When Harry Met Butternut: A Playlist and Coconut Butternut Soup

In the fall, I think about two things: butternut squash and running. We'll get to the running in a minute, but first let's talk butternut. Now, don't get it twisted: my first autumnal love is and will always be pumpkin.  But in the romantic comedy of fall produce, pumpkin is the "it" girl whom our main character loves from the jump-- it's beautiful, tasteful, goes with everything and has a comfortable, earthy personality.  As the movie moves on, though, the protagonist realizes that there's something a little too easy about pumpkin and it dawns on him (or her!): s/he has loved butternut...

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Chef Kefi's Gift-Giving Guide

If you hack into my email, you'll find a little document that has a list of all the people I love and, next to each name, an ever-changing list of ideas for their Christmas/birthday/anniversary present.  I shudder at the idea of giving gift cards or, worse, cash (perish the thought!), and instead spend all year in search of the Perfect Gift for each of the people on my list. Now, it might seem that a post about gifts is a strange way to end Gratitude Week.  It has become trendy to be cynical about gift giving at this time of the year-- but, for me, a huge part of Christmas* Kefi is...

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Gratutitous Gratitude #3: People Who Make The World a Better Place

We live in a world of paradox. Some days, the beauty of the world wins; other days it's the twisted injustice.  Never is this binary so obvious as on Thanksgiving, when even the extreme excess of some does not come close to balancing the needs of many. So, today I'm grateful for the people who work every day to keep the beauty fighting against the injustice in the hope that, one of these days, we will all have a group of people to call family, a roof over our heads to call home, and a meal to call Thanksgiving dinner. 1- Geoffrey Canada- For making a model that makes huge changes...

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Gratuitious Gratitude #2: Running + High Protein Pumpkin Pancakes

Thank you, Jesus, for creating running.  Let me say that again: THANK YOU LORD FOR RUNNING! Running is heaven.  It's stress relief, it's exercise, it's brain-boosting, it's cancer-fighting.... really there is no good reason NOT to run. Unless, of course, you look like this while you do it: Chef Kefi, finishing the 10k that started it all.  If you are sitting there thinking to yourself, "I could never run a road race" you are wrong. Dead wrong. Two years ago, a good running week was one during which I ran more than once for a distance of more than 2 miles.  In Jan 2010,...

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Gratuitous Gratitude #1: The Calculus of Cooking

One day in college, I decided to throw a dinner party.  I didn't know how to cook, really, but having mastered literacy by the second grade, I felt confident I could at least follow a recipe.  So I picked out several ambitious recipes with about 100 ingredients each, and muddled my way through, to pretty spectacular results (if I do say so myself).  The problem came the next time I offered to make dinner for people: this time, I had deluded myself into thinking I knew how to cook and picked out new, equally-ambitious recipes with even more ingredients. The result was, uh, less-than...

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Gratitude Week at Cooking Up Kefi

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world*, I think of all the things I am thankful for.  With 2012 drawing near and the news growing ever more doom-and-gloom, this can be easier said than done. I worry, sometimes, that showing thanks is something we do only when were prompted to-- during those last few minutes of yoga, as we walk out of stores,  or while our parents are watching-- but not something most of us do because we're actually, you know, thankful.  The number of times I see people interact with other humans--in settings from cafes to hospitals--without expressing...

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A Moveable Greek Feast

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Introducing... JetSet Kef!

There's a pecking order in the Kefi family.  It developed a few years ago in a drafty New Jersey kitchen with diced onion on the floor and eggplant puree splattered on the walls--my brother had convened the Greek branch of the family, and he and I were about 5 hours into a 48-hour cooking spree running up to the Big Fat Greek Easter.  The hierarchy was clear: I was the Chef, and he was the Sous Chef.  If he valued his place in my kitchen, he would not so much as spread olive oil over a sheet of phyllo without my giving the go ahead. Since then, we've improved our cooking and he's...

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Biking Up Kefi

Not too much cooking this week- I'm bombarded with tests, papers, and presentations. However, I came across this little piece and it just SCREAMED Kefi-- so I had to share with my readers (all three of you!). I hope you all find a little Kefi during this beautiful weeke...

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Butternut Lasagne and Homemade Chocolate Lara Bars

I'm gonna have to be brief here: I am typing only with one hand because the other is busy eating these incredible treats.  I'm quite certain these recipes make enough for 6, but feel free to make it a single serving of Kefi. Butternut Squash Lasagne 1 butternut squash, peeled 1 medium onion 3 cloves of garlic 10 mushrooms, chopped finely 1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce 1/4-1/2 cup myzithra cheese (feel free to use more or sub a non-Greek cheese)   olive oil 1. Cut the squash into quarters: first lengthwise, than widthwise. Next, cut the squash into slabs about 1/2 inch...

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Occupy the Grocery Store

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you've probably heard by now that The Hellenic Republic has fallen on some hard times.  Part of this, undoubtedly, is due to the fact that MommaKef  is not there to stimulate the sale of $7 water shoes, SisterKef hasn't been buying sandals that hide her Athenian ankle tattoo, and Brother Kef and I have not been purchasing twice-daily Frappes (métrios for me, skétos for him). For this, we are sorry. But mostly, it's because the global system has allowed a few to live large on the backs of many for decades (or centuries, or always,...

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