Fancypants Lamb, Acts One and Two

Remember that lamb that cost me the contents of my piggy bank? Well here it is, the star of two meals. 

First Act: A Dinner's Dinner

The first go-round, I just panfried it all in some bacon fat. That's salt, pepper, and some herbs on plain-ol lambchops. 

 Seared on medium-high heat until they were just right. Deglazed the pan with some red wine, added in some cooked shallots, and served with baked mac-and-cheese and broccoli.

Definitely worth the price.

Second Act: Salad. 

I used to eat this dish made with couscous, spinach, lemon, chicken, and feta cheese. It was one of my favorites. No more couscous for me (at least not wheat couscous), and for some reason I can't really digest chicken anymore either. No worries. 

This is a rice couscous, cooked up with some onions and red pepper flakes. And butter, there's always butter. Throw in some shredded cheese (or feta would be amazing with this) and lemon zest when you fluff the couscous, and then top with more cheese. 

Slice and reheat the lamb in a skillet over low heat. Be careful not to overcook, you just want it reheated.

Spoon the rice couscous over a bed of lettuce, then top with the lamb. Drizzle everything with a tiny bit of olive oil and some lemon juice.

Again, definitely worth the price.

Save Your Pennies, Folks

 Every now and then, my coin jar gets full, and I take it to the Coinstar. Now, I know I should probably be putting that money in a savings account, or putting it towards debt, or at the very least getting a gift card instead of cash (because of the fees). But what I usually do is take it to go splurge. My coin jar only holds about twenty bucks, so this is generally a little splurge.

But this one feels extravagant. Folks, this splurge took up almost the entire contents of my coin jar. That's right, almost twenty bucks for 1.25 pounds of meat. I know they'll be amazing, and I didn't bat an eye when the guy rang me up. After all, it's local (local farmer and local independent shop), and it's way more natural than the crap at most supermarkets. But while I refused to bat my eye, my heart might just have skipped a beat...