Immerse yourself in Greek culture at the 34th Annual Greek Festival at McCoy Pavilion in Ala Moana Park, noon to 9 p.m. Aug. 29 and 30. Learn about Greek cuisine at cooking demonstrations and indulge in a variety of popular Greek foods. Admission is $3, and free to children under 11 and active military. Get in the Greek spirit and wear a toga to get $1 off admission. Visit GreekFestivalHawaii.com.

In the meantime, try these creative ideas for homemade gyros.

Gyro Meat

» 1 pound ground beef
» 1 pound ground lamb (substitute with an additional pound ground beef)
» 1/2 cup panko
» 3 cloves garlic
» 3 tablespoons fresh oregano
» 2 teaspoons onion powder
» 1 teaspoon marjoram
» 1 teaspoon salt
» 1 teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients in food processor and process to a smooth paste, about 1 to 2 minutes. Place mixture in a 9-by-13-inch pan and press firmly into edges of pan.

Place pan into water bath and bake 60 to 75 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Remove from oven and drain off fat. Place loaf on cooling rack and place a foil-wrapped brick or heavy weight on meat. This will extract additional fats and juices to create a denser, more firm-textured meat. Slice thinly. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 250 calories, 16 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 21 g protein, no fiber or sugar

Spicy Buffalo and Blue Cheese Gyro

» 1/4 cup mayonnaise
» 1/2 cup sour cream
» 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
» 1 clove garlic
» 1 teaspoon dried dill leaves
» 10 mint leaves
» Salt and pepper, to taste
» 8 pieces prepared pita bread
» 1 loaf homemade gyro meat, thinly sliced
» Buffalo wing sauce, to taste
» 1 heart romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
» 1/2 cup chopped celery
» 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
» 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Add mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, garlic, dill and mint to food processor and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

On a pita, portion out 1/8 of gyro meat slices and dress with buffalo wing sauce to taste. Top with lettuce, celery, onion, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing. Assemble remaining gyro. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including sauce or salt to taste): 520 calories, 25 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 800 mg sodium, 43 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 28 g protein

Gyro Melt

» 4 slices crusty artisan bread of choice
» 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
» 1 cup shredded mozzarella
» 1/4 cup crumbled feta
» 8 ounces gyro meat
» 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
» 4 slices beefsteak tomato
» Tzatziki sauce for dipping (optional)

Heat large nonstick pan over medium. Butter one side of each slice of bread. On two slices, evenly sprinkle half of both cheeses on unbuttered side. Top with gyro meat, onion, tomato and remaining cheese, and cover each sandwich with another slice of bread (be sure buttered side is out). Add sandwiches to pan and grill until golden brown and cheese has melted, about 2 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with tzatziki sauce if desired. Makes 2 sandwiches.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including optional tzatziki sauce): 400 calories, 20 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 26 g protein

More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes at hawaiianelectric.com.