I was thinking today about Rosemary and how much I love it in my cooking!

Rosemary means “dew of the sea” and it is a perennial plant growing wild in the hills

ROSEMARY-Litsa!

of the Mediterranian countries, the shrubs grow very big and they are quite beautiful!

I mean Lamb will not be the same without Rosemary, what do you think?

It thrives in dry conditions, and not only does it have a wonderful taste and aroma, but also a wealth of beneficial health effects if regularly added to our diet!

But I had to find out what other uses are there for this mysterious herb!

My research left me speechless, to say the least! So many great benefits!

The most interesting health benefits of this amazing herb include its ability to boost memory, improve mood, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, protect the immune system, stimulate circulation, detoxify the body, protect the body from bacterial infections, prevent premature aging, and heal skin conditions.

We already know that rosemary oil has a variety of benefits, but did you know that the herb does, too? Carnosic acid, one of the main ingredients in rosemary, helps protect the brain from neurodegeneration. It does this by protecting the brain against chemical free radicals, which are linked to neurodegeneration, Alzheimer’s, strokes and normal aging in the brain

Amazing!

My mother in law a native of the Greek island of Crete used to make a tisane from many different herbs, and Rosemary was always included!

She is gone over 20 years now and I still have her little pouch of her delicious tisane! No one is allowed to touch it, it’s

Litsa Bolontzakis

very sacred to me, I want to remember her as long as I live!

 Tea can be made very easily with a few sprigs of rosemary herb, hot water, and a dash of natural sweeteners, such as honey or sugar. Unlike many herbal teas that require only the leaves to be steeped for a tea blend, rosemary tea is made by steeping both the leaves and the stems of rosemary. This tea can be made with either fresh or dried leaf, and can even be made through powdered leaves, although this is less common.

The more I learn about all the herbs the more I love them, appreciate them and respect them!

Litsa with Love!

A very delicious soup, easy to make, nice and thick and so filling!Cauliflower-potato soup!

When cauliflower is available, try to cook with it, because it’s very healthy.So many ways to cook Cauliflower and making a hot Cauliflower and potato soup is the answer for a cold day!

Cauliflower potato soup by Litsa!

Seasonal cooking is the best, and you don’t have any bad feelings as to what you are eating!

Control is of the essence, get the control and eat healthy, for the life of me, I don’t understand how we trust people in the food industry so much! 

Why do we eat with so much ease everything they offer us! We take better care of our car than we do with our bodies, as you can see I am very passionate about the subject!

Ah, the pleasure of cooking and baking our own food, the peace of mind and satisfaction!It is work, I give you that, to decide what to cook, to get to the market, to bring everything home, cook and clean up, yes I know you are tired, especially if you work full time!

But stop and think, for just one moment, nothing worthwhile is accomplished with no effort!

Here is my delicious cauliflower and potato soup!

You will need:

1 beautiful head of cauliflower cut in pieces

2 big onions sliced

4 celery stalks cut up

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

Salt, pepper, garlic salt, and ½ Tsp sugar

4 cups water

1 cup cream

Here is how to make my cauliflower and potato soup!

In a heavy cooking pot add the oil and the onions.

Sauté for a few minutes just to sweat the onions

Add the rest of the vegetables and continue a little bit longer.

Now add the wet ingredients, except the cream.

Season the soup and let simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes.

At this point, if the soup needs a little more water add some more!

Just before it’s done add the cream, cook just a couple of minutes more and you are ready to puree your soup using a hand blender, you need to have a nice creamy consistency!

Your cauliflower and potato soup is ready!

This is a treasured recipe among the Greek ladies! Traditional Greek Phyllo dough a well-kept secret because every region of Greece has their own way of making it and they are so proud!

It’s a gift to be able to master the art and it requires time and work, something that the new generation of homemakers are not willing to invest.

The only thing we want is for the making of  Phyllo to continue to exist and to be passed on to the new crop of foodies, and not get lost and become a memory like so many other things have.

So, I would like to encourage you to try and make it at least once and you will realize how easy it is!

Also, mothers, try and teach your daughters and sons how to make it, this way it will survive the test of time!

Start young before they say “I don’t like to cook”

We want them to get involved and learn from your chest of treasured recipes, the ones you know by heart, the ones that there is no recipe, just a little bit of this and a little bit of that! And that is how mothers pass down their recipes to girls of the family!

Traditional Greek Phyllo is delicious, nothing compares!

You will need.

Don’t focus on what you do but on the service you provide!

Make people happy and the rewards will follow!

Litsa with Love