Spiced Lamb Chops with Moroccan Inspired Charmoula

This was our dinner Friday night:

When Chuck and I were visiting my parents over Christmas we bought a little wine.  A case of wine.  Chuck was like a little kid on Christmas when he found a 2006 bottle of Charles Krug Zinfandel.  We bought it and decided we'd save it for a special occasion.  He had talked about having it with lamb and had a few ideas. I really like lamb so I was all in.  We have been pretty busy and hadn't had a fancy night in for a while. Friday morning I got this text:

Done.




Spiced Lamb Chops with Moroccan Inspired Charmoula

Ingredients:

                  6         Lamb chops of similar thickness, ours were about 1".  This way they cook 
                                         evenly

         Spice rub:
                  1 T      Ground cumin
                  1 T      Cayenne pepper
                  1 T      Paprika
                  1/2 T   Chili Powder
                  1 t        Kosher salt
                  1 t        Freshly grated black pepper
                              Olive oil
        Charmoula:
                  Big handful Parsley
                  Big handful Cilantro
                  3     Green onions (just the green parts)
                  1 T  Spice rub (above)
                  Zest and juice from 1 small lemon
                  1 clove of garlic

Directions:

     1:     Mix together all of the dry ingredients from the rub.  Set aside.

     2:     Place all ingredients for the Charmoula in a food processor.  Blend until fairly
                      smooth and refrigerate.

     3:     Lightly oil all sides of each lamb chop.  Sprinkle rub onto each side, lightly rubbing it 
                      in as you go.  Let sit at room temperature for 45-60 minutes.

     4:     Preheat oven to 325 degrees and heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat with 
                      about 1 T olive oil. Tip from Chuck:  If you use a non-stick pan in place of a cast 
                      iron skillet you won't get as nice of a crust on the meat.  Place the lamb chops in 
                     a single layer in the skillet and allow the side to sear for 4-5 minutes.  

     5:     Flip your lamb chops and spoon the Charmoula over each one. 

     6:     Transfer into your oven and let back for 7-8 minutes until your meat thermometer 
                     reads 135-140 degrees.  When you remove them and let them rest they will reach 
                     about 145.

Two Cheese and Mushroom Red Wine Risotto
This is very similar to the other Mushroom Risotto that was posted before, but this one is a little different.
 
Ingredients
     3 1/2 c.           Chicken stock - unsalted
     3 T                   Olive oil
     1                       Onion, diced
     1                       Garlic clove, crushed with a pinch of salt*
                              Kosher salt
                              Freshly ground pepper
     8oz                  Sliced mushrooms, shitake
     1/2 c.               Zinfandel - at room temperature (we did use some from our fancy bottle)
     1 c.                   Arborio rice   
     1 T                   Italian flat leaf parsley, freshly chopped
     1/4 c.              Grated parmesan
                             Goat cheese for garnish
Directions:

     1:     Heat the chicken stock in a pot to medium heat.  You won't be adding anything to 
                      this, so you don't need to use a giant, or even medium pot.
     2:     Heat a second pot to medium heat with olive oil.  Add the onion and a pinch of salt 
                      and pepper.  Stir to cook evenly and once the onions are softened, add the 
                      mushrooms and a pinch of salt.  Once the mushrooms are nice and soft, add the 
                      garlic. Tip from Chuck: adding garlic early will cause it to burn and stink.  Add 
                      only about a minute before another big addition to your recipe to keep the 
                      flavor nice and clean. After about a minute, mix in the rice and let it toast with 
                      all of the flavors, stirring well to combine and fully coat with the mushrooms 
                      and onions.
     3:      Add the Zinfandel - remember it should be at room temperature, not straight 
                      from the refrigerator.  Allow to cook for a few minutes then add a couple of  
                      ladles of the chicken stock (the chicken stock should be similar temperature to 
                      the rice mixture). 
     4:     This is the part that takes the most attention.  Allow the rice to cook until the 
                      chicken stock is almost all absorbed. Don't let it get dry! Add a couple more
                      ladles of the stock and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Continue stirring, watching,  
                      adding stock in this manner and tasting occasionally.  Once the rice reaches the 
                      tender side of al dente, add the Parmesan and parsley.  This while pull it all 
                      together!
      5:     Once plated, garnish with a little bit of chopped fresh parsley and goat cheese.


 Chilled Asparagus Salad

Ingredients:

         1           Bunch of asparagus
                      Dijon vinaigrette (it's about 2/3 of the way down the page)  We added a little 
                                  lemon juice too!
         1 T        Slivered almonds
         1 1/2 T Shaved Parmesan cheese (Chuck shaved it right off the block with a vegetable 
                                     peeler)

Directions:

     1:     Cut asparagus into bite sized pieces and blanch. 

     2:     Chill blanched asparagus in the refrigerator.
     3:     Place on plate, drizzle vinaigrette on top, and finish with slivered almonds and 
                    Parmesan.

We Aren't Slacking! Well, maybe a little.

This has been our last few days:
         Friday:  Had some friends over for appetizers and drinks, walked to the Idaho 
             Steelheads hockey game (they won in overtime!), followed by going out downtown.  
             Too. Much. Fun.  
                   The food: For appetizers Chuck got a couple of pre-marinated pork roasts and   
                         slow cooked them for pulled pork sliders.  He also put together a veggie tray 
                         with some dip.  
                   I made these jalapeno poppers.  I strayed from the recipe by baking the empty 
                          jalapenos at 350 for 10 minutes before filling them and skipping the egg, just 
                          put the breadcrumbs on top.  They were a hit.  None left over, even for the 2 
                          people who showed up a little late.  
                   I also made some home made mac and cheese in cupcake liners for individual 
                          servings.  I'll post the recipe soon, once I make it and take pictures.  It was 
                          Chuck's recipe but I nailed it!
                   Lastly, I made Drunken Ginger cupcakes.  I got the idea from this site but, 
                          changed it up a little.  I just a box of spice cake mix, added a teaspoon of 
                          ground ginger, replaced the water it called for with rum, and for a little boost 
                          I added a package of dry instant vanilla pudding.  Topped them with cream 
                          cheese frosting. Delish!

         Saturday:  We headed up to McCall for a day of skiing at Brundage and a stay at Shore Lodge. It was a great little escape from town and we had a pizza for dinner that was topped with duck and ground venison.  We couldn't NOT order something like that!  It was great.

     
         Sunday:  Found a great little spot for breakfast called the Fogglifter.  Chuck literally inhaled his eggs benedict and my veggie breakfast burrito was one of the best I've ever had. 

After the drive back to Boise we made a quick stop at the grocery store and found a great deal on lobster.  It went onto the grill and topped the reworked gumbo pictured below.  Instead of rice, Chuck roasted some potatoes to put on top.  To avoid the shrimp getting chewy, he removed it from the gumbo before heating it up, cut the shrimp into smaller pieces and stirred it back in right before serving.

         Monday we had Tina's Taco Salad and it hit the spot.

         Tuesday we had something new! Homemade pizza.  This is usually one of our favorites but lately the crust hasn't been turning out quite right. Chuck's dad pointed us toward this one and we followed it exactly, other than going lighter on the oil than it called for.  Between not reworking the recipe and Chuck getting started before I was able to get to his house, I didn't write down the steps or take many pictures, but here's the link: Pizza Hut Pan Pizza Recipe.  We didn't make the sauce they have listed as Chuck has a go-to that he actually has his mom send since you can't buy it here.  We topped ours with pepperoni, sausage, and sauteed mushrooms.

        So, that's what we've been up to.  Chuck is gone tonight for work but I'm sure we'll be cooking up some great stuff again soon!  He has lots of ideas!

Twice Baked Yams

Last week I decided again to make dinner.  I had found this recipe through Pinterest. I love yams but the normal sweet toppings don't do it for Chuck, or really me either.  I also knew that I was going to need to incorporate some meat into this meal. This meal is very healthy and Chuck told me, "This is the best thing you've ever cooked." Yes!!!!!  Here's what I did.

Twice Baked Yams

Ingredients:

     1            Medium yam
     1/3 c.     Frozen corn
     1/3 c.     Black beans, rinsed and drained
     1 pat      Butter
                   Kosher salt
                   Ground black pepper
     1 pinch  New Mexico Chili Powder
     1 pinch  Crushed red pepper flakes
     2 T         Yellow onion, diced
     1            Canned chipotle pepper, minced
     1 t          Adobo sauce (from the can of chipotle peppers)
     1/2 oz.   Cream cheese, softened
     1 T         Sour cream
     1 T         Plain Greek yogurt
     1 T         Fresh cilantro
     1/4 c.     Shredded cheese, I used sharp cheddar, but Monterrey Jack would be great too!

Directions:

     1:     Heat oven to 350 and bake your yam 45-60 minutes until completely cooked.
     2:     Heat a medium pan to medium heat and roast the corn (resist stirring too much) 
                     with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, the chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes. 
                     While it's roasting, drain and rinse your black beans and put in a small bowl.  
                     Once corn is nicely browned, add it to the bowl.

     3:     Melt the pat of butter in your pan at medium heat and add the diced onion.  Cook 
                     until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the cooked onion to the corn and 
                     beans, mix in the cilantro, and set aside. 

     4:     In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, and Greek yogurt together. Tip 
                     from Ashley:  I used Greek yogurt because I ran out of sour cream.  Next time I 
                     would skip the sour cream all together.  I kicked myself for not thinking about 
                     that sooner.

     5:     Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper as well as the minced chipotle pepper and adobo 
                     sauce to the mixture and set aside.

 

     6:     Once the yam is cooked, remove from the oven, cut in half length wise and spoon 
                     3/4 of the yam insides into the bowl with the cream cheese mixture.  Throw the 
                     rest of the insides of the yam away.  Save the skin! Tip from Ashley: The original 
                     recipe said a thin layer of yam left on the skin is helpful but mine peeled cleanly 
                     off, still worked out great.    

 
     7:     Mix in the corn, beans, and onions into the yam mixture.

     8:     Spoon this mixture back into your yam skins and pack it in there.  Top with 
                     shredded cheese and pop back in the oven until the cheese is melted and the 
                     filling is nice and hot. 15-25 minutes.

 

Remember, we like spicy.  Leaving out the chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or the adobo sauce will make it more mild.  I'm going to use the left over ingredients to make a few more of these today for lunches this week.

We grilled chicken breasts to serve with this and I made extra for leftovers.  Pretty easy recipe.  I threw five thawed chicken breasts in a gallon ziplock bag with 1/2 packet of McCormick Grill Mates Mojito Lime marinade mix, juice from 1/2 lemon, and about 1 T of fresh basil, chopped up.  Refrigerated this for about an hour and then allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling!  Easy, huh?

Chuck's Mom's Goulash with a Twist

Whew, yesterday was a little crazy and nothing got posted. Who knew a car with only 24k miles would need a new clutch?!  Bummer.  Today, is much better.

This is good comfort food, especially in cold weather.  The weather in Boise has been in the low 40s the last couple of days, which feels like a heat wave!  Chuck commented how surprised he was to not have made this yet this winter.  It was quick and easy.  He told me it was a staple when he was living in Minnesota working long days. With this meal he was able to have a good home cooked meal fairly fast.  And even though he doesn't like left overs, these left overs are really good!

Chuck's tips for this recipe:  Normally goulash is made with beef, he uses ground pork and really enjoys the change.  This dish needs layered flavors or has the potential to be bland.  That means that a sprinkle of salt and pepper with each set of ingredient additions is important.

With this we had a gazpacho salad.  This is another one that he has introduced me to that I love.  I had the recipe written down from the first time we had it but now I have pictures!!

Chuck's Mom's Goulash with a Twist

Ingredients:

     1 lb.          Ground pork
     15 oz.       Tomato sauce
     15 oz.       Diced tomatoes
     3/4 can     Water (use one of the tomato cans)
     2 c.           Macaroni, uncooked
     1 t             Crushed red pepper flakes
     1 t             Italian seasoning
     1 T           Sugar
                     Kosher salt
                     Fresh ground pepper 

Directions:

     1:     Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot (our pot was EXTRA large, you don't need to 
                     go THAT big, we just didn't have many options).  Add ground pork and a pinch 
                     of salt and pepper.  Brown the pork.

     2:     Drain the fat drippings from the pan.
     3:     Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, 1t black pepper, large pinch of salt, and 

     4:     Stir in the pasta and bring to a boil.  Keep covered and reduce heat to let simmer for 
                    20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

 

Gazpacho Salad

Ingredients:

     1              Tomato, diced
     1/3           English cucumber, or regular, diced
     12-15       Pimento stuffed green olives, halved if they are large
     1/2           Celery stalk, sliced
     1/2 c.       Texas Toast croutons
     1/4 c.       Italian Salad dressing
                     A few leaves of romaine or iceberg lettuce (optional)

Directions:

     1:     In a medium bowl, toss the tomato, cucumber, olives, celery, croutons, and dressing.

     2:     Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
     3:     Spoon onto leaves of lettuce (or just straight into a bowl or plate) and serve!

The dressing soaks into the croutons just enough to flavor them.  They are hearty enough to stand up to the dressing for a while.  Very good!


On another note.  We are currently obsessed with "Bobby's Dinner Battle" on Food Network and can't figure out how to apply!  We would kill it!