us to sit and relax; be with those we love.

This one is a follow up of the previous recipe on Maestra, the traditional one pot greek dish that is such a stable for the summer and the winder and the spring and the fall… Yeah you got it all, year around. Once you cook it you can serve it straight up, but you can also have some fun with it. Fun meaning… Decorate it. Make it fancy. You deserve some fanciness in you dinner. And this one is great dressing trick for burgers or chicken. You only need cheese.

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Manestra is on of the childhood memories dishes. One of those dishes, that were made on special occasions, and you could eat as much as you could handle. It is one of the dishes that can be made in the middle of winter and brings a cozy feelings to the heart. None of my cooking books do not discuss the origin or the history of the book. However my personal feeling guides me to the so called “yuvetsi”. It is the big cousin of manestra, made similarly, with the same ingredients but different procedures. The name yuvetsi accounts for the earthenware used to make it, a pot with the clay-coloured interior and curved handles. It is Bulgarian in origin (Gyuvech), and it is the original name of the earth-ware dish traditionally use to make it. Nowadays it is used widely for many types of dishes. Manestra is the pot version of the dish. Although the whole dish with the meat is better the right procedures can make any dish equally good, even without any meat. So let ‘s get started.

The ingredient...

This is an old recipe I had to my first blog, long time ago... About 2 years or more. It was my first ever coffee recipe, and It was an inspiration of the moment that was a success. I will repost the recipe as it was with only a few additions and modifications, when needed. So although there is a great deal of reference to coffee as the first time, be aware that that there are a few recipes on coffee already. Also be the picture is not my own, it was a picture from the web, and I just added it temporarily here. Over the weekend I will make it again (I missed that nice flavor) and I will post complete step by step instructions. So before we start here is again a disclaimer that warns you.