Rinse lamb chops with cold water, tap dry with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Heat the open skillet on medium heat, add 3 tbsp olive oil. Cover chops in spices, pressing slightly to allow spices stick to meat surface, shake off the excess, and  place in the skillet.

Whatever it was, I invited beer to my kitchen, and it graciously accepted. Cooking with beer has a long tradition, but for some reason appears less often in the kitchen than wine. Just like wine, beer works well as a deglazing agent for a pan sauce and is also a great liquid for braising because it has a degree of acidity that helps tenderize the meat.

I like to cook pilaf: standing over the range, stirring meat, and breathing in this wonderful aromatic blend of spices and lamb.  This makes me feel I'm in an exotic place somewhere in the Middle East cooking for a sultan ready for his next night of exciting tales. Maybe he would cut my throat if he doesn't like my pilaf, maybe not if he likes a new story and his heart would be softened.

The answer is simple: grape leaves that are used in this recipe are not your regular easily available product, and I do not grow grapes in my garden. What a pity.  But during my last visit to a Russian market I ran into pickled grape leaves.

OK, there is no bad weather, and we humans have to accept everything from Mother Nature. Since the cooking for Sunday had been planned ahead, I decided to follow the plan. It was tomato lamb soup, one of our favorites, genius in its simplicity, accompanied by a vegetable salad.