An Amer-occan Feast

Morocco came to Texas last night.  Well, my kitchen...to be more specific.  It was an Amer-occan Feast!

Eh?  You didn't read that wrong.  

Our feast contained American classics, as well as, some Moroccan recipes and flavors.  In all of the ethnic food themed nights I've prepared, Moroccan was definitely a new culinary adventure!

It all began last Thursday.  I arrived home to find a shipment of lamb from the fine folks over at Superior Farms.  My shipment included a variety of cuts of lamb, which left my head swirling with possibilities!  

I've eaten lamb before, but I've never prepared it.  I'm always game for trying something new, so this, my friends, is the root of where the Amer-occan Feast idea began.

In preparing for this feast, I scoured through recipes.  I then decided that lamb burgers were the way to go.  Why not take a classic American summer grilling staple, and revamp it?  Who says hamburgers have to be only made of beef? or turkey?  Why not lamb?

Don't stop reading...please.  I know many people are nervous when it comes to cooking lamb.  I was too.  The ground lamb was as easy to work with as any ground meat.  The taste however?  AMAZING!  I used a fantastic Food Network recipe, Mini Moroccan Lamb Burgers on Brioche Rounds with Lemon Yogurt Sauce.  The taste of the seasonings in the lamb meat paired with the greek yogurt sauce made with lemon juice & zest was incredible!!  Sorry to plead with you to keep reading, but if you have any lamb cooking anxiety, I didn't want that to override an awesome opportunity at a delicious meal.

With our lamb burgers, we also had a Moroccan Romaine Lettuce & Orange Salad.  All I can say about that is...skip it.  Too ethnic for us!  The dressing contains orange flower water, and that was too floral for our taste.   

We also had a Moroccan Sweet Mint Tea, which you can enjoy warm or chilled, and that was the BEST!

On the American side of our feast, we had turkey kielbasa, sweet potato fries (from the freezer), and good ol' classic Kraft Mac n' Cheese.  We had a few kids running around, so we added the American side of the feast for them.  

For dessert, we enjoyed a Moroccan Lemon Cake.  More on that later this week...

If you are in a cooking rut, and you'd like to bust out of it...try a Moroccan food night!  We had a blast with our friends, and I think you and yours may too!  Enjoy!