(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle); if you haven’t heard about this book, you should! It’s a novel written from the voice of the black servants and some of the people they work for, all residents of Jackson, Mississippi. In the 1950’s. The maids generally are disrespected, still have to ride in the back of the bus, and some are prevented from using the bathroom in the houses where they work. The story is about a young woman (daughter of one of the society ladies) who decides to write a book about the stories of the maids. Anonymously. But not quite, of course. So it’s not only the stories themselves, but about the society-ladies’ relationships, and about the stealth required to interview the maids and write the book. And the repercussions when it’s published. A fantastic read.
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition)
; 
; 
(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
; 
.
Can you really see the chop? Nicely charred on the outside. Tender and juicy on the inside. Perfectly grilled to 120 degrees F. Covered in a lovely mixture of herbs, garlic and olive oil.
The herbs, L-R: Italian parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage leaves underneath and some oregano.
There they are raw – with the herb mixture packed on. Ready for the grill. These were ever-so easy to make (took about 10 minutes to cut the herbs, chop and combine, another minute to slather them on the meat). My DH grilled them for 2 minutes per side over high heat, then put them off on a medium-low burner for about 8-9 minutes, until the meat thermometer registered 120. We left them tented with foil for 5 minutes and devoured them. The chops are available at our Costco – lovely 1 1/2 inch thick rib chops from New Zealand. Seven of them were about $16. We ate two apiece and there’s enough left for me to have one and my DH another two at another meal.
Grilled Rib Lamb Chops with Herb Rub
Recipe: Adapted from a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated: The
Best Recipe, Grilling & Barbecue
Servings: 4
HERB MIXTURE:
2 tablespoons Italian parsley — minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary — minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage — minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme — minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano — minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole garlic clove — minced
LAMB:
2 pounds lamb rib chops
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Herbs: Mince all the fresh herbs well, then add garlic and olive oil (just enough to hold the herbs together).
2. Salt and pepper the meat.
3. Apply a teaspoon or so of herbs to both sides of each rib chop. Allow the meat to sit out at room temp for about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat gas grill as follows: heat one burner to high and another burner to medium-low.
5. Rub the grill with a bit of olive oil applied to a paper towel. Place ribs on high heat side for about 2 minutes per side, just until you’ve achieved nice grill marks.
6. Move chops to the medium-low side and continue grilling for about 7-9 minutes, until done to your preference. For medium-rare, remove at 120. For medium, about 130.
7. Keep chops on a heated plate lightly tented with foil, for about 5 minutes, then serve immediately.
Per Serving: 847 Calories; 77g Fat (83.2% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 171mg Cholesterol; 132mg Sodium.
printer-friendly PDF recipe
A year ago: Flank Steak with an Orange Marinade
Two years ago: Roasted Poblano Asiago Soup (a southwestern treat – one of my fav’s)
Marie
said on June 20th, 2009:
Those lamb chops look fabulous Carolyn. I can see I am going to have to put them on my shopping list this week!