Lamb, Lobster and a whole lot of fun

My brother and sister-in-law came into town and boy did we have fun. My brother was really the first person in my life that I thought was a "chef". Ok, I was 8 years younger than him and I looked up to him, but really he introduced me to my first "out of the norm" food. So when I knew he was going to visit I realized that we had to eat well. Uh, like I don't usually have that expectation. So first night that we cooked was a paella (which I have already posted).

The second night was lobster. We bought them steamed and we also bought some steamers and had those too.





Next night was a rack of lamb. It wasn't frenched or a crown. It came straight off a farm and I had asked for the rack rack rather than chops. This is part of the lamb that lives in my freezer. We simply roasted it with garlic, salt and pepper.

Meantime, I made a potato dish out of the Gourmet magazine (retrospective issue) that I always talk about. This recipe was from the 50's and we were dubious, but it turned out well and tasted great.



Earlier in the day we had visited Wilson Farms and tasted a butternut squash dish that they were giving samples of. We got a copy of the recipe and we made it for dinner. This dish was unbelievable and you really have to give it a try.



Baked Butternut Squash
with Breadcrumbs and Chestnuts


2 lbs. Butternut squash, peeled
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 ½ cups plain breadcrumbs
½ cup chestnuts, chopped (I used walnuts)
1 Tbs. sage, chopped
1 ½ sticks butter (½ stick melted)
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt & pepper

Steam, boil or roast squash until tender. Mash with sugar, cinnamon, ½ stick butter and salt & pepper to taste. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt ½ stick of butter at medium high heat in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Mix onions with squash . In another bowl, mix breadcrumbs, chestnuts, sage, melted butter, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put squash mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top. Bake until hot and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.


All the while I was drinking my beloved California "Eric Ross" wine. My sister-in-law is the one that thought clearly enough to take all these pictures. I may have drank a bit of glog as well.



Ok, so it is NOT Xmas, but it is SNOWING here. I swear.




And although it looks like a meal the Flintstones would eat it was great. Best lamb I have ever have had. Did I mention that it is Leyden Glen lamb? THE best!!!! (thanks Kristen!)