Mediterranean Lamb Stuffed Peppers

I am very pleased to be guest posting today at Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves. I was first introduced to Becky through the lovebloghop we co-host with a number of other talented bloggers and later had the opportunity to get to know Becky better through the Food Bloggers Network. We share an "equal opportunity" love of all things culinary since we both feature both savory and sweet recipes on our blogs. Who wouldn't love a blog filled with yummy treats like Kahlua Cinnamon Brownies? I am honored to be posting on Becky's wonderful site - the hardest part of this guest post was deciding whether to bake or cook!

In the end I let the season be my guide and decided these Mediterranean Lamb Stuffed Peppers were a perfect choice for spring. The red peppers are a light yet savory compliment to the olives and feta that enhance the rich lamb filling. Combined with brown rice and paired with a fresh green salad this is a flavorful and satisfying dinner for spring. Hop on over to Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves for the complete recipe.

Enjoy!

Lamb Stuffed Phyllo Packets

Thom and I share a love of many things culinary related, but absolutely nothing matches his love of lamb. One night when we were out to dinner with my Dad and brother my brother started to ask Thom a question and Thom, the most mild-mannered man I know, actually shushed him and said, "shhh! I'm lambing."

Thom likes lamb.

When my Mom hosted an engagement "meet the future in-laws" dinner for us she made a delicious lamb stuffed phyllo dish. She worked on that menu for weeks, wanting everything to be perfect, and it was incredible. Flaky, buttery phyllo stuffed with savory lamb and salty, tangy feta. I was inspired by that dinner when I developed this recipe which can be made ahead in bite sized pieces and frozen, unbaked, until you need to pull a tasty appetizer out for unexpected guests. Or just, you know, because it's delicious. I made mine into larger portions, two of which form a reasonable portion with a salad or another side dish.

Double Chocolate Stout Beef & Lamb Stew

Beef stew is one of my favorite comfort foods. With St. Patrick's Day around the corner I decided to put a little Irish spin on this homestyle favorite by adding lamb and using stout in the sauce. Thom insisted my stew was more of a soup and thus, after a lengthy discussion betwixt mouthfuls of mashed potatoes and wiping away the juices dribbling down our chin we agreed to refer to it between ourselves as stoup.

And really, you can call it AnabanaMushPie for all I care - the end result is still delicious. Thick chunks of beef and lamb, sweet pieces of carrot and leek, earthy turnips and mushrooms, and mixing the saucy stoup gravy with the mashed potatoes!... oh, oh!... I could nosh on that all day! This stew pairs really well with either beer or red wine. We enjoyed a lovely Côtes du Rhône with ours - feel free to add a little extra wine in the sauce!