Veal Marsala Meatballs

Comrades.

Buddies.

Bros.

Lovers.

‘BFFLs’. [Just saying that to make a point. If you say it in my presence, I will lose quite a bit of respect for you. Will never hate though. J]

Amigos.

Friends.

Mates.

Amici.

 

All of the above illustrate the relationship between:

YOU: the cook in the kitchen. + MAGIC BULLET BLENDER: your best friend.

 

Lauren here, your Magic Bullet Blender Kitchen Magician and shoot you know I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again – keep that baby by your side and your life is going to get a heck of a lot easier.

 

Today’s write up is a bit different than how I normally roll. .. You may be saying to yourself, um, who in the name of Randy Quaid is that RIDICULOUSLY good looking couple pictured in this article.. THOSE, my friends, are my parents. Scary right? Scary in the sense that two people actually have to deal with me on a daily basis. I know. They are saints.

 

Well, my fox of a mother, ‘Debbie the Demolisher’ nabbed my MBBlender while I was working at / on job (i don’t even know anymore) of (i don’t even know anymore) and put that powerful peanut to work so this is written a bit different than usual.

 

Below is her recipe for VEAL MARSALA MEATBALLS……. These are tossed in with marinara sauce, and over gnocchi.

For the sauce, we use my ‘Lets Talk Sauce’ recipe from this summer

Now! I know – some people don’t do veal. That is completely fine.

You can also do this with all ground beef OR….

…what I usually do on a normal meatball day is a ground beef / ground pork combination. I think that adding the pork in makes it a little bit richer, little more flavor.

 

MAGIC BULLET BLENDER PARTS:

• [1] Magic Bullet Blender Tall Cup
• [1] Magic Bullet Blender Cross Blade

 

INGREDIENTS: **See additional information below for pasta & sauce**

• [2 lbs.] ground veal
• [1] small loaf Italian bread, roughly chopped – you want to keep this rough for consistency purposes – don’t mess it up or I’ll hunt you down..    wait who said that?
• [2] eggs
• [2 T] fresh parsley
• [1] large white onion, quartered – then caramelized……

** To Caramelize: Put in small frying pan with [2 T] of extra virgin olive oil and let cook on low, slowly, stirring occasionally, until golden brown in color

• [3] scallions
• [1/2 Cup] pre-bulleted pecorino romano
• [1 Cup] half and half
• [6 T] butter
• [1/2 Cup] Marsala wine
• [3/4 tsp.] garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat butter over medium heat until bubbly, add 1/2 cup Marsala wine and let cook for five minutes – cool 15 minutes.
3. To your MBBlender Tall Cup add caramelized onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder, scallions, parsley – blend for 10 seconds.
   ** Put the onions in first as they are heaviest. When you flip to blend they will bring everything else down onto the blade. I try and stick to that trick 😉
4. To a mixing bowl add: bread, half and half, your blended mixture, eggs – MIX WELL BY HAND.
5. Then add your butter / Marsala blend and pre-bulleted pecorino romano cheese. MIX WELL AGAIN.
6. Add veal, mix loosely.
7. Form into 1″ meatballs.
8. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 35 – 40 minutes.
9. Add to your marinara sauce and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
   ** Again, sauce information below*
10. Toss over a pasta of your choice, and enjoy.

Pasta / Marinara Sauce Instructions:

• [1 lb.] pasta of your choice, cooked, drained just before serving.
• [4 Cups] marinara sauce

**Check out this video:

Serve this with some crusty Italian bread – you are already going starch crazy so why not, right?

 

I am sorry to bid you farewell without some ridiculous rant that your eyes probably don’t typically make it all the way down to anyway 😉  – but, I have to go pretend I know people and do some other work. Long story.
(Hey have you guys ever heard of Seal? He got dumped. #KissFromSUMTHINNN )

Your K.Magician’s heart is bigger than her brain [ shh she’s secretly a pushover – but it’s okay – all is well – ppl are healthy – that’s all that matters 🙂 ] .. Wow, I am getting emo. Time to go youtube ‘Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody’ by Kid N Play. Sick jam.

 

 

On that note – I’ll hit ya up again next week.

 

Until next time my little balls of ground meat and love – Happiest Blending, from my clearly over sized heart – to ALL of Yours.

 

XXO

@LdeMao

Has Your Food Ever Resembled Anyone Famous?

It seems that a woman in Nebraska is trying to cash-in on her discovery of a Chicken McNugget that resembles our first president…

The McNugget in Question

Pie Dough

Magic Bullet Makes Pie D’oh Too?!

I didn’t think it would, but I am again amazed by my magic bullet…

You need:

• Tall Cup
• Cross Blade
• Mixing Bowl
• Plastic Wrap

Ingredients:

• 1 Stick Butter (Cold, and cut into small bits)
• 1 ¼ C Flour
• 1 TBL Sugar
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ C Ice Water
• ¼ tsp White Wine Vinegar (Apple Cider is good too)

Directions:

1. Dissolve the salt in the water. Add the vinegar and set in fridge until ready
2. Put flour, sugar and butter in the Tall cup. Blend and shake to break up butter and “cut into” flour. Stop before all the butter is mixed in
3. Put flour/butter mixture in a bowl.
4. Add Ice Water mixture to the tall cup.
5. Add Flour/butter back to the tall cup.
6. Pulse, Blend, and Shake until a very rough dough forms.
7. Place in bowl and help any stray dry bits to merge with the mass.
8. Shape into a patty shape; wrap with plastic, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Roll this d’oh into a beautiful pie shell… save some extra for decoration.

This Recipe yields one 9” pie shell. A single layer.

After you have rolled the d’oh… you can freeze it in its pie tin wrapped in plastic for a month!

Thank You Magic Bullet! I was shocked to find out how well you handled pie d’oh!!
Till Next time you darling little Bakers and
Baker-ettes!    I’m sending my warmest regards!

 

Chef Scott

Post-Valentine Blues

That is me.

That is me pointing at my heart.

And that is my Blueberry Booster Breakfast Smoothie, made with what else – but your Magic Bullet Blender.

Lauren, your Kitchen Magician – and I am back and on full blast with a kick in the tush of a detox of sorts. Everything has temporarily quieted down a LITTLE bit, and my body is still recuperating. I think it’s the whole age thing. I’m almost.. hmm.. 28.5? And I will tell ya, one weekend of ‘friends and fun’ and I am SET BACK… and no, not like the card game.

Below is a recipe for a boost ya energy, boost ya confidence breakfast smoothie that I use as a GO TO. Fills you up with good stuff – including a kick of antioxidants which never hurt anyone.

MAGIC BULLET BLENDER PARTS

• [1] Magic Bullet Blender Tall Cup or Party Mug
• [1] Magic Bullet Blender Cross Blade

INGREDIENTS

• [1 Cup] water
• [1/2 Cup] blueberries
• [1/2 Cup] fresh spinach
• [1/2] banana

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Squish all of your solids into the cup (they do fit, trust me) then add the water
2. Blend for 5 seconds, give it a good shake, blend for another 5 until everything is smooth as silk
3. You are done

Take that baby on the road as I did on this fine February morning, or demolish it while watching Al Roker try to be as cool as Jim Cantore on Good Morning America. You want a good weather forecast, you follow @JimCantore on Twitter. The guy is a genius.

Oh! And today is Valentines Day! Valentines Day for me —- is the same as New Years Eve. Brutal. And this was the case EVEN when I was with man in the past. REGARDLESS..

1.       IF you are celebrating with a loved one, liked one, some random kid you met at the bar last week – I hope you have a FABULOUS evening.

2.       IF you are going out to dinner – I hope the service is good, the food is better, and there are no awkward moments.

3.       IF you are hanging out on the couch by yourself – please see my ‘Lets Talk Sauce’ video from this past summer and crush the cheese based one. In sweatpants. In the dark. And watch a KILLER 80s movie.

Alrighty, back to work. I’ll be checking in with you Thursday my little Sugar Babiesss!

Until next time, Happiest Blending, from my Big Heart, to ALL of Yours J!

XXOOXXOX

Lauren

Etta (James) Mame Dip

Hi Everybody!

Edda, Etta… Mahmay? I don’t know how you spell it.

It’s me Chef Scott comin’ at ya from the Shores of St. Petersburg!

 

I like to eat healthy when I can.

 

Right.

 

So this week I decided to do a little research about a little bean I’d heard of… the Edamame (say edda-mah-may) It’s a fancy Asian styled name for the humble powerful Soy Bean.

 

It’s one of the Top 10 SuperFoods, ya’know! What are SuperFoods? Well… they are plain old vegetables and some nuts and seeds and things that, pound for pound pack more nutrients than any other food with considerable margin. They appear mild mannered at first glance, but you almost can’t escape their supreme goodness. Spinach! Soy! Cacao! Broccoli! Cabbage! Tomatoes! Onions! Garlic!

 

Eat these regularly, and eat them raw. Amazing Power. Super Energy. Weight Loss. And Blah blah blah…

 

Back to my little edamames. I did a quick pass through the google machine and decided to give these babies a try. I grabbed a frozen pack at the grocer and came home to my Mega Kitchen.

 

Heres an amazing dip for your next get together! As usual, I didn’t have all of the ingredients that the recipe said I needed… so I made it up. Thanks Bullet Couldn’t do it without ya!

 

And stay tuned after the dip recipe for a <<BONUS>> Recipe for some easy chips!

 

Let’s Go!

 

Equipment:

• Tall Cup
• Cross Blade

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup  Edamame ( shelled. I found some frozen. super convenient)
• 2 Cups Water
• 2 TBS  Lemon Juice (about 1 squeezed lemon)
• ½ Cup Plain Yogurt (I used greek organic… you could also use sour cream)
• Sprigs of Rosemary (maybe a ¼ tsp dry)
• 2 TBS Mae Ploy sauce (find it in the Asian food aisle… also called sweet chili sauce)
• 2 tsp    Soy Sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

1. Bring 2 Cups salted water to a boil.
2. Add Edamame and return to boiling. Continue to boil about 5 minutes, until edamame is tender.
3. Drain Edamame and reserve the water.
4. Add Edamame, lemon juice and ¼ Cup reserved water to Tall Cup.
5. Pulse and Blend till smooshy
6. Add remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. I added more of the water to get a good dip consistency.
7. Put it in a serving dish, cover with plastic and chill for an hour or so.
8. Top with additional Mae Ploy sauce for decoration
9. Serve with Old Bay Tortilla Chips

 

Bonus Round :o)

 

Old Bay Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

• 3-5 Flour Tortillas
• Olive Oil Spray
• Coarse Sea Salt (or Kosher salt)
• Fresh Cracked Pepper
• Sugar
• Old Bay Seasoning

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees
2. Cut tortillas like a pizza into triangles
3. Place tortillas on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a single layer and spray with olive oil
4. Liberally sprinkle Salt, Pepper, Sugar, and Old Bay over all.
5. Bake for 7-10 minutes until when one is cooled it is crisp.
6. BOOM! Dip ’em in what you want!

 

That’s all the time I got today!

 

Cheers Y’all!

Scotty

Super Bowl Two-Point Conversion Dip

I know, I know, a bowl of refried beans looks less appetizing than a McRib that has been sitting on a city sidewalk for 4 hours on a muggy, summer day [though some may disagree……. Uh hem… Liz], but hey there is some big game on Sunday and these comes into play.

 

Lauren here, your Magic Bullet Blender Kitchen Magician, and shoot I am ready for baseball season to start. #Yankees

 

Regardless, I do absolutely live and die for entertaining – always have. Full belly, full heart.

 

When still in Boston around this time of year, weekends were the time for me to cook for the boys.. but really whip out the big guns.  Below is a basic recipe for one of my go-to layered Taco Dips.

 

Easy, popular, great for Superbowl Sunday, and also for summer time roofdeck cook outs.. but I’m sharing with you the one step I take with the Magic Bullet Blender, that brings this to the next level and that is infusing your REFRIED BEANS with some ridiculous flavor…

 

You will notice that I did not photograph the ‘final product’ which is the Taco Dip, but you can’t blame me for not wanting to have a platter of taco dip in the house on a Tuesday for no legitimate reason. Dangerous.. like snakes on a plane. Ask Samuel. He knows.

 

Superbowl Sunday – try it out. K?

 

REFRIED BEANS

 

MAGIC BULLET BLENDER PARTS

• [1] Magic Bullet Blender Tall Cup
• [1] Magic Bullet Blender Cross Blade

 

INGREDIENTS

• [2] 16 oz. cans – traditional refried beans
• [4] slices bacon
• [3/4] yellow onion, sliced
• [approx. 1/2 Cup] water

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add bacon to frying pan on medium / med.-hi heat
2. Fry until ALMOST all the way crisp
3. Add onion to frying pan and sauté with bacon grease until soft
4. Remove bacon and onions from pan and set aside
5. Move frying pan off of heated burner
6. To you tall cup add bacon [you can just crumble it up], onions and water
7. Blend with cross blade for about 10 seconds
8. If you need to stop half way through and give it a good shake, go right ahead
9. Add refried beans and blended bacon onion mixture BACK to same pan on medium-low heat
10. Stir every 5 minutes for about 15 minutes
11. Remove from heat, pop into bowl and let cool
12. Toss those babies in the fridge and you will be good for game time

 

I would sometimes serve those just warm with tortilla chips on their own as well… those little frijoles have enough flavor in them that you can get away with doing that.

 

Now, for the full recipe using those beans, see below. Again, there is a solid chance you have seen this one.. but the beans baby. They make the difference.

 
NO COOK LAYERED TACO DIP

 

INGREDIENTS

• Bullet Baked Beans [listed above]
• [2] 16 oz containers of sour cream
• [2] packets of your favorite taco seasoning mix
• [2] tomatoes, roughly chopped
• [2] small cans of chopped black olives – I usually use about 12 ounces total, but some folks like less.
• [3] scallions, roughly chopped
• [1.5 Cups] finely shredded cheddar cheese
• [1.5 Cups] shredded Monterey jack cheese
• [2] bags of tortilla chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. On to a large, flat platter.
   **For this ‘platter’ you have a LOT of options. If I am taking this on the road, I have used one of the deep Pyrex dishes with the covers. I’ve also just grabbed an aluminum casserole baking dish from the grocery store and done it with that. When at home, I’ll use a larger serving platter – looks cool that way because you can see all of the layers. Start with the beans going all the way to the edges and have each layer go a bit smaller circumference wise.
2. Coat the bottom with your baked beans. Again, these can come right from the fridge – just spatula those babies and cover the entire bottom.
3. In a bowl, stir together your sour cream and taco season
4. Add the sour cream taco seasoning mixture of delish on top of your beans
5. Next, drain your can[s] of black olives, onto the sour cream mix they go
6. Followed by tomatoes
7. Then scallions
8. Then cheese
9. Stick some chips around the edges to make it look like a huge, taco sun just before serving.
10. Anddd ya done.

 

 

I ALWAYS make this guy in advance too. Night before or morning of, cover it tight, into the fridge, take it out when time for kick off.

 

Okay my little wide receivers, I have my favorite clients from Seattle in town and with us at work today sooo I’m off to talk about electricity and maybe get in a good ole game of Q-bert. Who knows. Oh hey the New York Rangers – Eastern Conference, first place.

 

I’ll have one more Superbowl recipe comin atcha tomorrow – but in the meantime, Happiest Blending, from my huge, frijole loving heart – to all of Yours!

 

Xo – Lauren