12:25pm, clouds looming overhead.
Ladies & Gentlemen. All ye faithful, hard-core footy-fans!
The stage is set for Round of 16.
And despite their 0-1 loss against the mighty Germany, Team USA has made it through to the next stage. Klinsmann's 11 survived the Group of Death to meet Belgium in the knock-out round on Tuesday!
This is where it gets very interesting. This is where each team needs to win in order to move to the next round.
No draws, no we-will-do-better-in-the-next-match, no second chances.
It's All In or Nothing.
OMG, I sound just like the adidas commercials I see during half-time!
Ooo remember the Luis Suarez biting incident on Tuesday? Well, FIFA announced yesterday that based on their investigation, Suarez will be suspended from any football-related activity for 4 months.
He is also suspended for 9 international matches, effective immediately - which means he is completely out of the World Cup. And even if he cannot play for his country or club, Suarez is banned from entering any stadium during this ban period.
He is also ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss Francs (US$112,000). *whistles* If that's not a hefty fine for biting, I don't know what is ...
Of course, the Uruguayan Football Association will make an appeal. I personally think Luis Suarez got off lightly. Since this was his 3rd biting incident, I would have thought FIFA would impose a longer suspension period. In 2013, Suarez was given a 10-match ban by the English Premier League for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. Prior to that, when he played for Ajax, Suarez had accepted a 7-match ban for biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal in 2010.
FIFA should also order him to go for a serious counseling session because obviously, Suarez needed professional help. If it's biting now, what could it be next … y'know what I mean?
Anyhoo!! All these talk of biting makes me hungry. So before I do a Suarez on my little boys, let me share with you one last recipe/meal that I was able to whip out of Our Big Roast of 1 huge Leg-o-Lamb.
I learnt that blitzing the leftover lamb chunks turned it into something akin to ground meat. And I remembered how much I had enjoyed falafels in Abu Dhabi when we were living there so … *rubbed hands in glee*
Falafels are deep-fried balls/patties made from ground chickpeas and seasoned with aromatic spices like cumin and coriander! You can eat them on their own or stuffed in a hollow pita bread, with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, a drizzle of thin tahini (paste made of sesame seeds), a squeeze of lemon and eaten like a sandwich.
Oy! I'm almost drooling now. Anyway, here's my version of non-veg (duh!) Lamb Falafels:
In my trusty Bullet, I blitzed these up: 6 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 onion, 1 1/2 generous tablespoon of coriander, 2 generous teaspoons of cumin, 1/2 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 5 inches of fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and a handful of fresh parsley. This should give you enough of an aromatic wet paste that will help you bind the meat together … you'll see :-)
Then I mixed this lovely, fragrant mixture into my leftover blitzed-up lamb (about 1lb). Using my hands, I scooped up a palmful of meat and shaped them into mini American footballs. Hehehehe OK, not quite footballs but a short, chubby hotdog-like patty.
This mixture gave me 10 patties. I placed them into a baking sheet, covered them with cling film and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Or till you're ready to cook them.
And when you're ready to eat them, simply pop the tray into a preheated oven, 375 degF, for about 20-30 minutes. Because my meat is technically already cooked, I eye-balled the time and checked the oven often.
While the lamb falafels are baking, I prepared a Minty-Yoghurty Dipping Sauce for my darling hubby (I don't fancy yoghurt, remember?):
I chopped up enough fresh mint leaves (about 2/3 cup) and mixed them into 1 cup of Greek yoghurt. Next, I added 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of honey and seasoned it with salt and black pepper. Mix it together. Then, I covered the bowl with cling film and let it sit in the fridge until the falafels are ready.
And for me, I decided to try out this Mango Salsa recipe: http://ohmyveggies.com/cucumber-mango-salsa/
I omitted the jalapeño peppers because I didn't have any on hand and the mango salsa tasted just fine. It was very refreshing, and very yummy. I find that the citrusy flavors worked pretty well with the lamb falafels.
And for a starchy component, I decided to try this Rice Pilaf recipe. I was going for a Mediterranean, Middle Eastern kinda flavor for dinner that night so … here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/rice-pilaf-recipe2.html
I must apologize for the lack of pictures this time round; it was one of those days where the clock was really ticking too fast, you just didn't have enough hands on you …
But I still remembered to snap pictures of our dinner plates that night:
My darling hubby loved that the dipping sauce was very minty; perfect, he said, for the falafels. Each bite of the falafel was flavorful - cumin, coriander, parsley! Yummy!!
I loved that the pilaf had chunks of veggies in it - it was great pairing it with the lamb falafels and good enough to eat it on its own (which I did the next day for lunch!).
And the mango salsa was such a beautiful, refreshing side to the lamb! Very very nice :D:D:D
I was pretty pleased with myself that I had managed to whip out the following meals from 1 huge Leg-o-Lamb:
Ladies & Gentlemen. All ye faithful, hard-core footy-fans!
The stage is set for Round of 16.
And despite their 0-1 loss against the mighty Germany, Team USA has made it through to the next stage. Klinsmann's 11 survived the Group of Death to meet Belgium in the knock-out round on Tuesday!
This is where it gets very interesting. This is where each team needs to win in order to move to the next round.
No draws, no we-will-do-better-in-the-next-match, no second chances.
It's All In or Nothing.
OMG, I sound just like the adidas commercials I see during half-time!Ooo remember the Luis Suarez biting incident on Tuesday? Well, FIFA announced yesterday that based on their investigation, Suarez will be suspended from any football-related activity for 4 months.
He is also suspended for 9 international matches, effective immediately - which means he is completely out of the World Cup. And even if he cannot play for his country or club, Suarez is banned from entering any stadium during this ban period.
He is also ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss Francs (US$112,000). *whistles* If that's not a hefty fine for biting, I don't know what is ...
Of course, the Uruguayan Football Association will make an appeal. I personally think Luis Suarez got off lightly. Since this was his 3rd biting incident, I would have thought FIFA would impose a longer suspension period. In 2013, Suarez was given a 10-match ban by the English Premier League for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. Prior to that, when he played for Ajax, Suarez had accepted a 7-match ban for biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal in 2010.
FIFA should also order him to go for a serious counseling session because obviously, Suarez needed professional help. If it's biting now, what could it be next … y'know what I mean?
Anyhoo!! All these talk of biting makes me hungry. So before I do a Suarez on my little boys, let me share with you one last recipe/meal that I was able to whip out of Our Big Roast of 1 huge Leg-o-Lamb.
I learnt that blitzing the leftover lamb chunks turned it into something akin to ground meat. And I remembered how much I had enjoyed falafels in Abu Dhabi when we were living there so … *rubbed hands in glee*
Falafels are deep-fried balls/patties made from ground chickpeas and seasoned with aromatic spices like cumin and coriander! You can eat them on their own or stuffed in a hollow pita bread, with tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, a drizzle of thin tahini (paste made of sesame seeds), a squeeze of lemon and eaten like a sandwich.
Oy! I'm almost drooling now. Anyway, here's my version of non-veg (duh!) Lamb Falafels:
In my trusty Bullet, I blitzed these up: 6 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 onion, 1 1/2 generous tablespoon of coriander, 2 generous teaspoons of cumin, 1/2 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 5 inches of fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and a handful of fresh parsley. This should give you enough of an aromatic wet paste that will help you bind the meat together … you'll see :-)
Then I mixed this lovely, fragrant mixture into my leftover blitzed-up lamb (about 1lb). Using my hands, I scooped up a palmful of meat and shaped them into mini American footballs. Hehehehe OK, not quite footballs but a short, chubby hotdog-like patty.
This mixture gave me 10 patties. I placed them into a baking sheet, covered them with cling film and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Or till you're ready to cook them.
And when you're ready to eat them, simply pop the tray into a preheated oven, 375 degF, for about 20-30 minutes. Because my meat is technically already cooked, I eye-balled the time and checked the oven often.
While the lamb falafels are baking, I prepared a Minty-Yoghurty Dipping Sauce for my darling hubby (I don't fancy yoghurt, remember?):
I chopped up enough fresh mint leaves (about 2/3 cup) and mixed them into 1 cup of Greek yoghurt. Next, I added 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of honey and seasoned it with salt and black pepper. Mix it together. Then, I covered the bowl with cling film and let it sit in the fridge until the falafels are ready.
And for me, I decided to try out this Mango Salsa recipe: http://ohmyveggies.com/cucumber-mango-salsa/
I omitted the jalapeño peppers because I didn't have any on hand and the mango salsa tasted just fine. It was very refreshing, and very yummy. I find that the citrusy flavors worked pretty well with the lamb falafels.
And for a starchy component, I decided to try this Rice Pilaf recipe. I was going for a Mediterranean, Middle Eastern kinda flavor for dinner that night so … here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/rice-pilaf-recipe2.html
I must apologize for the lack of pictures this time round; it was one of those days where the clock was really ticking too fast, you just didn't have enough hands on you …
But I still remembered to snap pictures of our dinner plates that night:
My darling hubby's plate: he had the Minty-Yoghurty
Sauce over his Lamb Falafels :D
And this was my plate: I do not eat yoghurt so I made
the Mango Salsa to accompany my Falafels :D
My darling hubby loved that the dipping sauce was very minty; perfect, he said, for the falafels. Each bite of the falafel was flavorful - cumin, coriander, parsley! Yummy!!
I loved that the pilaf had chunks of veggies in it - it was great pairing it with the lamb falafels and good enough to eat it on its own (which I did the next day for lunch!).
And the mango salsa was such a beautiful, refreshing side to the lamb! Very very nice :D:D:D
I was pretty pleased with myself that I had managed to whip out the following meals from 1 huge Leg-o-Lamb:
~ 1 Leg-o-Lamb meal with Roasted Herbed Potatoes and Caesar Salad with home-made dressing & croutons;
~ 1 Subway-style sandwich meal: chunks of lamb meat in hoagie roll with leftover Romaine lettuce, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Side of Caesar Salad again but this time round, I added a couple of hard boiled eggs on my salad;
~ A huge Shepherd's Pie = 2 dinners!
~ 10 Lamb Falafels with Rice Pilaf, Minty-Yoghurty Dipping Sauce & Mango Salsa = 2 dinners, y'all!*
And with that, I think I had enough lamb this week to last me … till the end of the year! Hehehehehe. OK, maybe the end of next month.
But what I do know is this: my darling hubby was a very satisfiedbunny bear. And you know what they said about men …
Hehehehe till my next post! Baaaaaaa for now! ~ 10 Lamb Falafels with Rice Pilaf, Minty-Yoghurty Dipping Sauce & Mango Salsa = 2 dinners, y'all!*
And with that, I think I had enough lamb this week to last me … till the end of the year! Hehehehehe. OK, maybe the end of next month.
But what I do know is this: my darling hubby was a very satisfied
And when he's happy, I am happy too :D
*Update:
Upon reading my post, my darling hubby just reminded me that I had set aside a portion of meat filling, enough to make another meal of Shepherd's pie in the near future.
And I have another cup of blitzed up lamb chunks in the freezer that I plan to add to a tomato-ey dish one day.
So there you go … add 2 more dinner meals to the above count! :D That lamb sure went a long way for us … meal-wise, that is. *winks*
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