To quote my father and My Big Fat Greek Wedding there are 2 types of people in the world; those who are Greek and those who wish they were Greek. The Greeks have given us a lot of good stuff but as far as I am concerned the best things they have given us is their amazing Mediterranean style food and the Toga party. I learned how to cook everything I know from my Greek grandmother who held nothing back from me in the kitchen despite the blue eyes and blonde hair. Here are some of her best recipes and everything you need to throw a little toga party. So grab a sheet, some Greek music, and send out the word to your mates… you’re going Greek! This is your Toga Saturday!

Activities: You need a Toga, Zorba the Greek, Greek Music, and a bit of dancing!

Spanikopita

Ingredients:

• 1 log goat cheese
• 1 bag of fresh spinach roughly chopped
• Juice of one half lemon
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 4 oz of Feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 package puff pastry

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine with your hands, I never said cooking was clean!
3. Cut each strip of puff pastry into 3X3 squares and fill with two tablespoons of the spinach mixture and press the edges of the dough together to form a triangle. Who said you wouldn’t use geometry!
4. Bake for 12 minutes or until the top of each pastry is light brown. Keep an eye on it sister because puff pastry can burn really quickly!

Pork and Wine

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork filets cut into one-inch cubes
• 2 cups cheap red wine (save the good stuff for drinking)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Juice of one lemon
• 1-teaspoon white pepper
• ½ cup finely diced yellow onions

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in Tupperware container with lid
2. Place in the fridge for at least four hours. Give it a good shake very hour to ensure that everything gets evenly marinated.
3. Toss into a Skillet over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until pork is opaque white all the way through.
Chick Tip: This is best served over Rice Pilaf…

Pilaf
(There is a video for this… So click here and I can teach you how to do it in person!)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups instant white rice (I like Uncle Ben’s because I’m old school like that.)
• 1 and ¾ cup of chicken stock (I am not one for precise measurements but it matters on this recipe unless you want really bad risotto!)
• 4 tablespoons of butter screw the diet!
• ¼ of a cup lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Bring all ingredients except rice to a rolling boil over high heat in a large stockpot.
2. Remove from the heat and add rice.
3. Cover with lid and leave for 15 minutes.
4. Fluff with a fork enjoy lots of compliments.

Greek Salad

Ingredients:

• 8 medium tomatoes cut into eighths
• 1 medium purple onion thinly sliced
• 2 cucumbers chopped into quarter inch discs
• 1 block feta chopped into ¼ inch cubes
• 1 quarter cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup chopped Greek black olives

Directions:
Combine everything and drizzle with a bit of extra olive oil… Yeah, that’s pretty much it.

Chick Tip: Serve Ouzo and call your local Middle Eastern bakery and order some Baklava so you can enjoy the party instead of making specialty cocktails and baking dessert!

For those of you who decide to take this from an elegant Mediterranean affair into a full-blown Toga party I have included directions on how to make a Toga. One word of advice, ladies, wear yourself some good undergarments ’cause sometimes these puppies come undone through out the night… learn from my mistakes!

How to make a Toga… Thanks to E-How!

Things You’ll Need:

• One continuous sheet of fabric
• Safety pins and or Clips
• Any clasping device

PURCHASE ONE LONG CONTINUOUS SHEET AT A FABRIC STORE The shortcut to making a toga costume is to use a bed sheet. I, however, do not recommend you do this – it’s downright unoriginal, no creativity! Visit your local fabric store and find a roll of cotton-based cloth you find comfortable. Generally, if you are of small stature, 4 yards of cloth are suitable, and if you are of medium build or taller than most people, I recommend 5-6 yards of cloth, respectively.

SELECT A COLOR FOR YOUR TOGA If you have never made a toga costume before you probably think it only comes in white. To express yourself and catch someone’s eye at the toga party, pick a color to show off your look. You can also find original patterns on these cloth rolls at the fabric store that would work great as a toga.

START TO WRAP THE TOGA AROUND YOUR MID-SECTION With your long continuous sheet of toga cloth, begin to wrap the toga around starting with your mid-section. For men, you can have the toga go below your knees but for women, you may want to keep the length above the knee to look hot. Generally you want to wrap the cloth around you comfortably tight and use safety pins or clips to keep it together.

COMPLETE THE TOGA COSTUME  After you have wrapped the cloth around you several times you should still have a bit of slack. For the ladies, obviously you want to cover your top (unless you are going to a REALLY GREAT toga party, but I digress) but for the men, you can choose to throw the remaining slack across your chest towards the back and clasp it behind you to get that “over the shoulder” look. Once you start wrapping the toga, it will be pretty clear what you want and how you want it to look. Main idea is to make sure you are comfortable.

ROCK THE TOGA! Your toga is complete, comfortable, and you are ready to roll to your toga party. You can accessorize your toga with a laurel head wreath for added effect and sandals on your feet to complete the costume.