Ma What's For Dinner?

This is a version of a recipe that I saw on America’s Test Kitchen.

I switched out chicken (or veal) cutlets for turkey cutlets instead, hey turkey cutlets were on sale at the store…can’t pass up a bargain!

I doctored up the sauce a bit as you all know I can’t follow a recipe to save my life what with my recipe OCD and all.

I like this dish because the kids can help with the prep and it’s a great light and easy meal.

Perfect for the end of summer.

Give this a whirl…you’ll be glad you did.

Serves: 4  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 15 minutes

1 1/2 pounds turkey cutlets

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 T garlic powder

1/2 t ground black pepper

16 sage leaves, divided (8 minced, 8 whole)

8 slices thin prosciutto

3 T olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

1 large shallot, chopped fine

2 t lemon juice

3 T butter

1 T chopped parsley

Pat cutlets dry with paper towels. In a large bowl combine flour, garlic powder and pepper.  Dredge turkey cutlets in flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Lay cutlets flat and sprinkle evenly with minced sage. Place 1 prosciutto slice on top of each cutlet.   (These are great steps for the kids to help with, just be sure they wash their hands after handling the raw poultry!)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add whole sage leaves and cook for about 15 to 20 seconds. Using slotted spoon, remove sage to paper towel-lined plate and set aside for garnish later. Add half of cutlets to pan, prosciutto-side down, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until light golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and keep warm under some aluminum foil. Repeat with remaining cutlets.

Pour off excess fat from skillet, reserving about 1 Tablespoon. Add you shallots and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes.  Add in you wine to deglaze your pan being sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom.  Simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Pour over turkey and top with fried sage leaves and extra parsley.

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In honor of America’s birthday we decided to get a little  cheeky with breakfast this weekend.  Yes of course we made chocolate chip pancakes, it would hardly be a Fitzpatrick weekend without them…but we also whipped up some dutch babies dressed up 4th of July style with a our red white and blue topping.

Serves: 6  Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 30 minutes

4 T butter

4 eggs

1 c. milk

1 c. flour

¼ sugar

1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine eggs, milk, flour, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk well.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  When butter has melted pour batter into skillet and transfer into oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Sides will be golden brown and puffy.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.  Top with our red white and blue topping…

Red White and Blueberry Topping

1 T butter

1 fuji apple cored and sliced

1/2 t salt

1 T sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1 handful blueberries

1 T powdered sugar

While your dutch baby is cooking in the oven heat a small skillet over medium high heat.  Add the butter and allow it to melt.  Toss in your apples, regular sugar, salt and cinnamon and toss to coat.  Turn heat down to medium and allow to simmer and get all soft and yummy.  After about 10-15 minutes add in your blueberries and turn down to low.  Let it continue to cook while you wait for your dutch babies to finish.

Pour into the center of your dutch babies just before serving and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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We’re on our way to go berry picking today.  After moving to such a rural area we’re embracing our farmer neighbors and going out to get our berry on.  Ok, for the record, it’s hardly rural…but when you’ve lived in nothing but big cities, LA, NYC, and Boston, then move to a place where there’s only 4 or 5 streets in town you’re allowed to drive over 25 mph it’s a huge adjustment.  And my house is on an entire acre!  An ACRE!!!  You have any idea what this would cost in LA County????  I don’t even want to think about it.  Anyway, we’re off to pick strawberries today.  I think a strawberry rhubarb pie might be in order shortly but in the meantime you’ll have to check out my blueberry/peach cobbler.  It’s insane.  Yeah, I said it, INSANE!!!  I dare you to make it and not eat the whole thing in one sitting…

4 c                                    blueberries

4                                     peaches, peeled and sliced

2 sticks                        unsalted butter, divided

1 c                                    sugar, divided

2 T                                    corn starch

1 T                                    lemon juice

1 t                                    ground cinnamon

¾ t                                    salt, divided

1 ½ c                                    all purpose flour

2 T                                    baking powder

¾ c                                    heavy cream

1 whole                        egg

1 T                                    water

2 T                                    sugar in the raw

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a large pot melt 4 T butter.  Cut remaining butter into cubes and place in freezer.  Add blueberries, peaches, and ½ cup sugar to the melted butter.  Stir in corn starch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ¼ t salt.  Mix well, and turn off heat.

In your food processor sift in flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and remaining salt.  Pulse quickly to combine.  Add in butter from the freezer and pulse until the flour mixture looks like sand.  Pour in cream and pulse again quickly just until the dough comes together and is slightly sticky.

Beat your egg in a small bowl and add water.  Set aside.

Pour your fruit mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.  Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto the fruit mixture, spread it out as it will all cook together in the oven.  Brush the top of the batter with egg wash then sprinkle on sugar.

Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch “bubble over” and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with ice cream or whip cream.  You kids are sure to love this fruit!

Meaty Morsel:  Switch up your fillings with this cobbler.  Try raspberry/nectarine or peach/apple, or mixed berry!  It’s always delicious and a big crowd pleaser.

I’m linking up today to meet some new Thursday friends.  If you’re new here, welcome.  Pull up a chair.  Can I get you a cup of coffee with your cobbler?

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Last week I was feeling a bit blah.  I couldn’t think of anything new to make, so I went blog surfing and I hit my good friend Julie’s blog over at Mommie Cooks and she had recently made some schnitzel.  Hmmm, schnitzel?  Ok, even the word is funny.  Say it with me…schnitzel…draw it out like…shniiiiiit-seeellll.  What?  I’ve never really made schnitzel, in fact, I wasn’t 100 percent sure what it was made out of.  All I could think of was that hot dog place, which as far as I can tell has absolutely nothing to do with schnitzel whatsoever.  Anyway, I read up and made the stuff, turns out it’s really really good.  The hubs was moved, moved I tell ya…You gotta try it.  See what I found out below there…

Little bit of history for you this fine Monday morn.  What the shiznet is a schnitzel?  Well, it is quite simply a breaded veal cutlet, or any pounded thin cut of meat.  Yup, that’s right, all the Italians out there are talking at the computer with their hands screaming, hey we invented cutlets, but au contraire mon frere, or in this case mein bruder, as the Germans whipped these bad boys up centuries ago.  Check out what Miriam-Webster says about zee schnitzel…

Main Entry: schnit·zel

Pronunciation: \ˈshnit-səl\

Etymology: German, literally, shaving, chip, diminutive of Schnitz slice, from Middle High German snitz; akin to Old High German snīdan to cut, Old English snīthan, and perhaps to Czech snět bough

See, how cute is that?  It means little slice.  And it is a little slice, it’s a little slice of heaven!  I made ours out of some pork chops that were on sale and threw them over a big salad.  Totally cost effective and delicious all at the same time.  The hubs ate 4!  Here’s how you make them.

Fitzpatrick’s Fo’ Shizzel my Pork Schnitzel

8 thin sliced pork chops pounded thin

2/3 cup flour

1 t garlic powder

S&P

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

4 T olive oil divided

2 T butter, divided

2 sprigs of thyme, divided

2 cloves garlic whole, divided

1 lemon cut into wedges

Set out three bowls to make your breading stations.  In the first bowl combine your flour, garlic powder, and S&P.  In the second bowl, combine your eggs and milk, the panko bread crumbs in the third.  Start my dredging your cutlets in the flour.  Shake off any excess then dunk them into the second bowl of eggs and milk.  Finish off by putting them into the third bowl with the bread crumbs.  Place them on a baking sheet or cutting board and let them sit for about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet put 2 T of oil and 1 T of butter over medium high heat along with your 1 garlic clove and thyme sprig.  Once the oil has heated up remove the garlic and thyme and add in 2 cutlets.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes keeping an eye on them.  Flip them when they are golden brown, cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt.  Set under some tin foil to keep warm.  Repeat with 2 more cutlets.  Toss out your oil and butter and start fresh heating remaining 2 T of oil and 1 T butter and garlic and butter.  Repeat process for the remaining cutlets.  Squeeze some lemon over all the cutlets and serve immediately with additional lemon.  SOOOOO good!

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Serves: 6   Prep time:  30 minutes  Cook time: 15 minutes

1 ¾ c  All Purpose Flour

3  1/2 t  Baking Powder

¾ t        Kosher salt

3/4 t     cinnamon

1/2 t     all spice

1/2 t    ground nutmeg

3 T         Granulated sugar

1 1/2  c  Milk

1 large    Egg

1 t            Real Vanilla Extract

3/4 can real pumpkin puree

In a medium size bowl combine the dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center and add in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract.  Mix until smooth.

Fold in pumpkin puree being sure not to overmix, this will toughen the pancakes.  Let your batter rest for 15 minutes before you cook them.

Preheat your frying pan to medium heat.  You’ll know it’s hot enough when a drop of water skips along the surface.  Melt a bit of butter on the pan.  Using a ladle drop about 1/3 cup batter onto your buttered pan for each pancake.  When you see bubbles all over the top of the pancake, it’s time to flip.  Flip only once and don’t press down on your pancake or they won’t be light and fluffy.  When the second side is browned pull them off and keep them warm under some tinfoil on a plate.

Top with butter and syrup or sprinkle with powdered sugar.  The kids will devour these!  Mine do!

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