Lamb Chops and Yogurt Sauce with an Orzo Snap Pea Salad

August 18 Let me tell you a little nursery rhyme that is a favorite among children everywhere (well, once they put down the Nintendo DS and turn the channel, any channel). Mary had a little lamb, her fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. We know that this little, white, furry lamb went to school with Mary, and the school children were a little jealous. The teacher tried to "turn it out, turn it out," but the lamb was having none of it and wanted to wait for Mary. After months of this, Mary was starting to get a little perturbed. Mary couldn't even go to the restroom without a little lamb following her into the john. The school children were starting to make fun of Mary, which made trying to get a reasonable education almost impossible. It got to the point where Mary knew she had to do something about it, so . . . Mary had a little lamb, her fleece was still white as snow, but now that Mary was plenty peeved, it was time for the death blow. You see, Mary discovered how delicious this little lamb could be, so the furry little mammal was no more . . . but Mary's kitchen smelled wonderful. For those of you that are judging Mary, don't. The lamb had a coke habit, and let's be honest, this was becoming a bit of a stalking issue. Plus, it was reported that if the lamb found a delicious sauce to accompany Mary, Mary was done - period. My grandmother used to tell me this whole story before Easter when she served a delicious rack of lamb. I thought about the cute little lamb and lamented it's passing, until I tasted it. Meat is murder, yummy, yummy murder. So in honor of Mary and her revolutionary menu, I made lamb chops. This recipe is pretty easy, and is a good meal to serve after a long day of work. Lamb is pricey however, so this is not something I cook every month, or three. But if I find a few coin in my pocket, I am more than willing, since it is some of the tastiest meat around. Find yourself 4 meaty lamb chops, about 8 ounces apiece. GOOD lamb can be hard to find, but I got lucky and found some hearty ones at Publix. If they are lacking that day, The Fresh Market is probably your best bet (I didn't see any at Ward's, but they have a nice selection of chicken and beef). When you are ready to cook, make sure the meat is at room temperature, it sears quicker, and you can trust the cooking time with most cookbooks that way. For the yogurt sauce, take .5 cup of low fat plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt, it is thicker and has a better taste) and put that into a bowl and add 1 tbs of minced shallots, 2 tsp of chopped cilantro and 2 tsp of fresh lemon juice. Mix that all together with a whisk and put that in the fridge. The orzo salad is also a breeze. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and throw in a half a pound of orzo pasta. While this is boiling away, heat a heavy bottom pan with 2 tbs of olive oil, when that is shimmering, add the lamb chops and cook for 4-6 minutes a side. Check to make sure the chops have a nice brown sear before flipping. Once the orzo has cooked for about 5 minutes, add 1 lb of snap peas, trimmed and cut into halves, as well as 2 small yellow squash chopped, and cook for three more minutes. At this point the lamb is probably done, take off the pan and put under some tin foil on a plate to rest. Let the veggies boil with the orzo for 3 more minutes. Make sure the pasta is cooked through and the veggies are crisp, but still cooked through. Drain the orzo mixture and put back into the original pot and add 3 tbs of lemon juice, 2 tbs of olive oil and 2 tbs of Parmesan cheese. The lamb should have rested under the foil tent for at least 5 minutes, letting the juices distribute. Now, let's plate some deliciousness. Put the lamb on a plate and you can either serve the sauce on the side (like I did) or put over the meat. Throw some orzo on there and you are right as rain. Good stuff. I think I am actually catching up with my cooking blogs. I have two more recipes coming. A black bean and spinach slow cook and an orange roughy confetti packet. Until then, enjoy. PS, Apologies to Mary and her delicious loss.