The first day at my new job was great- I am working with people closer to my age, from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, and a mostly women team. These were all the things I was looking for in a new role! My commute home was 20 minutes in heavy traffic- I am loving that!
A funny thing happens when you are close to people- you start dressing the same. My work bff at my old job and I would show up in very similar outfits at least once a week. I got home today and saw Mike wearing this-
Look what I had on, a brown sweater. Even Clifford was matching us tonight 
Mike had texted me earlier in the day asking if i wanted lamb and my first thought was of course! I love lamb. Lamb is one of those foods that people either love or hate, but I truly think that those who hate it have never had it prepared properly! We had some lamb in the freezer that we figured should be used up so Mike searched for an Indian inspired lamb recipe.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
- 12 lamb rib chops
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
Place lamb chops in a shallow baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chops. Cover and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.
Preheat grill for medium heat. Place chops on a well oiled grill grate and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and serve with your favorite chutney or yogurt sauce.
We served the lamb with a bag of Bean So Green from Trader Joe’s that is mixed green veggies and a roasted garlic butter sauce- these were so good!
and a 2008 Green Acres Zinfandel from the Lodi area of California
Do you like lamb?
The winner of Blogger Secret Ingredient was Biz with her Balsalmic Potatoes and Zuccini. Check it out here
Biz’s Rosemary Balsamic Potatoes and Zucchini
- 1 pound Idaho potato, scrubbed, skin left on and quartered
- 1 sliced medium zucchini
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and potatoes and over medium heat, put a lid on the pan and let cook until potatoes are tender – about 5 minutes. Stir it occasionally so one side doesn’t get too dark – since I only used a small amount of oil, I sprayed with Pam every once in a while so they wouldn’t stick. Remove lid and add the remaining ingredients and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the zucchini is done. I will admit that next time I may add the zucchini separately, because my potatoes didn’t stay as crunchy after I added the zucchini.
Biz- email me your address and I will send you something!
I didn’t want to overshadow my exciting news with a post about food so here are my eats for the day. I am going to eat breakfast at home for the first time in five and a half years, it will be strange. In order to save time in the morning I have a Chobani and a baggie of cereal prepped to be quickly eaten before I leave.
My lunch box is full of fruits, veggies and string cheese to make sure I have snacks for the day. I am grabbing some leftover risotto for lunch in case I do not end up with any other plans. Today is a really big adjustment! I am no longer working downtown so I do not have the convenience of restaurants and the skyways near me, this is going to be interesting!
I prepped this last night so I didn’t have to worry about blogging in the morning before the first day of my new job! I have my clothes out, my lunch packed and my laptop bag all loaded and ready to go. It is like the first day of school all over again! 2009 was a challenging year for work because I didn’t like my job so I took a bad situation and used all of my skills and found myself a new job in a not so great economy!
The craziest thing out of all of this was how quickly it happened- from start to decision was about 2 weeks- CRAZY! Right now I am feel anxious in a good way for a new chapter in my life- this company is tiny (about 60 people) compared to the huge company I just left. It is owned by a woman and I should be working with a great time with a variety of backgrounds and from multiple generations. I will be working with a sales team to help them grow accounts and provide them marketing materials and management. What a great way to start out a new year and a new decade! Wish me luck today I am very nervous, it has been 5 and a half years since I have started anything new.
Do you have any first day tips for me?
