lamb chops with dried cherries and port

Oops! I just realized I forgot to update my blog with this recipe that I made Monday night. It has been quite a crazy week, and I have only cooked once. Last Friday I had LASIK laser eye surgery and I have been spending the majority of my time and energy caring for my eyes. I am constantly putting in eye drops or resting them from being tired. However, every day keeps getting better and the surgery has already changed my life so much. I encourage any of you thinking about getting the surgery to go for it and do it! It is incredible and I can already see more clearly than I ever did with glasses or contacts.

Despite being consumed with post-operative eye care, I did find the time (and eye energy!) to cook on Monday night. I did have to wear goggles to protect my eyes from getting anything in them during cooking, which was a hilarious sight!

I made lamb chops with a dried cherry and port reduction. It was really great, though not my favorite lamb recipe that I have made. The lamb was cooked PERFECTLY though! I simply cooked the lamb with a little bit of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, turning often. I will definitely cook lamb again this way. On the side I served spiced basmati rice (not pictured) which was not my favorite rice dish, a little more bland than I usually like.

Overall the dish was still a success and I enjoyed it a lot!

salmon with lentils and mustard-herb butter

For quite a while now I have avoided cooking salmon, in fear of it not living up to my step mom Cindy's incredible salmon. While still no salmon can be as great as Cindy's salmon, this dish came pretty darn close.

I made french green lentils sauteed with leeks, butter, fresh lemon juice, and a homemade mustard-herb butter. The mustard-herb butter consisted of butter (surprising, I know!), fresh chives, fresh tarragon, grainy mustard, and a little fresh squeezed lemon juice. Then, I simply sauteed the salmon with a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper and topped the salmon off with a little more of the mustard-herb butter. I really enjoyed this dish and it felt decently guilt free, if you ignore all of the butter that was in it..:)

steak with parmesan butter, balsamic glaze, and arugula

This might be the best recipe I have ever made. Casey and I are in food heaven right now.

I have to make the picture large because of how beautiful this dish was. On top of a bed of arugula, I placed sliced ribeye steak cooked medium rare, slathered with a grated fresh parmigiano reggiano and butter mixture. I also shaved fresh parmigano reggiano on the salad and topped the whole salad off with fresh lemon juice and a glaze made of shallots, balsamic vinegar, and dark brown sugar.

This meal was beyond incredible.