Time to share the good news with all my favorite people!!

After working hours on end to finalize the new edition of my first cookbook, with help from Athina of Kicking Back The Pebbles blog,   and formatter Deborah of Tug Boat Design the book has finally been published.  I can officially say with a smile that Back To My Roots Cookbook is now available on AMAZON!!

Yes, it is time to break open a bottle of ouzo, or better yet mavrodaphne, and celebrate. I can say lots of work was put into this book, but most importantly the love and the support I got from fellow food bloggers, family, and friends made this book happen. If you have a huge support team, then everything will fall into place. It was a long awaited  dream of mine to actually write a cookbook, not just about recipes, but to share real life stories of my family in Greece. I asked myself over and over again, what would the public eye like to see in a cookbook?? I own well over 100 cookbooks, not just Greek but all different kinds of cuisines. Coming from a Greek background, I learned many unique traditional recipes, but also I put my very own twist of modern into them.

What Is Back To My Roots?

Back To My Roots by chef Krystina Kalapothakos, of Kouzounas Kitchen, takes us back to the days of robust village life as we explore traditional Greek recipes with Krystina’s twist.

Inspired by her grandparents’ village in Mani, Greece, and with the help of popular Greek food bloggers, this book is full of delicious Greek food recipes—such as Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie),Karidopita (Greek Walnut Cake), and Keftedes (Greek Meatballs)—plus Greek beverages, spices and teas.

Back To My Roots is not only packed full of mouth-watering recipes, but Krystina also shares her personal story, kitchen tips and tricks, bits and pieces of the history of olive oil and its benefits, and much, much more!

Take the journey with chef Krystina as she goes back to her roots and shares the tradition, the love, and most of all, the authentic food of her Greek heritage.

Support Greek Cookbooks

Interested in our first published cookbook? Please click the image below to take you directly to Amazon.

I included a “sneak” preview of one recipe that is in the book, and hope you guys enjoy it!!

Please feel free to share this post, spread the word of good Greek food, and BACK TO MY ROOTS. 🙂

Γαρίδες με Φέτα : Baked Shrimp & Feta 

By: Kouzounas Kitchen- Back To My Roots Cookbook

• -1 pinch Mediterranean seafood rub
• -1⁄4 lb. feta cheese
• -2 garlic cloves, minced
• -4 ounces olive oil
• -1 onion, finely chopped
• -1 tsp black pepper
• -1⁄2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• -1 3⁄4 lbs. shrimp
• -2 tomatoes, chopped

1. In a pan, sauté the onions in oil until translucent.
2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and all the seasonings to the pan.
3. Simmer for 25 minutes. Prepare and clean the shrimp.
4. Place the shrimp in a baking dish and cover with the onion mixture. Sprinkle with feta on top.
5. Bake in oven at 375 ◦F for 15 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

*If you would like to add a slight sweetness to this dish, add a TB of honey.*

In Greece, this dish is typically served with toasted bread. Dip your bread in the tomato sauce and enjoy!

Yield: 4

Fun Giveaway With The Greek Wives Club 

Thank you to my sweet friend and owner of The Greek Wives Club for collaborating with us!!! Ekaterina Botziou, is the face of The Greek Wives Club, and she has a heart of gold. She strives hard to help every Greek blogger out there, be known, and now she created a wonderful team of talented Greek artists. Please check out the Greek Wives Club by clicking on the image text below.

Good luck to all who enter this fun giveaway!!

Looking for a new Greek recipe book with an extra bite? The Greek Wives Club is very proud to announce that our resident GWC food expert Krystina Kalapothakos recently published her first cookbook and we are holding a competition for one lucky reader to win a signed copy!

Exciting news!!

We are working on our next book project, which is on the “olive tree” in Greece. It has been a journey for us so far with our first cookbook, and now we are excited to work on our next project which will involve many unique Greek companies, some of which you have seen me work with here on Kouzounas Kitchen. The outline for our next book is in the process as we speak, and we are working to get a funding video in order. If you or someone you know owns a Greek company and would like to be a sponsor on our next exciting project, or even has some great ideas they would like to shoot our way, please have them reach out to Chef Krystina at kouzounaslive@gmail.com. We do ask that you please share our post, as we are trying to save enough money to visit Greece to do enough research for our next book. More exciting info to come soon!!

Σας ευχαριστώ πολύ… Many thanks!!

All images by Krystina Kalapothakos & ©Nestor Z Photography are copyrighted © 2015 – 2016 Krystina Kalapothakos/Nestor Zaharopoulos. Use of any of these images as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration (digital, artist rendering or alike) is a violation of the United States and International Copyright laws.