If you've never cooked Greek food at home, you might not realize how well it lends itself to quick preparations. Here's a fun and delicious menu that you can whip up in no time once you've shopped for the ingredients. If you marinate the meat early in the day or even in the morning before you go to work, it will be ready to broil when you come home. While it's broiling, you can prepare the salad and orzo pasta (the wonderful little Greek pasta that looks like rice).

Here's the menu:

Greek-style broiled marinated lamb steaks

Greek salad with feta cheese

Orzo pasta with olive oil and lemon

Greek style yogurt with honey and walnuts

Marinated Lamb Steaks
To make the lamb, use 2 pounds of lamb steaks or lamb shoulder chops for 4 people. Make a marinade with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Pour the marinade over the lamb in a shallow baking dish and refrigerate, covered, until ready to broil. Partway through the marinating process, turn the chops to make sure they're well coated. When ready, simply broil or grill the chops on both sides.

Greek Salad
Toss together iceberg lettuce, sliced fresh tomatoes, sliced peeled cucumbers, sliced red onion, Kalamata olives, feta cheese (either crumbled or in cubes), stuffed grape leaves, if you can find them, and anchovies, if you like them. Make a dressing with 2 parts olive oil to 1 part lemon juice.  Add dried oregano and salt and pepper to taste.

Orzo Pasta
You'll find orzo in the pasta section of your grocery store. Cook the orzo like pasta in boiling salted water. When it's al dente, rinse and drain the orzo, then drizzle a little olive oil and a squirt of fresh lemon juice over it and toss to coat. Taste for salt.

Greek Style Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts
Greek style yogurt, which is thicker and creamier than American yogurt, has become very popular over the past few years and can now be found in most grocery stores. Simply place 1/2 cup of the yogurt in individual serving bowls, top with fresh walnuts, and drizzle with your favorite honey. It's a very simple but delicious dessert that combines the tang of the yogurt, the sweetness of the honey, and the crunch of the walnuts.

For more, visit www.magicalmeltingpot.com.