homemade tzatziki!

yet again, the beautiful islands are calling my name. i just ordered the culinaria:greece cookbook which is absolutely magical. i spent all day reading it and couldn't resist whipping up a little greek magic in the kitchen!!

this tzatziki (say it with me: zaaaht-zee-kee) is perfect on toasted pita bread. and it's easy to make!

tzatziki
1/2 of a cucumber
1 serving (6 oz) of plain Greek yogurt
1/2 of a lemon
1 garlic clove, mashed or diced finely
dash pepper
dash salt
2 tbsp olive oil, the darker the better

wash the cucumber and slice it in half. scrape out the seeds and dispose them. grate the cucumber into a bowl. squeeze the cucumber pieces to get rid of the juice- you want the tzatziki to be as thick as possible, not runny.

add the yogurt (thicker the better) to the cucumber and mix. add juice from the lemon (careful about the seeds!), the garlic, pepper, and salt.

when you're ready to serve, drizzle the olive oil on top and enjoy!

rosemary ranch chicken kabobs

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these kabobs produce tender, fragrant chicken. great with a light salad or with rice and steamed broccoli.

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (or dried)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6-8 skewers

marinade: stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. let stand for 5 minutes. place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. cover and refrigerate for an hour.

preheat the grill (i used a george foreman style indoor grill). thread about 5 pieces of chicken onto each skewers and discard marinade.

grill skewers for 8 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear. serves 5-6.  *adapted from allrecipes.com