Make every moment of your cat’s life more exciting. Too funny.

If you have an hour I can go on and on about how much I enjoyed this dinner.

Butterflied lamb is one of my favorite meats to cook on the grill. The Greek marinade here is fabulous. The cool Tzatziki is the perfect complement. Rolled up in warm flabread, lamb served this way is fun and delicious.

The side dishes are the essence of summer, bursting with all of the fresh ingredients that are available now.

If you have never had Scalloped Corn before, this is the first recipe you want to try. Wicked good.

Not much needs to be said about the orzo. Tomatoes, Basil, Parmesan. Yes.

BBQ Greek Lamb With Tzatziki

Ingredients for the lamb:

4 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbs olive oil
juice 1 lemon
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 Tbs thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 leg of lamb, butterflied (Step by step instructions on how to do this can be found here.)
flatbreads, to serve

Ingredients for tzatziki:

½ cucumber, halved and deseeded
170g Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, minced
handful mint leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Mix garlic with the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and thyme leaves, and season with a little salt and plenty of pepper.

2. Place the lamb in a large porcelain dish or ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the lamb and rub into the meat. Leave the lamb for at least 1 hr at room temperature, or longer in the fridge, but no longer than overnight or the meat will become too soft.

3. To cook the lamb, light barbecue, or heat the oven to 220℃/425℉.

4. To cook on the barbecue, wait for the coals to turn ashen, then lay the lamb on the grill and cook for 15 mins on each side for meat that is pink, or 20 mins on each side for well done. To cook in the oven, place the lamb in a shallow roasting tin and roast for 30 mins for pink or 40 mins for well done, turning the lamb halfway through. Leave the meat to rest for 10 mins before carving.

5. Meanwhile, make the tzatziki. Coarsely grate the cucumber, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and squeeze out all the liquid. Tip into a bowl with the yogurt, garlic and mint, and mix well.

6. Carve the lamb into thick slices and serve with the tzatziki wrapped up in warm flatbreads.

Serves 6

Recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine

Tomato Basil Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups dried orzo pasta
1 1/4 pounds firm-ripe tomatoes
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

1. In a large pot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until barely tender to bite, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, rinse and core tomatoes; chop and place in a large bowl. Add basil, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar; mix gently.

3. Drain pasta well and add to tomato mixture. Mix, adding Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.

Serves 8 as a side dish

Recipe from Proceed With Caution

Scalloped Corn

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering the dish & topping
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 cups half and half
3 cups sweet corn (about 5 ears worth)
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375℉. Butter a 10 inch baking dish or a cast iron skillet.

2. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a skillet pan. Add the onion, season with a little salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and season with pepper and cayenne. Stir well with a wooden spoon.

3. Slowly add the half and half and stir well as the sauce thickens. Add the corn kernels and simmer for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from heat.

4. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and stir into the corn mixture.

5. Pour the corn mixture into baking dish. Scatter the bread crumbs over the top and dot with butter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.

Serves 6

Recipe from Shutterbean

If I could invite someone over to share this meal, it would have to be the front woman of my favorite band out of Greece.

Lia Siouti, from The Finger is a fellow foodie AND a fashionista. I’m learning all sorts of great ideas about what to wear and how to wear it over at her Rocking Closet Website.

This is the opening and title track on their debut album ‘I Don’t Believe My Eyes’, which I wrote about here.

Can’t sit still during this song.

Check out The Finger on the band’s Website, where you can link to buy the music.

Cheers!