The Best Dinner I Ever Cooked

Guest Article Written  By Wendy

The best dinner I ever cooked for myself was a delicious summer supper of Greek food. I researched the perfect recipes, bought the items, cooked everything myself and truly enjoyed every minute I spent eating the meal with my best friend and my boyfriend.



Researching the recipes

Every summer day is a scorcher in my neck of the woods. I wanted to make a special meal, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time in a hot kitchen. Therefore, I decided to cook on the grill and have side dishes that were cool and refreshing.

I definitely also wanted a healthy meal that included probiotics. My best friend, who was joining us, is diabetic so she has to be careful about what she eats. I love the effects probiotics have on my digestion, so I wanted to include them. I feel great when I include them in my diet. I love Greek food but my town has no Greek restaurants.

After searching the internet for different ideas, I decided to make lamb with a delicious yogurt sauce, a feta, tomato and cucumber salad and, for dessert, a tasty brandy-soaked fruit dish. I was so excited about my recipes, especially since they were so healthy!

Shopping for my ingredients

Luckily, my local grocery store had everything I needed for my meal. The butcher had the exact cut of lamb I wanted; the tomatoes and fruit were beautiful and, best of all, several items were on sale! The plain, Greek-style yogurt containing probiotics was the item I was anxious about finding, but there were several varieties from which I could choose. As I checked out I was sure I was on the road to an excellent meal.

Cooking the meal
I planned carefully to make sure that cooking the meal would go as smoothly as possible. I prepared all of my cold dishes while my meat marinated. Then, about thirty minutes before I wanted to eat, I opened the wine and started to grill. My boyfriend joined me outside while the lamb cooked. As it cooked, he asked what we were having for dinner. My best friend arrived shortly thereafter. Setting the table for dinner was easy since the cold dishes were already prepared.

Enjoying the meal

Since the meal was so healthy, we all enjoyed having plentiful servings of each course. The lamb was cooked perfectly-- I had never cooked it before so I was thrilled about how well it came out. The tart yet cool yogurt sauce was a perfect compliment to the lamb and went wonderfully with the refreshing cucumber and tomato salad. With pita bread, the main course was complete. Finishing dinner on my patio as dusk settled with the tasty fruit soaked in brandy was the perfect way to end the evening.