Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Chicken Gyros and an Apology



First of all, I apologize that my posts are not as frequent as I would like.
It will be cray for the next month. I am leaving for a family vacation August 14th. I can't wait. I have not seen my twin sister, little sister or nephew since Christmas and my parents since March. I am counting the days. I am preparing mentally for driving 11 hours with two little girls by myself. If you have an advice...PLEASE TELL ME!

My dilemma is that when I get back from vacation we are suppose to move and vacate our residence by Sept. 1.
My husband sold a HUGE job in Gainesville, FL and he will have to be there to oversee the project. But we are not exactly sure when his company will send us there....so we are in limbo. BASICALLY, we are not sure where we will be September 1st. I have started packing to move and for the family trip. Cross your fingers for me!!!


Plus, I cannot bake. IT is killing me. My heating element in the bottom of my oven EXPLODED!!!


For some reason, they said it was over used..LOL
Thanks to my readers and followers for their faith and understanding. I love you guys!



Pita Bread
Peppy's Pita Bread at Allrecipes.com

1 1/8 cp hot water
3 cps AP flour
1 tsp salt
1 TB vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1. throw everything in the bread machine in this order. If you do not have a bread machine you can add everything to a mixer and let rise for about an hour.
2. Roll into 12 in. rope then cut into 8 equal pieces. Then roll out the equal balls 6-7 inches around the pita. Cover. Let sit for 30 minutes.
The recipe say to bake at 500 for 5 minutes...MY OVEN IS BROKE. I Broiled the bread, but it still turned out really great.






The Greek Tzatziki Sauce

2 cps of Light Greek Yogurt
1 English Cucumber, seeded and diced up
3 garlic cloves, pressed
3 TB. Lemon O Olive Oil
2 tsp. vinegar
salt and pepper

I mixed all together...Yum.


The GYRO

4 chicken breast
1 cp. Greek salad dressing

I marinated the Chicken in the salad dressing over night. Before making the Gyro, I pulled out and allowed to get to room temperature. I added a few tablespoons of butter and browned the chicken. The chicken was really good.



2 cps of lettuce, cut very very thin
1/2 onion, cut very thin
1 tomato, cut very thin

TO ASSEMBLE: I open a pita and then layed the chicken, the tomato, the lettuce, the onion and topped with the sauce. Serve.

I did not steam or warm the pita and wish I had....

ENJOY!!!!

36 comments:

  1. Don't worry about not being able to post as much. Enjoy your vacation!

    I have some left over dough. I think I'll turn them into pita bread. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  2. bless you the vacation will be great don't worry hope it all works out and you move to a great place, will pray for you Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  3. The chicken gyros looks great, I made beef gyros last night but my pita bread was hard to open. I should have made my own!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Have fun visiting family. Your pita looks great. I love gyros.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Have a wonderful vacation!

    This meal looks amazing... Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your chicken gyro looks good. But I'm more impressed that you're making your own pita bread.
    It looks thick and nice, unlike the pita bread sold in groceries store. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a bit fan of greek food and you just made my day with this recipe, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I hate nothing more than moving house and I've been in that situation before too, having to move but now sure where you are going. Though I was without Son at the time so I can't imagine having to do it with children as well! Good luck too you and you have my support!

    Now on to your Chicken Gyro! YUM! You know how I love such things right? I'm so glad you posted this, Husband is going to loooove me for making these. Don't worry, I'll give you credit :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I totally agree with eve, I find moving so stressful! Hopefully you will be moving on to bigger and better things, and hey, what better time to move than when your oven is giving you problems! May your new kitchen be as fab as you are! I will still be here when you get back, :) Enjoy your trip.
    Tip for keeping kids quiet: I''m not a mother, but my guess is to keep their mouths full of food lol (it works on me). Most likely they will sleep alot. Long journeys are tiring. Bring their favorite toys (barbies used to be mine).
    Thats it really: Have a marvelous time, will miss u.
    Love, HH

    ReplyDelete
  10. Miranda, have a wonderful vacation and enjoy your time with your family and don't stress about the move. After being an army wife for 25 years and doing 15 moves with two children, two dogs and other added pets, you just have to learn to go with the flow and take one day at a time. I love Gainesville, both my children graduated from UF! We must be on the same wave lengths, I am makeing chicken gyros tonight as I have leftover chicken from Monday's night dinner. I prepared them last week at my cooking class and they were a hit, although I must admit, I did not make my own pita, we used Naan Bread since it is sold at the store where I teach....maybe I will try making my own pita tonight.
    Will miss hearing from you, have FUN!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Miranda,

    First of all, I'm so happy that you are going to spend some time with your family!! I know how important they are to you :) Make sure you do something to blog about with your mama!! Also, this is CRAZY!!!! I also did my first Greek dinner this past Sunday!!! Wierd, huh??!! I made my first lamb gyros, greek tzatziki, and homemade pitas!! We must be on the same wave length, lol! Yours look fantastic! Have a great VACA!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ooo, I love that you made your own pita bread! I'm sorry life is so topsy-turvy for your right now, but I hope you have a wonderful visit with your family. I have made many long car rides with my two little ones. My suggestions: take a trip to the library and check out lots of new books and DVDs; have plenty of snacks on hand; buy a couple of new, small toys (don't show them to the kids before the trip) and open them during the trip, just when you think all of you are going to lose it. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think we can all understand that life gets in the way of time..it should definitely take precedent! Have fun on your vacation and with the move...it sounds like you deserve it. We will miss you but absence makes the heart grow fonder. I love gyros and tzatziki sauce. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Miranda, you asked for my email. It is cookincanuck@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. pita bread looks perfect..i too tried couple of recipes from allrecipes,reviews given there r so helpful..pls visit my blog when u get time http://sankeerthanam.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  16. Those look fantastic. I've never tried making my own pita, but it looks so easy..and good! I hope you have a wonderful time on your vacation. Use that time to mentally and physically regroup for when you return home :) Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  17. The pitas look excellent! Have so much fun on your vacation! When we went on our driving trip, the best thing that works for my daughter is music. Thankfully, she listens to the stuff we like and sings along. That keeps her busy for hours :) Last year when she just learned how to read, looking at the signs and reading them was enough to entertain her the whole way.

    ReplyDelete
  18. First off, you are absolutely incredible for making your own pita bread for chicken gyros. Seriously. You've completely stolen my heart.

    Second, I will definitely pray for your family travels and the entire moving situation...moving is one of the toughest experiences in life (adds so much stress and frustration!!!). Just remember to keep level-headed, even when you don't want to be. The less stressed out you appear, the easier your girls will be able to transition (if mommy's freaking out, then something must be really wrong, right?!?!).

    As far as the car trip~ definitely make a few cds or fill the ipod with fun songs that they enjoy. Pack some crayons and coloring books, lots of healthy snacks, and maybe even map out your course ahead of time so you'll know exactly which cities you want to stop in for bathroom breaks. Always check for BP gas stations whenever you need to make a stop...BP stands for "Best Potties." ;) ;) ;) I just read through some of the previous comments, and Canuck definitely had it right~ if you can afford to do so, definitely head to the dollar store ahead of time and pick up several fun "new" toys for the girls to play with in the car. You might even wrap them like a present to make it more exciting ;)

    The best advice I can give is to just keep a positive attitude and laugh a lot. You know your girls better than anyone, just think of the little things that make them happy and you'll have a wonderful time!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. The cupcakes recently were for an order someone gave me. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. these look amazing!
    hang in there...things always have a way of working themselves out:)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I hope you have a wonderful vacation! These gyros look amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love this one miranda n have a great time on your vacation... ;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I didn't get your email. Send me again: jenn@jenniferrazon.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great sandwish. I have to try your pita recipe. Just posted a tzatziki recipe from a local cookbook on Sunday. It's too good, isn't it?!

    Best of luck with your trip. The girls should keep you entertained and congrats to your hubby on landing a big on!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I kind of can imagine what you are going through, my lease is up right after Christmas, and I have avoided looking for a bigger place because I never wanted to pack up and be in limbo looking for a house all at the same time...love me some pita, so thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I just made whole wheat pitas not too long ago - so easy I don't know why I waited so long!

    I have a twin sister too, and although we only only live an hour away, we only see each other a few times a year. (Her husband is a dick!).

    Um, that doesn't prevent us from talking on the phone 20 times a day!

    Have a safe trip - good luck with the driving - I've never driven that far by myself - I think my record is 6 hours?!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Your pitas look gorgeous. Enjoy your vacation.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

    I noticed that you're in Sanford. I'm just a little ways down the road in Winter Springs! Small world, huh!?

    Your chicken gyro looks great. I've never had a chicken one. I'm very impressed that you whipped up your own pitas, too!

    Have a wonderful vacation, be safe, and good luck traveling with your girls.
    ~ingrid

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hey, looks great! Never apologize for not posting regularly. It's not like you're charging admission or anything. :-) Nice recipe, the pita looks good. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Miranda,

    Hope you got my facebook message. I most certainly would love to be a guest blogger! Thanks so much! I feel honored :)

    Diana

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks for the lovely recipe. Hope the journey goes well. I know it seems very long but just take your time and it wont seem so bad! Thats a great recipe by the way, perfect for the summer!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Great recipe and great blog. DCRose

    ReplyDelete
  33. This is a fantastic recipe - gyros is one of my most favorite sandwiches! By this time, you will probably be back from your family vacation so I hope you had a wonderful time. As for your move, hopefully you've received more information than what you had at the time of this post! Best of luck to you and your family on the move to Gainesville!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for letting me know how you feel about my dishes.