Another Dinner on the Run

I'm sitting here watching a rainbow of birds fluttering around the feeders in my yard: red Cardinals, orange Orioles, yellow Goldfinches, green Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, blue Bluejays and Bluebirds, and purple Housefinches. I love my birds.

Sam is at golfing with a friend, so I decided to come home and race around for an hour to see what I could get done and then take the rest of the time just for me. I've had a serious deficit of recharge time this summer and so has Sam, so we're working on that, together.

Last night the young man was headed out with his heroes to launch some rockets. So, dinner had to be early and quick.

My go-to recipe if I have ground lamb available is Gyros. Ordinarily, I make my own pitas (they're so easy), and Tzatziki sauce, but I was super time crunched. So, I bought both. (I know, GASP)

Easy Gyros

1 lb lean ground lamb
a small chopped onion
1 TB garlic
Lots of fresh parsley, basil, thyme,rosemary---if you have to use dry, go for it anyway. Just measure about 1 tsp of each in your palm and toss in the bowl

Mix all of the above together early in the day or the night before if you can. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Then brown in a skillet and drain off any excess grease. Serve on warmed pita bread with Tzatsiki sauce, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, thinly sliced red onion.

Be warned. These are so yummy, you may not speak for the entire meal.



My Tzatsiki Sauce
This is party size, scale down or enjoy as a veggie dip or burger topper (you're welcome), salad dressing, slaw dressing, etc. Does not freeze.

2 medium cucumbers
2 (16 ounce) containers sour cream
1 (16 ounce) container Greek yogurt (very important, but any plain yogurt will do)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Peel cucumbers and grate into a colander lined with paper towels. Squeeze out excess water.
Mix together sour cream, yogurt, garlic, and olive oil in a large bowl. Stir in cucumbers. Chill at least 30 minutes. Fresh dill is a nice addition.