NOOK n’ NOTES

Remember when I started writing about how I went from having banana ice cream for dinner to making pizza with my hubby? Yeah, back then I left you wondering about how it turned out, especially since it ended up being eaten before I even managed to take a proper photo of the whole thing…

Well, I’m back!


The process is almost the same, with the only difference being the dough, which unlike the previous pizza was left to rise at least 24h.


It’s a homemade pizza following the Italian method for a thinner crust and a more flavorful result, topped with bacon, arugula, tomato sauce, and mozzarella.

Just as I was making a delicious — but mostly healthy — banana ice cream as a light dinner option, my husband walked in… and at the exact same time, started making homemade pizza 🍕

He added the toppings…

…and the final result was gone before I even had the chance to take photos for the blog… lol

But let’s set the pizza aside for now (I’m planning to share a similar post at some point, since it’s his specialty), and focus on the banana ice cream instead — which I’m going to show you step by step.

First, I sliced up a banana (the riper it is, the better).

You can add cookies if you want 🍪  (I didn’t add any myself)

I put it in the blender and added a cup of milk.

I blended it in the blender and poured it into a bowl. Then I covered the mixture with plastic wrap.

I put it in the fridge for at least two hours.

Voilà!

Even though the goal of this blog isn’t to give you recipes, but to share pieces of my everyday life—and why not?—a small part of my country's culture, I can’t leave out how much I love photographing nature and… food.

Yes, food…

Of course, if you follow me on my personal Instagram account or you’ve read older posts, you’ve probably already figured that out… but let’s take a look at 3 alternative ways to cook one of the most unique and favorite dishes—and I’ll tell you which one I used in the photo above.

But which one else? The traditional way…






One of the most traditional dishes in Greek cuisine.

With this method, the octopus is first cooked slowly over low heat in its own juices until tender—no added water. Then it’s cut into pieces and brought together with vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and bay leaf.

Keep in mind that octopus completely changes character depending on how you handle it. The result here is tangy and sharp in flavor, perfect as a mezze, and one of those dishes that actually gets better the longer it sits…






Here, you can’t hide behind sauces—if you get it wrong, it turns rubbery.

The secret is simple: first boil or slowly cook it until tender, then finish it over high heat on the grill for a few minutes so it gets that signature smoky flavor and a slightly crisp texture on the outside.

Serve it simply: olive oil, lemon, and maybe a little oregano.






A bit heavier, more of a proper main dish (not exactly what we’d call mezze back in Greece). This is where the sauce takes over.

The octopus is first sautéed, then slowly cooked with tomato, wine, onion, and spices (usually cinnamon or bay leaf).

It can be served over pasta or cooked in the same pot with orzo, similar to a Greek-style giouvetsi. It’s a dish built on deep, rich flavor rather than simplicity, with a sauce that thickens and turns almost slightly sweet.

So maybe this wasn’t meant to be a recipe post after all—but if you found yourself craving octopus by the end of it, I guess I did something right.

Not gonna lie — I started these posts with the idea of making TikTok videos, so this particular article is going to be very short…