Dining Out

Monday, July 11, 2011

The past few months have been a crazy ride of unpredictable weather, sheep shows that seem to never end, baby chicks brooding, new geese, and a high school senior year fraught with fear and excitement about the future.

But tonight it’s the middle of June, Brianne and I have managed to make it through all this chaos without killing each other and we two girls deserve a night out!

So tonight we will go out to our favorite café, sit at our favorite table – French bistro draped in a mustard colored cloth and laid with rustic plates featuring hand painted chickens. The best part is this favorite spot of ours is under a lumbering shade tree just 50 feet from our back door. Most nights we don’t feel like driving anywhere or paying someone to cook a calorie laden mediocre meal.

Tonight’s menu: marinated grilled lamb chops, BBQ baked potatoes and a big salad of crisp greens.

The lamb was home raised and butchered last fall (the last of the lambs Brianne showed in the spring), potatoes are from the farm stand down the road and were dug fresh today, and the salad makings were picked moments before the whole feast was laid on the table. For dessert there’ll be blueberry cobbler with organic vanilla ice cream.

The final course: stargazing to the sound of harps and classical guitars drifting out from our quiet little farmhouse. My favorite tunes to relax to on a lazy summer night.

The Marinade:

4 shoulder or leg lamb steaks or 8 loin chops
½ cup low salt soy sauce
½ cup teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp fresh garlic minced
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tsp fresh ginger, minced
½ Tsp red pepper flakes
1 Scallion, sliced thin
6 Ounce can crushed pineapple

Directions:

To make sauce, mix together all ingredients, except lamb, and pour into a lidded storage container. Give a few vigorous shakes before adding lamb. Turn several times to coat lamb thoroughly. Marinade in the fridge all day. Remove about 30 minutes before cooking. When grill is ready, remove lamb from sauce, cook until about medium, but still pink in the middle.

This is an Asian style marinade and goes well with Asian slaw or a salad with Asian dressing.

Eating Well @ Home!!



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