House/Carter Dinner

Last Saturday we had our friends the Carter's over for dinner. We decided to do a Greek/Mediterranean theme to the evening. I made homemade pita for an appetizer along with Trader Joe's hummus. For our main course we did Lamb Meatball Kabobs with Tzatziki and couscous. I forgot to take pictures of everything until dinner was over so they aren't very good.

Kabobs

2 medium garlic cloves
1 cup red onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
3/4 pound ground lamb (I used 1 pound of each meat)
3/4 pound ground beef
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano (all we had was fresh from the garden)
1/2 tsp. paprika

Sauce
4 ounces cucumber
1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce

1. To prepare the meatballs: In a food processor, finely chop the garlic, onion, and mint. In a medium bowl, combine the contents of the food processor with the remaining meatball ingredients. Blend and squeeze the mixture with your hands until it is well combined. Lightly wet your hands with cold water, then shape the mixture into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Thread long wide skewers through the center of the meatballs, about 4 or 5 meatballs per skewer, leaving room between each meatball. Place the kabobs on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
2. To make the sauce: Grate the cucumber. Drain in a colander and squeeze out most of the moisture. In a medium bowl, whisk together cucumber and remaining sauce ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Lightly brush or spray the kabobs on all sides with oil. Grill over direct medium heat until fully cooked, 8 to 10 minutes, gently rotating meatballs 1 or 3 times during grilling.

I didn't use a recipe for my couscous so I'll just tell you what I put in it.

• Israeli couscous
• Kalamata olives
• Sauted red onion & red pepper
• Little olive oil
• Lemon juice & zest
• Feta cheese
• Fresh dill
• Grape tomatoes
  

I had to post pictures of these flowers we bought from the farmers market. Aren't they beautiful?