Chef Gaynol

Lamb Jam 2011

Most Americans usually think about serving lamb in the spring and then sadly, forget about lamb for the rest of the year.  The American Lamb Board (ALB) is on a campaign to change that mindset.  They're sponsoring The American Lamb Jam Tour, so look for demonstrations, recipes and giveaways coming to a town near you.  

Part of this promotion included a grilling challenge for bloggers.  The ALB generously provided a five pound boneless leg of lamb and asked bloggers to come up with recipes for lamb on the grill.  I originally wanted to do this recipe as a kabob, but the recipe I came up with wouldn't hold together on the skewers.  So, my take on this challenge is the fabulous Skewerless Mediterranean Burger.

Pecan Mascarpone Coffee Cake Recipe

 

 Pecan Mascarpone Coffee Cake 

"Cake or death?"

"Cake Please!" - Eddie Izzard

Yes, cake please! Sorry that comedy bit still completely cracks me up. I think the alternate title for this blog post could be "Too Lazy to go to the Store Coffee Cake."  But that seemed really awkward so I just went with coffee cake.  It was sunday morning, I wanted something soft sweet and delicious but I didn't want to get out of my jammies.  For the record, I never want to get out of my jammies but that is a whole different blog post for a different day.

 

Mexican Chicken Pizza

If you're a pizza traditionalist then this post is not for you.  If you're open to topping pizza with just about anything you can find in the kitchen, then keep reading.  I was inspired by an article in the July edition of Food and Wine Magazine where Spike Mendelsohn used black beans as a base for a pizza.

Sangria

"Balmy days, sweet sangria..." Tori Amos "Sweet Sangria."

I hope you're enjoying some balmy days, if anyone has a close working relationship with Mother Nature, please tell that old bat to get it in gear and send some more summer in the direction of Seattle.

I think there are about a million sangria recipes out there but here's mine.  I really like sangria that has a big dose of citrus juice and a little bite.  To that end I use a lot of fruit and add in some cointreau for a little extra kick.

Summer Panzanella

I'm teaching an Operation Frontline class this July and I wanted to come up with some new summer recipes to incorporate in the class.  This is my version of a panzanella which uses lots of fresh vegetables and gets its protein from both beans and fresh cheese.