Opa!

The company, the food, the fun, the ouzo--last Sunday was Greek fest at the house! Following the Elf event, we decided we needed another reason to eat well and watch some movies. Valentine's Day weekend seemed a great excuse, and somehow we decided that we needed Greek food; there was some discussion at some point about gyros, and the deal was sealed.

Mama Mia! and My Big Fat Greek Wedding fit the bill for both romance (Valentine's Day) and Greek inspiration, so the gals came with ingredients, we cooked and sang with Meryl Streep, and we ate and ate and ate.

Feast your eyes on the yumminess:

Spanakopita and Greek-seasoned zucchini...


Olives and dates and hummus and pistachios...


Pita and homemade tzatziki and gyro fixin's...


More spanakopita and Greek orzo salad and a happy green salad with some feta sprinkled in...


And, because it's in the movie, a bundt cake! "It's a cake!" We had Greek/Turkish/Arabic/Armenian coffee (take your pick, depending on your preferred nationality) to top it all off. Heaven!


Full tummies and fun gals...and one bitty baby boy who thinks Stef is the "Baby Whisperer", thinks I am goofy, and has a crush on Harriet. No ouzo for him :)


There were several "Doh!" pictures while I was trying to get either the remote or the timer on the camera to work. This one is my favorite, as I raced back to the couch. I call it "Flying Sluss" in honor of my hair going completely horizontal as I tried to slam myself into the bunch.

Stef treid to warn me that I would smell like a Greek deli after all our feasting. Um...that's affirmative, kids. I went to sleep that night thinking there was a giant gyro on the other side of the bed.

What she did not warn me about was that my house would smell like a Greek deli for the rest of the week, and that every time I opened my leftover-laden refrigerator, a raging fist of garlic would barrel out and grab me around the throat. I think a little Greek man died in there.

Can I just say that I LOVE my house for being able to have heaps of fun like this? Lots of laughter, good stories, hilarious singing, delicious food, all in the same room. Thanks to Grandma Mel for the dining room table, Mom and Dad for the fridge and half the living room furniture, Liann for picking out great decorative accents, Holly and Mike and Joanna for the blankies that people love to cuddle when they watch flicks, my pals in Jordan for the perfect coffee set and coffee, and lots of others (Kathleen, Lynn B., Masha, Grandma Quack-Quack, Uncle Chris, etc.) who have given me pieces that make my house, my house. And praise Jesus for the gift of this house in which to live and laugh and love!

Opa!