Parmesan Lemon Zucchini

Not sure why exactly, but I decided I just had to have zucchini as a side dish with my last entry (Panko pork chops).  I haven't made many zucchini dishes, despite enjoying it, thus time to correct this!  Found a very easy side dish here:
http://damndelicious.net/2014/07/04/parmesan-lemon-zucchini/
While it is yummy, I don't think it's quite as rave-worthy as the original post makes it sound (had me expecting something I'd be craving every night or whatnot; this is not the case, though I still will make it again at some point.)
I followed the recipe nearly exactly, except that I did not use fresh garlic, only cut up 3 zucchini instead of 4, and cut in 1/4 inch rounds, not 1/2 inch.

Ingredients:

3 T. unsalted butter
1 tsp. minced bottled garlic
3 zucchini, cut in 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
zest of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 c. grated Parmesan
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.

2. Add zucchini, thyme, and lemon zest.  Cook until zucchini is softened and slightly golden.

3. Remove from heat, season with Kosher salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.  Enjoy!

Panko Pork Chops

I don't make pork very often--it's the other white meat...that I forget about lol.  I wanted something that I could make fairly quickly without much fuss; this fit the bill exactly.  I served it with Parmesan Lemon Zucchini and some Kraft mac n cheese (yeah, I do cook from boxes sometimes, too :))--made for a great meal!

Here is a link for the original recipe:
http://www.thekitchn.com/dinner-recipe-for-two-crispy-panko-pork-chops-recipes-from-the-kitchn-149465
And here is my slightly altered version, which made enough to coat 4 thinner chops:

Ingredients

Canola oil
4 thin cut bone-in pork chops
1/2 c. panko
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
approx. 1 1/2 tsp. herbes de Provence (I didn't measure)
1/4 c. flour
2 eggs, beaten
Kosher salt
black pepper

Instructions
**I had more pictures for this, but they are missing!  Will add more next time I make.**

1. Season pork chops with Kosher salt and pepper, set aside.

2. On a plate or shallow dish, mix the panko, Parmesan cheese, and herbes de Provence.

3. Put the flour on another plate/shallow dish.

4. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs.

5. In a heavy skillet or frying pan, heat 3 T. of oil over medium-high heat.

6. Dredge pork chops first in flour, next in the egg, and then in the panko mixture.  Add to skillet and cook, turning every two minutes or so, until chops are crispy and golden brown.  (Depending on your pan and size of chops, you may need to add more oil--I did.)

7. Serve with your choice of side and enjoy!

Chocolate Fondue

Ever since I first had fondues at The Melting Pot (a few years back, at least), I wanted to figure out how to make them for myself.  The cheese fondue was fairly easy; the chocolate proved more challenging.  I've tried a few different recipes and never gotten the desired result...until now!
I consulted a couple of recipes, with my main inspiration coming from this one:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/chocolate-fondue.html

I also found out how to make the awesome coated marshmallows (thanks, Google!)  It's amazing simple--just use hot tap water in a bowl, roll the marshmallow in it, then roll it in crushed Oreos or graham crackers and let dry.  Easy!

Ingredients:

4.4 oz (big bar) Hershey's milk chocolate
3.5 oz bar Lindt 70% dark chocolate
1/2 c. plus around 1 1/2 T. heavy cream
splash vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Heat the chocolates together over low heat in a saucepan.  Stir until melted completely.

2. Stir in the heavy cream, pouring in slowly as you stir.

3. Add splash of vanilla, stir in, then remove from heat.

4. Transfer to a fondue pot and set on lowest setting to keep warmed (mine has a setting that just says "WARM").

5. Enjoy with the dippers you prefer!  In this case, I had strawberries, graham cracker coated marshmallows, and Oreo coated marshmallows :)

Paella

Funny enough, I have only ever had paella while traveling in France (I've never been to Spain).  There are many different variations to this dish; I chose this recipe because it sounded like it would come out closest to what I had had--and I was right!  Thing is, it's not a cheap dish to make, as it requires saffron threads, which, in case you have not heard, are one of the most expensive spices out there.  On the plus side, you get your money's worth--this recipe makes a massive amount of servings!  I had to freeze most of my leftovers.

Here is a link for the original recipe:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/traditional-spanish-paella-0
I made only minor substitutions, as I had never made such a thing before and didn't want to deviate too far from what was indicated.

Ingredients:

--herb blend--
1 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice (it took 2 lemons for me to get this much)
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. minced bottled garlic

--paella--
1 c. water
1 tsp. saffron threads
3 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1/2 lb. shrimp (I used the prepared/cooked/frozen medium sized ones)
1 T. olive oil
4 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs, cut in pieces
6.5 to 8 oz. chorizo (Spanish sausage), casing removed, cut in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices (I used 7.8 oz)
1/4 lb. prosciutto, cut in small chunks
2 medium sized yellow onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp. sweet Spanish paprika
1 1/2 tsp. minced bottled garlic
3 c. Arborio rice (I used 2 c. Arborio and 1 c. long grain white rice because I didn't have enough Arborio)
8 frozen mussels
2 T. fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Combine the ingredients of the herb blend in a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a large saucepan, combine water, saffron, and chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer (do not boil), then turn heat down to low to keep warm until needed.

3. Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large, deep skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and sauté for 4 minutes, then remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add chorizo and prosciutto, sauté for 2 minutes, then remove from pan and set aside.

5. Add shrimp, sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from pan and set aside.

6. Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add onion and red bell pepper; cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Add tomatoes, paprika, and garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Add rice.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

9. Stir in herb blend, broth mixture, chicken, and chorizo.  Bring to low boil; cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

10. Add mussels to pan, nestling them into rice mixture.  Cook 5 minutes or until shells open; discard any unopened shells.

11. Add shrimp.  Stir in and cook 2 minutes.

12. Remove from heat.  Drizzle lemon juice over top, then cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Fudge Nut Brownie Cake

Time for another chocolate treat!  Had never tried this one before, despite the recipe card being in my collection for quite a long time.  Very glad I finally got around to it; recommend serving with some vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt :)

Ingredients:

--cake--
1/2 c. dark corn syrup
1/2 c. butter or margarine (I used butter)
1 c. semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. chopped walnuts

--glaze--
2/3 c. semisweet chocolate morsels
2 T. butter (or margarine)
4 T. dark corn syrup
2 tsp. milk

chopped walnuts and/or raspberries (or strawberries) for garnish, if desired

Instructions:

1. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.  Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine corn syrup and butter in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring continually.

3. Add chocolate and stir until melted.  Remove from heat.

4. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Stir until well combined.

5. Blend in flour and walnuts, then pour mixture into prepared pan.  Bake 30 minutes (or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean).

6. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack.

7. Loosen cake edges with a spatula and turn out onto rack to finish cooling.

8. For the glaze: combine chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a saucepan over LOW heat until chocolate is melted.

9. Remove from heat and stir in milk.  Pour glaze over cake, then top with nuts and/or berries if desired.  Enjoy!

"Big" Dinner #1, part 3--Stuffed Mushrooms

Last part of my "big" dinner mini-series, which can be found in the last two days' entries.  These were so great, I could have eaten all of them alone and been quite happy.  Here is a link to the recipe I used as inspiration:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/classic_stuffed_mushrooms/

Ingredients:

18-24 baby bella or white mushrooms (I used white/button mushrooms, 12 oz, which gave me 19)
1 T. butter
1 tsp. minced bottled garlic
salt
1 1/2 tsp. herbes de Provence
2 T. dry sherry
2 T. Panko
1 T. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. olive oil
Sargento Italian 6-cheese chef blend

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Separate mushrooms from mushroom stems; finely chop the mushroom stems, reserve mushroom caps in a bowl.

3. Heat butter over medium-high heat and add chopped mushroom stems.  Sauté for 4-5 minutes.

4. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.  Add herbes de Provence and salt, stir to combine, then add sherry and cook for 1 more minute, stirring often.

5. Remove from heat and place mixture in food processor.  Pulse a few times to obtain a pasty textured mixture.

6. Add Panko and Parmesan cheese to the pasty mixture and stir to combine.

7. In the bowl with the mushroom caps, add the olive oil and toss together.

9. Place caps on baking sheet with destemmed area facing up.  "Stuff" each cap with just slightly more mixture than full.

10. Top caps with cheese blend in desired amount.

11. Bake for 20-25 minutes (I think I did 22 minutes and they were plenty ready) and enjoy!

"Big" Dinner #1, part 2--Stove Top "Roasted" Red Potatoes

As promised, I am now posting the first side of my "big" meal (main dish posted yesterday).  I wanted something that was easy and tasty, slightly more involved than I'd usually have time for.  I think I may have made these once before; must have been a while, since I can't recall.  Either way, they turned out great and I will certainly be making them again!  Here is a link to the recipe:
http://www.food.com/recipe/stove-top-roasted-red-potatoes-452470?photo=323901
I followed it almost exactly as written--only change was the amount of salt and to cover the potatoes while microwaving.

Ingredients:
6 large red potatoes, cut in bite-size pieces
3 T. butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarse ground pepper
3/4 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Instructions:
1. Place potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave on high for 10 minutes.  Remove from microwave, uncover, and let rest for a couple minutes.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter.  Toss/stir potatoes to coat in butter, then add seasonings.

3. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until desired doneness (I think I cooked closer to 10) and enjoy!