A creamy delicious dill dip served with crisp bright veggies makes for a stunning appetizer that speaks to the tastebuds as well as the eyes!
Dill dip has always been one of my favorites. I can never seem to get enough of that tangy dill taste mixed with the creamy dip. Add a bunch of
Greek Easter bread is a semisweet dense bread decorated with brilliant red hard boiled eggs rubbed with olive oil. It’s a beloved family tradition that we enjoy each year.
This Greek Easter bread is one of the most eagerly anticipated sweet treats of the year at our house. For over 20 plus years, the week before Greek Easter has been filled with days spent in the kitchen making cookies, dolmades, spanakopita and of course the beloved Easter bread. My Greek mother-in-law takes the traditional Greek food very seriously when it comes to the holidays and for that I am grateful. My girls have grown up watching Yaya create her magic in the kitchen which always includes beautiful stories from days gone past. Aside from learning about Yaya’s cooking and baking techniques, we walk away from our time spent together, hearts wrapped in a warm blanket of memories that was woven from spending time in the kitchen together. That’s what food and family is all about isn’t it?
Tsoureki is the Greek word for Greek Easter bread. I spent a lovely afternoon making and baking this delicious bread with Yaya (my mother-in-law) laughing and telling stories and I just had to share this special tradition with all of you. ThisEaster bread is a semisweet bread that is pleasingly light yet pleasingly dense once it meets your mouth and is the perfect pairing alongside a pipping hot cup of coffee. It is something that we all look forward to sinking our teeth into each and every spring on Easter day.
One of the key ingredients to this semisweet bread is a spice called, Mahlepi. You can find this spice at your local Mediterranean grocery store (sometimes called Mahlab).
This is what it looks like…
You’ll want to grind the seeds until it becomes a fine flour-like consistency like this…
This unusual spice is a wonderfully warm cinnamony nutmeggy slightly nutty spice that is the undertone flavor in this marvelous bread.
Once you mix all of the lovely ingredients in a large bowl by hand, including the fresh zest of lemons and oranges, you’re kitchen will smell divine.
The dough will look like this…
Don’t worry about the melted butter pooling around the sides it will absorb as the bread sits in a warm place to rise.
Meet Yaya…
she is beyond giddy about how beautifully the bread has come together.
Once mixed, the dough should be covered with plastic wrap that is actually tucked down in and touching the dough. Then wrap towels around the entire bowl and put it in a warm place for a couple of hours.
Our dough was ready much faster than usual. After an hour and a half of chatting while drinking coffee and munching on paximathakia our dough had risen.
The bowl of dough should look like this when it’s ready…
You could hear angels singing and Yaya too. She was like a little school girl swirling around the kitchen while explaining to me that the secret of making “good dough” is the happiness that you have in your heart while making it. I wholeheartedly agree. A happy heart makes happy food.
Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured counter and divide the dough into four equal parts. Then separate each of the four parts into three pieces and roll the dough with your hands into approximately 14 inch long and about finger thickness.
Braid the three long cylinder pieces just like you would braid hair. It should look like this…
Then place the braid into a round pan that is lined with wax paper.
Then let that rise again, covered and placed in a warm spot. This should take about 30-45 minutes.
I would recommend a little dancing and singing to expedite the process. It worked for us!
Once the dough looks nice and plump like this…
Brush the dough with a mixture of beaten egg, vanilla and water. Then place in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes until it looks like this…
Once the bread has cooled, cut out the center of the bread and place a red dyed hard boiled egg inside.
And there you have a traditional loaf of Greek Easter bread.
Help yourself to a slice of the beautiful bread, pour a cup of coffee and exclaim Xristos Anesti (Christ Has Risen)!
Just like the beautiful bread.
I’ve shared some mouthwatering Greek recipes with you in the past. Here are a few fav’s ::
Wishing you a marvelous and blessed Easter.
~Wenderly
Here’s the delicious recipe –
Originally published April 6, 2012
Edible flower ice cubes add a beautiful and elegant touch to any drink. They are perfect for special occasions such as birthdays, showers, parties or holidays.
Have you ever made edible flower ice cubes? I hadn’t either until recently. They are so easy to throw together and they add such an exquisite pop of color and sophistication to an ordinary beverage. All you need are organic edible flowers (that can be found at your local garden center), an ice cube tray and water! I chose violas but there are many edible flowers to choose from such as pansies, marigolds and roses to name a few. I can’t wait to experiment with a variety of colors, tastes and types depending on my menu and color scheme.
I thought that viola ice cubes would be just perfect for our Easter celebration. I’m a huge fan of flowers and I just love seeing the frozen flowers through my antique etched glasses. It’s the simple things in life isn’t it? Those little details that make your heart happy. These sweet viola ice cubes do that for me.
One quick tip about making these frozen flower cubes… start by filling your ice cubes trays with a tiny bit of water first, then add the flower face down, and let set in freezer. This way your flowers won’t float to the top and be hard to see through the ice cube. Once they’ve set for about a half hour or so, fill the cubes up the rest of the way with water and freeze the cubes through.
And Voila! You’ve got viola flower ice cubes that will add a beautiful whimsy to any special meal.
Wishing you and yours a lovely Easter,
Wenderly
Here’s the easy how to ::
Let me show you how to make bath bombs to pamper your loved ones this Easter! Fill baskets with egg shaped capsules that will turn their bath into a luxurious soak.
Spring is the perfect time to pamper someone special with some precious bath bombs. Why not give them (or yourself) a reason
Make your Easter table setting sweet and endearing with white wicker baskets, eggs and flowers. You won’t believe how simple it is to set a swoon-worthy table.
Easter is such a glorious time of year! The weary world wakes up and rejoices into full bloom and color. This Easter I’ve decided to make my table setting ethereal with
Delight your guests with these sweet little Easter treats. Bunny pops are as easy as can be and are a great project for kids.
I’ve been dreaming up these Easter bunny pops in my mind for over a month now. That’s perfectly normal right? I’m certain that every one of you spend all of your spare time thinking and plotting about the next holiday and all of the fun details and decorations. Don’t you? You know, the colors you’ll use for your table, the menu you’ll cook, how you’ll dress your mantle and foyer and of course what precious desserts you’ll come up with to make your guests smile.
Wait.
You don’t? Really?
Well never-mind then.
These bunny pops make the perfect versatile Easter treat that are as darling as they are delicious. All you’ll need are some sandwich cookies, candy melts, fondant and mini marshmallows.
They make a clever centerpiece, add a touch of whimsy to your dessert table and make an adorable addition to any Easter basket. I’m so glad that I my pre-holiday manic imagination came up with this idea. They’re even cuter in real life than they were in my mind.
More Easter fun coming up soon!
Wishing you and yours a very Hoppy Easter!
Wenderly
Here’s the how to ::
These darling Easter basket place settings made out of white chocolate dipped ice cream cones and filled with goodies will make your guests grin ear to ear!
Easter baskets make my heart jump for joy! I’ve always adored the idea of hunting a for a beautiful basket filled with sweet Spring treasures. Why not treat your guests as they sit at the table with their very own miniature edible Easter basket?
Mini ice cream cones dipped in white chocolate, filled with cotton candy (or jelly beans maybe?) and topped with mini pink eggs tucked into shredded coconut make a precious place setting indeed. The only non-edible item is the silk ribbon handle that’s affixed with a dab of the melted white chocolate.
Whose heart wouldn’t swoon over one of these demure sweet treats?
You can make these mini baskets in any color combination you desire. Coat them in a rainbow of different chocolate melts, fill them with your favorite sweet treats, and even color the shredded coconut for a unique twist. Stay tuned for my complete Easter table and centerpiece.
Wishing you an adorable Easter!
Wenderly
Here’s the how to ::
Adorn your Easter eggs with colorful sprinkles this year. This sweet touch of whimsy will take hard boiled eggs to a whole new level of darling!
I’m always searching for new and exciting ways to decorate my Easter eggs. This year I decided
This homemade Greek yogurt recipe makes a decadent, creamy yogurt that is a family favorite. We enjoy it plain, topped with fruit or as a base for other delicious recipes.
My mother-in-law has been making this scrumptious Greek yogurt that has been handed down for generations in her family since she was a girl. For years I’ve
This sequined Easter eggs tutorial will show you how to make exquisite decorative eggs that you can use to adorn your home for years to come.
I’ve been making these beautiful sequined eggs with my elementary students at school for years now. Every Spring I pull out the foam shaped eggs, sequins and straight pins and we go to town chatting and sharing stories whilst we create a magnificent specimen out of layered colorful circles held together with pins. I cherish this special time with my students. We sit together working quietly as our imaginations slowly unfold in a relaxed repetition of jewel-like splendor.
Some students choose to make their egg into patterns of color, some choose a solid palette, while others cover the surface with a myriad of sizes, shapes and colors of sequins. There is no wrong or right way. Each egg comes to life at the hands of unique individuals who take the time to sit and create them. And each egg is as beautiful as the individual who creates them. And I tell them so.
I love watching their faces glow in self discovery and awe of what their each capable of. Most of the children can’t sit still for more than five minutes, but this project can capture them and entice them into a creative trance. And the end result of their hard work and dedication is truly priceless…
just like each one of the beautiful children I am so fortunate to know and teach.
Items you’ll need to make sequined Easter eggs ::
Take time to sit down with those you love and create something together. You’ll be surprised by the beauty that unfolds.
Happy creating,
Wenderly