god bless the grill!

memorial day really kicks off summer time, its when people open their pools, when we know we can put away the cardigans and break out the tank tops and most importantly when we shift from the heavy lager beers to the frozen refreshingness of a margarita.  memorial day is also the time when we get to give thanks to the brave who make our land free.. free to grill baby! 

it is with great pleasure i share with you my recipes (and stories) for my "make your own gyro bar," orzo pasta salad side dish and my almond cupcakes with orange ricotta frosting for dessert. 

idea's do not just come to me, i need to be inspired to make something.  so the other night i am out and i've been drinking and chatting with my favorite bartender.  we begin to share some of our awesome recently tried recipes and all she has to say is "lamb meatball" and i am inspired.  in an instant i decide to make that on my next day off which happens to be memorial day sunday.  i brave the crowd and the masses who are doing their last minute BBQ shopping in search for a few key ingredients [i am a lucky girl because my momma has an herb and veggie garden in our backyard that she so fondly refers to as Dandelion Farms]  I am scouring the meat/poultry section for ground lamb, and i do not see it. so frantically i changed my game plan and decided we were going have grill lamb gyro's!  so that was my inspiration, and my recipe and pictures are below

I bought 4 lamb chops with bone in (next time im going to experiment with a leg of lamb no bone). 

Marinade - SO EASY - 4 large cloves of garlic minced, one large handful of mint, one large handful of oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper sprinkled on top.  okay so if you blend your fresh herbs with olive oil and kosher salt it will make almost like a paste (similar to a pesto consistency)  then generously rub the lamb with the minced garlic and the herb paste and place in a plastic bag for your flavors to party together.  marinate as long as possible.  3 hours-overnight.

Fire up your grill and when your coals/wood chips turn white its time to throw the lamb on.  I cooked my about 6-8 minutes per side or when it was juicy but the juice was running clear.

now it's time to assemble.  Like any good "make your own...bar" there needs to be a LOT of options.  I went with the classic tzaziki sauce (8 oz greek plain yogurt, half a cucumber shredded, 1 clove of garlic minced, salt and pepper to taste and let this chill in the fridge for a few hours), i chopped some romaine lettuce into beautiful ribbons of lettuce, cucumber tomato salad (chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, chopped white onion, and chopped kalmata olives), and hummus - store bought SUE ME i was on a time constraint.

are you thinking to to yourself what is that delightful little scoop of yumminess on the side of the plate?  well if you are thinking it then GOOD let me tell you, if you are not thinking it then SHAME ON YOU is #AMAZING. its so amazing i added a hashtag. 

So orzo salad is crazy easy to make.  cook orzo like any other pasta, in boiling salted water, cube 1 whole eggplant and 1 whole zucchini, and one large onion into similar bite size chunks.  saute them with olive oil and salt until they get soft.  sauteing your veggies is like good sex -- it's not a race, if you go slowly then nothing gets burned.  some veggies finish faster than others so cut everything the same size so everybody finishes at the same time.  add the soft veggies to the drained orzo and set aside to chill.  i like this salad cold.  i top it off with crumbled feta and orange mint vinaigrette ( handful of mince mint leaves, 2 splashes oj, one splash of vinegar, one large squirt of mustard, and whisk in a steady stream of olive oil until emulsified or thickened).  drizzle the dressing over the top of your cold salad for added flavor and it gives the orzo a great shine.

last but certainly not least its time for dessert!  i made a super light almond cupcake.  the almond cake almost reminded me of biscuit.  it was so fragrant and light.  and the filling provided some creaminess and helped the cake remain moist.  here is how i made my cupcake - start by creaming 1 stick of room temp butter with 1 cup of sugar.  when combined add 2 room temp eggs one at a time and replace the 2 teaspoons of vanilla with almond extract.  then add in half of your dry ingredients.  1 1/2 cup of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder.  add 2/3 cup of room temp milk and then the rest of the dry.  once the mix comes together turn off the mixer and spoon your cupcakes to about 2/3 full.  bake for 20 min at 350 degrees and let cool. 

i wanted something light and refreshing but still had the sweetness of a dessert.  so i mixed 1 cup of ricotta, with 2 splashes of OJ (to tie into the orange from the meal) and about 1 cup of powdered sugar.  i have a special frosting tip that allows me to fill cakes but if you do not have one just  pile on this light refreshing tastiness right on top.

I hope you enjoyed my stories and recipe's.  now that grilling season is upon us be sure to look for lots of my grilled recipes.  until next time eat laugh love & enjoy!