September's Recipe:
Lamb Souvlaki
(with Lemon Rice)
Serves 4
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Lamb Souvlaki |
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Ingredients: |
1
pound shank portion of lamb,
cut into 11/2- to 2-inch cubes
to yield 12 pieces |
|
8 cherry tomatoes |
2
green peppers, seeded and
cut in 1 1/2-inch squares |
| 2
small zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 1
onion, cut into 1-inch wedges |
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Marinade |
Juice of 1 medium lemon (about
1/4 cup) |
Juice of 1 medium orange
(about 1/4 cup) |
| 1
clove garlic, minced |
| 1
teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Greek rigani) |
|
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste |
Preparation:
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1. Rinse the lamb
cubes, and place in a shallow glass or plastic bowl
along with the tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini,
and onion.
2. Combine the marinade ingredients in
a small bowl, then pour the mixture over the lamb
and vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours,
tossing occasionally.
3. Remove the marinated ingredients from the
refrigerator. Alternating the lamb, tomatoes, green
pepper, zucchini, and onion, thread them on 4 long
metal skewers alternating with vegetables. Place the
skewers on a rack set in a broiler pan, and place
under the broiler, about 3 inches from the heat
source. Cook about 10 minutes,
occasionally basting with the marinade, then turn
and continue to broil another 10 minutes, or until
the lamb is nicely browned.
4. Transfer the cooked souvlaki to a platter
and serve immediately.
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Nutritional Facts
(PER SERVING)
Calories: 221 Carbohydrates: 9.4 g Cholesterol: 74
mg
Fat: 5.7 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 25 g Sodium: 74 mg
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Lemon Rice |
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Ingredients: |
| 1
cup long-grain white rice (preferably Uncle Ben's brand) |
|
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice |
| 1/4
cup fresh orange juice |
| 2
cups water |
| 1/2
teaspoon shredded lemon peel |
|
1/2 teaspoon shredded
orange peel |
Preparation:
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1. Place all of
the ingredients except the lemon peel and orange
peel in a 2-quart pot. Cover and bring to a boil
over high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer
for about 20 minutes, or until all of the liq¬uid
has been absorbed.
2. Stir in the lemon peel and orange
peel, and serve as is or with plain nonfat yogurt.
|
Nutritional Facts
(PER SERVING)
Calories: 172 Carbohydrates: 41 g Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fat: 1 g Fiber: 0.2 g Protein: 3 g Sodium: 0 mg
|
Excerpts from:
"Secrets
of Fat-Free Greek Cooking", by Elaine Gavalas
Are you missing some pices and incredients for your
recipe?
|
Labor Day Savings on
Books and Music!
A special offer exclusively for our
mailing list subscribers. Save
10% on all book and music
purchases made on Labor Day weekend starting Friday
September 2, until Monday September 5, 2005. To take
advantage of the offer use coupon code
LABORDAY2005 during checkout (see note for
restrictions*).
Thank you for your patronage!
We know you have choices and thank you for making our
store your choice for any product related to Greece.
Happy Labor Day!
* Please ensure that coupon is
"applied" to your order before payment. When entering
the code in the appropriate checkout box please press
"Apply" for the discount to be applied to your order.
Not valid with other offers. Cannot be applied to
purchases made before or after the coupon's valid
period. This is coupon is valid exclusively on sales
made between September 2nd and September 5, 2005
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Watch Your Manners In Greece |
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Engagement and Marriage (Part II) |
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Continued from
August's Issue...
- Until the 19th century, brides used just to wear a
formal dress at their wedding. White wedding dresses
were invented in the Victorian age (the 19th
century).
- The tradition of "Something old, something new,
something borrowed, something blue" for brides is
also kept in Greece.
- If a bride has been previously divorced or
widowed, or if the wedding takes place at a registry
office, then she may wear colour other than white.
- Wedding ceremonies should be avoided in the forty
days before Easter, for fifteen days before the 15th
of August, and for forty days before Christmas.
These are days of Lent and for ecclesiastical
classes - no weddings can take place. In olden
times, there was a superstition concerning weddings
in May and during leap years.
- A weekend wedding ceremony usually takes place
between 11 and 12 o'clock in the morning or between
6 and 8 in the evening.
- The best time for marriage is during the summer,
since it is a holiday period and people are more
relaxed. For altruistic reasons, the future couple
should avoid getting married over a weekend in the
city, since their guests would rather spend a
weekend away in the countryside or on an island.
- A good solution is for the couple to have their
wedding on an island so that they can combine the
ceremony with a holiday.
- The couple should arrange to meet the priest and
ask him if any details concerning church
decorations, photographers and video recordings
would annoy him. The best man should also meet the
priest.
- One, two or more priests or even the Archbishop
himself may hold the ceremony. The Patriarch of
Constantinople never performs wedding ceremonies.
- It is very important that the best man, the maid
of honour, the groom and the bridesmaids arrive on
time, which means 30-40 minutes in advance. Friends
and relatives should already be in church. As soon
as the bride arrives they should all stand up.
- The best man stands on the right side of the groom
and a little behind him, and the maid of honour
stands on the left side of the bride on the same
level as the best man. The bridesmaids stay behind
them, equally shared on each of the couple's sides.
- The bride's family stands on the left, and the
groom's family on the right. Even if the parents
have divorced, they should stand next to each other
unless they have re-married, in which case they
stand next to their present spouses.
- The bride always arrives accompanied by her father
or, if he is absent, by her brother or uncle. She
should arrive in a dark coloured car decorated with
white flowers. At certain weddings the bride's delay
has caused tensions - for this reason she should
arrive on time.
- The groom waits for the bride at the church's
entrance.
- As soon as the bride arrives, the priest welcomes
the couple and leads them in the church, chanting a
hymn called "axion hesti."
- The priest stands in front of the "Fine gate" with
the couple opposite him and the best man and maid of
honour a bit further behind, on the left and right
side of the couple.
- The bridesmaids hold lit candles decorated with
flowers. This doesn't just make the scene more
glorious, but it also symbolises the melting away of
the couple's previous sins.
- In front of the couple is a table, on which lies
the Book of Gospels, the silver tray with the
wreaths, the wedding rings and the "nama" (red wine,
a throwback to olden times where the couple received
Holy Communion during the wedding service).
- No participation is required by guests and family.
They stand behind the couple during the ceremony,
which generally lasts about an hour.
- The priest reads the gospels in front of the Fine
Gate, and then the ceremony begins with the hymns of
engagement. The priest blesses the rings on top of
the Book of Gospels, places them three times on the
groom's and next the bride's forehead; while he is
reading the engagement hymns, the best man puts the
rings on the couple's fingers. Next comes the
ceremony of crowning with wreaths.
- The rings symbolise eternal bonding. The couple is
now considered bound together by God "so that no
human can separate them."
- The priest blesses the wreaths on the Book of
Gospels and touches them three times on the groom
and bride's head. He then crosses them in the middle
and hands them over to the best man, who also
crosses the wreaths three times over the couple's
heads.
- The wreaths symbolise the grace and glory of the
church; they also serve as a metaphor that the merry
couple shall be king and queen in their new home.
- Next, the priest gives the couple the wine goblet
and each of them has three sips. Then comes "Hesaiah's
dance" which takes place around the table, with the
priest leading the way and the couple holding hands
and following him. At the same time, the friends and
relatives throw rice - so their marriage may take
root - and rose petals - so the couple may have a
life "sown with flowers."
- When this part is over, the priest reads the final
two wishes and then, if he wishes, makes a small
speech before he departs. Then the best man and the
maid of honour greet the parents and siblings. The
ceremony is now complete. They may then have
commemorative pictures taken.
- The relatives congratulate the couple and kiss the
Gospel Book and wedding wreaths. The other guests
are not obliged to do so at this point.
to be continued...
Excerpt from "Watch Your Manners In Greece" by
Christos K. Zampounis
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Technical Tips:
Running Greek Software on a non-Greek
Windows PC
One common problem we hear about through
our customer service is the ability to run
Greek Software on a PC bought in the US (or
any other country than Greece). Although you
may have installed Greek fonts on your
system and you are able to read and write
Greek on your system, you may not be able to
"run" Greek software applications. When you
run them, they seem to operate but any text
in the application is replaced by unreadable
characters. This problem is caused by the
method the application was developed and it
is associated with what is known as non-unicode
characters.
Unicode is the method of writing text in
software applications so it displays
characters properly regardless of the
"local" version of Windows. It describes
what fonts are used in an application and
how they should be displayed on a system
that uses any other language than the one
the application is using. Older programs and
some newer software applications may not use
Unicode causing the problems outlined above.
The instructions below will show you how to
setup your system to use Greek fonts for
software that does not use Unicode. Please
do note that it may affect some of your
other applications present so when you are
done using the Greek application that caused
you to change these settings, apply this
instructions in reverse to cancel the
changes. The instructions below are for a
Windows XP system but the steps are similar
for Windows 2000 systems as well.
Setting your
non-unicode fonts to Greek
Note: Greekshops.com does not endorse or
supports changing any computer settings on
your system. Proceed at your own risk!
1. In the
“Control Panel” select the icon Regional and
Language Options
2. Under “Regional and Language Options”
select the “Advanced” tab:
3. Under the
“Advanced” section, change the Language for
non-Unicode programs to Greek.
4. Windows XP will ask you to restart your
system for the installation to complete.
Please note:
Some non-Unicode applications that use
English characters may require that you
switch the language back to English for
their proper operation. To do that follow
the same instructions and in step 3 change
the language to “English”
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What's
New!!! |
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Greek
CDs & DVDs |
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Books (In English and Greek), Calendars & Software |
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Ancient Greek Themes Magnets |
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Featured Destination: Poros |
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At the very edge of the
Saronic gulf, clinging to the east coast of the
Peloponnese, Poros is more like a peninsula than an
island. 29 nautical miles from Piraeus, 23 sq. km. in
area, it has 43 km. of coast and a population of 3, 929.
Boats from Piraeus come here via Aegina and Methana, as
do the hydrofoils. There is also a direct link with
Galatas on the coast of the Peloponnese. Connections
with the islands of Hydra and Spetses and, during the
summer months, hydrofoils to Tolo, Nauplion and Hermione
and twice a week to Leonidion, Kyparissia and Monemvasia.
A verdant island with some hills (highest peak Vigla,
390 m. a.s.l.), it is an ideal spot for quiet holidays
and romantic excursions.
Poros actually comprises two islands, linked by a very
narrow isthmus. In antiquity these were known as
Sphairia and Kalaureia, the latter being the birthplace
of Theseus, according to mythological tradition. Here
too one of the greatest orators of antiquity, the
Athenian Demosthenes, met his death. Throughout the 7th
century BC Poros was the centre (Kalaureia) of an
amphictyony of seven cities. In the ensuing centuries
its fate was much the same as that of the other islands.
It played an active role in the Greek War of
Independence in 1821 and the first naval dockyard was
installed here in 1830.
In antiquity Poros was the centre of the Amphictyony of
Kalaureia and seat of the very important sanctuary of
Poseidon, which has been revealed in the course of
excavations on the southeast side of the island, 8 km.
from the main town. Virtually no traces remain of the
famous temple of Poseidon in which the orator
Demosthenes sought refuge and committed suicide by
taking poison. However, from this area, known as Palatia
by the locals, there is a unique view over the open sea
and the coast of Troizinia opposite. About half an hour
to the south of the ancient sanctuary is the monastery
of Zoodochos Pege (Life-giving source). The dominant
feature in the monastery church is its gilded
iconostasis which dates to the 18th century. Poros is an
island small enough for one to ramble over, to enjoy its
shores and sea, particularly on the south side, as well
as its capital, Poros, which still remains a charming
island town with its two-storey houses, waterfront
cafes, patisseries and restaurants, not to mention its
clock-tower. There is also an Archaeological Museum.
Poros has a distinctive ambience, due in large part to
its green natural environment and many trees, often
growing right at the water's edge. One of the loveliest
spots on the island is the west coast (Megalo Neorio).
There are day trips from Poros to the archaeological
sites of the Argolid (Epidaurus, Nauplion, Mycenae) and
excursions to Troizinia with its remains of ancient
Troezen where the tragic myth of Hyppolytos and Phaedra
was enacted. Lemonodassos (lemon forest), east of
Galatas is an area full of orage and lemon groves and at
nearby Alyki the islanders usually bathe. Equally
beautiful, however are the coves of Askeli and Monastiri.
All beaches can be reached by bus and for those with a
boat there are any number of unfrequented beaches and
nearby islets. Accommodation is available in hotels,
pensions, rented rooms and furnished flats.
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Travel
Guides and Information for your trip in the area |
Going to Live and Work in Greece
2005 edition |
Let's Go Greece 2005 edition - 20% off |
Greece Road Map Set - 10 maps |
Greece - A Guide to the
Archaeological Sites - Travel Guide |
Cruise Greece DVD |
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Saints'
Namedays in
September |
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Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
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1
Simeon |
2 |
3
Anthimou |
4
Moisi,
Ermionis |
5
Zaxariou |
6 |
7 |
8
Gennisi tis Theotokou |
9
Ioakeim & Annis
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10
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11 |
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12
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13
Korniliou,
Aristeidou
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14
Ypsosi tou Timiou Staurou |
15
Nikita
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16
Eyfimias |
17
Sofias, Pisteos, Agapis, Elpidas
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18
Eumeniou,
Ariadnis
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19
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20
Eustathiou |
21
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22
Foka |
23
Sullipsi Prodromou
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24
Theklas |
25
Eyfrosinis |
26
Metastasi Ioannou Euaggelistou |
27
Kallistratou
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28 |
29
Kuriakou |
30
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Icons
depicting the celebrated Saint, make great gifts for
namedays.
Shop among our great collection of icons at our
store. Also available, namedays, birthday, holiday, and
special occasion greeting cards.
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With Others!!!! |
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forwarding them this email.
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& Comments |
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