Copycat Ikea Meatballs

Thursday, 24 September 2015

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It's raining and pouring in London. Which means it's time to stay locked inside, cozy up by the fire (if I had one), drink a glass of wine and nosh on some deliciousness aka... comfort food.


Copycat Ikea Meatballs.
Yes you heard me. Yes they are delicious. Now go and create them at home because they're quick and easy to make!

Total prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
* Dinner on the table under an hour!

First things first, for this recipe you will need:


  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp. fresh oregano chopped or 1 tsp. dry oregano
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 5 tbsp. butter
  • 3 tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups beef broth (warmed up)
  • 1 cup cream
  • ½ tbsp. Soy sauce
  • ½ tbsp. Hot sauce (I used Piri Piri)
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • 3 tbsp. parmesan 

  • Instructions:

    In small bowl combine bread crumbs and milk. Let sit for 10 minutes until bread crumbs have soaked up milk.

    In large skillet heat 1 tbsp. olive oil with 1 tbsp. butter, medium heat. Add onions and sauté until see-through for about 6 minutes. Then add garlic and oregano and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.

    In large bowl, combine ground beef, sautéed onion, garlic and oregano.




    Mix in salt, pepper and egg, combine until egg is mixed in. Add bread crumbs to meat mixture and combine well.

    Use a tablespoon and roll up the meatballs. Recipe makes approximately 30-35, depending on the size.


    Reheat skillet used to sauté onions and garlic, adding a bit more olive oil and butter if needed.

    On medium heat, brown meat balls on all sides, carefully turning so they don't break apart. Don't overcrowd skillet with meatballs, work in batches. Transfer meatballs to baking sheet and keep warm in oven while making sauce.

    Add 4 tbsp. butter to skillet, when melted whisk in flour, cook until golden brown. Slowly stir in heated beef broth, cook at temperature that keeps sauce at slow bubble. Add in cream, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard, simmer until sauce thickens at bit.

    Add meatballs into sauce, cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.


    Sprinkle some parmesan or oregano as garnish on top and you're done! You can serve this over mashed potatoes, or they also go nicely over egg noodles!

    The best part is you can freeze half your meatballs and use them in a different dish to try out next time around. I swear my inner John Dollak (dad) is coming out as I type this...
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    Review: Her Majesty's Pleasure

    Wednesday, 23 September 2015

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    I've been home in Toronto for the past week, and today I opted for an after-work treat at Her Majesty's Pleasure, a spa/cocktail bar hybrid in the heart of King West Village.

    Her Majesty's Pleasure offers a variety of cocktails to go along with the pampering of your choice. From blowouts to pedicures, they have it all. There's also a cafe menu that offers delicate French pastries if you end up sitting in the mani-chair on an empty stomach.

    Their drink list was much more extensive than that of Cheeky London (see my review), and far tastier, I might add. Getting one hand polished with lilac varnish while using the other to sip away at a ridiculously good cocktail was all I the convincing I needed to go!  




    They're one of many following the trend of fusing the spa experience with a boutique style bar, however what's put them ahead of the crowd is their wonderful cocktails, amazing nail varnish selection (they carry Deborah Lippmann), beautiful decor and incredible attention to detail in all that they do.  The interior felt very clean but super chic at the same time -- perfect for a nail salon, in my opinion. This is a great place to go to unwind with the girls after a long work week, or to pre-drink and get pampered before a fun night out. Because the pre-drink is always more fun than going out, anyways, right?


    A signature pedicure will run you $45 and a manicure is $35 -- seems like a bargain after living in London! Check out Her Majesty's Pleasure to book! 
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    A Weekend in Switzerland

    Saturday, 12 September 2015

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    The last two weekends have been jam-packed with music festival activities!

    Last weekend we hopped on a quick flight to Zurich for Streetparade, and then this weekend we found ourselves in NYC at Electric Zoo.


    Along with the usual festival shenanigans, we brunched... a lot. And we ate bagels... a lot. See the pictures and resto details after the jump!

    ZURICH



    We refueled by grabbing an amazing brunch at Cafe Des Amis, which I would highly recommend! Not gonna lie though, I topped this off with macarons from Spruengli about two hours later. Oops?

    NEW YORK

     The main stage at Electric Zoo


    The best bagel of my life - veggie cream cheese on the left and turkey, tomato and scallion cream cheese on the right. Both on everything bagels and from Ess-A-Bagel!

     The runner-up was an egg, tomato avocado delight from Black Seed Bagels.

    Wonderful 'Green Eggs Benedict' from Mezetto. They also served up a great bottomless mimosa deal for $16!

     Finished it off with a 'Drunk Brunch' at Bagatelle



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