I Really Have Been Cooking Lately ...

You'd never know it from the posts. Lots of issues right now and these take up real estate in my brain. However, what's taking up real estate in my appetite (and nether regions post-repast) is this:

Garlic-Rosemary Lamb Chops with Blackberry-Balsamic Sauce

The sauce on this dish is a reduction sauce, my favorite. It is complex enough to make a simple roasted meat special, but it won't overpower the lamb.

After the recent meat recall from downer cows, I decided I have had it with any trust in school lunch programs — even our private school. Their menu is, well, if a three-year-old asks you to pack her lunch, you can guess the rest. I did call the supplier of meats for the school, though. Just to be sure none of their product was included.

I'm trying to create some lunch box-friendly vegetable dishes. I liked a similar slaw from Gourmet, but it was a bit too much for kids with olives and some other pungent ingredients. This version should be a new favorite way to eat carrots.

Carrot-Raisin Slaw

For a recent faux-Mex night, I wanted to make a black bean dish, but also wanted to bump the nutrition in it with sweet potatoes. This is a nice side for southwestern flavors.

Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes


Find this post and many other recipes in this week's Recipe Carnival.