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Spring is trying to burst forth, but we do live in Eastern Washington, so anything can happen weather-wise. Spring brings new, fresh food items to market. Lamb chops, roasts and other cuts are more prevalent at large supermarket meat counters this time of year, and some families include roast lamb in their Easter menu.

Roasting lamb is not hard, but requires a bit more roasting time per pound that other red meats. This is because lamb is not as marbled with fat as beef and needs a slow roasting time to meld the outer fat into the meat for tenderness and flavor.

Roast Lamb

Lamb roast

Salt and pepper

3-4 garlic cloves

(optional)

Bring roast from refrigerator about 30 minutes before roasting. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sprinkle roast on all sides with salt and ground black pepper. If using garlic cloves, peel and slice very thin.

Place roast in roasting pan. Using a sharp thin blade knife cut small slits in the fat coating the top side of the roast, parallel to the meat and insert the garlic slices. Place roast in preheated oven, uncovered and roast 30 to 35 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer reads 175 degrees for medium, or 180 degrees for well done. Standing time for lamb before slicing is 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Honey mustard flavor is a good paring for roast lamb. Honey Mustard Glaze gives savory variety to roasting results. Added to the roast about an hour before roasting is done, it gives a pungent sweetness to the meat.

Honey-Mustard Glaze

1/2 cup prepared

mustard

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground

black pepper

Prepare lamb and roast as above, omitting garlic.

Meanwhile, combine glaze ingredients and blend well. Let stand until 1 hour before end of roasting time.

Spoon glaze over roast, covering all the exposed top and sides. Continue roasting until a meat thermometer registers the desired doneness. Remove from oven and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.

You can find more lamb cooking instructions and recipes at http://www.americanlamb.com or American Lamb Board on Facebook.

Lemon Nut Bars, a recipe I found on the Philadelphia Brand website a number of years ago is a refreshing dessert bar, that cuts nicely and easy to transport for potluck and buffet meals.

Lemon Nut Bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose

flour

1/2 cup packed brown

sugar

1/4 cup granulated

sugar

3/4 cup margarine

or butter

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 package (8 ounces)

Philadelphia Brand

Cream Cheese,

softened

1 egg

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp grated

lemon peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugars, stirring well. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oatmeal and nuts.

Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture.

Press remaining mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, egg, juice and peel in a medium bowl and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended.

When crust is baked, pour cream cheese mixture evenly over crust and sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Bake 25 minutes more. Cool completely and cut into bars. Yield: 3 dozen bars.

Creamy Chicken and Vegetables is an easy stovetop, hurry up, main dish, that needs only crusty bread or rolls and a green salad for a complete meal. The recipe calls for chicken breasts, but boneless chicken thighs work well if your family prefers dark meat.

Creamy Chicken and Vegetables

4 boneless

chicken breast halves

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1-2 Tbsp olive or

canola oil

1 can (10 3/4 ounces)

cream of mushroom

soup

1 soup can milk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp crushed

dried basil

1 bag (10 to 16 ounces) frozen cauliflower, broccoli, carrot mixture

Sprinkle chicken pieces with garlic powder. Cook chicken over medium heat in oiled skillet until browned on all sides.

Add soup, milk, lemon juice, basil and vegetables to the skillet. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and cook 10 to 15 minutes more, until chicken is done and vegetables are tender. Yield: 4 servings.

Note: Remove the chicken from the pan when browned and slice chicken crosswise into 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices, then return to the pan. This makes the chicken moister when done and cooks a little faster.

One of my favorite cookies is oatmeal. I also love chocolate covered raisins. Deluxe Oatmeal Raisin Cookies combines both. The original recipe calls for the Nestles Toll House Brand chocolate covered raisins, but I have not found them available recently, so I use any brand with equal success.

Deluxe Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose

flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground

cinnamon

1 cup butter or

margarine, softened

3/4 cup granulated

sugar

3/4 cup packed

brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups quick or

regular oatmeal

1 1/3 cup chocolate

covered raisins

1 cup chopped nuts.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oatmeal, chocolate covered raisins and nuts.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven, 7-8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Share your favorite springtime recipes by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record Office.