Vivian Is Cooking Diary – Week of 15 August 2026

Welcome to my first Vivian Is Cooking Diary! ❤️ This week was a delicious mix of Greek favourites, homemade bread, baking and a few new recipes I wanted to try. Hope that they will inspire your own home cooking!

🍽️ What I cooked...

A New Chapter for My Cooking Blog: Welcome to My Cooking Diary

After 13 years of sharing recipes and three Cookbooks published this year in Amazon wordwide, I’m giving the blog a little new twist! ❤️

I’ll still be sharing recipes, but I also want to show you more of what actually happens in my kitchen — the meals I cook, things I bake, old favourites, little experiments and dishes inspired by my cookbooks.

So I’m starting Vivian Is Cooking Diary, where I’ll share a glimpse of what I’ve been cooking each week, with photos and links to recipes from the blog whenever I have them.

And of course, I’ll be sharing dishes from my two cookbooks published this year:

📖 Vivian is Cooking GREEK — English & French
📖 Vivian is Cooking BAKING — English

Both are available worldwide through Amazon.

Less pressure to create a brand-new recipe every time, and more real food from my kitchen to yours. ❤️

Welcome to the new chapter!

Vivian

Peach & Nectarine Upside-Down Cake — A Summer Twist on My Apple Cake

I had a little too many peaches and nectarines waiting to be used, so I decided to turn them into cake! 

This peach and nectarine upside-down cake is inspired by my apple reversed cake, but it’s similar rather than the same. The idea is the same: beautiful caramelised fruit baked underneath a soft, buttery cake and then flipped over to reveal the fruit on top, but the peaches and nectarines give this version a completely different character...

BBQ Feta Saganaki

Here’s a little souvenir worth bringing home from your next Greek holiday: a traditional handmade clay baking dish (pilino). You’ll find beautiful ones in many places around Greece, often handmade by local potters - like the one I use today - and once you have one, you’ll wonder how you ever cooked without it. Here's a bigger one oven dish beautifully decorated with Olive branches.

One of my favourite things to make in it is this ridiculously easy BBQ feta saganaki...

No-Bake Greek Yogurt & Sour Cherry Cake

When summer temperatures are soaring and turning on the oven is the last thing you want to do, this is exactly the kind of dessert to have up your sleeve!

This no-bake Greek yogurt cake is incredibly easy to make and has become a popular summer dessert in Greece lately. It needs just a handful of ingredients, takes only a few minutes to prepare, and the fridge does all the hard work...

My New Cookbook Is Here: Vivian Is Cooking BAKING

I'm delighted to announce the release of my third cookbook in the Vivian Is Cooking series!

Vivian Is Cooking BAKING: 50+ Reliable Recipes for Every Occasion is now available worldwide on Amazon in both paperback and hardcover editions. 

If you're outside the United States, simply search for "Vivian Is Cooking BAKING" on your local Amazon website (Amazon UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada, Australia, and many others) to order in your local currency.

Whether you're an experienced baker or just beginning your baking journey, this cookbook was created to help you bake with confidence. Every recipe has been carefully tested and written with clear, easy-to-follow instructions. Featuring Tiramisu, Pavlova, Cheesecake, Bougatsa, Brioche, Cinnamon Rolls, Waffles, Cookies, Muffins, and festive holiday desserts.

Greek Rice pudding (Risogalo)

🌟 Difficulty	⏱️ Time	🍽️ Serves	🔪 Skill level
★ Easy	35 min	4–5	Beginner

A classic Greek dessert loved by all ages—especially children! Creamy, lightly sweet, and delicious with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Waffle Mania: When One Waffle Iron Sparks Endless Ideas!

Ever since I got my waffle iron back (after lending it to a family student), I've been on a bit of a waffle-making spree. What started with a craving for the classics quickly turned into a series of fun kitchen experiments—and I'm not complaining!

First came the classic French waffles (gaufres), followed by the rich and caramelized Belgian Liège waffles, and then my latest savory creation: Savory Feta Waffles, inspired by the traditional Greek tyropitakia kourou. Each recipe reminded me just how versatile a waffle iron can be.

But I wasn't done experimenting.

One day, I wondered: What if I cooked my kolokythopatatokeftedes (zucchini and potato fritters) in the waffle iron instead of frying them? The result exceeded all my expectations!

Savory Feta Waffles

These savory waffles were the result of a delicious kitchen experiment. Instead of shaping the classic tyropitakia kourou into small cheese pies, I simply turned the dough into waffles—and I couldn't be happier with the outcome! They are wonderfully crispy and golden on the outside, while remaining soft, fluffy, and packed with cheesy goodness inside. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even a quick snack served with a fresh salad.

If you're hosting brunch, these make a fantastic savory option alongside my French Waffles or Belgian Waffles. Serve the savory ones first, then finish with a sweet waffle for dessert (or simply go for a second round!). It's the perfect combination to please everyone around the table.

French Waffles (Gaufres)

Difficulty	Time	Serves
★ Easy	25 min	10–12 waffles

French breakfast to it's best! W
affles are called "gaufres" in french and if you have never tried them before or were looking for a basic recipe that it's easy and works very well, then try this one :)

Requires a waffle iron (electric waffle maker).

Greek Home Burgers (Biftekia)

These juicy Greek-style burgers, or biftekia, are packed with Mediterranean flavors. Perfect for a homemade meal, they can be grilled, pan-fried, or baked for an easy and delicious dish. 

If you make also small home round breads too, then you have the full experience of a homeburger!

My Latest Favourite Baking Tools (and Why I Love Them)

Every now and then, you come across kitchen tools that quietly change the way you cook. No big hype, no complicated gadgets: just simple, clever designs that make everyday baking and prep smoother. Here are four of my recent favourites that have quickly become essential in my kitchen...

Taste Greece in Rhodes

Featured Greek Destination: Pylea Beach Hotel

If you enjoy the authentic Greek recipes on this blog, you'll love experiencing them in Rhodes.

Beachfront hotel • Traditional Greek cuisine • Family hospitality