Veal Loin Chops with Tarragon and White Wine Reduction Sauce

Veal is one of those rich, delicious delicacies that PETA would have you believe is morally reprehensible to consume. And you know what? Maybe it is, but I’ll be damned if that’s going to stop me. So with some thick and succulent veal loin chops on hand, I decided to go with a relatively simple recipe that produces some pretty complex and interesting flavors, mostly due to the use of tarragon. On the side, I steamed some broccoli and made a simple risotto to round out this delicious gourmet meal. The risotto recipe is the same one I used for my seafood risotto, and you can make whichever sides you like, so I’ll only be detailing the process for cooking the veal below.

Spicy Vodka Sauce

Pasta is something I eat pretty often, but mostly I’ve been content using store-bought sauces. This time, I decided to try to make one of my favorite kinds of sauce from scratch – Vodka Sauce. I was mostly inspired by the fact that I had a huge, mostly full bottle of vodka sitting in the fridge. I wanted to put some of it to a use that wouldn't actually be damaging to my liver, and I was quite pleased with the final result.

Spicy, flavorful, and creamy, vodka sauce goes great with almost any pasta dish, and it’s not even particularly difficult to prepare. I made mine with spaghetti rigati and Juicy Lucy meatballs, and boy was it good!

Breaded Chicken with Roasted Garlic Peppercorn Sauce

My latest chicken adventure was one that didn’t even begin with chicken. I’ve been dabbling in sauces a bit lately, and upon discovering a tasty sounding recipe for roasted garlic peppercorn sauce, the next task was to find something to pour it on. Chicken seemed appropriate to me, so I opted for a breaded chicken recipe, using Panko to create a satisfying crunch.

I served the chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed cauliflower, but I’m only going to list recipes for the chicken and sauce here. Mashed potatoes can be made any number of ways and there’s nothing particularly special about the way I do them, and steamed vegetables are easy. Plus, who am I to tell you what to serve as your side dish? Go nuts!