Boned leg of lamb

If the leg of lamb is boned, you can keep it from getting all dried out by simply rolling and tying it.  Cut off most of the external fat.  Slice it open the rest of the way so the meat will lie (sort of) flat, and rub it with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary inside and out.

Roll and tie the meat, attempting to keep the roll as even as possible.  Don't worry about it too much if it isn't completely even; this will just help you to obtain slices in a range of doneness.  Slice up some cloves of garlic and make cuts into the roll to insert them. 

What I like to do is to start with a high temperature like 450.  Put some water into the bottom of a roasting pan with a rack and place the lamb into the oven on the lowest position.  Roast for about 10 minutes and then flip the rolled roast.  Roast for another 10 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 325 to complete the roasting time.

If you roast your boned leg of lamb at 325, it usually takes around 25 to 30 minutes per pound to reach an internal temperature of 145.  Lamb is medium rare when the internal temperature reaches 145; this also happens to be the safe temperature for killing bacteria in whole muscle cuts of lamb.  An internal temperature of 160 gives you medium doneness, and is the safe temperature for ground lamb as well.


You can usually take the lamb out of the oven when the temperature reaches 140 and it will climb the rest of the way as the meat rests.  Definitely do let it rest, as this results in the juices being redistributed.  Cover it with foil to keep the outside from cooling off too much.

Antique cooking gadgets: Angel food cake cutter

A classic Bakelite handle and the thin sharp tines that keep the light-as-air cake from being compressed as you cut it.

Spicy noodles

So easy, so tasty, not particularly healthy though ;-)  For a once in awhile treat, these noodles are great.  It's also really easy to make a much larger batch and serve them as a side dish for a crowd.

Spicy Noodles

8 oz spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine

1/2 c natural peanut butter, chunky or smooth
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
2 T sesame oil
1/4 c brown sugar
2 t crushed red pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 c dry roasted peanuts, chopped coarsely
5-6 scallions, chopped

Start the pasta water and break the pasta in half before boiling.  Drain and rinse.  For the sauce, whisk the peanut butter through the garlic together in a small bowl and add to the pasta.  Add a handful of the chopped peanuts to the mixture and combine.  Garnish the top with the rest of the peanuts and the scallions.

Shoo fly pie

Growing up in central Pennsylvania, I was treated to lots of fabulous desserts courtesy of the Amish and Mennonite communities that lived around us.  One of my favorites was Shoo Fly Pie, and my mother, God bless her, was able to obtain an authentic recipe for this amazing treat.  Don't even think about messing with this ingredient list other than whether you choose shortening or butter ;-)

Shoo Fly Pie
via RuthAnn Lavin, her notes included below

This recipe makes the ingredients for two pies, so you need to make two bottom crusts and bake them.

Mix together the following 3 ingredients until it is a crumb mixture:
2 C Flour
1 3/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Shortening (I use Butter)

In a second bowl mix together the following 3 ingredients:
1 C Boiling Water
3/4 C Baking Syrup  (I use 1/2 C Molasses and 1/4 C Karo Dark Corn Syrup)
1 tsp Baking Soda

Pour some of the Molasses mixture into baked pie shell and then add some of the crumb mixture.  Repeat until both mixtures are used, ending with crumb mixture.  Bake 350 degrees for 1/2 hour.    Happy baking!!

Vegetable stock

 Vegetable stock can be used for all different types of soups and stews

The simplest way to always have fresh delicious and inexpensive vegetable stock on hand is to keep all your peelings when you prepare vegetables for each meal.  I keep zip-loc bags in the freezer and fill them with the trimmings almost every day.  Before too many weeks go by, there's usually enough to boil up a batch of stock, which can either be used right away or can be stored back in the freezer for later.

If my bag of peelings doesn't have any carrots or onions, I will add a couple to the mix, plus some cloves of garlic, a couple of bay leaves, plus a couple of teaspoons of peppercorns.  Cover with water in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for at least half an hour, adding more water as needed.  Strain the liquid into a large bowl and compost the solids!

Antique cooking gadgets: wooden rolling pin

This is the first rolling pin that I ever bought, and of course it had to be an antique.  I guess I can probably kiss goodbye the idea of ever getting those rings that help you roll out a specific thickness of dough...this thing is really big!

Potato and feta frittata

Here is a slight variation on our usual frittata.  Instead of using ricotta cheese along with the eggs, I used half-&-half to give it a lighter texture since the potatoes are going to beef it up a bit.  The stars of the show are thinly sliced potatoes and feta cheese.

Potato and Feta Frittata

Olive oil
2 - 3 extra small Yukon Gold potatoes
8 - 10 eggs
1/2 c half-&-half
8 scallions, 6 chopped, plus 2 more set aside for garnish
2 t fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
1/2 c (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese



Set the oven to 375. Heat a large cast iron skillet and saute the potato slices in olive oil. Mix the eggs and the rest of the ingredients except for the cheese in a mixing bowl. When the potatoes are browned, spread them out well in the bottom of the skillet.  Pour the egg mix in to cook for about a minute. Place it in the over for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the center is set.  Sprinkle of the feta and and melt under the broiler.  Top with reserved scallions.