Drunken Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Pitas

It’s a busy week around here! In addition to getting back to more regular runs (I took about 2 weeks to take it pretty easy), I’m headed to my company meeting in Maryland today for the rest of the week. But don’t you worry, I didn’t forget about you! In fact, I have a completely delicious recipe to share . . .

I am one of those people who has every intention of planning meals ahead of time, but then . . . well, I end up at the grocery store without a list and end up buying random things and hoping for the best. Fortunately, I can be creative enough to make it work out for me most of the time. This is one of those times! 

This week, I was craving mushrooms, so into the basket they went with no real idea of what I’d do with them. 

So they went into a veggie-filled scramble on Sunday night for dinner . . . 

YUM.

And then, I got creative. Or not so creative. Let’s face it: I eat a lot of caramelized onions and the combo of mushrooms and onions is nothing new around here. But this is a new twist! So. 

Drunken Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Pita

Serves one

2 mini pitas or 1 regular sized pita

one medium onion, thinly sliced

2 tsp. olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

splashes of red or white wine (I tried it with both and liked red better but both were good!)

S&P

2 T. crumbled gorgonzola

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat and add sliced onions. Season with S&P and stir until softened–about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and continue stirring every few minutes for about 30-40 minutes, until onions are caramelized. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute, then add a splash of wine to deglaze the pan. Cook until wine has evaporated, then spread onions over pitas. 

In the same pan, add the second tsp. of olive oil and heat over medium. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Season with S&P and thyme, then add another splash of wine to deglaze the pan once more. Cook until wine evaporates, then spread mushrooms over onions. 

 

Top the mushrooms with the cheeses and broil on high for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and brown.

Right??? So it takes a little while to whip this up, but it’s really easy. Plus, you need something to do while you wind down after work, no? A glass of wine and a pan to stir makes me a happy girl. 

And a dinner like this at the end?

Makes me a very happy girl. 🙂 

What’s the last successful throw-together meal you made?

Hot Date!

Oh yes!  I certainly had a hot date tonight!  I even got all dolled up . . . more on that later.

I wasn’t expecting much today, but I did get some Valentines!  A very sweet student made me these delicious Oreo balls covered in chocolate, which I expertly polished off before 10 AM.  I proceeded to have a stomachache and feel generally “blech” for the rest of the day, but they were totally worth it!

Then I came home to this!

A Valentine’s care package from my fam!  YAY!

It included a signed copy of Pull, which my mom got from another author at her writer’s conference a couple weeks ago.   Since it’s a young adult novel, I’m sure I’ll end up sharing it with my students.

Valentine’s socks are a must, of course!  You should know that I have quite an impressive collection of holiday socks, but I think Valentine’s socks make up most of ’em!

Then came these darling shot glasses!  They’re promos for my mom’s debut novel, The Wrong Guy, which comes out in early March!  So exciting!

 

Gotta dig the sentiment!

And don’t forget the cards!  First, a darling one from Mom and Dad.

 

Happy Valentine's Day, Gorgeous!

And then, a cheeky one from my lil’ sis.

I miss her!!!

My calves wanted down dogs and my hips needed pigeons, so I did a little Body by Bethenny on Exercise TV before heading out on my Hot Date!

That’s right, kids.  I treated myself to dinner out!

I am so fancy.

Don’t worry, I made sure to get dolled up before I went out.

We don’t have Chik-fil-A in Michigan, so I had actually never tried it.  But I’ve heard such good things and they make a point of advertising their “fresh, quality ingredients” so I gave it a shot.

First up, a side salad with honey roasted sunflower kernels and honey mustard dressing.  Check out the goods.

 

Hello Fresh Veggies!!!

This was not a salad I would expect to get at a fast food joint!  It was really tasty!

And then, a Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich with Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce!  And pickles!  On a Golden Wheat Bun!  I didn’t really look at the menu much before ordering this, so I was pleasantly surprised by all the little extras on here.

Honestly, it was delicious.  I had no idea.

It was flavorful, fresh, and totally satisfying.  I am officially a Chik-fil-A convert!

I put it on a real plate to maintain my fancy theme.

 

V-day Dinnah

Luckily for me, this little guy wanted to be my date.

Ah, Miller Lite . . . I can always count on you!

So Valentine’s Day was pretty much regularly scheduled programming for my Monday, but I’m 100% OK with that.  So tonight, I will be working on Rachel Wilkerson’s Lesson #18 . . . I think I may even be on #6! 😉

Hope your Valentine’s Day was wonderful!

A Q for you . . .

How are you spending your V-Day???

 

 

Alrighty Then

Alllllllllllllllrighty then, folks!  How was your day???

I think I may be in a slump at work.  Today was OK, but I am generally feeling frustrated.  Harumph!

In the interest of doing some good things for me, I worked out & made a tasty lil dinner!

First up, just under 5 miles on the treadmill in a “pyramid” of sorts.  My 10K training plan called for 4 miles with strides at the end, so I mixed it up with this workout:

Minute	Pace	Incline
0-5	6	1
5-10	6.5	1
10-15	7	1
15-20	7.5	1
20-25	7	1
25-30	6.5	0 –> got a tiny bit winded after those faster intervals 😦
30-35	6	0
35-40	15 seconds at 9 followed by 45 seconds of recovery at 6 (X5)	0
40-45	4	4

When I run on the treadmill, I tend to become a bit obsessed with how much time I have left, so I always cover the display!  Yes, I’m that girl.

Gah! Staring me in the face!

Presto!  My little workout notebook comes in quite handy!  Sometimes, I’ll use a hand towel, but this works mighty fine, too. 😉

Ahhhhhhhh much better

 

For the record, that workout totally kicked my boo-tay!

I was starving when I got home, so I whipped up some Mini Eggplant Parm for myself!

When you love to cook, but you live alone, a girl’s gotta get creative!  Otherwise, as much as I typically enjoy my own cooking, I get sick of eating meatloaf or soup for days on end.  Even I have my limits. So I invent individual meals & desserts for myself.  Hey, a girl’s gotta eat! 😉

Mini Eggplant Parm

The cast of characters:

We’ve got

• 1/2 cup orzo pasta
• ~ 1/3 cup marinara sauce (Trader Gionni’s!!)
• 4 eggplant slices
• 1/4 cup Italian cheese blend
• 1 t. Smart Balance Light (or butter or whatever you happen to have)
• 2 T. freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 T. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 egg white (not pictured)

Preheat your oven to 350* (aka, don’t be like me & forget this step).  First, cook up half a cup of orzo pasta in salted boiling water.  Make sure it’s just al dente because you’re going to bake it.  If it’s even the slightest bit over done, it will be rubbery & disgusting.  It would be in your best interest to just trust me on this one.  You’re welcome.

While that’s happening, season your eggplant with the Italian seasoning & a sprinkle of garlic salt.

Then, spray 2 individual ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.  Mine hold about 1 cup each.

Mix the drained orzo with the Italian cheese, Smart Balance, egg white, & garlic.

Now, the fun begins!!!  Layer 1/4 of the orzo mixture in the bottom of each ramekin.

Awe, aren't they cute?

Top with a lovely slice of eggplant.

Hi, Eggplant! I heart you!

A tablespoon or two of marinara on top . . .

Trader Joe's . . . mmmmmmmm

Repeat!  Top the whole shebang with freshly grated parm & pop ’em into a preheated 350* oven.  As is my habit, I realized at this point that my oven was not preheated.  Fail. 😦  But happily, I used this time to clean up!  Dirty dishes stress me out.  I may or may not have been known to clean up my dishes while hot food sits on my plate because I can’t really relax & enjoy my meal unless they are done, & I don’t have to worry about them.  I know.

So, assuming that your oven is preheated, bake these little lovelies for ~45 minutes or until the eggplant is cooked through. PS–if you’re starving & don’t want to bake it this long, just pre-cook the eggplant in a skillet & bake for 15 minutes.  Equally delish!

Mini fo Me!

Please excuse the bite out of my garlic bread.  What can I say?  I’m an animal.

Top with some more parm & gobble!  Totally downed both of these minis & now I’ve got my eye on some frozen hot chocolate a la Jessica.  The sweet tooth cannot be tamed!

A Q for you . . .

What are your favorite “single serve” dinners?