Food to Festivities

I have had a busy week!  It all started on Monday when I signed myself and 3 of my friends up for a Greek cooking class.  It was about time I learned how to cook some Greek dishes.  it was definitely my type of cooking class - drinking wine, chatting with old and new friends, observing and participating if you want!  Our teacher was an American woman who had married a Greek and used to live and work as a caterer in NYC.  There was a woman there from New Zealand who had lived in Athens for about 18 months as her husband worked for an American company and another woman there who was from Belgium, who had recently married a Greek!  So we drank wine and made Mousska, Chicken and Lemon soup "Kotosoupa Avgolemono" and a garlic/potato puree "Skordalia".  Then we sat down and enjoyed it!

Wednesday was ACS's annual Pumpkin Patch Halloween Carnival.  I went as a witch, saw my former students, had some good ol' American hamburger, baked goods and drinks.  Boy it poored that evening!  Later that night, a newbie had a Halloween party.  I was dressed as the game Twister.  That was a late evening - returning to my house around 3am!

Thursday was a national holiday here in Greece - Oxi (Ochi) Day - when the Greeks said No (Oxi) to the Italians.  So I spent the entire day cleaning and preparing for my first dinner party.  The theme was an autumn dinner party and the weather just turned fallish and chilly, so the fireplace was put to good use!  I think it was a successful dinner party for 8!  It was heavier on the apps and desserts!  But for dinner I made the Butternut Squash Apple Soup.

So it has been a very busy week with all that - doing lessons and reading and writing my assignments for my online class!  Tomorrow is the 2500th Anniversary of the Athens Marathon - I will be walking in the 5 km route with Miah and Harper!