recent questions

I recently ate at a very authentic Greek restaurant in Philadelphia and most of the meals were served with roasted potatoes with a very distinctive seasoning. Can you help me with a recipe for "Greek" roasted potatoes, perhaps guess what the seasoning might be? Thanks! Great magazine btw.

The distinctive flavorings most likely tasted when you had Greek Roasted Potatoes were a combination of oregano, lemon and garlic. Oregano is very popular in Greek cooking and is thought to have strong medicinal properties. It's important to note that there is a difference in the types of dried oregano - if possible, try to get Greek oregano.

We trialed several recipes for Greek Roasted Potatoes and found that the following recipe had the most flavor and the potatoes kept their shape without going mushy. For more information about what potatoes to use, also check out our Tools and Tips article The Mighty Potato.

Recipe: Greek Roasted Potatoes

I really like to take something homemade to friend's house's if they invite me for dinner. Do you have any suggestions?

Here are some of our favorite hostess gifts:

• Homemade cookies in a glass cookie jar with a copy of the recipe attached, so that when the cookies run out, they can make their own - check out our recipe for Tan Fingers.
• Homemade vinegar in a glass bottle - check out the Cherry Aged Cherry Vinegar recipe.

Do you have any suggestions for using overripe bananas in cooking?

In our house, sometimes bananas are left so that they'll be overripe so we can bake with them. Our favorite recipe is a quick and easy Banana Loaf. The recipe makes two loaves, and they can easily be wrapped in plastic wrap and then frozen.

Another great use for over ripe bananas is as a base for a fruit smoothie or a banana milkshake.

If you find you only have one or two bananas that have over ripened, simply put them in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer until you have enough to bake with. To use them, simply defrost the bananas. When the bananas have defrosted, snip off the end of the banana and squeeze the flesh out. Note, defrosted bananas are very mushy which makes them excellent to mash up for baking, but a little yucky to deal handle.

Do you have any information about the best way to defrost a turkey, how long it takes to defrost and how long it will take to cook?

Check out our Turkey Tips article which provides information about defrosting and cooking turkeys.

How can I stop guest from coming into the kitchen when I'm preparing a meal for a dinner party?

This is a challenge faced by anyone who entertains at home. The reality is your guests come to your house to see you, not necessarily because of the food, so when you retreat into the kitchen to finish preparing the meal they want to continue talking with you. While this may be frustrating and a little nerve racking, especially if you are a novice cook, their intentions are well meaning.

Here are a few strategies for neutralizing these kinds of situations:

• If you have the room in your kitchen, have an area where your guests can sit, have a drink, and nibble on something. Try to position them in an area where they are not in the way but still able to talk with you while you cook.
• Have something such as a butcher block that acts as a barrier between you and your guests so that they aren't in your way.
• Have some tasks for them to do like filling up water glasses so that they feel as if they are participating.
• If possible, face your guests while you are cooking rather than having your back to them, this way they won't try and enter your space.
• If you really don't have enough room in the kitchen for everyone, find a distraction for them like a photo album and have them sit in an adjoining room so that they can still ask questions if they need to.
• Select dishes that can be prepared ahead of time so that you can minimize the amount of time you are away from your guests.