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.

there is no denying that this time of year is very hectic. and i know that i'm not alone when i say that sometimes during the holidays i often end up filling up on sweets instead of actual food. 

suddenly the office is exploding with cookies, candies and even fruit cakes. treats are literally surrounding you. it doesn't help that your already full schedule is now packed with holiday parties and office shindigs. 

basically, now more than ever you need a simple, but satisfying meal you can make quickly and eat on the go if necessary. 

enter a childhood favorite with some adult twists. no, there is no booze. there will be plenty of that at your office holiday party. and let me just tell you from personal experience, do NOT over indulge. you WILL regret it.

grilled cheese has become one of my go to lunches and it even makes visits to my dinner table when i'm really in a pinch. and the best part is that you really can sub anything you want or have on hand in the house. no onions? no problem, you can caramelize shallots or sub something else salty like bacon or ham. no apples? no problem. any fruit or jam will do. white cheddar can be subbed for your favorite melty cheese or a combo of a few. i could go on, but i'm pretty sure you get the point. 

grown up grilled cheese
serves: 1 sandwich
prep time: 30 minutes (note that almost all of the prep time is spent caramelizing onions. if you make some in advance to have on hand or sub another salty ingredient your time will be greatly reduced.)
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 slices of your favorite bread (i used a whole wheat sourdough). .5 cup white cheddar cheese. 4 thin apple slices. 2 tbs arugula roughly chopped. 2 tbs caramelized onions (1 yellow or sweet onion, halved and sliced. 2 tbs olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.) 2 tbs butter, divided. 

tart by caramelizing your onions. combine your onions, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large pan. cook over medium low heat until medium brown and caramelized. stirring ever few minutes. this will take 20-30 minutes. 

while the onions cook, grate your cheese and slice your apples. lightly butter the outsides of both pieces of bread with 1 tbs of butter. reserve the other tbs butter for the pan. 

when your onions are caramelized, start to layer your sandwich. on top of one slice of bread, lay down your cheese, followed by onions, apples and arugula. top with second piece of bread. 

wipe out the pan you cooked the onions in. turn the heat to medium and add the remaining butter. grill your cheese until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melty. about 5 minutes a side. 

when your cheese is melty, remove from the heat, slice and serve. 

xo, a

grown up grilled cheese
serves: 1 sandwich
prep time: 30 minutes (note that almost all of the prep time is spent caramelizing onions. if you make some in advance to have on hand or sub another salty ingredient your time will be greatly reduced.)
cook time: 10 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 slices of your favorite bread (i used a whole wheat sourdough). .5 cup white cheddar cheese. 4 thin apple slices. 2 tbs arugula roughly chopped. 2 tbs caramelized onions (1 yellow or sweet onion, halved and sliced. 2 tbs olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.) 2 tbs butter, divided.
start by caramelizing your onions. combine your onions, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large pan. cook over medium low heat until medium brown and caramelized. stirring ever few minutes. this will take 20-30 minutes.
while the onions cook, grate your cheese and slice your apples. lightly butter the outsides of both pieces of bread with 1 tbs of butter. reserve the other tbs butter for the pan.
when your onions are caramelized, start to layer your sandwich. on top of one slice of bread, lay down your cheese, followed by onions, apples and arugula. top with second piece of bread.
wipe out the pan you cooked the onions in. turn the heat to medium and add the remaining butter. grill your cheese until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melty. about 5 minutes a side.
when your cheese is melty, remove from the heat, slice and serve.