For tonight’s dinner, we celebrated Max’s birthday (a little late, and for a second time).  We made braised lamb shanks but we started the day before because it needs to cook for a long time (we make it in a slow cooker) and it tastes better if it sits for a while. We used lamb shanks AND extra lamb stew meat because when we made it before we didn’t think there was quite enough meat.  Also if you let it sit for a while in the fridge after its cooked, then the fat comes to the top, solidifies and is easy to scoop out (then you reheat it).  Max helped out with the braised lamb shanks but then Alex took over because she wanted the rest of the meal to be a surprise for his birthday.  Alex made couscous, pear-walnut-goat cheese-cranberry salad, peas (from the garden), baked brie and his favorite brownies for dessert.  We also tried the Vin Santo (sweet wine) we had brought back from Santorini, Greece.

Alex thought it was amazing how much the couscous changed when it was cooked with water; “it starts out as these tiny, hard grains and then changes into large fluffy ones.”  It’s also very easy to make. Just boil water, add the couscous and let sit for 5 minutes.

Max thought it was amazing how the wine gave the braised lamb so much flavor although the amount of wine added was tiny compared to the other ingredients (in the braised lamb shanks).

Here are some photos:

Sitting down for dinner! Yum!

Chopping carrots, celery and onions for lamb shank braise

Chopping garlic for lamb shank braise

Sauteing vegetables for lamb shank braise

Red wine for braise

Browned lamb

All the ingredients in the slow cooker…cooks for 8 hours

Lamb after 8 hours

Making pear, mache, goat cheese, walnut, cranberry salad

Baked Brie

Beating eggs and sugar for brownies

Fudge Brownies (our favorite)

VinSanto from Santorini, Greece (great with brownies)