Sliced Lamb Steak on French Bread

Confession: The first time I ate lamb was a couple years ago. The reason it took me so long to try it was because whenever I would hear the word "lamb" whether it be "Grilled Lamb with Yukon Gold Potatoes" or "Lamb Kabobs" I couldn't help but picture the adorable, fuzzy faces of one of those little guys. Then I realized that I don't get a mental image of a cow whenever I eat a hamburger, so why do I do that with lamb or veal? Lucky for me that I got over it because they are delicious!

Here is a simple recipe for grilled lamb. It's good as it is and even better as a sandwich. Please note that I didn't take exact measurement of the spices I used. I sprinkled on enough spice to cover the steak evenly. That's just how it is when I cook. Here's what I used: Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano.

Heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil in a grill pan (medium high heat). Place you lamb steak in the pan and cook for 2 minutes (for a one inch thick steak).

Flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side.

Take the steak out of the pan and wrap it in foil to rest for 10 minutes.

While the steak is resting, get your vegetables ready.

Slice a couple tomatoes

And some onions.

Slice and toast some French bread.

Meanwhile, check on the steak. It should be nice and relaxed.

And ready for slicing.

Spread some flavored cream cheese (I used onion and chive) onto the bread.

Add some baby spinach.

Add the sliced onions...

and the tomatoes.

And finally the steak. Top it off with the other half of the French bread and enjoy!

Buttery Soft Pretzels

When I was 20 years old, I was addicted to Auntie Anne's Soft Pretzels. So addicted that I wouldn't go to the mall to shop. I would go to get a pretzel. Finally frustrated by not being able to have one ANY time I wanted I bought an Auntie Anne's soft pretzel mix and dissected it in hopes of replicating my favorite treat at home.

After a few failed batches, I came up with a recipe that tasted (so says me) as good as Auntie Anne's. I shared this recipe on Allrecipe.com (recipe here). Within a year it became a top rated recipe and was included in the Allrecipes.com Dinner Tonight cookbook. It was exciting!

It has been almost 10 years and I still make these soft pretzels a few times each month. The pretzels are a bit on the sweeter side, which lends itself well to a cinnamon sugar coating. But it holds up well with more savory ingredients like pepperoni and cheese.

A few tips before you begin:
-Start with 4.5 cups of flour and increase the amount as needed. You want a soft, pliable dough.
-Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and spray with a non stick spray. The baking soda solution makes the pretzels difficult to remove from the pan.
-Brush or dip the pretzels while they're hot.
-These are best when eaten immediately. Cold soft pretzels are not that tasty.