A topping to make things new again

Oh I feel it’s been so long since I’ve last blogged! I am sorry but Scott and I really have been on a whirlwind of busyness lately! Between weekend family vacations, hosting friends, traveling to see friends, taking time to serve others in need, Scott taking Step II of his medical Boards (tests you must take to get into residency), me taking on his normal household chores while he studied for the Boards, and all of our other normal stuff that we do, there has been no time for blogging! Actually, there would be time for blogging, as Scott points out, if I would stop cooking so much. But that wouldn’t be any fun now would it?

Tonight however, I have relented from cooking and type this while eating leftovers. Now though, I have the dilemma of which of my culinary creations during these last few weeks to tell you about. Seriously! Please don’t laugh. Just so you know, I have now sat here for a good ten minutes without typing a word because I don’t know what favorite thing I have made that I should tell you about on this post. Am I ridiculous? I hesitate to choose because if I do, then there’s a chance that I may never tell you about the rest, which, in my mind, deserve publicity as well. So I’ll start chronologically and show you pictures of the others and you can hold me accountable to be sure I tell you about the ones that look especially appealing to you. Deal? Ok, here goes.

Chocolate mint frozen yogurt (made with fresh mint! Nothing better!)

A traditional sourdough boule and a tomato basil sourdough baguette

Two to tango: a tangy tomato feta bruschetta that plays nicely off of a rich mushroom gruyere bruschetta that tastes almost as sinful as fondue!

Une tarte fine aux pommes avec du caramel: a rustic apple tart with some salted peanut caramel on top left over from making Chocolate-Covered Salted Peanut Caramel Cups.Fantastic!

All on the grill: grilled corn-on-the-cob, red peppers, zucchini, and summer squash salad tossed with a super tasty Thai inspired dressing consisting of Thai basil, soy sauce, lime, garlic, and rice wine vinegar.

The end all, be all of appetizers. I had this appetizer during my last week in France after staying there for five months. I can't say anymore about it just now because then this post will go on forever, or at least it will be twice as long as it is.

Now on to this post's recipe!



It’s really a sort of a condiment, but I find that term sort of degrading due to the immediate associations of mayo or ketchup and it is much more than that! Thus I will simply be calling it a “topping” because it’s not really a sauce or a dressing. It is a Greek style topping with feta, lemon, garlic, mint, and either Greek yogurt or mayonnaise depending on the consistency and tang you want, or, in my case, budget. ;) I first tried it atop broiled mahi mahi complete with thin slices of lemon and found it to be a flavorful, easy, new way to serve fish like mahi mahi or tilapia. The second time I made this topping I used it to top roasted red, purple, and yellow “banana” potatoes. Again it was delicious and again it was a tasty new way to eat an old standard.

Greek-style Topping

Makes about four servings

This truly is a versatile topping that will “spiffy up” any tired food staple. Try it on fish or potatoes like I did, or on chicken, lamb, and almost any vegetable that you would grill or roast. A Greek style hamburger complete with hummus or babaganoush, and cubes of tomatoes and cucumbers mixed with this topping would also be terrific. Of course, anything that is traditionally Greek, like falafel, would be great with this too!

• Originally inspired by Gourmet magazine's Greek-Style Mahi Mahi, June 2009
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• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use low-fat mayonnaise. You could also substitute Greek yogurt, creme fraiche, or even sour cream in a pinch)
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint*
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill (2 tsp. for dried) *
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 small clove of garlic grated or finely minced

Whisk all ingredients together, season with freshly ground pepper to taste, and you're done!

*Both of these herbs can be substituted with others like basil or thyme if you don't have mint or dill on hand.

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