we are in the home stretch friends. five more days till christmas. and if you are anything like me, you still have a whole hell of a lot to do. now that we work in the food and beverage industry, our holiday has gotten even more hectic. so i will keep this short and sweet. 

more than ever i'm looking for easy holiday dishes that wow. this lamb is simple to make, but looks and tastes stunning. it is perfect to set out at a buffet or served right on the table. 

lamb lollipops & red wine + pom sauce
serves: 4
prep time: 20 minutes
active time: 30 minutes
rest time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 1 small rack of lamb (8 chops). 3 tbs lavender leaves roughly chopped (if you can't get access to lavender, you can always sub rosemary). 3 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 cup dry red wine. 1 tbs butter. 1 small shallot, minced. 1 cup pomegranate. 4 cups mixed greens. 

start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees f. 

in a food processor, blend together the olive oil, half the salt & pepper, mustard, lavender and garlic. blend together till it makes a wet paste. 

pat your lamb dry with a paper towel and season it with half of the remaining salt and pepper and then drizzle the blended ingredients over the lamb. 

use the back of your spoon to coat the entire rack and set it aside for a few minutes. 

in a small saucepan, heat your butter over medium heat until melted and then add in the shallots and half of the pomegranates. saute over medium heat until the shallots are translucent. 

pour the wine into the saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil. once it is boiling, reduce to a very slow simmer and reduce until the liquid has reduced by half. about 30 minutes. 

while your sauce reduces, place your lamb rack in a roasting pan and roast till medium rare, about 25 minutes. 

once done, cover with foil and allow to rest for 7-10 minutes.

as your lamb rests, place your mixed greens on a platter and toss them with the remaining pomegranate. 

slice your lamb into individual lollipops by slicing in between each bone.

lay the lollipops on your bed of greens and drizzle with your red wine sauce. serve hot and enjoy.

xo, a

lamb lollipops & red wine + pom sauce
serves: 4
prep time: 20 minutes
active time: 30 minutes
rest time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: 1 small rack of lamb (8 chops). 3 tbs lavender leaves roughly chopped (if you can't get access to lavender, you can always sub rosemary). 3 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 1 cup dry red wine. 1 tbs butter. 1 small shallot, minced. 1 cup pomegranate. 4 cups mixed greens.
start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees f.
in a food processor, blend together the olive oil, half the salt & pepper, mustard, lavender and garlic. blend together till it makes a wet paste.
pat your lamb dry with a paper towel and season it with half of the remaining salt and pepper and then drizzle the blended ingredients over the lamb. use the back of your spoon to coat the entire rack and set it aside for a few minutes.
in a small saucepan, heat your butter over medium heat until melted and then add in the shallots and half of the pomegranates. saute over medium heat until the shallots are translucent.
pour the wine into the saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil. once it is boiling, reduce to a very slow simmer and reduce until the liquid has reduced by half. about 30 minutes.
while your sauce reduces, place your lamb rack in a roasting pan and roast till medium rare, about 25 minutes. once done, cover with foil and allow to rest for 7-10 minutes.
as your lamb rests, place your mixed greens on a platter and toss them with the remaining pomegranate.
slice your lamb into individual lollipops by slicing in between each bone.
lay the lollipops on your bed of greens and drizzle with your red wine sauce. serve hot and enjoy.

the last couple days in socal have been raining and i freaking love it. LOVE IT. the last two days were spent at home, fireplace blazing and lots of action in the kitchen. 

wes had to work all weekend, so i asked him what he wanted for dinner. no surprise, i got the same answer i usually get from my VERY italian husband. bolognese of course. 

since the rain was coming down, there was no way i was leaving the house for additional ingredients so i decided to adjust for what i had in the house. and thank goodness i did. this version is much lighter in fat, but is very full in flavor. perfect for a rainy day, or a just because we want to day. 

turkey bolognese
serves: 6
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 lb ground turkey. 2 slices thick cut bacon, chopped. 1 onion, diced. 2 celery stalks, diced. 2 carrots, diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped. 2 tbs + 1 tsp basil, finely chopped. 1 tsp dried thyme. 1 c white wine. .25 c tomato paste. 32 oz can crushed tomatoes (if you only have whole, you can crush them yourself). 1.5 c milk. 1 tbs salt. .5 tbs pepper. 1 lb your favorite pasta. grated parmesan for serving.

start by crisping your bacon pieces in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. about 15 minutes. stir occasionally to break the pieces away from one another and all sides brown. 

when the bacon is crispy and browned, add in the onion, carrots and celery. season with a few pinches of salt and a bit of pepper and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. stir every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes. 

push all your veggies to the sides of the pot. pat the turkey dry, season with half your remaining salt and pepper and add to the pot. cook until browned, breaking it up and stirring every couple minutes. about 7-10 minutes. as the turkey browns, work your veggies back into the mixture. 

stir in the thyme, oregano, 1 tsp of the basil and the garlic. cook until the garlic is fragrant. about 1 minute. 

when the garlic is fragrant, pour in the wine. cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes. 

stir in the tomato paste until everything is lightly coated. season with remaining salt and pepper and pour in the tomatoes. stir well to combine. 

simmer until the liquid from the tomatoes has reduced slightly. about 10-15 minutes.

while your tomatoes are simmering, heat a large pot of salted water over high heat until boiling. when your tomatoes have simmered, pour in the milk. stir well to combine and bring the bolognese back up to a simmer. once the sauce simmers, reduce the heat to low just to keep it warm. 

cook your pasta per the instructions. when your pasta is al dente, strain and pour right into your sauce. stir well to coat the noodles.
serve pasta topped with fresh parmesan and basil.

xo, a

turkey bolognese
serves: 6
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 lb ground turkey. 2 slices thick cut bacon, chopped. 1 onion, diced. 2 celery stalks, diced. 2 carrots, diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped. 2 tbs + 1 tsp basil, finely chopped. 1 tsp dried thyme. 1 c white wine. .25 c tomato paste. 32 oz can crushed tomatoes (if you only have whole, you can crush them yourself). 1.5 c milk. 1 tbs salt. .5 tbs pepper. 1 lb your favorite pasta. grated parmesan for serving.

tart by crisping your bacon pieces in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. about 15 minutes. stir occasionally to break the pieces away from one another and all sides brown.
when the bacon is crispy and browned, add in the onion, carrots and celery. season with a few pinches of salt and a bit of pepper and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. stir every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes. 
push all your veggies to the sides of the pot. pat the turkey dry, season with half your remaining salt and pepper and add to the pot. cook until browned, breaking it up and stirring every couple minutes. about 7-10 minutes. as the turkey browns, work your veggies back into the mixture. stir in the thyme, oregano, 1 tsp of the basil and the garlic. cook until the garlic is fragrant. about 1 minute.

when the garlic is fragrant, pour in the wine. cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes.

stir in the tomato paste until everything is lightly coated. season with remaining salt and pepper and pour in the tomatoes. stir well to combine. simmer until the liquid from the tomatoes has reduced slightly. about 10-15 minutes.
while your tomatoes are simmering, heat a large pot of salted water over high heat until boiling.
when your tomatoes have simmered, pour in the milk. stir well to combine and bring the bolognese back up to a simmer. once the sauce simmers, reduce the heat to low just to keep it warm.
cook your pasta per the instructions. when your pasta is al dente, strain and pour right into your sauce. stir well to coat the noodles.
serve pasta topped with fresh parmesan and basil.