Hi! Welcome to My Little Expat Kitchen!
Who’s behind my little expat kitchen?
I’m Magda. So happy to have you here!
I’m from Athens, Greece, born and bred, and have been living in the Netherlands with my also Greek partner for a little over a decade. Together we have a son, five-year-old Aris, who loves to be in the kitchen with me, especially when we make pizza, Greek pies, cookies and a big mess.
I first opened the door to my little expat kitchen when I started my food blog, shortly after arriving in the Netherlands. I was missing Greece, my friends, my family, my mom’s and grandma’s cooking and realized that the only way to enjoy the food of home, the food I was craving, was if I cooked it myself. It was a way to stay connected to my roots and feel less nostalgic.
I reopened the door to my kitchen on this platform that gives me much more freedom and options, and I love being on this journey with you. The ones who have trusted me by cooking the recipes from my blog all these years and those who daily find me over here on Substack.
My recipes and photographs have been featured in several publications both online and in print: The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, National Geographic Traveller Food (UK edition), CNN Travel, Cosmopolitan magazine (Greek edition), ELLE Eten (Dutch edition), Saveur magazine and Ελληνική Κουζίνα June 2025 (a monthly Greek culinary magazine). I have also won Best Cooking Blog, both Critic’s and People’s Choice at the first ever Greek food blog awards organized by the Greek newspaper To Vima (Το ΒΗΜΑ).
What others are saying: “Magda, who writes the blog My Little Expat Kitchen, has one of the most thorough explanations (with photos) of how to clean and properly cook a fresh octopus. Read through it once before you go buy your beast.” - Gillian Ferguson, Good food on KCRW
What’s this newsletter about?
In this newsletter, I’m sharing seasonal Greek recipes, both savory and sweet, most of them traditional, others unconventional and/or with a twist, as well as recipes inspired by my travels throughout Europe and beyond and of course by my life here in the Netherlands. All thoroughly tested because there’s nothing more disappointing than recipes that don’t work. Am I right?
So, let’s get to it!
Let’s cook meals for our families and feasts for our friends, let’s bake some delicious cakes and pastries just because we feel like it or for a special occasion. Let’s sort out the busy days with some easy recipes that make sense, to nourish body and soul, let’s cook for our little ones, for our partners and lovers and let’s create memories around the table. Let’s do it in a way that’s non-judgmental and without labels. There’s no bad or good food here, no guilty pleasures, no clean or dirty eating. It’s all food. Food that sometimes is meant to sustain us, others to comfort us, to tantalize our taste buds, to intrigue us, to take us on a journey of the senses or to make us feel like we are back in our mother’s kitchen. It’s all acceptable and all meant to make us creative with our cooking.
Come on in! So glad to have you here, friends.
Why subscribe?
Well, to get my new, always tested, and exclusive recipes straight in your inbox, automatically, each time I post, of course. You’ll never miss an update, trust me.
If you become a Free subscriber, you will get one brand spanking new recipe per month, straight from my kitchen to yours, and a sneak preview every week of what’s cooking behind the paywall.
If you become a Paying subscriber (€5/month or €48/year - annual subscriptions get a 20% discount, which is basically 2 months for free!), apart from my eternal gratitude…
You will receive three additional recipes per month, new and thoroughly tested, plus extra if I can’t wait to share something with you
You will have full access to all my recipes, old and new, no matter when you subscribe—that’s over 400 recipes!!
You can ask me any question about recipes, ingredients, substitutions etc.
We can troubleshoot together if something feels challenging with a particular recipe or process—I’m happy to help in any way I can
You will take sneak peeks into my kitchen with voice memos and videos
You can join the chat, comment, start a thread, become part of the community and engage with others on the platform
You will have the all-important access into the Greek kitchen pantry, Greek food essentials and ingredients, with insights and valuable information
Last but not least, you will be supporting my work and actively contributing to the making of this newsletter, for which I will be forever grateful.
So if this is a good time for you, consider becoming a paying subscriber. Your support means the world to me.
Get in touch!
Nothing makes me happier than hearing back from you when you cook one of my recipes, and I never get tired of seeing your creations. So please share, and if you have any questions, feel free to message me here, or on instagram.
A note for my Greek-speaking friends:
Γειά σας!
Χαίρομαι πολύ που είσαστε εδώ.
Οι συνταγές μου θα γράφονται προς το παρόν μόνο στα αγγλικά καθώς θέλω να καλύψω όλο το αναγνωστικό κοινό μου. Με στενοχώρησε αυτή μου η απόφαση γιατί σαφώς προτιμώ να γράφω στην μητρική μου γλώσσα κι ήταν δύσκολο να αποδεχτώ το ότι δεν προλαβαίνω να κάνω τα πάντα όπως τα θέλω, αλλά δεν γίνεται αλλιώς αυτή την χρονική στιγμή. Ελπίζω αυτό να μην σας αποτρέψει από το να με παρακολουθείτε εδώ και να φτιάχνετε τις νέες μου συνταγές.
Αν έχετε ποτέ κάποια απορία σχετικά με υλικά, την συνταγή ή οτιδήποτε άλλο, μη διστάσετε να επικοινωνήσετε μαζί μου. Είμαι εδώ για να σας βοηθήσω με οτιδήποτε χρειαστείτε και σας ευχαριστώ μέσα απ’ την καρδιά μου για την στήριξή σας.
