Veal Parmesan. I can die happy.

I've always been an Italian food fan... So much that I rarely eat Italian food out anymore. There's almost never anything on the menu that I haven't tried, and I hate ordering something and realizing I could have made something tastier at home.

However, there's one meat that I never tire of. I haven't been brave enough to make veal at home, but I absolutely adore veal parm. So when I was gifted a bottle of Gaja last week, I decided I needed to make something new and exciting to accompany my wine.

Cue veal parmesan. And oh, sweet Jesus, am I glad I did.

I made dinner last night for the manfriend and the wonderful gentleman who purchased the bottle for me. I feel fairly confident saying it was a religious experience for all of us. And to top it all off, since we had dinner at Chris's house, he set the table and had the most adorable plate garnishes ever. Especially for a low-key dinner party.

Fresh rosemary from the garden! So cute, right?

Anyway. Let's get back to the star of the show.

Veal Parmesan. 


1 lb. veal scallopini
8 oz. mozzarella
diablo marinara sauce
Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
parmesan




Dip each piece of veal in egg, then in breadcrumbs. Lay length-wise in a large lasagna pan. Cover with diablo marinara and a layer of shredded mozzarella. Repeat. (I only needed two layers.) Top with more marinara, mozzarella, and tons of parmesan. Bake at 350* for 12 minutes.

Yes, we kicked things off with a Bordeaux. No, that's not the wine that prompted the party. 

And for the sauce:


Diablo Marinara


3 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
3/4 c. Cabernet Sauvignon or other red wine
4 bay leaves
thyme
oregano
rosemary
4 Tbsp. chopped basil
red pepper flakes

Saute the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery in olive oil until softened. Dump in the canned tomatoes and wine. Add in your seasonings, to taste, with a very generous helping of red pepper. Let simmer for 45 minutes. Take your bay leaves out and enjoy!

As an added bonus, the table before we all dove in:

The flowers came from Chris's garden. And the Gaja is in the decanter, slightly left of center stage. After chowing down, we enjoyed a nice soak in the hot tub. Perfect way to end the night!

Wine review!

I'm sorry I fail at life. I vacationed in mid-February because Prince Charming's big brother got married. Came home and started nightly opera rehearsals. That finally closed March 4th, and I've still been running around like a chicken with my head cut off ever since.

I've done some cooking, but the only things I felt were incredible, or tasty enough to warrant a blog entry, I forgot to take pictures of. So instead, since I feel terrible neglecting you for even longer, here's my favorite wine as of late.

From a wordpress blog / google image results

Cincuenta Ugarte Rioja 2009. Rated 90 points (Wine Advocate).

100% Tempranillo. Aged 10 months in French oak. Nice spice with some amazing bright fruit. Fantastic! It was on sale (down $6) for $9.99/bottle. Definitely took one home this weekend. It's an amazing value. I've sold a ton of it in the last two days.










Things are going to be crazy at work for the next two weeks (I'm working 6 of 7 days this week, and probably a similar schedule next week) but hopefully by the second week of April, things will settle down enough that I can cook a little more.

7+ layer bars

Compulsive-grocery shoppers need to never go to the store unsupervised. Especially when knocked-up.

I love seven-layer bars. I don't recall ever having them as a kid, but somehow I've conned my adult mind into believing they are a necessity to growing up. Therefore, since I still have a lot of growing up to do, I require a lot of them.

Well what seven-layer bars require a lot of are butterscotch chips. At least when I make them. And butterscotch chips are usually more expensive than regular store-brand chocolate chips. So one can only imagine the look on my face the day I walked into Fresh & Easy and saw they had butterscotch chips on clearance, for $1.25/bag.

I may or may not have walked away with 14 bags.

It's been a few months, and I surprisingly have some left. (Ok; I did until this past week. Don't judge me.) This is my favorite thing to do with them.

1 sleeve cinnamon graham crackers
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 - 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 - 12 oz. bag butterscotch chips
4 oz. sliced almonds
6 oz. chopped hazelnuts
4 oz. chopped pecans
1 bag sweetened coconut flakes
1 can sweetened condensed milk (the little ones. I think they're 10.5 oz.)


Grease a baking pan (at least 8"x8"). Melt the butter and crush your graham crackers into itty bitty crumbs. Mix the butter and graham crackers together and press into the bottom of the pan. Top that with a layer of chocolate chips. Dump the bag of butterscotch chips on top. If you're like me, put some more chocolate chips on top of those. Pour your nuts in there - the more the better! These are super sweet and the nuts help cut that a little. Top with coconut and a can of condensed milk. Bake at 350* for 20 - 25 minutes, until coconut on top is toasted.


A few notes:

• If your pan is 8"x8" or smaller, don't use the whole can of condensed milk. It makes your graham cracker layer soggy. 
• Make sure you wait at least half an hour for these to cool before cutting them and taking them out of the pan. You'll be disappointed and end up with a gooey mess if you don't. 
• If you double this, still only use one can of milk! (I routinely make this in a 11"x17" pan with only one can of milk. Trust me.)
• If you're making these for an event, make them a day ahead. They are always better on the second day. 

As always, enjoy, and don't eat them all at once!! 

OMG Quinoa salad.

I'm so sorry for dropping off the face of the earth lately! I posted a little update on what's been keeping me so busy lately over on my personal blog. The short and sweet version: school, boot camp, and credit stuff. The ex is trying to close on a house and has been soliciting my help. I think we wrote and then re-wrote a letter threatening legal action probably six times this week. Ugh.

Anyway. Quinoa.

I have a confession to make. I'm not a big fan of cilantro. I used to have a Russian piano teacher when I was in high school. I was over at her house one day practicing for a competition, and she invited me to stay for dinner. She was making fish stew and asked me if I liked cilantro. I couldn't quite understand her, but knew enough to know that she was asking about some herb she had grown in her garden, so I said yes.

Well I was wrong. Very wrong. She tossed handfuls and handfuls into her fish stew... I don't really like fish either. I wasn't super impressed with the entire experience. So ever since then, I've despised cilantro.

When I was home for Christmas, though, Mom talked all about this delicious quinoa salad she makes, and how she puts handfuls and handfuls of cilantro in it. I was skeptical at best, but then I came back, was gathering all my fruits and veggies for my juice cleanse, and cilantro was $0.50/bunch. I gave it several dirty looks, and then I bought some. This is what resulted.

So. Good.

Quinoa Salad 


1 c. uncooked quinoa
2 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
a handful (or more, if you like it) of cilantro
1/2 white onion, diced
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 can kidney beans or black beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1/2 lemon
a few liberal shakes of curry powder

Saute the onion and garlic in a little evoo in the bottom of a saucepan. When it looks suitably done, toss in your chicken stock and bring to a boil. Dump in the quinoa, green onion, and cilantro. Cover and reduce heat to low.

Leave it alone (don't peek under the lid!) for 15 minutes. Then toss in the beans, lemon juice, and curry powder. Stir it all together and let it simmer there for another five minutes or so, until the liquid is absorbed.

Enjoy!

Beware! I was late to work because I couldn't put the fork down when I made this. :)

Beef barley mushroom stew!

I love this stuff. This is comfort food for me. It's yummy; it's hearty; and it warms your soul. 

Sometimes I make it with ground beef. It's just as heavenly. 

My mommy bought me a cookbook for Valentine's Day last year. (Isn't she awesome? Who buys their kids cookbooks - or anything for that matter - for V-Day?) I had received a 6.5-qt. slow cooker as a housewarming gift from one of my best friends (I live by myself... Are we starting to see where the nickname Miss Piggy came from?), and had never made anything in it but pot roast. Then I get an awesome care pack from Mom, with the Taste of Home: Casseroles, Slow Cooker, and Soups cookbook. So perfect!

Anyway. It has a recipe for an awesome stew. Basically beef barley stew with a ton of mushrooms. So I put my own spin on it, and now I make it once every two or three weeks or so. Feeling down? Make beef barley mushroom stew. Finals are over? Celebrate with beef barley mushroom stew. It's cold outside? Eat lots of beef barley mushroom stew. You get the picture. So without further ado...

Beef Barley Mushroom Stew!

Adapted from Taste of Home

1 lb. stew meat

evoo, for browning

thyme, to taste

1 yellow or white onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
12 - 16 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 can (14.5-oz) fat-free beef broth

1 can (14.5-oz) reduced fat, low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 c. barley

2 c. water

cracked black pepper, to taste

If your stew meat isn't already in bite-sized chunks, chop it up a little. Brown it on all sides with a little olive oil. I like to toss my thyme in here, so the meat has nice flavor. Remove your beef with a slotted spoon and set it aside. 

Toss in your onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook them all in the meat drippings until softened and the onion is translucent - about 5 - 8 minutes. Add in some more thyme if you'd like. (I always like.)

Dump your beef back in, and add your liquids and barley! Top it all off with a healthy dose of cracked pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and let it simmer for about an hour and a half. 

Don't eat it all at once! 

A-mazing lemon blueberry bread

Yeah, I said it. This bread is one of the most delicious things I've ever made. (And I've made a lot of delicious things.)

For my juice cleanse, I bought close to 20 pints of blueberries. Annnnnnd definitely didn't use them all. I got a ridiculous craving for something sweet this evening, and decided a lemon blueberry bread would do the trick! I chose this recipe because I didn't want to wait for dough to rise.

It was reluctant to come out and I didn't want to ruin the loaf before I could take a picture, so sorry. This is all you get.

The Most Delicious Lemon-Blueberry Bread Ever.

adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny!

6 Tbsp. butter, softened (not melted!)

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

zest from 1 large lemon

1/2 c. nonfat milk

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder 

dash of salt

2 pints blueberries

Glaze:

juice from 1 large lemon

3/4 c. confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350* F. Cream butter. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients, and then mix into wet mixture. Add milk. When everything is combined, gently fold in blueberries. 

Grease/spray a loaf pan, and toss your bread mixture in! Bake for 55 - 60 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean). 

Allow your bread to cool for about ten minutes. While you're waiting, whip up the lemon glaze! Remove the bread from the pan and drizzle glaze on top. Enjoy! 

Zucchini & feta macaroni!

I've noticed several different broccoli mac & cheese recipes pop up on Pinterest lately, and thought I'd give one a go... only to find that the broccoli in my fridge had passed its prime. So I dug through my crisper drawers looking for the next best thing, and found something even better!

Zucchini.


I love zucchini. I could eat it for nearly every meal and never tire of it. It is so versatile and delicious. And so that is how, armed with the contents of my kitchen, I set out to create a somewhat-healthier mac & cheese today.

Zucchini & feta mac & cheese


8 oz. pasta, uncooked
2 small zucchini, chopped
1 oz. feta
2 oz. shredded colby jack
1/4 c. nonfat milk
1 tsp. ground mustard
Worchestershire sauce
garlic powder


Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and dump pasta in. Top with a double boiler or colander, and steam zucchini while pasta is cooking. (8 minutes.) Drain pasta, but do not rinse. Return pasta to pot, and dump in zucchini. Mix mustard and milk together, and pour over pasta. Toss in cheeses, garlic powder to taste, and a few shakes of Worchestershire sauce. Mix until combined. Top with cracked black pepper and serve!

"Hide the Cucumber" Salad

I had a girlfriend over for dinner Sunday night. I was doing my thing in the kitchen, using up some of the leftover veggies from my cleanse, and decided to make a cucumber salad.

I'd chopped up the cucumber and started in on the tomatoes when she informed me she's not the biggest cucumber fan. Whoops.

So I got to play hide the cucumber! Here's what I came up with.

Hide the Cucumber Salad

1 cucumber, chopped

1 (10 oz) container grape tomatoes, halved

juice from 1/2 lemon

crumbled feta, to taste

oregano, to taste

Mix it all up and enjoy! 

Jalapeno avocado quesadillas

I was recently inspired to put avocado in my quesadillas, so I finally gave it a go today.

This was the result.

Jalapeno-Avocado Quesadillas. 

And they were delicious. 

2 tortillas

1/2 avocado, sliced

6 - 10 slices of jalapeno

shaved manchego

Put a little butter in the bottom of your skillet and heat it up. Then put the tortillas in to warm them slightly. Cover one tortilla with sliced avocado, jalapeno slices, and manchego, to taste. Enough to hold your quesadilla together, but it's a unique cheese so if you're not familiar with it, don't go overboard. Cook on high for approximately 3 minutes per side. Slice and enjoy hot!

Last day of the cleanse!

Day five, and the final hour is upon us. I'm enjoying my carrot/apple juice at the moment, as a matter of fact!

I have also concluded that if ever I should be proud of myself, it's today. Not only have I (almost!) completed five days of juicing, but after work today, I thought it would be a good idea to head to Costco and get some sprouted grain bread (for my chocolate french toast in the morning!) and some non-fat Greek yogurt, just because I like having it around the house.

More than $100 later, I made it out not only alive, but not having sampled anything in the store. And oh, boy, was I tempted. The first demonstration booth I came across was an outside vendor sampling their five different gourmet cheesecakes. Brianna, Spartan juice warrior. Self-control of steel.

Or something like that. Only one of their cheesecakes had chocolate on it. I might have been more tempted if I'd had chocolate dangled in front of my face.

Anyway, more juice recipes.

Juice 6:

• 1 (6-oz) container blueberries
• 1 (6-oz) container blackberries
• 1 orange, peeled, with pith removed

Adds a little extra "body" to the blueberry/orange one I did before. 

Juice 7:

• 1 pear
• 1 (6-oz) container blueberries
• 1 (6-oz) container blackberries

This one was breakfast this morning. Holy delicious!!

Juice 8: 

• 4 - 6 carrots
• 1 apple

Yum! The one I made last night had 4 larger carrots. This one I'm drinking now has six carrots because I just decided to use up the bag. 

And so for the last five days, I've been living off these eight juices (and a few mistakes). I've been incredibly surprised at how tasty most of them were. (The most notable mistake involved cucumber. That one was not at all tasty.) But of the recipes I put up, I think I would try all of them again, and the breakfast ones I might continue and add into my usual breakfast repertoire. 

---

And since I left this up all evening rather than posting, I am SO pleased to tell you I made it the entire five days! And I broke my fast with something healthy - an avocado and a handful of pistachio nuts. I needed some crunch and some healthy fat. I'm going to guzzle down some water and head to bed. You might be able to catch a new recipe or two from me tomorrow! I don't think I'm going to do the chocolate French toast (I forgot to get eggs at the store today), but I definitely have something up my sleeve for lunch. 

Thanks for stopping in, and thank you to those who have followed me through this last week and cheered me on! I really appreciate it. :)