Last night, in spite of being quite tired from having a busy..

Last night, in spite of being quite tired from having a busy day with errands and finishing up the long week (&as you can see I was in a meow-y kinda mood :P) I whipped up a scrumptious but simple birthday dinner for my ex (we're still good friends/coparents!) I promised him lamb... that was his request. So I aimed to make a lamb dinner as yummy as a greek restaurants' - I think I succeeded! So, shoulder cut chops are tasty AND economical... much more so than leg steaks, shanks or any other type. They're a little more fatty but to me that's not a bad thing as it brings lots of flavor and allows for less need for butter because when you boil it in the sauce a lot of it boils into the sauce to make it rich! Since it was his birthday, we needed a little econo white wine... So I made an amazing sauce which I used for the lamb, potatoes (boiled right in it - so they tasted just like greek lemon potatoes!) rice and veggies. Sauce: 4 cups of water in a medium pot, 1/2 cup of white wine, 1 full tablespoon of sea salt, 1 tsp of coconut sugar, 1 tsp butter (the fat in the shoulder chop will provide the rest!) 1/3 cup of lemon juice, 1 heaping teaspoon of garlic paste )or 3-4 garlic cloves will do), 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp grated yellow pepper (red or orange will also do), 1/2 teaspoons of dill, rosemary, and black pepper and a pinch of thyme. Bring sauce and lamb to a boil and simmer lamb in the sauce for 20 minutes on med/high. At the same time begin cooking your white or brown rice in another pot, as it takes 30-45 mins to simmer to soft. After 20 minutes remove the lamb from the pot and set aside in another pan/bowl covered with a lid to keep warm. Set aside one and a half cups of sauce as well. Throw 1-2 cups of quartered and peeled potatoes in the rest of the sauce in the pot, adding a little extra water if needed. Cook those for 20-25 minutes. Also place your other 1 cup of sauce (keep the half cup - that's for the last step!) with your 1-2 cups of frozen veggie mix (broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mix) bring recommended) ..Bring your veggies to a boil then turn down to med to simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add the veggie/sauce mixture to your cooked rice and mix. By then your potatoes should be ready... Last but not least throw the lamb in a pan with your half cup of sauce and turn it to max, allow the lamb to pan fry in the sauce for just about 5 minutes.. then place the lamb chop, your veggies+rice, and potatoes on a plate.. and there you have a yummy, greek style homecooked lamb dinner!
Hope you enjoyed this post - tips appreciated if you feel so inclined! ;)