Main Dishes

Fall equals Roast Chicken for me.  For some reason the Fall makes me crave family dinner nights.  I think it’s something about the start of school equals a real yearning to reconnect and come together–especially at the beginning of a week.  One of my favorite ways of accomplishing this is a roast chicken.  Which is saying a lot since I don’t like chicken.  A wonderful way to get a home-cooked family dinner at the end of a weekend, without actually having to give up too much of your weekend in prep time.

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My whole life, I’ve been surrounded by amazing cooks in my family, and now that Blossom’s Biff (BFF) is around, we’re adding one more.  One person who definitely holds up that family reputation is my cousin.  She makes amazing food.  One of her most-requested recipes by the rest of us is this one her Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps.  They’re the perfect combination of tasty and healthy, and we’ve taken them one step further by giving you instructions on how to make them completely gluten free!

Last night, I asked my cousin where the recipe came from (I wanted to make sure to give the appropriate people credit).  The story she told me was really sweet….

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I don’t know if anyone here knows, but by day I’m a trust and estate attorney.  Last year, I lost my job at my firm and recently started my own practice.  It’s been a weird year because then COVID started and got my schedule all “off” again!  But now I’m getting back into a groove and working more regular hours, and also getting excited about the prospect of summer.  So I’m feeling like I’m back!  And there’s no better way to re-enter the world than with my favorite BBQ Tri Tip Recipe–just in time for this summer of reclaiming my identity!

We talk a lot about thriving in a modern world here on THD.  The weird part about that is our modern world is WEIRD right now–and it really doesn’t feel too thrive-y.  But hey, part of thriving is adaptability, and if you can thrive in this weirdness, you can do it anywhere.

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Spring has definitely sprung here in Reno.  The weather is amazing in spite of the time we’re all forced to spend alone or inside.  With the temperatures climbing, grilling is now a way to get outside without coming into contact with a lot of people.

I’m fairly known for my tenancy to eat waaaaaaay too much red meat.  I don’t love chicken or really any sort of poultry, and vegetarianism really isn’t my thing.  So either I’m eating 6 steaks per week, or I’m finding other things to eat.  Lamb is definitely in on that rotation fairly regularly.

This recipe has been in our family for a really long time, and it’s definitely one of my favorites.  Only downside:  It has to be marinated for a long time, so it’s necessary to plan ahead.

Happy May!  Happy Spring!  Happy Isolation!  And Happy Cooking!!!

Lamb Chops

 

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Ingredients

• ½ Cup Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Rosemary
• ½ Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 6 Lamb Chops

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a ziplock bag.
2. Marinate lamb chops for up to 24 hours, but not less than 6 hours.
3. Grill or cook in a skillet to desired temperature.

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I don’t know how old I was when I started my love affair with pesto. I think I must have been around 6. About that time we had a new restaurant move into our area called Skyline Cafe. They made great pizza. As a kid, though, I don’t know that I really understood that… Mostly because it wasn’t godfathers pizza, therefore it was “gross.”  But there was one kind of their pizza that I would eat pretty much any day of the week.  If my parents ever wanted to do something easy and close, we’d order that pizza probably once a week. That was pesto.

It was this wonderful puffy Parmesan crusted crust which was salty on the outside and fluffy and sweet on the inside. That was my first pesto experience. I’m not real sure when I realized pesto was actually a pasta sauce. But whenever I did, it was epic….

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St. Paddy’s Day is actually pretty special to our family.  My Grammy made wonderful Corned Beef and Cabbage every year.  When I was almost 11, she passed away on St. Paddy’s Day, and from then on my mom took over cooking the traditional dinner in her honor.  We generally have the whole family over.

To say this is a “recipe” is sortof misguided and not really fair.  It’s mostly just cooking instructions seeing as corned beef is usually pre-cured.  But one way or another, this is an awesome way to have family dinner and celebrate an Irish heritage (even if you don’t really have one–LOL)….

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 One of my new favorite weekends of every month is that which I write and cook for you guys.  I have several friends who know now when “Hungry Dater Weekend” is.  Last October was particularly great since two friends and Blossom’s BiFF came over and we ate and drank and chatted.  Probably our favorite dish of the night was this Carbonara.  BiFF stuck around ever since–I suspect the Carbonara may have something to do with it….

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Every year when summer starts, BBQ ribs seems to be my summer kickoff recipe.  This year, with all the COVID social distancing, I’m so pleased to say summer seems to have come early, so I’m BBQ-ing before Memorial Day.  I love ribs, and these are so flavorful that I’ve had several friends request them for birthdays or dinners.

Most of my recipes come from other places, and these are no different, though they have been around for several years in our family.  In Reno, we have a wonderful cooking school called “Nothing To It.”  Every class you take, Laura gives you a packet of recipes to take home with you.  Years ago, my mom and dad took a class in grilling.  These recipes were in the packet they brought home, and honestly, I’m not sure we’ve ever used anything else for our BBQ sauce and/or ribs since….

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Being Gluten Free can be hard.  There’s a huge advantage to doing it now simply because it’s so trendy.  There are so many options, the process is much easier than it used to be.  But it still isn’t easy.  Some specific bread-y things are difficult.  Honestly, even with the great delivery options pizza-wise, I feel like Gluten Free pizza can be one of the “tough” things.  Yes, Gluten Free is relatively easy to get in a pizza place–or even delivered to your door–but it’s not super easy to make….

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