It was on such a list that I noticed pork was on its way out making room for lamb. While I can and will debate against them saying pork is becoming a lesser meat (bacon will always be near and dear to my heart) I will say I agree that lamb will be making a delicious rise in popularity.

Fortunately for me, during this  ‘year of the lamb”, I found myself with a selection of lamb thanks to Lava Lake Lamb. I received a nice email – with an actual person behind it, not someone just insterting my name – asking if I would like to recieve a sample of their product. It was mere seconds before I responded with an enthusiastic YES.

*Full disclaimer* so I don’t get hauled off to jail. I received the lamb for free but was not paid to write about it. I recieve many PR emails  – some I ignore, some I respond to and others ( few) I get so excited about I feel the need to blog.

Oh goodness am I excited about this.

First there was ground lamb. I added toasted cumin, mint, feta, salt and pepper. I formed that into little sausage patties which I then fried and served with olive pasta (pasta with finely chopped kalamata olives, mint, garlic, chili flakes and olive oil).

Secondly I braised lamb shanks. This wasn’t just any ol’ braise. This was like a spa treatment for the meaty shanks. They relaxed on a bed of carrots, onions, garlic and tomato. Then they enjoyed a drink of red wine, followed by an energizing bath of coffee. After all that they rested while the vegetables and juices reduced, were blended then strained. By the taste of things the shanks had quite a lovely day at the spa.

And Thirdly we ate French lamb chops. The simplest of all preparations but quite possibly my favorite. You remember the fennel pollen? Well, pull that out again. Dust your chops with it along with salt and pepper. Grab a skillet and cover the bottom with olive oil. Get it hot. No, hotter. Now you are talking. Gently place a chop in and watch the fireworks. Let that hang out for a few minutes then flip. Sizzle. Another few minutes on that side then let it rest. At this point they should be medium rare. If you want them cooked a bit more just pop the skillet in a hot oven for a couple minutes.

Serve with a raw carrot salad. Shaved carrot tossed with a lemon vinagrette (3 parts oil, one part lemon juice, touch of honey, french mustard, salt and pepper) and chopped Italian parsely.

If Rachel Ray were to prepare this she could take a 20 minute cocktail break and still be able to call it a 30 minute meal.

So there you have it. Three great ways to enjoy lamb in 2010.

Happy New Year to you all. May it be filled with joy, love, passion and food.

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As it was quite some time ago I don’t remember the exact words that @bittman used to lure me in but it had to do with nachos.

The nachos that Mark Bittman was referring to resembled nothing like the grease-laden chips covered in orange “cheese-flavored” glop that my husband likes to consume while we’re at Safeco watching the Mariners. No these were vastly different and were immediately on the menu for that night’s dinner.

Bittman’s Greek Nachos begin with a bed of oven crisped pitas. On top of that he uses a cumin and onion seasoned ground lamb – I used beef because it’s what I had. Drizzled over the top of the pitas and ground meat is a perfectly salty, creamy and tangy sauce of yogurt, feta, lemon juice/zest and fresh mint. (If your mouth isn’t watering yet you might want to get your salivary glands examined).

But wait. There’s more.

Finish the nachos with chopped tomatos, cucumbers and olives. And if you are like me sprinkle more feta on top and a bit more fresh mint.

This dinner is made extra tasty with the addition of this fruit salad on the side.

Of course, being the crazy lady that I am, store bought pitas just would not do. So I made my own and I must say that it was incredibly satisfying watching them balloon in the oven. It took a few rounds before I figured out the “trick” to the ‘puff”. Which really isn’t a trick at all – just make sure that when rolling them out you leave them thick enough so that there is room for them to expand. A 1/4-inch thick should do the trick. For this recipe however, you don’t need the typical pocket in the pita – but for the leftover sandwiches you make with the leftover nacho ingredients – you will.

Whole Wheat Pitas

This is an incredible Pita tutorial from The Fresh Loaf (much more detailed than mine)

2 cups flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 Tbl honey

1 packet yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp.)

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water, roughly at room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Combine the yeast, flour, salt and honey. Stir in the water and olive oil to form a ball. If the mixture is not coming together add a bit more flour or water so that a cohesive mass is made. Knead the dough, or mix with a dough hook on low, for ten minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a cloth or plastic wrap. Let this rest and rise until double in size. Appoximately 90 minutes.

After the dough has double punch down to release some gas (heehee) then divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each potion into a ball then cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400*. If you have a baking stone (recommended) place that in the oven at this point as well. If you don’t have a stone use the underside of a cookie sheet placed in the middle of your oven.

On a floured surface roll a portion of the dough into a circle about 1/4-inch thick (this thickness worked best for me).

Quickly open the oven and place the rolled dough on your stone or cookie sheet – if there is room bake two at a time. Watch closely as it is quite exciting – if you are into that kind of thing – and it happens quickly. They should be done after 3 minutes. You can continue to bake for a couple more minutes if you want them crispier. If you are going to be using these pitas for the Greek nachos – which you really should – then once the pitas cool you are going to cut them into wedges drizzle with salt and olive oil and bake again just to crisp them up a bit (i.e. pita chips).

If you have enough will power pitas can keep for awhile or they freeze really well.

Of course you could just run to the store and buy a pack of pitas but really these are super easy and quick to make and the taste will leaving you screaming “OPA!”

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I come from a long line of entrepreneurs. My grandfather came to America at the age of 18 from the Netherlands. He spoke no English but was fully equipped with determination and charm as he managed to woo and marry my grandmother within his first year in the states. He is a brilliant and generous man who continues to run several successful companies and still makes his way into the office every day.

My father started his business when I was born. I am the last of three kids. Now having children of my own I see what an immense challenge my parents faced. The business has thrived and is in its 27th year. My dad has much to be proud of.

By the age of 7 I had caught the business bug. In my career I have sold lemonade, wild flowers, painted cards & flower pots and handcrafted jewelry made from polymer clay. While all the other little girls were playing with dolls and painting their faces with their mother’s make-up my best friend and I were playing “store” and dreaming of our future careers as cartoonists, teachers, designers, etc.

In my life I am never devoid of a goal. I set them high and work like mad to accomplish them. Nothing is too lofty or unattainable. Along the way, my equally goal-orientated father has taught me on several occasions that the goal itself is not the reward. It is in the journey.

The journey.

In the journey there is learning. Every part of my being is opened up, awake and alive. With the excitement of a child I am eager to devour anything I can that will inch me closer to the goal. Bumps and bruises are expected but they make the end that much more anticipated and celebrated.

You imagine all will be well when the goal has been reached. “I will be happy when _______ (fill in the blank)”. You get to the end and now what? The goal has been accomplished and you may relish in it briefly but moments later a new goal is set and a new journey begins.

As to be expected currently I have many goals but one particular Sunday a couple of weeks ago I realized that I am beginning to understand what for years my father has been trying to teach me – Enjoy the journey.

Sunday was a day to delight in. A humbling and joyful message heard, a smooth ride across the sound while one child slept and the other was filled with an acquisitive joy. Sun. Berries. New friends. Re-united with old friends. Swings. Kids. Pork. Fat. Salt and sugar.

I attribute this new phase of life called parenting for forcing me to enjoy the journey. Parenting has proven to be the most thrilling, painful, joyous and utterly exhausting journey I have ever embarked on. It has forced me to put other goals on hold to fulfill one of my most important goals of all – raising children.

In the midst of the tantrums and disciplines, the bumps and band-aids I see this phase as one that is fleeting. Some days I find great hope and pleasure in this other days I hold them tight and pray that this moment will never cease.

I have to remind myself daily to stop. Breathe. And enjoy the journey.

So now back to Sunday. The day that caused me to smile and pause long enough to realize these days are precious, vital and make this journey so sweet. It was Pork that united us. Shauna (a.k.a. Gluten-Free Girl) invited my family and I to their beautiful home to enjoy a Pork Potluck. Anticipating many savory dishes I opted to contribute something sweet – which of course comes at little or no surprise. But this sweet needed to stick to the guidelines of being studded with a portion of pork.

No problem. We all know that I am a sucker for all things sweet and savory. And really who can argue with the marriage of a smokey, savory and salty bacon cooked until completely crisp then tossed into a sweet and creamy caramel flavored with maple syrup and dark brown sugar? I guess there probably are a few people who might argue with this union but until you pop one of these chewy candies into your mouth you have no platform on which to proclaim your disgust. a.k.a. Don’t knock it ’till you try it.

I casually sprinkled the thick-cut Hempler’s bacon with cayenne before frying to a nearly blackened crisp. Once the caramel had reached its perfect molten temperature I stirred in a handful of the bacon then reserved the rest to get sprinkled on top. The caramel set beautifully. Some were cut and served as is while a select few were covered in tempered dark chocolate. All of them were devoured.

Bacon Caramel

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream, divided

1/4 cup maple syrup

Bacon fried to a crisp. The amount is up to you. I used 8-12 strips of thick-cut bacon. I REALLY love bacon.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the heavy cream. Combine all the other ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Stir to combine. Set on medium high heat. Stir occasionally and cook until 240*. The candy is now at firm-ball stage. Remove from the stove and carefully stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cream. Place back on the heat and continue to cook to 245*. Immediately remove from heat and stir in a portion of the crispy bacon. Pour the caramel into a buttered dish (the size depends on how thick you want your caramels. 8×8 = thick caramels 9×13 = thin caramels. You can also use a cookie sheet). Scatter the remaining bacon on top. Let set for at least 3 hours before cutting.

Wherever you are in the process of fulfilling your goals I do hope that these caramels inspire you to take a moment to stop, chew and savor the journey. It is, after all, the best part.

Some of the current family businesses:

DandyChicken.com

BaronBeef.com

csbaron.com

LynneBaronDesign.com

Northwest Washington Fair

Gabriel Boone Photography

Baron & Company

Pier Systems

Crisisblogger

SidBaron.com

Kira Baron Photography

ExxelPacific.com

Gerald Baron Writings

Jake’s Western Bar & Grill

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In our first years of marriage, Gabe and I soon realized that we ate a lot of fresh rolls. Every time we went out for Thai food, which was quite often, we would make sure to order a plate full of the rice wrapped bundles of fresh flavor. We thought it our mission to find the best in town – which really served as a great excuse to go out for more Thai food – for research purposes of course.

Another revelation occurred. We could very simply make these ourselves in our very tiny fire-engine red kitchen complete with hot chili pepper lights. After all we were practically experts on the subject, well not really, but we had tasted quite a few.

Fresh rolls quickly became a staple in our rotating dinner menu and served as a great way of cleaning out the fridge. We lovingly referred to them as “Thai Burritos”. This hearkens back to Gabe’s childhood filled with memories of his dad rummaging through the fridge and throwing his finds into a tortilla, wrapping it up in a nice complete package then calling it a “Garbage Burrito”.

With a rice paper wrapping and a slightly more appetizing yet very inaccurate name our fresh rolls are always different but never fail in taste. They are indeed, fresh. With the markets starting to fill with a wide variety of produce this is a great time to bring on the rolls.

The constant in our recipe is always an assortment of vegetables such as; carrots, cucumber, red pepper and bean sprouts. And herbs such as; cilantro, Thai basil and mint. We have also included marinated tofu, shrimp and leftover roasted chicken.

This time around we included another Thai favorite, Larb (or Laab) (a citrus and lemongrass scented ground chicken or pork salad served with butter lettuce).

Larb Salad

adapted from Bon Appetit

• 2/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup fish sauce (found in Asian markets or in the Ethnic aisle of most grocers)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons Thai roasted chili paste

• 3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or pork
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass (found in Asian Markets)
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced Thai chilies or serrano chilies
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl. Save this sauce for later.

Simmer the broth in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chicken. Simmer until cooked through, breaking up any clumps of meat with a spoon, about 8 minutes. Add green onions, shallots, lemongrass and chillies. Stir until vegetables are tender and most of liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sauce, cilantro and mint.

You can serve this salad as is with butter lettuce or use it as a filling for your fresh rolls.

To construct the fresh rolls you will need spring roll wrappers, which you can find at any Asian market or in the ethnic aisle. To make the wrappers pliable gently place them in a shallow dish that is filled 3/4 full of very warm water. The warmer the water the faster they will soften. Once pliable carefully place the rice wrapper on a plate then begin filling. Add 3-4 tbl. of the Larb salad, a small piece of butter lettuce, julienned carrots and cucumber and a couple tender sprigs of cilantro. Wrap that all up snuggly just like you would a burrito. Serve the rolls with Peanut Sauce – homemade or a good quality pre-made from the Asian market.

These rolls are quick to assemble, impressive to serve to dinner guests (they can be made ahead) and such a delightful way to celebrate and enjoy the fresh produce that is starting to abound this time of year.

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