BLOGHUNGRY

American Express Pairings Event

The good people at American Express flew Popmuse and me to Napa for the weekend for a music, food, and wine event featuring Dave Matthews and Chef John Besh (of Top Chef Masters and The Next Iron Chef fame). The event took place at the beautiful Mondavi Winery and featured a delicious assortment of wine paired with an ambitious tasting menu. I found Besh's pork belly with corn cake, field peas, ham hock broth, and collard green crisps to be the most successful dish of the evening. Other stand-outs of the evening included Modavi Winery's 2006 Chardonnay Reserve and 2000 Sauvignon Blanc Botrytis. While I have never been the biggest fan of gamey meats and animal organs, I found Besh's alligator pies, smoked marrow and oxtail marmalade, and various duck bites surprisingly edible. Following the dinner, Matthews performed a live acoustic set to the room of spirited diners to round out the mix of food, wine, and music.

Three Apples Exhibition: 35 Years of Hello Kitty

Last night Bloghungry and Popmuse got out to Three Apples, a celebration of 35 years of Hello Kitty. While there were no apples to speak of at the event, the opening offered a delicious apple sake cocktail and plenty of champagne, sweets, and hors d'oeuvres. The space featured 80+ contemporary artists interpretations of Hello Kitty in one-of-a kind pieces. You can also visit the Three Apples pop-up shop for never-seen-before Hello Kitty products including limited edition prints, Japanese imported goods, classic Hello Kitty products, special Hello Kitty 35th Anniversary collections.

The exhibition will take place over the next three weeks at the Royal/T café / shop / art space in Culver City, CA.

Three Apples Exhibition
October 23 – November 15, 2009
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232-2326

Pie Pops

Pie's time has come. More diverse and satisfying than any cupcake or frozen yogurt fad, pie deserves your respect. If you are still caught up in cute packaging and modern presentations, then try these "pie pops" from Scoochmaroo and Lemonie. This recipe uses peach filling, but you could use any filling that would fit in the pie pop.

Peach Pie Pops

2 fresh peaches
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp butter
Fresh nutmeg and cinnamon to taste
Two pie crusts (homemade or rolls of store bought)
1 egg for egg wash on crusts (optional)
Lollipop sticks

To peel peaches and accelerate cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add peaches and boil for 5 minutes. Remove peaches with a slotted spoon and immerse immediately in ice water. Now your peaches will peel easily.

Peel, pit and finely chop peaches. Cut together flour, butter and sugar. To the peaches, add dry ingredients. Stir to coat. Season with fresh ground nutmeg and cinnamon.

Cover your workspace with plastic wrap or a fine dusting of flour or cornstarch. Roll out pie crusts as thinly as possible - otherwise you'll be eating a mouthful of crust! Cut with a circle cutter or something similar - I used the lid off of a small jar.

Gently press sticks into crust. For added security, you can use a scrap of crust to cover the stick. Add a small dollop of filling to the center. Cover with another circle of dough. and press edges together securely. Using the end of a lollipop stick or a fork, crimp the edges.

Transfer pops to a baking sheet. Mine is covered with a silicone sheet. Brush beaten egg white onto crusts.
Cover the sticks with foil to prevent burning. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Pops are done when they are golden brown.

Pumpkin Pie Bites

I'm a sucker for gimmicky holiday foods. I especially like tasty finger foods that can be eaten in one bite. This genius recipe is from Bakerella.

Pumpkin Pie Bites

2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter

Optional
1/2 cup chocolate morsels
vegetable oil
re-sealable plastic bags

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.
Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)
Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.

To decorate, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle or draw faces on pies.

Note: The cutter used was 3 3/4 inches wide, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Just use a round cutter around that size or slightly smaller to cut circle shapes out of the dough. Then make stems with the scraps. Press each stem over the edge and down the side of the dough before filling.

Mummy Dogs

Bloghungry is under siege by his infant daughter these days and has not been able to cook as much as he wants. However, I have been finding things I want to try when I have more time to cook. Here is a quick Halloween recipe  from Scoochmaroo that is sure to win over finicky kid eaters. 

Mummy Dogs

8 pack Hot dogs
1 roll Pillsbury Crescent roll dough
mustard or ketchup

Preheat oven to 375. Roll out your dough and pinch together any seams. Cut into strips about 1" wide. Wrap your dogs. Bake 12 minutes. Use mustard or ketchup to add eyes.

South Philly Experience

In a city built on organic greens and avocado, sometimes a person needs a steak sandwich smothered with Cheese Whiz. I just got home from a trip to the South Philly Experience truck and am still basking in its afterglow. The truck was created by a group of Philadelphians with a dream of bringing authentic cheesesteaks to people of LA. To realize their dream they even have their rolls shipped in from Amoroso’s Baking Co. in Philadelphia.

I ordered the Italian (steak w/ provolone, grilled onions, broccoli rabe and cherry peppers on a roll) and their Bacon Cheese Special (steak w/ Cheese Whiz, thick strips of bacon, and grilled onions). Both sandwiches were huge and filled with the kind of juicy chopped bits of beef that give your life meaning. If pressed, I'd say that the Italian was my favorite, because of it's richer and spicier mix of ingredients. However, the savory mix of Cheese Whiz and thick cut bacon aren't to be passed up either.

I've done a few of LA's foodie trucks in the past, but kimchi quesadillas and seaweed-wrapped burgers have nothing on an authentic cheesesteak. Don't take my word for it. Put down your tofu wrap and find them on Twitter now.

Cucumber Ginger Cocktail

They say that fish and company go bad after 3 days. We've had company at least every weekend for the past 3 months. Add a new baby, sleep deprivation, and work drama to the equation and you've got a whole lot of bad. I think we could all use a cocktail from Martha Stewart. No one can drink to endure company like a WASP. I'd like to dedicate both this drink and the power ballad link below to my husband, baby, and dog. Someday we will be alone together again.

CLICK TO PLAY:  Heart - Alone

Cucumber Ginger Cocktails

1 1/2 cups vodka
1 English cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
2 bottles (750 mL each) sparkling water
1/2 to 1 cup Ginger Simple Syrup (see below)

Put vodka and chopped cucumber in a nonreactive container. Refrigerate 1 hour. Strain; discard cucumber. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use, up to 2 days.

Fill eight tumblers with ice. Add 3 tablespoons infused vodka to each glass. Squeeze, then drop, a lime wedge into each. Top with sparkling water; stir in 2 tablespoons syrup.

Ginger Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 piece (about 10 inches long and 4 ounces; or use several small pieces) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very thin rounds

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add ginger; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and let steep 30 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard ginger. Refrigerate up to 1 month.

Kitchen Fantasy Print Series

I added to my new art enterprise. Act now to get in on the action. Who doesn't love looking at unicorns and Kitchenaid stand mixers? Who wouldn't want to go to Etsy and buy a print of this pairing?

Celebrity Food Art Series

Being a part time teacher and stay at home dad has made me a little crazy this month. As an outlet for the crazy, I decided to go my art school roots and made a series of celebrity and food themed prints. They are now available for sale on Etsy.

You can get your own collection of these beauties HERE.

Marked 5

The street food lunch truck trend is bigger than all of us. People love chasing trucks for $5 hipster-fusion eats. I am far too lame to follow tweets to the latest trucks for a quick bite. However, Popmuse isn't and decided to take Lily and me along for the ride last week.

The Marked 5 truck serves Japanese inspired "burgers" served between two patties of sticky rice. We had the Spam and egg special and the beef and egg special. The beef was a little bland, but the salty Spam mixed with the creamy egg yolk was truly inspired. If you are looking to track your lunch or dinner down with Twitter, check them out. It was better than Kogi.

Pancakes or French Toast?

When Popmuse and I started dating, I wrote out a long questionnaire for him to answer. It started, because I hate awkward small talk, but ended up really getting to the root of who he is and what his life is about. I had a few questions about favorite Real World seasons, Madonna personas, and more intimate details, but the bulk of it was about food. Here are a few examples involving breakfast foods. I've added my thoughts to help you evaluate that special person in your life. Above all, never trust anyone that doesn't love food as they are likely devoid the capacity to feel.

1. Pancakes or French toast?

If you like pancakes, you are much more grounded and soulful.

If you like french toast, then you are a joyless person who was probably never hugged as a child.

If you write-in crepes, you are more interested in impressions than food.

2. Favorite Cereal?

As long as they are passionate about their answer, you have to respect them. A good answer usually includes a cereal balanced in fiber and sugar with a second mention of a guilty pleasure sugar cereal from your childhood. Extra points awarded to extra details on preferences of crisp vs. soggy or mention of resulting milk flavor in their decision. More details show an awareness of small things and an ability to fine tune everyday experiences for greater happiness.

3. Bacon or Sausage?

If they are vegetarian, then they are either going through a stage best resolved before their mid-twenties or are so deeply sensitive and political that they have taken themselves out of the food chain.

If they prefer bacon, then they are true to themselves and will allow happiness into their lives. Extra points awarded for detail on preferences crispness, seasoning, or food-pairings.

If they prefer sausage, then they are hard core and a little spicy. A links lover usually prefers more structure and juiciness. A patty lover is a true carnivore and is in it for the spicy greasiness.

Food For Parents: Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

Here's another pretty basic slowcooker recipe. It's great because you can throw it together and come back 6 hours later to a finished meal. Just remember to put it on some pasta. I recommend a big fat spinach or whole wheat fettucini noodle. Note: This recipe doesn't have mushrooms because I'm not a fan, but feel free to add your own toward the end of the cooking time if necessary.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 large onion, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender. Season to taste. Spoon meat and sauce over pasta.

Food For Parents: Muffin Tin Potatoes Gratin

I love a good gratin recipe and have one if you are in need of a bulky delicious side dish. However, these are genius because they are fast and pre-portioned. This recipe makes 12, but they're smallish portions and go quick. I stole the muffin tin concept from the winner of the Next Food Network Star. However, hers were made of Swiss and cream and mine has much more delicious flavor. Do not fear blue cheese, a lot of the flavor of cheese is lost when it's made into a cream sauce which is why I always use strong cheeses for mine. If you like a milder cheese taste you can sub Cheddar, Parmesan, or Gruyere.

Potato Gratin Cups

2 large russet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
½ cup (4oz) blue cheese crumbles
salt and pepper
cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, saute the minced garlic in butter over medium heat until softened and fragrant. Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the cream until smooth and thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.

Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with no stick cooking spray. Slice the potatoes thinly. Layer potato slices in each muffin cup.  Spoon cheese sauce equally into potato–filled cups. Bake for 25 minutes.

Food For Parents: Chicken and Spinach Lasagna

Since grocery shopping was hard in the first couple weeks of parenthood, I made this from what we we had on hand in our kitchen. It went over so well in my house that I made it again for grandmothers and relatives that were visiting and have been asked for a recipe a couple times. It's not an exact science, just layer in ingredients to taste and when in doubt add more cheese.

Chicken Lasagna

1 large jar spaghetti sauce
1 box No Boil Lasagna noodles
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ cup white wine (whatever’s cheap or on hand)
Medium container of ricotta
4 cups shredded Italian cheeses
grated parmesan (optional)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach
1 large onion
1 head of garlic (4-6 cloves or a jar of minced)
dried oregano (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Cook spinach, onion, and chicken separately (see directions below). Spoon and spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Lay down no boil pasta noodles. Cover with a thin layer of ricotta, a handful of shredded cheese, a sprinkle of parmesan, and 1/2 of cooked spinach. Top with layer of pasta, sauce, cheeses, chicken, and onion. Continue layers until you run out of space or ingredients. Top with sauce and cheeses. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes covered, then 10 minutes uncovered. You may need to broil an additional 3-4 minutes to brown and crisp up top layer.

To Cook Spinach:
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat with 2-3 cloves of minced garlic for about 1 minute. Add frozen chopped spinach salt and pepper and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Simmer until warmed though and remove from heat.

To Cook Onion:
Thinly slice onion. Put onion in small skillet with 2-3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil, salt and pepper. Saute over medium to high heat until translucent with brown edges. Remove from heat.

To Cook Chicken:
Cut chicken into small even-sized pieces. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil with 2-3 cloves of minced garlic for about 1 minute. Add chicken, a pinch or two of dried oregano, salt and pepper, and enough white wine to level with sides of cut chicken (about ½ cup).  Simmer until chicken is cooked through.

Food For Parents: Mini Turkey Meatballs Over Spinach and Garlic

These are pretty amazing. We eat meatballs at least once a week in my house. We change them up with different ingredients and serve them with veggies to keep them interesting and on the healthy side. Turkey is my favorite ground meat to use. It's taste is lighter and it's healthier than beef or sausage mixes. We usually eat these on a bed of sauteed spinach and garlic, but you could also have them over pasta, polenta, or a with a side of veggies. You could make these in advance. Just put them in a oven safe dish and reheat them in the oven until heated though.

Mini Turkey Meatballs

1 small onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
26 ounces store-bought marinara sauce

Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, basil, Parmesan, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Using 2 forks, mix in the turkey until combined. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Lay meatballs on a large plate or baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Spinach with Garlic

3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons water
16 oz bag of frozen chopped spinach
2 teaspoona salt and pepper

In a medium-large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for a 2-3 minutes. Add spinach, water, salt and pepper, cover and steam until heated through.

Food for Parents: Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Crock pots are genius. You throw a bunch of stuff into them and leave for 6-8 hours and you have dinner. My favorite thing to make in the crock pot is BBQ. You can use beef, pork, or chicken for this, but the big bags of frozen chicken breasts are the easiest and healthiest way to make as much or as little as you want. It's really best to make a ton and then keep the rest for leftovers, because it keeps well in the fridge and is almost better the longer it sits.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

4-6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 Jar BBQ Sauce
Tbsp salt and pepper
Rolls or buns

Put chicken, onion, 1/4 of bottle of BBQ sauce, salt, and pepper in crock pot on low. Let cook for at least 6 hours. Using 2 forks, pull apart and shred meat into chunks and pieces. Drain most of the liquid from the pot. Mix in remaining BBQ sauce and serve on rolls or buns.

Food For Parents: Roasted Vegetables

This basic recipe is amazingly good and a staple in my house. It works especially well with carrots, squash, peppers, sweet potatoes or cauliflower. You can prechop and throw them together last minute or make them ahead and reheat from your fridge. They're also use them in salads, on sandwiches, or pureed with some chicken broth in your blender to make a light veggie soup that's great for dipping sandwiches.

Roasted Veggies

Vegetables
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to about 425 degrees. Cut up your favorite veggies into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly. lay them on a baking sheet and coat them all lightly with olive oil and a healthy dose of salt and pepper. Pop into oven and roast for 15-20 minutes. Test for doneness with a fork. They should be fork-tender and have some tasty caramelization on the edges.

Bloghungry Needs A Nap... and Dinner

I've had a few parents asking me for healthier dinner ideas that can be made ahead or thrown together quickly. As a new parent myself, I feel your pain and am dedicating August as Food For Parents Month.

Bloghungry and Pop Muse Plus One

Our daughter was born last week 0n 7/7/09. It has been a long and difficult road, but it was all worth it. Bloghungry readers will be happy to hear that she is a good eater and likes to watch Food Network with me. She especially likes Drive-ins Diners and Dives.

Umami Burger

Divinity is a concept that is thrown around a lot in the religious community. It's rare that we ever experience anything truly divine. Man isn't even sure if there is a god, but we do know that there is an Umami burger. With no exaggeration, I just had the greatest burger I have ever eaten. It was so juicy and filled with flavor that I'm still basking in its afterglow 2 hours later.

The Atmosphere: The restaurant is small and the tables are a little too close together. The decor is modern but casual.

The Food: I ordered the "Manly Burger": a fresh ground patty with thick chunks of bacon, beer cheddar, smoke salted onion strings, and a hint of wasabi. I also tasted the "Umami Burger": a fresh ground patty with roasted tomatoes, grilled shiitake mushrooms, grilled onions, and a parmesan crisp. The fries and onion rings were thick and good, but it's really all about the burger. For dessert they offer ice cream sandwiches from Milk and homemade snack cakes from Cake Monkey.

Bloghungry Rating: A+

Umami Burger
850 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036-4810
(323) 931-3000