Hey you! I'm so excited that you're here, wanting to know more about me and my blog. So, here we go...
About me...
I'm Fotini I live on a small island in Greece next to Italy named Lefkas. It's a tiny tiny little dot in the map but a heavenly beautiful place. Full of beaches with turquoise blue waters and luscious green scenery. See Porto Katsiki for example.
It's a tourist place where most locals, (including me) work on seasonal summer jobs. My family runs a small hotel and restaurant that sits right on the beach named Delfini. I personally run the kitchen of our restaurant serving mostly local and seafood dishes.
I actually had an obsession with cooking since I was a child. Always sneaking in the kitchen and helping the chef. Aside from the fact that I love the mixing of different ingredients and coming up with delicious food that you can share with others, I always loved the fast-paced rhythm of this job (which sometimes is exhausting but sweet exhaustion for me). So I went on and studied cooking in Athens, did my school practice in catering and worked for two summer seasons in two other Greek islands for some extra experience.
The reasons I decided to open this food blog are:
To keep doing what I love in my spare time also (which I have a lot in the winter) cooking and sharing with others.
In contrary to most food bloggers, I am more of a cat person. Actually, I am a cat person who also has a dog. I own 4 cats. 3 male ones and one female.
Jerry the oldest and Duffus one, Harry our little tiger (named after Prince Harry), Bella (who was half blind when I found her and had a car accident also), and our newest family member Danny who constantly seeks attention and is still a little baby at heart.
I also own a dog Ruby who really loves food also.
Other things I love is reading a nice mystery book (Agatha Christie books are my favorite by far). Rainy days (too much sun and heat here in Greece), crocheting and exercising.
Growing up in a house where we produce our own meat, dairy, veggies, olive oil I always avoid to use over-processed ingredients in my cooking. I'm a true devotee of healthy food and eating clean. I was never a fan of gourmet foods and cooking extravaganzas. I believe the magic of cooking lies in simple things like making your own sourdough bread for example. Or making your own cheese. Or simply cooking something from scratch.
About this blog...
This food blog focuses mainly on two things. Sharing Authentic Greek recipes as we make them in Greece. And also cooking healthy whole foods from scratch. Unless strictly necessary, 3 things I avoid eating and cooking with are:
-butter
-mayonnaise
-cream
I usually substitute butter with extra virgin olive oil. Mayonaise and cream with Greek yogurt.Although you can't make some desserts without butter so I definitely use it there.