SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!! We love it! We have this great big hill a few doors down from our house that is most excellent for sledding. The only problem is that the hill is actually a road. But that problem is not too much of a problem when you have 10-12 inches of snow and your neighborhood seems to be the last place to be plowed in the city of Roanoke. (Are you listening Mr. Jamison?)
Of course there are always people who attempt to drive up this road so we have adults stationed on the hill to throw themselves in front of a sled in case a quick stop and quick move to the side of the road needs to be made. Thank goodness we never had to resort to this plan because these kids were flying at Olympic speed on what quickly became an icy luge track.
Night sledding is our favorite. One night we brought over the fire pit. My neighbor Martha brought marshmallows and the fixings to make s’mores, her husband Steve set up portable flood lights and the Shaver’s brought wine. With all of this and lots of laughter we had an instant impromptu party. On the second night of sledding my neighbor Kate said she had a lamb she needed to cook and that maybe we should upgrade our menu from marshmallows to lamb. This was deemed by all to be a reasonable culinary advancement.
But all good things must eventually come to an end; our lovely icy hill could not withstand the chemicals and sun on the third day and the plows, to our dismay, found their way up to our neighborhood. (But not without having to endure a solid snowball pelting from the neighborhood boys!)
So we are all worn out and inside resting on this third night but now on the fourth day “no school” has just been declared by the powers that be – so who knows what may happen. The best things in life always seem to do just that – they just happen and fall into place without much planning – snow, a big hill, floodlights, a fire pit and a lamb on the grill – all the ingredients you need for great fun and great memories. Here’s a recipe for the very best Snowstorm Lamb Kabobs!
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons dried oregano
4 teaspoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
16 cherry tomatoes
1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
large onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
-In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, oregano, oil and garlic. Set aside 1/4 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate.
-Pour the remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the lamb. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
-Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade. On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread lamb, tomatoes, green pepper and onion.
-Grill kabobs, uncovered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. Baste with reserved marinade. Grill 8-10 minutes longer or until meat reaches desired doneness, turning and basting frequently.
By Leigh Sackett [email protected]