Growing up on a dairy farm, we always had plenty of hamburger, roasts and steaks in our huge deep freezer. Back then, chicken was for a special occasion. And we never ate lamb.

When my future husband and I were on a date in college, he took me to a nice restaurant one evening and he ordered lamb. He offered me a taste, and oh, my! What a treat!

Over the years as our family grew, Joel would do the major holiday cooking, and our traditional Easter meal has been leg of lamb. Our adult children expect this now, as do our holiday dinner guests.

Last week, I received information about the American Lamb Board’s current promotion — February’s Lamb Lovers Month. The promotion, on the ALB's Facebook page, asks consumers to pick their "lamb language of love." In return, they receive a custom lamb recipe and are entered in a contest to win cuts of lamb, a $200 restaurant gift certificate and other prizes.

The new recipes offered by ALB range from romantic classics like shanks and racks to a heartwarming pasta. ALB’s bloggers, called "lambassadors," also will be helping to promote the contest with their own lamb recipes. Visit the ALB’s Facebook page to view and participate in the contest. Check it out here.