(Giant Beans Baked with
Honey and Dill)

A great recipe for lent!

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Rinse and drain the soaked beans and place in a large pot with enough water to cover them by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

Place beans in a large baking pan with 3 Tbs. olive oil, the onions, tomatoes, water, and honey. Mix thoroughly. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thick. Add more water throughout baking, if necessary, to keep the beans from burning. fifteen minutes before removing from oven, add dill, vinegar, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Serves 6-8.

Easter in Greece

In Greek culture, Easter is the time of rebirth; a time in which people congregate on a daily basis to celebrate with growing anticipation the resurrection of Christ. And being the most important festival on the Orthodox Church calendar, any cultural, ethnic, religious, or even culinary differences between the mainland and the Greek islands are forgotten.

The final week before Easter is a demanding time for the faithful. Each day, there is a church service lasting several hours, in which the Stations of the Cross are visited and the Gospels preached. At home, it is full stream ahead with spring-cleaning and preparing food for the coming festival. None of the important Easter specialties must be left out: candies, plaited bread rolls, fresh eggs, and drinks must be brought or carefully prepared. New clothes must be bought for the children.

On the Wednesday before Easter, the church candleholders are sprinkled not as they usually are with sand, but with flour. After the service, the women bake this into a loaf of bread and have it blessed in church. Maundy Thursday's preparations focus on dyeing the eggs and the evening mass is very taxing even for the most devout souls. All the Gospels are read in a service, which seems to go on forever.

Photo above: compliments of Vefa Alexiadou's
"Festive Cuisine" - Easter section

During Thursday night, everyone goes into deep mourning. The church icons are covered with dark cloths and the might church bells fall silent until Easter Sunday. The Epitaphios, the symbolic representation of Christ's tomb, which has held pride of place in the church, is garlanded with flowers.

On Good Friday evening, it is ceremoniously carried through the village in a magnificent candlelit procession, followed by the priest and the entire congregation.

Finally, Easter Saturday arrives and everyone is occupied with last-minute food preparations as there will be no time left later in the evening. Everyone proceeds to church with their Easter candles and red-dyed hard-cooked eggs - red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Prayers and singing continue all through the evening vigil until midnight when the priest announces the words of deliverance: "Christ is risen." The bells right out, people embrace each other, exchange greetings, and band their red eggs together - whoever's egg lasts longest without cracking will have good luck the following year - before hurrying home for mayiritsa, fresh Easter soup, which is already steaming in anticipation. Lent is over for another year.

Mother and Father
We Love You (or) I Love You Photo Frame - in Greek

4x6 in. Frame

5x7 in. Frame
 

Godmother and Godfather
We Love You (or) I Love You Photo Frame - in Greek

4x6 in. Photo Frame

5x7 in. Frame
 

Grandma and Grandpa
We Love You (or )I Love You Photo Frame - in Greek

4x6 in. Frame

5x7 in. Frame
 

Aunt and Uncle
We Love You (or) I Love You Photo Frame - in Greek

4x6 in. Frame

5x7 in. Frame
 

A prolific author, scholar, and television personality, Vefa Alexiadou has set the standard for books on Greek cuisine, including recipes from all areas populated by Greeks, including Smyrna in Asia Minor. Her love of cooking, combined with her artistic talent and scientific training, make her a well-respected authority on Greek cuisine, as well as a regular on Greece's most popular morning TV show and a leading authority on today's culinary Greek arts. Combining a heritage of traditional Greek cookery with her knowledge of chemistry, nutrition, and food styling, she established her own publishing house in 1980, Vefa Alexiadou Editions, which has steadily evolved into the best selling publisher of cookbooks in Greece today.

  Featured Destination: Kastellorizo

GEOGRAPHY. Kastellorizo, guardian of Greece's easternmost borders, lies 72 nautical miles southeast of Rhodes, only 1.5 miles from the Turkish coast. It is barely 9 sq. km. in area, has 19 km. of coastline, a population of 222 and is 328 nautical miles from Piraeus. Boats from Piraeus are infrequent, once a week all year round. The island is linked once a week with Amorgos, Astypalaia, Nisyros, Telos, Symi and Rhodes. There is a local, twice weekly, connection with Rhodes. The island has a wonderful warm climate, the sea is delightful, life is quiet, just the place for a relaxing holiday.

HISTORY. In antiquity the island was known as Megiste and was first inhabited in prehistoric times. There are marked traces of the Mycenaean presence and it is to this era that the gold wreath of vine leaves in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens dates. Also of prehistoric date are the remnants of Cyclopean walls, tombs and stone axes. The Dorian settlers built fortified acropolis on the site of the present capital and at Palaikastro. Apart from a brief period of independence, its fortunes were tied to those of Rhodes, from the 4th century BC until Roman times. Its geographical position has played a decisive role in its history. It was the target of piratical raids in the Byzantine era and was taken by the Knights of the Order of St. John in 1306. It was subsequently captured by the Sultan of Egypt, the king of Naples and, in 1512, by the Turks. The succession of pillaging and disasters suffered by the island forced its inhabitants to seek their fortunes at sea and, indeed, by the time of the 1821 Struggle for Independence its merchant fleet played an important role. From 1830 onwards the island secured special privileges and until 1910 enjoyed particular prosperity. In 1920 it came under Italian rule and was only incorporated in the Greek state in 1948. During the Second World War it was more or less razed to the ground by bombs, to which the many destroyed houses bear witness.

SIGHTS-MONUMENTS. The main harbor and village is Kastellorizo where all its inhabitants live. Nothing now remains of its glorious past except a few remnants; the outer bailey of its castle with a few towers, built in the 14th century by the Knights of St. John, ruined mansions of the ship owners and captains, and a few churches: St. Constantine (The Metropolis), built in 1833, St. Nicholas (11th century), the Virgin of the Fields (17th century) and St. George with its catacombs. In the small Archaeological Museum both ancient artifacts and items of folk art are exhibited. At Palaiokastro tombs, tools and ruins of the ancient acropolis are preserved. There are also the monasteries of Prophet Elijah and the Holy Trinity. Another of the island's sights is the Blue Grotto, (Parastas' cave), the largest and loveliest sea cave in Greece, renowned internationally for its stunning stalactitic formations, lit by the sun's reflected rays, a unique and unforgettable spectacle. In days of old it was a haven for pirates and nowadays seals bask within it. The grotto can be visited by boat, as also the nearby islets of Ro (6 nautical miles west) and Strongyli (5 nautical miles southeast). Accommodation is available in the municipal hostel and some rented rooms. The shores in the vicinity of the harbor are ideal for swimming and so is the beach at Mandraki. There is a refueling station for yachts in the harbor.

Some products to help prepare you for your trip...
Cruise Greece DVD (NTSC)	Discover Greece DVD: Rhodes, Kos, Leros, Samos, Chios, Patmos	Discover Greece 6 DVD Set	Greece - A Guide to the Archaeological Sites - Travel Guide	777 Greek Islands - Travel Guide	The Most Beautiful Villages of Greece

  April 2009 Greek Orthodox Calendar Name Days in March ~ Greek Orthodox Calendar

Icons depicting the celebrated Saint, make great gifts for namedays, as do our custom-made Greek name mugs. Shop among our great collection of gift ideas at our store. We also have a great selection of greeting cards for birthdays, holidays, namedays and special occasions.

Gold and Silver Icons, and Hand-painted Iconssconss	Greek Name Mug Cups	Greeting Cards
Want to know more about Orthodox Saints? Complete biographies of Orthodox Saints are now available.

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