This is a great potato recipe to go with lamb, I found it on epicurious and we loved it. Robin Roasted Potatoes With Garlic, Lemon, And Oregano Other : 2000 PATATES RIGANATES Editor's note: This recipe is excerpted from Aglaia Kremezi's book The Foods of the Greek Islands. To read more about Kremezi and Greek Easter, click here. Few people can resist these potatoes, which are capable of stealing the show from any food they accompany  so make sure you have plenty for seconds. Although it is served all over Greece, this dish is particularly good on islands like Naxos, where the local potatoes have an exceptional taste. On the special days when a leg of lamb or a chicken is roasted, the potatoes are cooked in its juices. If you want to cook this dish using small potatoes, there is no need to peel them, but I suggest that you halve them, because they taste best when they can absorb more sauce. Makes 4 to 6 servings. by Aglaia Kremezi Houghton Mifflin Company 3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 1/2 cup olive oil 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled 1 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup beef stock or chicken stock 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 13-x-9-inch baking dish and pour the oil over them. Add the garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste and toss well to coat with the oil. Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes. Add the stock, toss and bake for 10 minutes more. Add the lemon juice, toss and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through. If you like, preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with the fresh oregano and serve at once. Variation: Dissolve 1 tablespoon tomato paste in the stock, and reduce the amount of lemon juice to taste. Substitute Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes for the black pepper. Sprinkle with the fresh oregano and serve at once. Variation: Dissolve 1 tablespoon tomato paste in the stock, and reduce the amount of lemon juice to taste. Substitute Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes for the black pepper.

That first recipe that mzdee contributed looks intriguing! I'm going to take my chicken out of the freezer now and start marinating it tomorrow. (Gotta think ahead!) The other recipe looks more like Teriyaki Chicken Wings which I also make but with less sugar (Splenda) and powdered Ginger and orange juice. My grocer sells whole chickens for extremely cheap occaisionally. I have a crock pot recipe that calls for a whole chicken and amazingly, it turned out pretty good. I never put raw meat with the exception of beef roasts in there before. Even pork I browned. So live and learn. I am going to try the sticky chicken marinated chicken recipe in the crock pot this week.

This usually doesn't happen to me but I've always got enough ingredients on hand for a great big pot of SOUP or SHEPERDS PIE such as: Sheperds Pie: Since These ingred. I always have on hand and just about as good as CheeseCake Factories Sh. Pie Mashed potatoes (I use a good quality instant such as Paradise Valley brand via Costco - why bother with the hassle when they are great!) Just use once packet prep'd,,basically I'd say about 5 cups of mashed potatoes,,we like a lot so you'll have to go with what amount of potatoes your family likes OR...you could just add canned potatoes that you've drained and diced to the meat mixture, I'd say about 2-3 cans maybe. 1 pound of hamburger 1 med. onion chopped (could use dried, minced onion soaked in water to save time here) 1 med carrot diced (I always have the shredded carrots for salad on hand so I avoid that time) 1-2 celery stalks diced (most always have this on hand for salad but could substitute CANNED CORN if you don't have it) 1 can of mushrooms drained 2/3 C frozen peas 2 TBSP dried parsley 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp or more of Worcestershire sauce 1/8 tsp. nutmeg 1 can of Beef gravy I can have this meal done in less than 30 minutes and you wouldn't need to bake it if you made the instant potatoes last, then just put them directly on the hot meat mixture. Basically, brown the meat and onion,,add the carrot and celery, sweat that or cook til tender, then add the spices the mushrooms and gravy. Lastly add the frozen peas. Mix together, put in a 9x13 pan and top with the potatoes. If it all isn't still hot then bake for 30-40 min in a 400 degree oven. Regarding the Soup: The knock off Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli Soup 1 # hamburger browned with onion, 1 cup slivered carrots (says 7 oz but I just eyeball it or do the shredded salad carrots) 7 oz. celery diced 1 lrg can of diced tomatoes, juice and all 2 cans of beans (either kidney, pinto, great northern, whatever you have and like, could be 2 different ones, drained) 3 regular cans (44 oz.) beef broth or stock 1 1/2 tsp oregano 1 1/4 tsp pepper 2 1/2 tsp dried parsley 3/4 tsp tabasco sauce (optional, I don't) 24 oz of canned spaghetti sauce, your choice 4 oz. of dry small pasta, i.e. those bits for macaroni salad or other small shape Cook the hamburger, onion and carrot. Add celery and canned tomatoes cook about 10 min, drain the beans and add to pot, Add beef broth, spices, spaghetti sauce and pasta. Can be ready in 30 minutes. Makes 4 1/2 Qts. Pretty much everything is canned or frozen, the only iffy thing is the carrot and celery, I've used dried, minced onion soaked in water in a pinch. Everybody loves it.

How food is served, what is served, etc. is a bit of a touchy issue for me. I think, like everything else, different people have different lifestyles (and probably different histories). No big deal. Just as different families handle finances, discipline, decorating, and everything else differently. I really appreciate that attitude. That's the way I feel. When I'm invited to someone's home for dinner, I appreciate whatever they've done. If it's different than my own personal tastes, then I just appreciate the adventure of experiencing someone else's family culture or lifestyle. The reason it's a touchy issue for me is this: And some of us feel if you have company over, you should offer plenteous food, lots of choices, but leave to the guest which items they want to eat, and in what quantity. Just different styles That's the way my MIL feels about it, but without the "Just different styles". I've known my MIL for 30 years, and every meal I've ever had at her house offered lots of choices, tons of food, buffet-style, everything was delicious. I deeply appreciate all the effort she puts into all her meals, and they are always wonderful. But she just can't seem to accept any other way as appropriate for guests. When we were a young married couple, we almost always invited my inlaws if we had some type of special occasion or dinner. Sometimes I did a party with a theme, or served just one special entree, etc. It always clearly upset and embarrassed my MIL that I didn't have lots of choices and tons and tons of food. She tried to make up for my deficiencies by bringing lots of extra food. I'm not talking about dinners for her extended family, in which case I keep to their customs if I'm the hostess. In all the years I've known my MIL, her special meals have all been for family, no dinner parties with friends. And that's fine. Special meals involve 3 meats or more, all her regular every day homestyle vegetables dishes (mashed potatoes, peas, fried okra, etc.), served on paper plates. Basically the same as her every day meals, just more of it. And that is fine. It's wonderful, and I never have ever thought she should do anything different than that, I've always just been happy to eat it. I just wish she didn't see a special meal with only one entree, one salad, one fruit, one starch, one vegetable, and one dessert, plated and served on china as an offense against my guests. Like azzalea said, it's all good. I will be happy if you serve me on paper plates, hopefully you won't care if I serve you on china. I will be happy if you serve me mashed potatoes and peas, hopefully you won't care if I serve you marinated asparagus and fish with a garnish. I will be happy if you serve me 10 choices, all of them plain and family style. Hopefully you won't care if I go to a lot of trouble and expense to create that one special entree for you. I could go over to someone's house, step over the toys and the laundry that needs to be folded, eat hot dogs and chips that they plated on paper plates and have a wonderful evening. So I guess it just astounds me to meet someone who thinks you shouldn't invite someone over unless you're going to have 3 meats, 5 vegetables, 2 salads, 6 desserts, and deviled eggs and serve it buffet style, in a house that's immaculate. Whew! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest!