Veal Marsala

Veal Marsala!  This is one of my favorite week night meals.  Why?  1 pan.  Half an hour.  'Nuff said?  I also recently moved into a new apartment downtown .. so get ready for more updates.  It's the end of mom's cooking!

You will need...
- Veal  (3 or 4 thin pieces)
- 1/2 a spanish onion
- about 1 cup of mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- a hand full of chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
- flour for dredging (about a half cup, but just eyeball it)
- 1 cup of Marsala wine
- 1 1/2 cups of beef broth (or chicken broth)
- 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

Please ignore the fruit bowl in the back.  That's just for show.

Let's get going.

First, you'll want to brown your onions and mushrooms, so add them to a large pan on medium high heat.  Make sure to add the butter and oil beforehand so they don't stick to the bottom.  

While that's working, season your veal with salt and pepper on both sides, and get your flour spread out on a plate.  You'll want to coat the veal just enough that it's covered, not clumpy.  

Perfect!  Check on your mushrooms... 

Looking good.  And I don't even like mushrooms.  Once they have some color on them, move them to a plate.

Ok! In the same pan, add more olive oil if it looks dry, and put your veal in.  Don't overcrowd the pan too much, I should've used a bigger pan so I could sear all of them at once.  Don't be like me.

This part will go really fast because the veal is so thin.  About a minute on each side in a very hot pan should do it.  When they're done, put them aside with the mushrooms.

Yum!  Ok, onto the sauce.  Deglaze the pan with your cup of red wine.  My recipe only called for a half cup, but I decided to double the sauce recipe for you guys so you can serve it over mashed potatoes or some buttered pasta.  Plus...I'm a lush.

Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula and make sure you get all the brown bits up.  Let that reduce to about half the original amount, then add the beef broth.

Perfect! Now you can add the veal and mushrooms back in to heat everything up.

Add on your chopped parsley....

Maybe a little parmesan cheese to thicken things up....

And you're done!

Enjoy with some pasta and a big glass of red wine.  Maybe take in a sunset while you're at it.

I may just eat some leftovers right now since I have veal on the brain.

Enjoy!
Courtzilla

Meatloaf Meatballs

Meatloaf meatballs???  Doesn't get much more down-home than that.  I got this recipe  from Pioneer Woman, my favorite blog of LIFE.  These things are super simple, and super comforting.  This is probably more appropriate as a "it's November, I'm going to live in my sweatpants forever, and I hate winter" post rather than a "hey it's almost spring let's eat salads and wear high heels" post... but whatever. THE STOMACH WANTS WHAT THE STOMACH WANTS.  Let's proceed!

You'll need:

(for the meatballs)

- 1 1/2 lb ground beef

- 3/4 cups of quick oats

- 1 cup of milk

- 3 Tablespoons of finely minced onion

- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

- ground pepper

(for cooking the meatballs)

- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- canola oil

(for the sauce)
- 1 cup of ketchup (HEINZ or BUST ... you're welcome Joe)
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 3 tablespoons of vinegar (I just use white vinegar, but it would work with a variety of flavors I think!)
- 2 tablespoons of worcesterchire ....worcestershire ... woscheschire?  WORCESTERSHIRE.  You get the point.
- 4 Tablespoons of onion (minced)
- dash of hot sauce


First things first - chop up your onion.  Recipe in total calls for something like 7 tablespoons ...I just cut up a whole small onion and call it a day.

Add about half of your onions to the beef, oats, and in a large mixing bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Use your hands ... let's get dirty.  

 \
It'll look like this when you're done mixing everything together.  Mmmm pâté!

Shape them into about 1" balls with a cookie scoop or your hands, and place them on a cookie sheet.  Stick them into the freezer for about 5 minutes so they get really cold.  This will help them stick together.  When they're  out of the freezer, you'll want to toss them in the flour, and start searing over medium-high heat in a pan with canola oil.  

No need to cook them all the way through, just get some brown on the edges.

Like so!  Keep turning them until they are brown on all sides.

Then put them in a shallow oven safe dish.  This dish was too big, don't be like me.

OK, now they need the sauce! Just combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup, and slather over the meatballs.

Bake them, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  These will make your house smell incredible.

That's it!!! Not so bad, huh?  Serve with whatever you've got lying around - this is a no fuss meal.

Enjoy!!

Courtzilla

Stromboli

Stromboli!  It's a recent discovery of mine.  A discovery in the best sense of the word.  It's like a JJ's italian night club rolled up in a hard to spill dough blanket.  Best description ever?

Fact: this is delicious.

You'll need:

- some italian meat.  I used genoa salami and pepperoni, but feel free to use fancier stuff if you feel like it.
- provolone cheese
- parmesan cheese
- italian seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes
- a can of pillsbury italian bread (you can use pizza dough too!)
- some flour to roll it out
- sauteed peppers? carmelized onions?  italian sausage?  possibilities are endless.

Alrighty!  First things first, scatter some flour on your counter.  This thing is going to get sticky.  I put a piece of parchment paper down because I live with 2 boys and you never know what's going to be on the counter.  Better safe than sorry.

Now, roll out your dough so it's roughly in a rectangle shape.  Pinch together any holes or thin spots - you don't want delicious filling flying all over your oven, trust me.

Now... layering!  Throw down one of your meats first... in my case the genoa salami.  Try to leave a 1" border of dough around the filling, it'll be easier to pinch together at the end if you do that.

Alrighty, now you'll want to sprinkle on some Italian seasoning, and the red pepper flakes.  Amount is up to you.  I went pretty heavy on the Italian seasoning, next time I'll probably cut this down by at least a third.

Now I put a layer of the cheese down.  I broke the provolone in half so it would be easier to roll up.

Add on some scattered pepperoni...

Sprinkle some grated parmesan on there...

Alright, now we're getting serious.  Rolling time.  Start at one of the long edges and start to roll up the dough, pinching the edges at the end together as you go.  This will seal in the goodness during the baking process.  When you're done, it should look like a long log.

Kinda ugly looking ain't it?

Pinch the seam shut, and place it seam side down on a baking sheet.

Oook.  Now I melted some butter and brushed it across the top to get a nice brown and crusty edge in the oven.  Sprinkle some more parmesan on top, along with some garlic powder and more Italian seasoning if you're feeling rebellious. 

Looking better looking better...

Throw your dough log in a 350 degree oven, for about 25-30 minutes.  Really all you need to cook is the bread so check your packaging for exact measurements.

It'll come out lookin' something like this:

Haha what a horrendous picture.

Slice up the stromboli, should make about 8 or so 1.5" thick pieces.  Check it out!

So good.  Serve it with your favorite marinara or pasta sauce and you're good to go!  It's just as good cold, too.

Clearly, I hated mine.

Enjoy!

<3 Courtzilla

Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Pork

Don't you love a recipe that takes like 15 minutes of actual cooking? Say hello to pulled pork. Throw it in the crock pot with minimal seasoning, and watch 2 movies on a hungover Saturday while it fills your house with a crazy delicious (Dr. Pibb + Redvines?) scent. Don't believe me? Give this a try.

What you'll need...
-A cut of pork. Either pork butt, or pork shoulder. The idea is lowww and sloowwww so the tougher, cheaper meats will break down and get realll tender. You'll need about 2-3 ish pounds.
-1 small yellow onion
-3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce. I hate both spelling, and saying that word for the record.
-water
-About 4-6 buns
-1/2 a bottle of your favorite bbq sauce - I used Sweet Baby Ray's... it's necessary.

Alrighty! Roughly chop up your onion and lay it on the bottom of the crock pot.


Place the pork on top of the onions. I got some sort of weird cut that was on sale, but it turned out delicious. Go ahead and add the worcestershire sauce.


Fill the crock pot full of water so it's fully covering the pork. Our crock pot is kind of small... so stop making fun of the dry pork. I'm not as perfect as I may come across on paper.


I added some paprika and cumin, because I can't leave things alone. It's not necessary though.


OK! You're ready to go. Put the setting on low, and leave it alone. For .... six hours. SIX HOURS. You could go to work and just let this bubble away, then come home to tender, delicious pulled pork. Here's what it looks like when it's done....


I pick out the pork and shred it, discarding the onions.



I find it easiest to use two forks. It's so easy since it's falling apart on it's own anyway. Mix the shredded pork with the BBQ sauce. I only use about 1/2 the bottle, or else I think it gets too soupy and over powers the pork.


COME GETCHA SOME. Let it cook away on low for about another hour, stirring occasionally so the pork doesn't stick to the sides.


Who loves me? My roommates, that's who.

Throw it on a bun, maybe top it with some coleslaw or just leave it plain.


Either way, it's scrumptious!!


Jealous much?

Enjoy!

<3 Courtzilla