By A good week in real estate: 2 closings, 8 new leads, the satisfaction of matching families with houses the way Mama matches fillings with phyllo — instinctively, confidently. I brought spanakopita to an open house. The buyers ate it. They made an offer.
Sophia is reading about marine biology with an intensity that would concern me if it were directed at anything other than her future career. She talked about it at dinner for twenty minutes and I understood approximately half of it but all of the joy behind it.
I stood in my kitchen this evening and looked at the counter where I have made a thousand meals for my family and thought: this is what I do. I feed people. I sell them houses and I feed them food and I keep showing up because showing up is the only recipe that never fails.
I made avgolemono — the soup that fixes everything. Chicken broth, rice, eggs, lemons. Simple. Ancient. Golden as a January sunrise. Sophia ate 3 servings and said nothing, which means it was good. Alexander ate 4 and asked for more. The pan was empty by nine. Empty pans are the highest form of flattery in this kitchen.
The weeks pass and I am learning that life at 50 is not what I expected at twenty-five. It is messier, harder, more beautiful. The moussaka is better because my hands have made it more times. The career is stronger because the failures taught me what the successes could not. And the love — the love I pour into every dish, every showing, every Sunday drive to Tarpon Springs — is bigger now because I have lost enough to know what it costs.
The avgolemono was gone and the pan was empty and the week was finally, blessedly, done — but the kitchen still had that warm hum that only happens when you’ve cooked something that mattered. On nights like that, when the pride is still sitting in my chest and I want to stay close to everything that feels like home, I reach for something that tastes like Greece without asking too much of me: this Greek Pizza, loaded with olives, feta, and the kind of confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are. It’s not avgolemono, but it speaks the same language — simple ingredients, ancient instinct, a table worth gathering around.
Greek Pizza
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough, store-bought or homemade, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup hummus or tzatziki sauce (as the base)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Fresh baby spinach or arugula, for finishing
- Fresh lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat. Place a pizza stone or large baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 475°F (245°C) for at least 20 minutes.
- Shape the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper brushed with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
- Add the base. Spread the hummus or tzatziki evenly over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edge.
- Build the toppings. Scatter the mozzarella over the base, then layer on the feta, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and roasted red peppers. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over everything.
- Season. Sprinkle the dried oregano and red pepper flakes evenly across the top.
- Bake. Slide the pizza (on the parchment) onto the hot stone or baking sheet. Bake for 13–15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned at the edges.
- Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately scatter a handful of fresh spinach or arugula over the top — it will gently wilt from the heat. Slice into 8 pieces and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 890mg