Olive Oil: How to Choose a Good One

There are hundreds of bottles on the shelf. Which one should you take home?

Forget the fancy labels. Five things matter most...

Vivian Is Cooking Diary – Week of 29 August 2026

A little late with this week’s diary — life has been rather busy! But that certainly didn’t stop me from cooking and baking. ❤️

The week of 29 August was another full one in my kitchen, with lots of comforting food, family favourites and a few special treats.

🍽️ What I cooked & baked...

My First CookBook Is Here 🎉

Just came back from holidays in Greece and want to make them last a bit longer or share beloved dishes with dears? 

After 13 years of sharing recipes on this blog, I’m excited to introduce my first CookBook that will help you easily recreate the most authentic greek recipes:

👉Vivian Is Cooking GREEK – 48 Authentic Recipes to Try at Home

📘 Available worldwide in Amazon 

From starters and meze to classic mains and desserts like moussaka, spanakotyropita, and portokalopita — all recipes are simple, flavorful, and easy to follow.
Includes a Greek pantry essentials list.

Thank you for supporting my cooking journey.

Kali orexi!
— Vivian

📖 A little shortcut for your kitchen

And if you’re tired of searching through thousands of recipes online every time you want to cook something, my cookbooks are made to be simple, reliable and delicious recipes you can actually use; printed on paper and right there next to your countertop when you need them. ❤️

You can find Vivian is Cooking GREEK and Vivian is Cooking BAKING and bring a little of my kitchen into yours!

Authentic greek Moussaka (Greek Baked layered eggplants)

>>>>This recipe is part of my book « Vivian Is Cooking GREEK » <<<<

Moussaka, the king of Greek dishes, is a rich, layered casserole with eggplant, ground meat in tomato sauce, and creamy béchamel. The procedure is similar to the pasticcio, only that you replace pasta with vegetables, mostly eggplants.

It’s not the quickest recipe, but it’s soooo worth it! Set aside time or plan ahead—you’ll need to prepare the meat sauce, veggies, and béchamel.

Alternatively, cut the vegetables in small cubes like in my Easy and light version of Moussaka. Discover also my delicious recipe of Greek Stuffed Eggplants (Papoutsakia). 

Want more authentic Greek recipes? 📘 Discover my Book here!

Vivian Is Cooking Diary – Week of 22 August 2026

As summer is slowly coming to an end, my kitchen has been making the most of the last of the summer flavours, especially fresh basil! It was another busy and very well-appreciated week, with plenty of homemade food, a few Greek favourites and some reliable baking recipes.

🍽️ What I cooked...

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!