Vivian is cooking... simple but delicious!

Easy recipe, this one, for a fast and tasty dinner. The oregano and the lemon juice will make the liver sooo tasty that you will start dribbling from the smell... In addition, for the ones that have open issues with their body iron like me, it will increase your iron intake.

At Tyrnavos , a small greek town close to my hometown, they make a moist walnut cake that is covered with a thick cream and it is delicious. My mother discovered it when I was a small kid and adopted it as the main desert on special occasions. As we are close to Easter, I decided to propose you this "pudding" as we call it. Rich in walnuts and syrup , perfumed with cinnamon and clove , looks gorgeous, I am sure it will become also your favorite desert :) Actually, by writing this, hubby enters at home and says... " what's smelling so great? " You see what I mean?

In several countries there is a custom to color the eggs for Easter. In Greece, where I come from, traditionally we color the eggs in red (representing the blood of Christ). There is an interesting technique that I will try to show you today that uses leaves and flowers to make nice shapes in the eggs. I have learned it from my mother that is an expert. The ones that I will show you here have been made from my kids. Actually, it is an amazing activity to do with kids . We were in an extreme hurry, though, as we had to attend a school show that one of my kids would participate, so do not be too hard on your criticism :) Actually, I am proud for my kids as it needs quite some dexterity to make them...

For Easter, in Greece, we make cookies that we call " koulourakia " and as Easter is approaching, find today the recipe that I like and I make together with my kids. It's so much fun for kids as they can use the dough as play-doh and use their creativity to shape the cookies. Even you will feel better after playing/doing these cookies :) I will give you half of the dose that I made, as it makes so many cookies that fun will turn into torture otherwise :))))  

UPDATE : See here an updated version that is lighter and easier . The one and only, the king of all the dishes... finally in this blog: Moussaka ! Not so simple recipe, I admit it, but still soooooOOOOO delicious!!! As you can find various versions that circulate on the internet, find today the most classic recipe which is the traditional greek one that is cooked at a greek home. Do not expect though to find the exact same one in a restaurant, even in Greece, as it quite tiresome the procedure. So, the next time that someone is inviting you and propose moussaka, take it as a big treat! Unless you decide to cook it yourself, that's the only way that you can try the real moussaka. The moussaka in the photos has been done while running up and down to the school of my kids, so it is not the best that I have done, but the taste is still unbeatable :) So, lesson no1: Do it a day that you have plenty of time ... Actually, there are 2 versions of moussaka in Greece, one with several

Are you in a diet, are you living alone or simply you are lazy and a big cake is not for you? Discover the new trend: the MUG cakes ! Made inside a mug and cooked in a microwave oven in only a few minutes you can enjoy a chocolate cake. Sounds too good to be true, no?  And still, it is possible... Have a look for yourself. The result is quite impressive, at least for me. Would I replace my classic chocolate cake? Probably not... but still...

It's been exactly one year since I have started to blog here, one year of " Vivian is cooking "! Happy birthday dear blog, you can pass from crawling to walking little by little like babies now :) That explains the publicity part that was added. Happy birthday with a mug cake (recipe will follow soon...). Come on in and share!

[UPDATED] Gateau au chocolat is the french chocolate cake that is more liquid in the center than a sponge cake. I started to make this cake for a friend that could not eat gluten and my kids loved it, so I keep doing it often :) I update today this recipe by adding 2 sliced bananas and some cinnamon inside that I believe will add a sparkle to this recipe and change from the classic version. You can do the same by adding pears instead of bananas. Up to you ... Once in a while, you have to play a bit with classic recipes, that's the fun with cooking :) 

Lazy cooking recipe but still delicious! You can cook easily in the oven any kind of meat with pasta in the following way: Ingredients any kind of your favorite meat red or white (like veal or chicken , but a part that is still adequate for the oven :) 2 tomatoes for the red meat, can tomato sauce for the white one salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil any kind of pasta that you like or is left in your cupboards :)

If you want to stay fit and eat healthy , if you are busy or lazy with cooking and do not want to try my delicious cakes, then the fruit salad is for you! I use apples , pears , bananas and strawberries . You could add kiwis or any other fruit that you like. You just peel them, cut them pieces, present them in a nice way and your desert is ready in a few minutes. If you want to add some exotic touch, pour some honey over them and sprinkle them with cinnamon . But we said that we will stay fit so simple today and then it's up to you for the rest. Enjoy!  

So, spring is here and in various countries they have weird ways to celebrate it. In Greece, where I come from, we try to fool someone by saying a harmless lie. Being a person that I despise people that tell lies, the least to say, I do not like much this custom.... In France, where I actually live, that make "poisson d'avril" (april's fish) and kids try to fool someone by sticking a paper-fish in their back. I prefer this custom by far, not to say that I really enjoy it :) Give me feedback from your country customs from 1st of April to change a bit from cooking today. May a productive month is waiting ahead! P.S: Fish generously provided by my personal artists, my kids ;)