Today is Epiphany. A
different Epiphany wearing masks and keeping distances due to the coronavirus disease. We cannot meet with our beloved family and
friends, so it is a very lonely Epiphany.
Even if you are thrice vaccinated you can contact this terrible disease,
especially the Omicron variant. My son Yiannis brought me some holy water and I sprayed the icons, the house, the garden, and myself praying that we shall all be healthy and safe up to the following Epiphany.
ANTI VAXXER BISHOP COSMAS DIED OF COVID-19 IN AN ATHENS HOSPITAL
Well known for his stance
against Covid-19 vaccines, the Bishop of Aetolia and Akarnania, has died of
Covid – 19 in an Athens hospital. The 76-year-old bishop was hospitalized since the
beginning of December in Agrinion and was later transferred to Evangelismos, a large
hospital in Athens.
Bishop Kosmas who refused to be vaccinated against this
virus was intubated for 25 days and had suffered irreversible damages.
Kosmas was a vociferous critic of the government’s measures to
contain the spread of the disease, including wearing masks and being vaccinated
thrice against the pandemic.
During a sermon in 2020, Kosmas had bashed all and called
all who did not agree with his views and did not attend the church where he preached,
“Unfaithful”. “God does not allow you to be infected. It is a sanctuary and a temple of Heaven”, he
said.
Last year, Kosmas was summoned by the Holy Synod to explain himself
over his “disobedience and disrespect of the unanimous decision of the collective
body of the Church of Greece regarding the coronavirus health measures”.
One expects more sensibility and logic from a Bishop who preaches
in packed churches while hoping that most of the congregation will disobey his
preposterous and dangerous views.
CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND FETA
Olive oil
½ onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 chicken breasts
120 g feta
75 g chopped spinach, boiled and drained
4 slices of Ifantis ham
Steamed broccoli and cauliflower for serving.
Sauté the onion in a small amount of olive oil for 2 minutes
then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes and allow the mixture to
cool.
Place the feta and spinach into a bowl and mix thoroughly
add the onion and garlic and season to taste.
Partially fillet the chicken breasts, creating pockets. Stuff the feta mixture into each pocket and season the chicken fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Wrap each breast with Ifantis ham and secure with toothpicks, brush it with olive oil and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) for 25 minutes until the ham is crisp and the chicken cooked through.
Serve with steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
FETA STUFFED MUSHROOMS
4 large Portobello mushrooms each about 10 cm across
2 tbsp olive oil
100 g bulgar wheat
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
100 g feta
2 tsp chopped rosemary leaves
6 walnut halves, chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Heat oven to 180 C (350 F) and snap the stalks from the mushrooms. Place the stalks in a large oven-proof dish along with caps, turned upside down. Brush with olive oil and bake in the oven for 16 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the bulgar for 8 minutes, then drain and toss with the garlic, feta, rosemary, walnuts, and parsley.
Take the mushrooms from the oven and turn the caps over. roughly chop the stalks and add to the bulgar mixture and pile it on top of the mushroom caps. Return to the oven and bake for 3 minutes more.
FRIED FETA WITH
HONEY AND SESAME SEEDS
250 g (9 oz) feta cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
70 g (3 oz) plain flour, enough to coat the feta
60 g sesame seeds
Olive oil for frying
4 tbsp honey
Cut the feta into little block about 5 cm thick. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whip with a
fork. In another bowl place the flour, paprika
and pepper and mix well to combine the ingredients. Into another bowl place the sesame seeds.
Dip each piece of feta into the eggs, then roll into the
flour dip again into the eggs and roll in sesame seeds, so that all sides are
covered,
Fry the feta block in 7 tbsp of olive oil until nicely colored. Then using a slotted spoon flip the fried
feta over so that it is nicely colored on all sides. When done, place on kitchen paper to absorb
extra oil.
Meanwhile, warm the honey in a saucepan and serve the fried
feta drizzled with honey.
PLEASE DO BE VACCINATED AGAINST COVID - 19 SO THAT YOUR BELOVED FAMILIES, FRIENDS, THE WORLD AND YOU WILL REMAIN HEALTHY AND SAFE DESPITE THE PANIC ABOUT THE OMICRON VARIANT
SCIENTISTS DECODE DNA OF GREEK FETA
According to the Academy of Athens, scientists have mow
decoded the DNA of the famous feta cheese.
Scientists from the Biochemical Research Foundation of the
Academy of Athens studied a wide variety of feta produced all over the country
in an effort to calculate the international specifications of the popular Greek
cheese.
According to the findings, feta has 489 different types of protein, making it one of the
most protein-rich cheese varieties in the world.
Feta is a white cheese, made in Greece from sheep’s milk but
it can be a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk.
According to the European Union’s law regarding products “protected
designation of origin” feta must be produced by using exclusively sheep’s milk
or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk and the goat’s milk can never be more
than 30% of the total.
Greece won a long legal battle with Denmark in 2002 over the
brand name “Feta”. Since then, every
package of cheese sold inside the European Union that bears the name FETA must
meet specific standards and must be produced exclusively in Greece.
Cheese-making is an ancient practice in the Mediterranean
with the production of cheese from goat’s milk or sheep’s milk dating back to
the 8th century BC.
Its history is accompanied by ancient myths about the cheese-production of a cheese resembling feta, which is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey.
PLEASE DO BE VACCINATED AGAINST COVID - 19 SO THAT YOUR BELOVED FAMILIES, FRIENDS, THE WORLD AND YOU WILL REMAIN HEALTHY AND SAFE DESPITE THE OMICRON VARIANT PANIC,
EXPLORING THE ANCIENT BEAUTY OF THE CITY OF ATHENS
As Athens has intrigued tourists from around the world for
centuries, they visited a plethora of cultural sites, some of which dated back
to the 5th century BC.
Unfortunately, tourism dropped in Greece steeply due to the
international struggle against the Covid 19 pandemic, and hasn’t been great news
for Greece. Although the country has
been praised for handling the pandemic at this point it is not clear when it
will be safe for international tourism to start again.
However, for tourists, the internet has once again come to the
rescue with a safe, virtual option for those who want to take in the beauty of Athens. Gather your families and get ready to set off
on an amazing virtual tour of the most beautiful and ancient cities of the
world.
Temple of Athena Nike
Feast your eyes on Athens’ most famous sites like the Acropolis,
the Parthenon, and the temple of Athena Nike. Also, last but not least, don’t forget to see the amazing treasures in the
Athens museums, these are:
The National Archaeological Museum
The Acropolis Museum (Ground Flour)
The Museum of Cycladic Art
The National Gallery
The Greek Automobile Museum
The Byzantine and Christian Museum
The War Museum
The Museum of Ancient Greek Technology
The Museum of the Ancient Agora
The Jewish Museum
The Heraclid Museum
The National Historical Museum
The Museum of Islamic Art
The Museum of Jewellery, Ilias Lalaounis
The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments
The Centre of Culture – Greek World
The Greek Children’s Museum
Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens
The Museum of Contemporary Art
PLEASE DO BE VACCINATED AGAINST COVID – 19 SO THAT YOUR
BELOVED FAMIILIES, FRIENDS, THE WORLD AND YOU WILL REMAIN HEALTHY AND SAFE
DESPITE THE PANIC WITH OMICRON VARIANT.
NEW YEAR’S TRADITIONS IN GREECE
The most important of all New Year’s Traditions in Greece is Saint Basil, Agios Vassilios, the Greek Santa Clause. St Basil arrives a week after Christmas and
brings presents for children and adults on New Year’s Eve.
Saint Basil the Great was born in Kessaria in 350 AD and was
one of the forefathers of the Greek Orthodox Church. There are many
similarities with Santa Clause. They
were both famous for their kind-heartedness, their compassion, and they helped
the unfortunate and homeless. Agios
Vassilis donated his wealth to people in need.
In Greece, we celebrate the New Year’s festivities and we are passionate about our culture and
traditions for Protochronia.
January 1st is not only New Year’s Day in Greece
but it is also Saint Basil’s Day and the name day, throughout the nation, of those who
have the name Vassilis or Vassiliki
Some of the most famous and popular New Year’s traditions in
Greece are:
Firework shows. These
shows, full of glitter and magic, light the night skies all across the country
in all cities and villages of our country, on the 1st of January.
Carollers bring good luck to our homes.
We bake Vasilopita, a wonderful cake with a coin inserted in the center. Whoever finds the coin will have good luck for the coming year (2022!)
Our very best wishes for 2022! Warmest wishes to my precious Daughters-in-law, Sons, Grandchildren, and Great granddaughters!! May they always be healthy, loved, happy, successful, and blessed.
We, also, crash a pomegranate on our doorsteps for extra good luck!
