Anne BralyThe much-anticipated Greek Bake Sale is back Friday at Chattanooga's Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. Has your mouth been watering for some homemade baklava or a piece of savory spanakopita? There will be that and more, beginning at 8 a.m. and lasting until the last items are sold ... or until 6 p.m.
In addition to the spankopita and baklava, you'll find made-from-scratch tiropitas, almond cakes, koulourakia, Greek sweet bread, pastichio, amygdalota, kourambiethes and loukoumades.
New items have been added this year, too:
• Paximathia - twice- baked cookies, a Greek version of biscotti.
• Spanakopita pockets - individual serving size of the Greek classic spinach dish that will be baked fresh the day of the sale.
• Tiropita pockets - individual serving sizes of the favorite cheese triangles that will be baked fresh the day of the sale.
The sale is a project of the Ladies Greek Philoptochos Society. Proceeds will support local charities.
"The word 'philoptochos' means 'friend of the poor' in Greek, and we are striving to help those who are need," says Thea Ballas, bake sale chairwoman.
The church is located at 722 Glenwood Drive, across the street from Memorial Hospital.
Talk turkey
If you are in charge of making Thanksgiving dinner this year, here's a recipe you may want to try if you're planning on stuffing the turkey. It's an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe given to me years ago by my former neighbor, Marie Miller of Lookout Mountain. She's also a local artist whose talents carry over from the canvas to the culinary arts.
This stuffing is a marked change from tradition since it uses no cornbread, but I think you'll find it just as delicious, if not more. It's scrumptious with all the drippings mixed in with the potatoes. Just be sure not to stuff the turkey until immediately before putting it in the oven to prevent contamination from salmonella bacteria. You can, though, make the stuffing ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to start.
The Miller's Turkey Stuffing
5 pounds potatoes
1 1/2 loaves stale white bread
Milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, divided
2 large onions, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
Salt, to taste
2 eggs
Boil potatoes till tender, then peel and slice. Cube bread and dampen with a little milk. Melt half the butter in a skillet and add onions and celery, sautéeing till tender. Add potatoes to mixture, tossing to combine. Set aside. Melt remaining butter in skillet and add bread cubes to brown. Add bread cubes to potato mixture. Blend in eggs. Stuff turkey immediately before roasting.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.