Lamb Loin Chops and Spaghetti Squash

We recently bought a Groupon for $20 for $40 of groceries at Fox & Obel, and decided to use it on some really good cuts of meat. We landed on the lamb loin chops, which certainly did not disappoint.

I did a really simple preparation of the lamb using ingredients we had around the apartment starting with a garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper “rub.”

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I then seared the lamb in some olive oil for two minutes on each side, until the outside was brown and charred. After setting the meat aside to rest, I added some more olive oil, minced garlic and onions – making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get up any of the left behind fat.

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Once the onions were cooked, I added a bit more olive oil, water and a pinch of flour to thicken up the sauce. Then I returned the chops to the pan, coverd and simmered on low heat for 30-40 minutes.

While the meat was cooking, I worked on the spaghetti squash. If you haven’t seen this vegetable before, it’s usually found in the produce section near the other squash. Here’s what is looks like…

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Cooking spaghetti squash is really simple. Just cut it in half and cook (with the inside part on the greased pan) for 40 minutes. Once cooled, take a fork and scrape the inside of the squash so you get “spaghetti.”

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The shredded squash tastes surprisingly a LOT like real pasta. With just 42 calories per cup it is so much healthier than spaghetti. You can cook the squash with any sauce, toppings or seasonings you like. I chose crispy pancetta, butter and plain old S&P.

I had to include one food-porn shot of the pancetta cooking. YUMMMM

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The results were perfectly tender, juicy lamb and “al dente” spaghetti squash with lots of savory, salty pancetta. I only wish there was more meat on the lamb! I could have eated it all night.

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I think I found my favorite vegetable…spaghetti squash is awesome! Have you guys tried it before?

Settling Into Married Life

Well…it’s over! Luke and I are back from our honeymoon and getting settled into married life. I was a little sad the day after our wedding, but in general I have not experienced the dreaded post-wedding depression I’ve heard many brides go through.

People have been asking me, “Is it terrible being back, knowing it’s over?” and the answer is honestly “not at all!” In fact, it feels so good to have my LIFE back.

For the past seven months much of my focus has been on our wedding and all the preparations for the day. It is really amazing to be able to come home and not have any place cards, programs or vendors to deal with. Now my time is spent on things I love doing like reading, cooking, being with friends ect.

Not to say that I am HAPPY our wedding is over…trust me, I would re-live that day over and over again if I could. It was such a wonderful 24 hours. It’s just nice to have a calmer life with more free-time.

Moving in together has been a seamless adjustment so far. It’s nice knowing I get to wake up and come home to Luke everyday. In fact, it’s given me more time to spend with my friends and pursue my own interests apart from Luke because we no longer have to plan when and where we’ll see each other.

Luke’s been a dream to live with so far. I’m not surprised though, he’s incredibly thoughtful. There’s been a pretty even distribution of “chores” (in my mind at least), but Luke’s gone above and beyond to show me he cares like:

– Setting the coffee timer so there’s a fresh pot for me when I wake up after he’s left

– Cooking dinner and NOT making me do the dishes

– Putting his clothes for work out the night before so he can get ready in the morning without waking me at 6am

– Letting me watch my trashy reality TV shows instead of Stossel or Breaking Bad. Thank goodness for DVR! :)

People say the first year of marriage is the hardest. So far, if that’s true, then we’re going to have the breeziest life together. I’m sure we’ll run into co-habitation annoyances sooner or later, but right now all is good.

Many thanks to you all for your kind comments and well-wishes during our wedding. I read them all and felt very loved and supported by my wonderful readers.

Have a relaxing weekend!

Macadamia Nut Sea Bass with Mango Cream Sauce

Last night I broke into some of our new wedding presents to make dinner for Luke and his brother Matt. It’s so nice to have shiny, new pots, pans and plates to play with!

The menu for last night was some wild sea bass coated with a macadamia nut crust, topped with a mango cream sauce. Luke and I had some amazing macadamia nuts in Maui, and I’ve been craving a dish with the same tropical flavors since we’ve been home.

I started out by making the macadamia nut crust in our food processor. It took about a half cup of copped nuts, a tablespoon of olive oil, some red pepper flakes and pepper.

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Next I got the mango cream sauce ready. This sauce is very easy and really makes the entire meal. It’s sweet, rich and pairs perfectly with the macadamia nuts. Just chop half a ripe mango, combine it with 1/2 a cup heavy cream and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it thicken until your fish is ready.

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The last step to this easy recipe is to cook the fish. I started by seasoning it with salt and pepper and then searing it on medium-high heat in a skillet with some olive oil and crushed garlic. Once seared on each side, I transferred the fish to the oven, which was pre-heated to 350, to cook for another 8-10 minutes.

Once cooked through, I topped each filet with the macadamia nut topping and returned it to the oven until the crust was slightly brown.

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I topped each finished fish with a good heaping of the mango cream sauce and added some of our fav veggies: green beans and swiss chard.

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This fish was scrumdiddlyumptious! I would definitely recommend the crust and mango cream sauce, which can be paired with any type of fish from salmon to tilapia.

For dessert, I tested out my springform pan Luke’s sister gave me by making a chocolate-orange cheesecake. It turned out amazing, although it’s hard to go wrong with cheesecake. I got the recipe from the “I Love Cheesecake” cookbook that came along with the pan.

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Enjoy!