smoked lamb tacos & homemade margaritas

my hubby & i have a new-found friend whom we'd like to introduce to you as, "old smokey," and after only 2 go-arounds w/ our new buddy, i think i can vouch for both of us when i say we're completely smitten.

so early saturday, we got our boneless lamb roast all rubby-dubbed-dubbed w/ a dry rub we picked up in kauai, hawaii (one of "the best" dry rubs i've came across)...but you can use any kind of dry rub you want, really.  after the rub-down, my man took our lamb out to old smokey, whom looked after our little lamb roast for the next 5-6 hours or so.  

muchas gracias old smokey!

recipe: serves 4-6

lamb taco ingredients
~4 lb. lamb roast, smoked
dry rub
la tortilla factory tortillas (our fave brand), warmed
*taco toppings of your choosing

smoked corn & refried black beans ingredients
4 ears of corn, smoked for approx. 2 hours
ancho chili powder
evoo
s&p
humboldt fog goat cheese, crumbled

1 can refried black beans
fresh garlic, minced
red onion, minced
fresh jalapeño, minced
red bell pepper, diced
fresh cilantro, chopped
evoo
s&p
non-fat plain greek yogurt

smoke the corn cobs for approx. 2 hours, and then let cool and cut off the cob while standing it up in a bowl (for easier cleanup).  add the next 3 ingredients, mix to combine and then top w/ goat cheese (or any cheese you prefer).  

add garlic, onion, peppers, cilantro and s&p to a saucepan over med heat coated w/ a little evoo.  cook until tender, and then add in the refried black beans and cook until warmed completely through.  top beans w/ greek yogurt when plating, if desired.

as for the homemade margs......sorry, it's a family-secret recipe......and damn, they sure as tasty!

bozone beers, turkey burgers w/ homemade beer cheese sauce & baked yam & sweet tater fries

i'm quite certain this holds the record for, in fact, the "messiest" turkey burger i've ever created.  maybe this statement has something to do with the addition of the homemade beer cheese sauce i prepared......hmmm?  regardless, it sure was a tasty dinner for a relaxing friday evening w/ my man.  

we were celebrating a belated wedding anniversary and enjoying a little peace and quiet, during a short, weekend stay at the beautiful meriwether ranch in southwestern montana (complements of our dear friends, wells & renee).  these burgers & baked sweet tater & yam fries, served up w/ some ice-cold bozone ipa's, proved to be the perfect complement to a relaxing night in!

recipe: serves 3-4

ingredients

burger ingredients
~1/2 lb. ground lean turkey breast
~1/2 lb. ground sausage
1 egg, beaten
a bit of binder (i used 6-8 rice crackers, ground)
dash of worschetershire
dash of dale's sauce
fresh garlic, minced
fresh thyme, chopped
evoo
s&p
3-4 english muffins, grilled or toasted
*burger toppings of your choosing

mix all burger ingredients together and let marry for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.  form into 3-4 patties and grill on a charcoal grill.  place atop a toasted english muffin and top w/ your fave burger toppings.

*we used homemade beer cheese sauce, sautéed cremini mushrooms and yellow onions, crisp butter lettuce and avocado

"steak" fries ingredients

1 large yam, thickly cut

1 large sweet tater, thickly cut

evoo

s&p

ancho chili powder

fresh thyme, chopped

mix fries w/ all remaining fry ingredients (minus the fresh thyme leaves), and place on a foiled baking sheet.  bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, flip and back for an additional 15-20 minutes until you achieve desired crispiness.  toss w/ fresh thyme and serve alongside turkey burgers.

pour some cold beers, light a fire in the fireplace, sit your booty on the comfy couch and dig in!