2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 small tomatoes, quartered
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1 small cucumber, sliced
3 ounces feta, crumbled
salt and pepper

1. Whisk together lemon juice, oregano and garlic in a bowl. Gradually add the olive oil to make a dressing. Add the sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Combine the tomato, green pepper, onion and cucumber in a separate bowl.
3. Pour dressing over salad and garnish with feta cheese to serve.

Makes 4 servings

1 large potato, peeled sliced
1 pound eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 pound cooked turkey, shredded
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups hot milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brush the bottom of a casserole dish with olive oil and layer sliced potatoes. Bake until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Slice eggplant into 1/2" thick slices and sprinkle lightly with salt. Drain on paper towel.
4. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion until tender, then stir in the garlic, tomatoes, turkey, oregano, basil, cinnamon and sugar. Simmer sauce gently while preparing bechamel.
5. In a separate saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter, then whisk in flour and cook for a few minutes. Gradually add in milk, whisking constantly, until fully incorporated. Cook, stirring often, until thickened.
6. Remove the milk from the heat. Add a bit of the milk to the egg and whisk together, then add back to the saucepan. Stir in the Parmesan and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
7. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Layer eggplant and turkey and tomato sauce on top of the potatoes, then top with bechamel sauce. Bake in the oven until bechamel has browned, about 30 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Moussaka is one of Shannon's favorite dishes. She requested it for Her Birthday and everything. When we first moved here, she also had moussaka at a Greek restaurant. Looking back on it though, we ate both meals out and I ordered something entirely different than her, so I can still make moussaka for dinner.

This, in itself, is a grand discovery. Unfortunately, I decided to make it with leftover Turkey. Thankfully it is almost entirely gone now, but I was so impressed after making this dish - that it turned out exactly as I would have liked - that the turkey factor really threw the whole thing off for both of us. The flavor was perfect and the bechamel topping was beautifully golden, but the turkey just has such a textural difference than lamb or beef that doesn't really work.

However, I have learned the secret wonders of moussaka. First, the topping is baked bechamel. That threw me a curve ball right away because I always thought it was some magically fluffy whipped potatoes. I had no idea you could bake bechamel and have it turn out like that! Second, the "secret" flavor in moussaka is cinnamon. I never would have guessed that the basic flavor of moussaka meat was oregano and cinnamon, of all things. I thought cinnamon was only really used in a savory setting for Indian inspired dishes. Anyhow, I am definitely reserving this recipe to make again in the future, only with ground meat instead of turkey scraps.

I needed a side dish and holy Macaroni I haven't made a Greek Salad yet this year. I mean, not in the cucumber, tomato and feta sort of way I'd think of. There was a Salata Marouli that was basically just a bunch of dressed lettuce. I also had that Greek salad in the food court in West Edmonton Mall, but that's pretty much a write off. Wow, it's little things like this that I've overlooked that I need to somehow scrounge up for the last stretch. I omitted the olives because, in my opinion, olives are always optional, and tossed the vegetables with a simple lemon-oregano vinaigrette. Delicious! Sadly, I have still not purchased a new lamp and everything is still photographing poorly. At least my stomach is satisfied!