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

Pita Pizza

Sometimes, I just can't decide what to eat.  I know, I know, #firstworldproblems.  I'll sit there in front of the open fridge eating peanut butter from the jar because I can't make up my mind.  This is a new favorite because of 3 things.  1) It's easy.  2) It's fast.  3) It's got options.  You can switch up the ingredients and have it be a totally new lunch.  This one is a caprese salad inspired creation.  New #firstworldproblem : I don't get to work from home enough so I can eat these more often.

Grab a pita!  Easy enough, no?  I just use store bought, but my mom made them from scratch once and I gotta tell ya, it made a HUGE difference.  Also, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

I added red onions ... but I hate raw onions.  I quickly sliced up a few pieces and started to caramelize them so they didn't have as much bite.  Feel free to skip this step if you're not as picky as I am.

Slice up some tomato fairly thinly - the "pizza" is not going to be in the oven long.

Add just a brush of olive oil and some sea salt to the pita.  Simple, but big flavor difference if you skip this step. 

So instead of a tomato sauce base, I used some pesto!  I don't have any fresh basil on hand, so the jar stuff will do.

Next, a thin layer of mozzarella cheese.  Mama mia!  You don't want to add a ton, it will weigh down the pita and make it kind of soggy in the middle.  Learn from my mistakes.  

Layer on the tomatoes...

And then the onions ...

And you're ready to go!  Put it in the oven for about 12 - 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, you'll want to make sure the cheese is melted, and it starts to brown up on the edges.

 Slice with a knife or pizza cutter, and you're ready to rock!  I made a BBQ steak version a couple of days later, using BBQ sauce as the base and cheddar cheese.  The world is your oyster ... or in this case pita pizza.

Enjoy!  And here's a picture of Mac because he's just too adorable to leave out of the occasional post.

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.  

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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