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Down Home Breakfast at the Goodner's

Last month I visited my friend Kelly's family for breakfast the morning after a friend's bachelorette party. This breakfast was one of those experiences that you use to section your life into a new chapter of higher consciousness. I have eaten from the sweet and greasy tree of knowledge and will no longer suffer in the shadowy gutter of instant oatmeal or cold cereal for breakfast. I want to wake each morning to a plate of pillowy biscuits, cheesy fritata, fried meats, and a massive strawberry shortcake. I waited on this post because it is really too much to write up all at once. So for the next week I will post the recipes necessary to help you recreate this breakfast in your own home. Here is a rundown of the coming recipes:

Fresh Fruit Salad
Bacon and Sausage
Giada's Fritata
Homemade Biscuits
Strawberry Breakfast Cake

Baked Brie Bites

My concept for my 30th birthday (11/18/09) is to be surrounded by a room full of cheese hors d'oeuvres. That means I have a little over 2 years to nail down some cheese hors d'oeuvre recipes. My first thought was to make bite-sized baked brie. I experimented with a few different pasteries, fruits, and nuts. Here is a rundown of my favorites.

BH Baked Brie Bites #1

1 pkg. puff pastry
1 egg
Medium wedge of brie
Small container of honey
2 thinly sliced and halved apples or pears
Small pkg. toasted walnut or pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thaw pastry, unfold, dust with flour, and roll flat. Slice pastry into equal-sized squares. Place a cube of brie in the center of the square with 2-3 small slices of fruit, 3-4 pieces of nuts, and a drizzle of honey. Fold corners of pastry into center and bunch edges together. In a small bowl beat egg with 1 Tbsp water. Brush egg mixture over pastry. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until golden.

BH Baked Brie Bites #2

1 pkg rolled premade pie crust
1 egg
Medium wedge of brie
Small pkg raspberries or blackberries
Small container of honey
Small pkg. toasted walnut or pecan bits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thaw crust, unroll, dust with flour, and roll flat. Cut 3.5" circles out of the dough with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a large drinking glass. Place a cube of brie in the center of each circle with 2-3 small slices of fruit, 3-4 pieces of nuts, and a drizzle of honey. Fold  in edges of the circles, bunch and pinch together.In a small bowl beat egg with 1 Tbsp water. Brush egg mixture over pastry. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

Roasted Vegetable Tart

I'm am a huge fan of all things pastry and have been really into savory pastries lately. This roasted vegetable tart is juicy and delicious with a satisfying combination of cheese, vegetables and crust. To avoid soggy crust, be sure to prebake your crust and pat down excessively wet veggies with a paper towel.

1 Premade pie crust
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
Cooking spray
1/2 pound thinly sliced eggplant rounds (about 1/3 medium eggplant) 
2-3 zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds (about 8 ounces)
3 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Press aluminum foil on top of the premade dough and weigh down with uncooked rice or pie weights. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rice and foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until no longer shiny and wet. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the filling: Increase the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; saute onion until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spray 2 baking trays with cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices on the trays in a single layer and brush with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from oven and cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Lay the eggplant slices in 2 layers on the bottom of tart; cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and some of the shredded basil. Add the zucchini and onion, top with another 1/3 of the mozzarella and basil, then the tomatoes. Top with rest of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and vegetables have further wilted. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and cut into 8 slices. Serve warm.

 

Breakfast with Pornstars

So you have a group of gay porn stars staying over and you aren't sure what to feed them for breakfast. Bloghungry has your back. I spoke with some of the stars present at Los Angeles' Gay Erotic Expo recently to discuss breakfast food favorites. Here is a rundown of some the sexworker's most wanted morning eats:

Blake Riley: Peanutbutter and Chocolate pancakes
Josh Weston: Cereal
Ethan Reynolds: Yogurt parfaits
Benjamin Bradley: Ethan's cum

Summer Fruit Crumble

While listening to one of my favorite food pod casts last month I discovered an amazing rustic dessert called the fruit crisp. Kin to a cobbler, a crisp is a baked fruit dessert covered with a layer of crisp delicious crumbs. For summer they recommended a mix of seasonal berries or a mix of seasonal stone fruits (peaches, plums, nectarines).

Summer Fruit Crumble

4+ cups of seasonal fruit, sliced if necessary
1/2 c. sugar
3 t. vanilla, divided
1 1/2 t. cinnamon, divided
1 t. freshly ground nutmeg, divided
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
8 Tbsp cold butter
1/2 c. rolled oats
Vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, or whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine fruit, granulated sugar, 1 t. vanilla, 1/2 t. cinnamon, and 1/2 t. nutmeg in a large bowl; mix well. Spoon into a greased baking dish (at least 1 1/2 qt.). Combine flour, brown sugar, remaining 2 t. vanilla, remaining 1 t. cinnamon, remaining 1/2 t. nutmeg, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to blend. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add nuts and oats, and pulse to blend. Sprinkle over fruit mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Cool slightly and serve with heaps of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

No Cookie Left Behind

Scoops is my favorite ice cream shop in town. It's small, full of innovative homemade flavors, and holds a fair clout of street creed in the area. They have classic flavors alongside more notable flavors like strawberry balsamic, pineapple cola, or mango black pepper.

Tomorrow (8/18/07) from 12-4, Scoops will be a part of The Great American Bake sale to fight childhood hunger. Swing by for cookies, cupcakes, cakes, tarts, granola, baklava, brownies, and much more deliciousness.

Scoops
712 N Heliotrope Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323-906-2649

Feta and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Everyone loves a stuffed chicken breast. They are juicy, flavorful, and full of all kinds of good stuff. This is a recipe from Weight Watchers with a light and flavorful way to stuff your chicken with deliciousness. I also added thinly sliced sundried tomatoes to mine because I had some on hand. You could add roasted red peppers or olives if you were so inclined.

Feta and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

1  tsp   olive oil, divided
1  small   onion(s), chopped
10  oz   spinach, fresh
1  tsp   lemon zest
1/4 cup   feta cheese, crumbled
1  tsp   table salt, divided
1/2 tsp   black pepper, divided
1  pound   uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz cutlets

In a large nonstick skillet heat 1 teaspoon oil; sauté onion until golden, 5 minutes. Wilt spinach (steam spinach or heat damp spinach over medium heat in nonstick pan); stir in zest, feta, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside. Divide spinach mixture between cutlets. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove toothpicks.

 

Now Playing in the BH Kitchen

Just so you know, I am losing my mind for the new Junior Senior album.

Wedding Cake Topper

I am a huge fan of wedding cakes and am always looking for updated ways to personalize a cake. So when I saw this homemade wedding cake topper at my friends Brigid and Jesse's wedding last July I was in awe. This is a genius concept perfect for hipster cakes for any occasion.