ANNIVERSARY RACK OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEANS AND ROSEMARY

dreamy wedding photography by meg ruth photo

Three years ago today Warren and I gathered with our dearest friends and family and were wed in Washington, D.C. Last year we spent our anniversary tooling around on our new bikes and going to an Andrew Bird concert. The year before that, we roamed across South Korea and visited orphanages, including Kyeong Dong Children's Home, where I lived for three months before being adopted. And yes, these are kids from Kyeong Dong absolutely killing it Gangam style in glorious bedazzled dance outfits.

This year we are MoROCK'n it by riding camels through the Sahara desert and exploring the wonders of Marrakesh. Jason Bourne would be proud. To celebrate our three year anniversary and to prepare for our Moroccan adventure, we made a rack of lamb all fragrant with rosemary and lemons and simmered in a tomato white bean sauce. 

Having never made lamb before, I was kind of intimidated. But it turns out lamb benefits from very little fuss. Just a few minutes to sear in a hot pan and a few more to finish in the oven. To make life even easier, we bought our rack of lamb already frenched (which is a fancy way of saying the butcher scraped the bone tips clean). Rack o' lamb is not cheap but it is well worth it for a special dinner  for two. We bought this during the after Easter sales and froze it for later use. Worked like a charm.    

RACK OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEANS AND ROSEMARY

Adapted from Meijer's Mealbox

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 14.5 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (Great Northern work too)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary

2-3 hours before you want to eat, set the lamb on the counter and bring to room temperature. Right before cooking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Salt and pepper the lamb. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick, oven-safe pan on high. Sear the lamb for about two minutes per side, or until a nice golden crust forms. Set the lamb aside. Sprinkle with lemon zest, dried oregano, and rosemary. Rub the herbs in so they're evenly dispersed across the meat.

In the same hot pan you seared the lamb in, add the chicken stock and scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about five minutes. Add the tomatoes, cannellini beans, tomato paste, lemon, and rosemary sprig. Bring to a simmer and add the lamb back to the pan.

Put the pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check at about 15 minutes. We prefer lamb medium rare (140 F). When the meat is done, let it rest for 10 minutes. Carve the lamb into individual pieces and serve over the white bean broth. And that's how it's done. 

photos by meg ruth

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Need more meat in your life? Please, please, please try roasting your own chicken. For instance, the roast chicken love child of Thomas Keller and Ina Garten. It is awesome. As are the slow cooker carnitas.

MOROCCO MONDAYS | MOROCK'N IT

image by kizie

Yes, friends, Warren and I are boarding a plane heading to Morocco. In a moment of sheer brilliance I created a verb phrase for our upcoming travel adventures: MoROCK'n It. It is the perfect response to virtually any question. Observe:

Q: What are you doing for your summer vacation?

A: Not much, just MoROCK'n It so hard you'll cry.

Q: Can I put you on hold for the zillionth time?

A: Why not, I'll be MoROCK'n It while you'll still be sitting in your sad, soul-crushing cubicle.

Q: Why can't you just be normal?

A: Don't know, don't care because I be MoROCK'n It, yo.

Etc.

Which leads me to the one and only question MoROCK'n It cannot answer: How are there not a million T-shirts with this phrase on it already? While I didn't have time to create matching freezer paper MoROCK'n IT shirts in honor of our trip you can bet your bottom dollar that I have chanted it an infinite amount of times while doing a brilliant little jig--much to Warren's utter chagrin.

Here's how we envision the whole Morocco trip going down--well, after attending Lia and Heath's lovely wedding in Brooklyn, Warren's conference in Zaragoza, Spain, and every Gaudi structure in Barcelona, which just happens to be one of my favorite cities in the entire world:

Let me just say that we will be camel trekking through the Sahara Desert at some point during all that. Awesome, right? 

And all of this is to say that things might get a little quite around Club Narwhal. But don't you worry, there will still be amazing Dog-Earred Pages recommendations and perhaps a few recipes sprinkled in to tide you over. I cannot wait to share our adventures with you when we return!

DOG-EARED PAGES | TESS HOOPES ON POPE JOAN BY DONNA WOOLFOLK CROSS

Tess and I have known each other for the better part of a decade. As spry young college freshmen, we bonded over the very specific and very adorable way Jordan Catalano leaned against things, our mutual obsession with Coldplay, and our adoration of books of all kinds. Tess is the best kind of person and the loveliest of friends--she definitely makes for an excellent addition to this virtual book club. It is an honor to present her thoughts on Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross.

I must be the luckiest woman alive, especially when it comes to book groups. The opportunity as a stay-at-home mom to get out once a month kid-free and talk about a book with other women of various backgrounds is such a highlight that recharges my sanity. I am reminded that I am still capable of uninterrupted adult conversation and I get exposure to books I would never otherwise pick up. Good food is always a bonus, too.

That being said, my book group has not yet read my new favorite book. In the course of our discussions though, the historical fiction book, Pope Joan, was mentioned. And, 8 months later, I got around to checking it out. It was totally worth it.

The introduction of Pope Joan is right up my alley. The beautifully exquisite and intense moment a baby is born: Joan. This birth story is particularly unique. It's set in the 9th century and gives a glimpse into a society I find crazy and fascinating. The historical aspect of this book is spot on, rich with details so you feel like you are there.

The fiction part of the book was a pleasant surprise: a rich and beautiful love story that I found so moving. With lines like, “At last she had come to accept what she had fought so long to deny—[he] was part of her, was her in some unfathomable way she could neither explain, nor deny. They were twin souls, linked inextricably and forever, two halves of one perfect whole that would never again be complete without both,” how could you not want to find/embrace your own twin soul?

I want to give my two daughters good examples of strong women and Joan is a perfect example. She is an intelligent girl stuck in a seemingly unchangeable situation that would inhibit her true passion. She ultimately disguises herself as a boy to get more educated and ends up becoming the Pope of the Catholic church. Is it a true story? Maybe.

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If you are interested in writing a guest post about your favorite book for Dog-Eared Pages, please email me at amyleescott [at] gmail [dot] com. I would love to share!

BAKED BANANA NUTELLA OR SPECULOOS COOKIE BUTTER WONTON ROLLS

One bite of the melty Nutella mingling with gooey baked banana and I know why I will never be able to swear off sugar for life. Wrap all that goodness in a crispy wonton shell rolled in warm butter and cinnamon sugar and let's just say that these bad boys won't stick around for long.  

This is the best kind of dessert--simple, elegant, and comforting. Top the warm rolls with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream sprinkled with even more cinnamon sugar and it's basically texture paradise--warm with cool, spicy with sweet.

To take it to the next level, try using cookie butter in place of Nutella. We use Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter and it is divine on pretty much anything. But in these rolls, the cookie butter is absolutely out of this world. I confess: I might have a minor obsession with cookie butter. I mean, 3 ingredient Cookie Butter Lacy Thins? Why are they so incredibly easy to make? Evil. And amazing. 

BAKED BANANA NUTELLA OR COOKIE BUTTER WONTON ROLLS
Adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

• 2 bananas
• 6 tablespoons nutella
• 6 tablespoons cookie butter
• 4 wonton wrappers
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel a banana and slice from top to bottom. Stuff the banana with 3 tablespoons of Nutella. Slice the stuffed banana in half. Lay a wonton wrapper flat on the counter so it looks like a diamond. Smear the rest of the Nutella down the middle of the wonton wrapper. Place one half of the stuffed banana on the Nutella. 

Wrap the wonton like a burrito by pulling the left side of the diamond towards the right side. Tuck the top and bottom of the diamond down. Then pull the right side of the diamond towards the left side. You should have a little log. Repeat with the rest of the bananas, stuffing with either more Nutella or cookie butter, depending on your preference.

Bake the wontons on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 12-15 minutes, until light brown. Broil for an additional minute to get extra crispy (keep a close eye). Roll the baked rolls in the melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Serve with vanilla icecream also sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

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Need more of a sugar rush? You can't go wrong with Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Double Chocolate Chip Cookies!

MICHIGAN MONDAYS | TAYLOR SWIFT AT FORD FIELD

So, this happened. Just chilling with Taylor Swift and 50,000 of her biggest fans at Ford Field. No biggie. 

PSYCH!!!!!! I was so pumped the entire day I could not stop breaking out into random, maniacal laughter. Luckily I was not alone. Downtown Detroit abounded with screeching girls dressed to the nines, all hoping to score a spot at the T-Party--the coveted after party for hardcore fans to meet Taylor and the band. There's pizza and foosball and squeals and tween weeping. I loved the ladies below and really hope they made it to the T-Party. Also, I was so not this cute when I was in middle school. Jealous.

 

When we finally made it into the bowels of Ford Field, some tween guy was on stage dancing with his crew. His name was Austin Mahone. He is apparently famous? The squeals were unbelievable. He was followed by Ed Sheeran of whom I know nothing except that he is British and sings a popular song called "The A-Team" and his mere presence incites a universe of squeals. We had to wait for a long time after his set. But before the natives got too restless, the stage began to transform into something worthy of calling itself the Red Tour, which had to be, in Taylor's words, "nothing like any other tour before." Amen.

 And then Tay's intro music began and the jumbotrons started flashing her name. And then:

Silhouette!!! And singing!!! And screaming!!!!!! Oh, how we screamed. Taylor knows drama. She held that crowd of 50,000 in the palm of her hand. She was like the bestie we all dream of having, dishing and preening and giggling like we were all at the best sleep over in the history of sleep overs. 

 Also, she had no fewer than a dozen costume changes. She did crazy amazing things like dissappear through a trap door wearing shorts and then reappear a second later standing at the top of her elegant stairway set wearing a sequined ball gown. She, along with a bunch of dancers/bodyguards, walked straight down the middle of the field, amidst hoards of fans, and ended up on a smaller stage poised at the very back of the arena, just to play for the screaming girls sitting in the nosebleed section. She wore a bedazzled top hat and equally bedazzled circus coat.

The finale was everything a circus dream could hope for: masquerade-esque dancers? Check! Top hat wearing folks dancing on stilts? Double check! Confetti bombs and pyrotechnics? Check, check, and check. I don't know who produced this show but it was pure genius from start to finish. Warren even grudgingly admitted that T. Swift was ridiculously awesome. Girlfriend sang (really well, without apparent lip sync-ing!), danced, and flirted through the two hours and we left feeling a little brighter and a lot more bedazzled. I mean, how could we not, after witnessing this:

Note: I had Warren crunch some numbers to see how many guys were present at Taylor's concert. His very technical method of napkin math concluded that guys were present at a rate of 2 per row--or about 10% of the audience. I guess math is good for something after all...