Greek Lamb with Yogurt Mint Sauce

Here’s a hint for new parents:  if a recipe claims to be “easy for entertaining” because you can make most of it ahead of time, latch on to that recipe and assemble everything when you’re not tripping over your children during The Dreaded Witching Hour.  I made the marinade for this lamb and mixed up the yogurt sauce late one night when both of my children were (miraculously) sleeping.  The next evening, I just had to broil the lamb chops and steam a vegetable for dinner, and we felt like we were dining in a restaurant – a terribly decorated, noisy restaurant with horrible service, but a restaurant with great food nonetheless!

From Barefoot Contessa:  How Easy is That?

One side note: the yogurt sauce was VERY minty, so if you’re not wild about mint, I would drastically reduce the amount of mint, or just eliminate it altogether.

When life (or your CSA, or your garden) hands you cucumbers…

… make tzatziki!  We love this with grilled pork or lamb, or just as a dip with crackers and raw veggies.  Plus, you get to feel like an ancient chemist when you drain the cucumbers and the yogurt.  That’s just me, you say?  Well, just leave me with my delusions, then, please.

Unfortunately, a photo can’t do this dip/sauce justice.  It can’t capture the creamy coolness of the yogurt and the brightness of the lemon juice, paired with the crispness of the cucumbers and the earthiness of the dill.  You’ll just have to make it yourself to see.

Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Lemon Yogurt Cake

From Barefoot Contessa at Home, I first tasted this cake at the early childhood class I attend with my son.  Another mom made it, and I’d like to think we bonded instantly over it.  My husband has been taking it to work to eat for breakfast.

Baked Potato with Yogurt and Sour Cream

You’ll have to trust me when I tell you that this tasted better than it looks in this photo.  A lot better.  We had some potatoes in our last CSA box, and it takes some convincing to get us to abandon our plain ritual of butter or sour cream.  This mixture of Greek yogurt, sour cream, and fresh chives, however, hit the spot.   Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, p. 166.