Good Living 123

Photo by Oliver Hale

In many areas, strawberries are not quite ripe yet. In others, the luscious berries have already been getting picked for several weeks. Regardless, every year on May 20^th we recognize National Pick Strawberries Day.

My sister and I recently relived a childhood memory. We walked through our meadows and kept looking for AND FINDING adorable wild strawberries. Ripe but not quite as sweet as my childhood memory.

Photo by Joseph Gonzalez

Strawberries are merely mahhhhhvelous plucked fresh. But they are also delightful in cooking, whether you are making jam, jazzing up a salad, or whipping up some muffins, tarts, or a pie. For true decadence, simply dip a strawberry in melted chocolate. Or go all in and indulge in fresh strawberry shortcake with whipped cream, ice cream, or both! Yum!

If you can, pick some fresh strawberries today. Otherwise, buy a box at your favorite grocery store and indulge!!!

National Walnut Day originated in 1949, thanks to the Walnut Marketing Board. It then received a presidential proclamation by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958. So, go ahead… celebrate!

High in antioxidants and heart-healthy fats, walnuts are not just for desserts. Try coarsely chopping walnuts and adding to rice or veggie dishes. Or replace pine nuts with walnuts when you make pesto. Top cereal or muffins with walnuts, either whole or coarsely chopped. Walnuts are great in banana bread, slaw, granola bars, and stuffings. And over salads, walnuts are nutty mahhhhvelous, whether raw, toasted, or caramelized.

Caramelized Walnuts are Super Simple. Nibble on them as a snacking treat or to use as a decorative addition for cakes and cookies or roasted meats.
1 c walnut halves (or large pieces)
¼ c granulated sugar (or monk fruit or coconut sugar)
1 T butter
Toss all the ingredients into a skillet over medium heat. As the sugar begins to melt, stir the nuts continuously for 5 minutes to coat them while toasting. Then spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, quickly separating the nuts (with a couple of spoons) to help them cool and “set,” which only takes 5 minutes. Enjoy these gems in popcorn, over salads, or just for snacking! (And, yes! This works with other favorite nuts, too!)

Lamb is a delightfully tender, moist, and flavorful meat… when prepared well. When people say that lamb’s flavor is too strong for them, they likely had mutton, not lamb. Or it was overcooked. Lamb is one of those meats that is most delicious at medium-rare. If your personal preference is to never see a bit of pink, then cook lamb to the fall-of-the-bone stage, as with pulled pork.

Roasting a leg of lamb is easy. And carving is even simpler than carving a chicken.

Super Simple Roast Leg of Lamb
5-7 lb bone-in leg of lamb, at room temp for 1 hour
3 T olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Garlic powder
1 T each chopped fresh rosemary & oregano

Rub lamb with oil; season well with salt & pepper. Place fat side down on wire rack in foil-lined roasting pan. Sear the top of the meat by placing pan a few inches from the broiler on high for 5 min. Turn meat over and broil another 5 min to sear the fatty side. Remove from oven. Reduce heat to 325°F and move rack to middle of oven. Sprinkle top of roast with garlic and herbs. Loosely tent with foil and place in middle of oven for 1 hour. Uncover and roast up to 15-20 min just until thermometer in thickest part of lamb (but not touching the bone) reads 125°F, which means the roast is rare. Remove from oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest at least 15 min before slicing across the grain.

KISS Tips: Another 5-10° will be added during the resting time, which brings the roast to medium rare. Remove from the oven at 130°F for a medium-done roast at serving time. You can also place 2 c of water in the roasting pan around the lamb and roast your choice of small potatoes, onion wedges, peeled carrots, and sweet peppers, even adding cherry tomatoes in final 20 minutes. Or roast your veggies separately and serve the carved lamb slices over brown or long-grain rice. For fall-off-the-bone lamb, let the lamb roast, covered, for 4 hours till it reaches an internal temp of 160°F. Tented, let it rest as the temperature rises to 175°F. With a bone-in cut of lamb, plan on ½ – 1 lb per serving.