Rack of Lamb and Zucchini

Well it's been a while since I've posted up one of my new favorite recipes lately so here you go! This lamb chops recipe is one that Allen and I did on a whim for our little mini celebration the Monday before Christmas and I've seriously been craving it ever since! I'm proud of this one because it's one we did completely on our own with no recipe (so bear with me while I write this out - if you have any questions just let me know!)

Sorry - this one is not for my veggie friends unfortunately, but the zucchini recipe below could work for you! Just skip down :)

Rack of Lamb
Ingredients:
- 1 whole rack of lamb (the one Allen and I got from Meijer had 8 racks in it - there's not a lot of meat on the bones so 4 each was the perfect amount, we weren't crazy full or anything)
- Olive Oil
- Santa Maria seasoning (we got this seasoning from Allen's brother Mark in AZ - I believe it is only sold on the west coast, but it basically consists of sea salt, garlic, a little pepper, and minced onion if you want to create your own)

Preheat your oven to about 450º. Season the full rack (top and underneath) with seasoning while you heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you could probably just use a regular large stove top pan and prep a baking sheet for the oven. After the olive oil is heated, put the rack of lamb in the skillet and sear on each side for about 3 minutes, or until you get a good crust on the top end. Put the full skillet in the oven with the top of the lamb facing up (or put the lamb on the baking sheet with the juices from the stove top pan) for about 25 minutes. Pull it out and cover the lamb for about 10 minutes to rest. Enjoy!

Zucchini Recipe 
This is a recipe that I really stole from my mom so I have to give her credit there. It took basically everything in the world for my sister and I to eat vegetables growing up, and this is one that I would usually eat with no problem. The parmesan cheese in this recipe really covers up the veggie taste, without being too unhealthy for you, so I have to love it (plus, I love cheese).

1 zucchini (for one serving)
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan cheese (I like fresh grated but you could use anything)

Preheat oven to 350º (either conventional or toaster oven). Cut the zucchini length-wise and put on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake about 8 minutes, or until zucchini is cooked through and cheese is crusty on top.

A quick one!

Sorry for the delay in blogging - I apparently have to learn how to draft and save for later.

One of my favorite things Allen and I did during the holidays was have our own little Christmas celebration the Monday before the actual holiday. It was really, really nice to cook a big dinner, watch a movie (nothing holiday - Inglorious Basterds, haha! But that movie was awesome), and exchange gifts. I hope it's a tradition that we carry on with us for as long as we continue to have crazy holiday seasons.

Speaking of...the holidays were absolutely CRAZY. Way too much going on, and while all of it was a lot of fun (more to come on that), I was a little relieved to leave for Arizona on the 28th to go visit my future brother and sister-in-laws.

While we did a lot in AZ (more to come on that also), the best part was just relaxing, hanging out with everyone, and reading my newest book The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I have to say, the book was really interesting. Brought a lot of light into new topics of science that I had personally never thought of before. The end of the book completely dragged on, but for a while it was impossible for me to put it down (ask anyone I traveled with). I recommend it for sure!

More to come on the holiday festivities, our engagement party, and Arizona. I just have to finally load all of my pictures up!