Easter Lamb

This marinade recipe comes courtesy of my Mother-in-law. Lamb is one of my favorite things to eat with her - well...and duck, and sushi, and risotto, and mussels...you get the picture.

She is quite the amazing cook, visiting her home is always a pleasant experience resplendent with fresh, new treats to explore and devour. Not to mention the outstanding wine I get to drink when I'm with her (being the only person who drinks alcohol in a household can make it difficult to explore new wines).

This marinade works as a tenderizing agent as well. I let my boneless leg of lamb soak in it for about 24 hours and it was truly divine after being pan seared. A little drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon to finish and it was quite the Easter treat.



Spring Lamb Marinade

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh, chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cloves minced garlic

Mix together well and let lamb soak for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Monterey Bay Sand Dabs

I must admit after moving to Monterey I was curious about seeing Sand Dabs on menus at nearly every restaurant we visited. A sand dab, after all, sounds less than appetizing. It more conjures up thoughts of gritty shellfish than a mildly flavored, delicate fish.

Sand dabs are flatfish, like flounder, and are indigenous to the Pacific Ocean. They're very popular along the California coast and are considered a delicacy. They're not as popular elsewhere, though after trying them I can only assume it's because they're not available everywhere.

Last night I finally decided to try them out after being convinced by my local fishmonger. Unfortunately the only way I could get them was pre-breaded, but after a little fry in some olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon I'm thinking breaded may be the way to go when preparing sand dabs.

I really can't recommend them enough if you happen to be on the California coastline. They couldn't be simpler to prepare and they're so fresh you might as well be catching them yourself (obviously dependent upon where you buy them).

Off to the salt mines...

You know what sucks about college?

Well, other than the outrageous tuition, ridiculous hours of homework, ungodly amounts of required reading, friggin' stupid as hell classmates, and unrealistic instructors.

Not having the time to make tasty treats and talk about them on the interwebz.

This Greek salad with sauteed shrimp is about as complicated as I've gotten in the last week or two. And I'm pretty sure no in is interested in reading about the various pizzas, burgers, and tacos we've consumed because I'm just way too damn busy to cook a decent meal every night.

I had midterms the last two weeks, a paper due this week, a paper due next week, one due the week after that, and an additional project due the week after that. Top it all off with a sadistic teacher that likes to assign at least 5 hours of reading each week (on top of the other work she assigns), plus all the normal homework that's due each week and I think my damn head is about to explode.

I'd like to let all my friends and family know that if I ever try to take this many classes in an abbreviated semester again, you have my permission to beat me about the head and face until I see reason.

Until that time when I again have a spare moment to make some tasty goodies and show off my mad cooking skillz (yeah right), please enjoy my favorite lolcat pictures.

If you've never seen or heard of a lol cat, go here: I Can Haz Cheezburger