Cheesy Zucchini Rice

     I saw this recipe on a different blog and I thought to myself, "I can make that better." And so I did.

     If you're wondering what Cheesy Zucchini Rice is, you might not be that quick on the uptake. It's exactly what it sounds like and best of all you can customize this dish to your preference! Originally, this recipe had "shredded zucchini in it, but I prefer a crunch to my vegetables. So this time, we're going to get out the peeler and do our very best to peel a zucchini or two. And it just so happens that I GREW a HUGE zucchini in my very own garden this Summer, BAM!


You will need:

• 1 medium OR 2 small zucchini(s), peeled approximately 2 cups
• 1 cup rice
• 2 cups chicken broth OR 2 cups water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, OR go FANCY and use 1/3 cup Mozzarella, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and 1/3 cup Gruyere
• 1/2 TSP garlic powder
• salt and pepper to your liking
• 1-2 TBSP milk (optional if it comes out too thick)

     Start with the rice first. This whole process should take under 25 minutes. Boil the chicken broth in a small sauce pot and then add the rice. While the rice is cooking, we're going to prep everything else.







 
     Peel your zucchini, and then chop them up into bite-size pieces. Grate the cheese or cheeses of you choosing. This is where you can really customize this dish. It can be totally kid friendly or parent-pleasing. Either way, you will receive rounds of applause for this little jewel!

   
     When the rice is done after about 20 minutes, remove it from heat and quickly add all of the ingredients. All that remains is to stir it up until all of the cheese is melted.

     The heat from the rice actually cooks the zucchini just enough so that it's not raw but still crunchy! This is also an excellent way to sneak some vegetables into your diet without being overwhelmed by all that green. Don't judge me!


     Ok, well - I hope you like Cheesy Zucchini Rice as much as my people and I do. I've had to make it twice this week.

Love,

Liz

Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops!!

I must be channeling Paula Deen to be putting so much pork in one place, but I can't help myself! This is so good. And I promise you, it's much healthier than anything Paula Deen the Ham Queen ever made. Ham butter? Ew.

So, I basically took my Nanny's stuffed pork chops recipe and added a few things.

You will need:

• 2 thick cut pork chops
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 onion
• 1 TBSP butter
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper
• lemon (optional)
• 1 box herb stuffing
• 2 strips thick cut bacon

Preheat the oven to 425.

First, fry up them bacons. If you don't know how to prepare bacon at your age, that's a shame and I pity you. Heat up the pan, fry on med-high heat for about 5-7 minutes on each side. ANYWAY, while that's going on, take this time to cut your celery stalks into long quarters and dice them. Then, dice up that onion, too.

Heat up a small skillet and put the butter in there. Now sautee your vegetable at a medium heat until tender. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder then remove from heat. Once the bacon is cooked evenly, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to degrease them. make sure to blot both sides thoroughly. Let the bacon cool and then rip it into little bits with your fingers.

Follow the directions on the stuffing box then add vegetables and bacon chunks, mix it up, pop the cover on and remove from heat.

While the stuffing is sitting, season the pork chops on each side with salt and pepper. Get a big, sharp knife and make an incision in the middle on the long side where there's no fat (it's easier). Make it sort of a curved cut so that the stuffing has a pocket to rest in. And yes this looks hilarious, but please, soldier on.

Set aside about 2 cups of stuffing so that you're not re-dipping with a spoon covered in raw pork. Spoon in the stuffing and really pack it in there. Now get two lemon slices and place them on top on the stuffing. You don't have to, but it's pretty and adds a nice light flavor.

Wrap the pork chops in separate aluminum foil sheets so that they close at the top. Place them in a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. Then, open foil and bake for another 5-8 minutes to give the stuffing a crispy shell.

Oh, my God. This stuffing is so good. Mmmmmm, pig meat.

Love,

Liz

P.S. Always make sure to cook all pork products thoroughly otherwise, YOU WILL DIE.

Lemon Garlic Lamb Chops

I never cooked with lamb until tonight and OH MY, GOD. These are so freaking fantastic. And easy AND cheap which is also important.

Ok, so, I got these three pretty good sized lamb chops for about $5, and the ears of corn were 3 for $1, and the Rice-A-Roni was something like $2-3. So that's a $7-8 meal with leftovers because there's no way you can finish all that Rice-A-Roni in one sitting by yourself.

Now for the recipe!

You Will Need:

• lamb chops
• garlic powder
• lemon pepper
• salt
• black pepper
• olive oil
• a lemon
  

Just take the lamb chops out of the packaging and plop 'em down on a cutting board. Cover each side with an even spread of garlic powder, lemon pepper, black pepper, and salt.

While you're seasoning the chops, get out a frying pan and pour some extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of the pan. I didn't measure anything in this recipe since I was flying by the seat of my pants, but I'd say about 3-4 TBSP of olive oil will do it. Set the heat on medium or medium-high.

Now, take your lemon and roll it around on the counter with the palm of your hand. Press kind of firmly. This with smoosh the lemon and make it more juicy. Cut it in half and squeeze it into the oil.

When the oil is hot, gently place the lamb chops into the frying pan. If you just plop them in there, the hot oil my fly up and burn you. I had to learn that the hard way and now I have a scar on my chin!
In this photo, they're not fully cooked, for me anyway. I don't really like my meat to be bloody. The time it takes to cook really depends on how rare you like your meat:


Rare: 3-4 minutes on each side
Medium-Rare: 5-6 minutes on each side
Medium: 7-8 minutes on each side
Well Done: 9-10 minutes on each side


Mmm, yummy. I ate one of the lamb chops while I was waiting for the corn and rice to cook. But, so, yeah, this was a very filling meal, my friends. And it was soooo good! I was actually startled at how good it came out so I hope you'll like this recipe, too.


Oh, by the way, to boil corn: boil the water first, duh, then corn. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Smother with butter and salt because that's the way it's done. Scrumpty!

Love,

Liz