No 458: Dolmades

2 cloves of minced garlic
4 chopped onions
3/4 lb of lamb
2/3 cup of raw rice
3/4 cup of olive oil
1 tsp of fresh, chopped mint
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup of whole pine nuts
12 oz. of grape leaves
chicken broth
Optional: 1 tsp of dill, 1/2 cup of parsley

Rinse and drain grape leaves; lay on a towel, back sides out, to dry.

In a large pan, saute onions and garlic in a small amount of olive oil. Add rice, lemon juice and lamb with a little more olive oil. Cook until lamb is browned.

Add mint, optional dill and parsley.

Place filling in the center of the grape leaf-roll. Fold both sides and bottom of leaf over, then roll to seal. Use damaged leaves to line the bottom of the stock pot, and coat leaves with olive oil.

Stack rolled dolmades in stock pot. Cover with chicken stock. Place a plate into the pot to secure dolmas from floating.

Cook for approximately 45 minutes.

My father has developed the ultimate manipulation technique for all Greek women: Praise their dolmades, then tell them their sister, daughter or niece makes them just a little bit better. There was always a dish of dolmades waiting for us.

Mr Wonderful shares my dad's love of dolmas, and asks for these all the time. These are my cousin Maria's recipe, and the whole family agrees-they're the best. Serve them with lemon wedges or a bowl of tzatziki sauce.

Kalí óreksi!

No 457: Rizogalo

8 cups of whole milk
1 cup of raw rice
¾ cup of sugar
4 tbs of butter
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
ground cinnamon and clove

Combine milk, rice, sugar and butter in a large pot. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thick, approximately one hour. Add cinnamon stick and cloves after a half hour.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Beat two eggs; temper. To temper the eggs, add 1 tsp of hot milk to beaten eggs and mix. Continue to add hot milk to eggs until they are creamy and warm. This method will keep eggs from curdling when added to the hot milk. Mix thoroughly.

Pour into a serving container to cool. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon; I like to add ground clove as well.

My mother used to make this rice pudding when I was growing up, and as delicious as it was warm the night it was ready, it was even better cold the next morning. It was the only time we got anywhere near sugar for breakfast, and it's still the only sweet breakfast food I really enjoy.

While Greeks claim rice pudding as their own, almost all other Middle Eastern nations will also insist that they invented a sweetened rice pudding, and every country has their own version. The only difference between all these national varieties-we Greeks love cinnamon (and I happen to adore clove), while Persians prefer rosewater and Arabs like ginger and anise.

Although medium grain white rice, Aborino or Carnaroli rices used for making risotto, produce an immensely creamy pudding. It's a little more expensive than a bag of Goya but I think it's worth the cost.

Kalí óreksi!

No 456: the Lovely Afternoon

A beautiful photograph by Sweet Monday Photography. It's part of a gorgeous "From Inspiration to Reality" shoot for Style Me Pretty, and trust me, you're going to want to see the whole thing. It's heavenly.
Not unlike that incredible Edgardo Bonilla gown.

No 455: the Lace Tent

Hello, young lovers. This "Breakfast in a Meadow" shoot by Simply Bloom Photography is absolutely divine. Doesn't it look like the perfect way to spend a morning with your sweetheart?

No 454: a Confession

As a Greek girl, there's nothing I hate more than an poorly cooked lamb.

My mother was raised Greek Orthodox, and I would have been, too, if only there had been an Orthodox church just a bit closer (or safer). But hours of Greek every Sunday morning or not-Easter is a big damn deal for us ethnics. This year, "regular" and Orthodox Easter will fall on the same Sunday, and I will be making my mother's lamb. Throughout the week, I'll be sharing some of my favorite celebratory Greek recipes, along with plenty of spring-inspired wedding goodness. And if you should attempt one of these recipes, let me know how it turns out, and don't hesitate to post a question.

Pinup by Gil Elvgren.

No 453: Real Wedding: Gamze and David

Gazme and David's gorgeous wedding at the San Ysidro Ranch is perhaps the perfect wedding-plenty of white with subtle hints of gray and black, classic tuxedos (and gin martinis) and clean silhouettes. Photographed by Jose Villa, this is wedding nirvana.

No 452: the Perfect Polaroid

I simply adore these "Polaroids" from Elizabeth Messina, wedding photographer extraordinaire who writes the most charming blog, Kiss the Groom. They have a wonderfully sun-drenched, Saturday afternoon quality, don't you think?

No 451: Perfectly Courted

It's like Nonpareil crept into my brain and executed my deepest wishes so beautifully within the pages of their magazine this month. "Perfectly Courted" was inspired by an adorable court house elopement with all the most charming vintage touches. Absolutely heavenly.

No 450: the Sick Day

I woke up this morning in a feverish state, convinced I was swimming in Thai curry and clutching a pillow I believed was a well-cooked potato.

The only nice thing about being sick, as far as I'm concerned, is the carte blanche to lie in bed all day watching the Tudors. And are there more perfect sheets to lay on than these adorable ruffled ones? I think not. From Anthropologie, of course.

No 449: the Family Style Meal

I love the idea of serving a family style meal, rather than more formal Russian or French service (Russian service requires that dishes be plated in the kitchen and are served by a single waiter, while French service demands that food be prepared and plated table-side and requires many more waiters). I just can't imagine having all those people milling around, and frankly, nothing makes for a more lively dinner party than, "Oh, pass those roasted potatoes!"

Photo c/o Martha Stewart.

No 448: the Shower

Nonpareil's second issue went live yesterday, and there wasn't a page I didn't drool over. This clever take on a "shower" might have been the sweetest idea in the whole issue, called "Color me Inspired". Rather than a traditional dessert buffet, Kristen Magee of Paper Crave (and co-founder of Nonpareil, along with Maddy Hague of Inspired Bride) created bath products packaged like your favorite sweets! With how-to's on cupcake bath bombs, sugar scrubs, lip balms and soap cubes that look like wiggly squares of cool Jell-O, you've got everything you need to plan a delicious shower for the bride who loves lotions and potions.

Photographs by Lisa Rigby.

No 447: the Garden Party

Hello, lovely afternoon! This shoot, designed by Project Wedding and captured by Lisa Warninger is so charming I can hardly stand it! The wellies, the checked pinafore, the straw boater and that gorgeous little green house all seem to shout, "Spring!" And those darling sandwiches, made with cucumber and goat cheese and tied up with striped ribbon sound like the ideal snack for a warm afternoon, along with a cool glass of basil-infused lemonade.
Beautiful, refreshing, lovely and simple.

No 446: the Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dearest Quillan,

Happy Birthday to you!

Photo from weheartit.

No 445: the Dots!

I must have an illness for polka dots, because every time I see a Swiss dot wedding dress, I simply can't help myself! This little treat is by Sarah Seven of Etsy fame, and her popularity is, in my humble opinion, greatly deserved. A sneak peak of her Fall 2010 line on the Bride's Guide reveals that Sarah may love Swiss dot almost as much as I do. Wouldn't this adorable dress be the perfect thing for a whirlwind elopement, or a fun rehearsal dinner?

Photography by Brandon Witzel.

No 444: a Creative Use of Paper

I will confess a deeper affection for certain blogs' aesthetic than others, and 100 Layer Cake is certainly one of my favorites. Every image is so lovely, so thoughtful, that I just can't help myself! This project, created for Project Wedding, incorporated vintage wallpaper these talented ladies just happened to have on hand (because, of course, who doesn't stock a craft closet full of beautiful goodies?) and is, in my opinion, absolutely dreamy. Take a peek at Project Wedding's full feature for more.

No 443: the Happy Birthday

A very happy birthday to my dear friend, Audrey!

Three of my closest friends were born within a week of each other,
and it makes this a very, very fun time.

No 442: Real Wedding: Adriana and Ryan

It's the kind of gorgeous day here in San Francisco where an alfresco reception seems like the only option, and so I thought I would share a glowing example of one such event. The theme for Adriana and Ryan's wedding was "East Coast meets West", and was held at the Beltane Ranch, an unbelievably beautiful working ranch in Sonoma, CA (seriously, click the link. Look at the photos. It's heaven.). Barbara Llewellyn designed the event and the food, and Perfect Endings, a blog darling, crafted the lovely cake.

Those incredible flowers were whipped up by Florali, and are probably my single favorite element of this gorgeous wedding. I'm also partial to that 1937 Rolls Royce, a prop supplied by the Beltane Ranch. All these lovely images were recently featured in Brides Magazine, and were captured by the talented Lisa Lefkowitz.