Harvest Leg of Lamb

Autumn is here! Well, not so much in Florida, but my calendar says it should be autumn and I'm craving autumn food. Here is one of our favorite autumn meals. I love to serve this on the weekends when I have people over for football. Especially if it's a cold, wet day.

1 5 to7 lb whole lamb leg roast (bone in)
6 cloves garlic, cut into thin slices (about half a bulb)
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon pepper

1. Trim fat from meat. With the tip of a knife, cut ½” wide slits into roast at 1” intervals (approximately 36 holes) inserting a thin slice of garlic in each. Brush meat surface with lemon juice. Stir together parsley, oil, Italian seasoning or oregano, and pepper. Pat parsley mixture into meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.

2. Place meat, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into center of meat, without touching bone. Roast in 325 oven until thermometer registers 140 for medium rare (1 ¾ to 2 ¼ hours) or 155 for medium (2 to 2 ½ hours). Transfer meat to serving platter. Cover meat with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Serves 12 to 16

Calories: 187
Fat: 8 grams
Saturated fat: 3 grams
Sodium: 68 mg
Carbs: 2 grams

Chicken and Pasta Primavera

This is a recipe from the back of a Campbell's soup lable. It isn't fancy or ground breaking, but it's fast and it gets the job done when you need dinner on the table ten minutes ago!

1 can (10.75 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bag (16 oz) frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots mix is a good one)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 of a 1-pound package spaghetti, cooked without salt and drained (you can also use whatever other pasta you may have on hand)

1. Heat soup, milk, cheese, garlic powder and vegetables in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.

2. Stir chicken in saucepan and cook until mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve over pasta.

Serves 4

Calories: 473
Total fat: 10 grams
Saturated fat: 3 grams
Cholesterol 72 mg
Sodium: 449 mg
Total Carbs: 59 grams
Dietary Fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 35 grams