BLOGHUNGRY

Cheddar & Garlic Biscuits

There is little I wouldn't do for a good drop biscuit. Add cheese and garlic to the mix and I'm yours. These biscuits are amazingly quick and delicious. Try them for dinner tonight.

Cheddar & Garlic Biscuits

1 1/4 cups biscuit mix
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup water

Garlic Butter:
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick foil.

Combine the biscuit mix and cheese in a small bowl. Add the water and stir just until combined. The dough will be slightly moist. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the biscuits are firm and beginning to brown.

While the biscuits are baking, make the garlic butter. In a small bowl, combine the butter, garlic powder, salt, and parsley flakes. Mix well. As soon as you bring the biscuits from the oven, brush them with the garlic butter using a pastry brush.

Reader Submission: Filet Mignon with Merlot Sauce

I've had last weeks episode of Project Runway on my Tivo for days waiting for my screening group to reconviene. Now that everyone is back together, it is certainly a cause for celebration. Tonight we dine on Filet Mignon with Merlot Sauce. This amazing recipe was brought to me by sm blogberg. Preparing the sauce takes some time and smells up your kitchen a little, but it's completely worth it. The steak is juicy and delicious and the sauce is rich and savory. Give it a try.

Filet Mignon with Merlot Sauce

1 750-ml bottle Merlot
3 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth (NOT condensed)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 6-ounce filet mignon steaks (each about 1 inch thick)
Freshly cracked pepper
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Boil wine and beef broth in heavy large saucepan over high heat until mixture is reduced to 2 cups, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Mix butter and flour in small bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and cracked pepper. Sauté steaks until medium-rare, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Add shallots, garlic and thyme to skillet; stir 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups reduced wine mixture to skillet (reserve remainder for another use). Bring mixture to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Boil sauce until thick enough to coat spoon, about 2 minutes. Serve steaks with sauce.

Special thanks to sm blogberg for the recipe. To send in your favorite recipe email me at Bloghungry@yahoo.com.

Lemon Blossoms

Recently, I was confronted with the blog of an exboyfriend. Our relationship ended over 5 years ago, was relatively short lived, and left me bankrupt in everyway possible. I'm talking with Lifetime about a possible movie of the week. However, bitterness is no way to go through life. After watching The Eyes of Tammy Faye last weekend I was inspired to forgive him/myself and focus my energies on baking. When life gives you lemons make Paula Deen's Lemon Blossoms. Lemon Blossoms

18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel
To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

Barbeque Meatloaf

Sometimes comfort food is the best way to make it to the end of a work week. I had the strongest craving for meatloaf last night. I have a couple meatloaf recipes in my arsenal already, but decided to branch out and try one of Paula Deen's this time. This is a basic meatloaf with an extraordinary sauce. Popmuse's distaste for onions deterred him from eating more than a couple bites, but I loved it.

Barbeque Meat Loaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 onion, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water, to thin sauce if necessary Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Mix together the beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Form this mixture into a loaf and place it in a shallow pan. Stir together the remaining tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire and the water (if too thick). Pour this sauce over the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour.

Easy Chicken & Dumplings

 

Popmuse came home last night. I decided to welcome him back from the snowy world of indie film gift bags with a warm bowl of chicken and dumplings. This recipe isn't the most down-home recipe ever, but I prefer boneless all white meat chicken to a chicken carcass any day.

Easy Chicken & Dumplings

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast (uncooked and diced)
2 tablespoons butter
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
2 ribs celery, diced
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
2 tablespoons flour, a handful
2 small tubes of raw premade biscuit dough
1 quart chicken broth or stock (canned or paper container)

Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add butter, vegetables and dried herbs, salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.

Separate and cut raw premade canned biscuits into halves of quarters. Drop biscuit pieces into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to medium low. Steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Stir peas into the pan, remove chicken and dumplings from heat and serve in shallow bowls.

 

Sleepover Eats

While the old ball and chain is away at Sundance and Nilblogette's hubby is on a work trip in Vegas, we decided to reconnect with out inner preteen and have a sleepover last night. We watched Sleepover and A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story, both of which taught us valuable lessons about becoming more proactive in our personal lives. It was the perfect occasion to try one of Amy Sedaris's chesse balls.   Amy Sedaris' Cheese Ball Recipe

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese
2 cups shredded smoked Gouda

1 stick butter (Amy uses unsalted for everything)
2 tbsp. milk, cream, or half-and-half
2 tsp. A-l steak sauce
2 cups crushed nuts, any variety (Amy likes walnuts)
crackers for serving

Allow ingredients to soften to room temperature.Beat them all together in a mixing bowl and form into a ball, or form into several small balls to suit your function/needs. Roll in crushed nuts and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator and allow to soften about 20 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers of your choice.

 

Bloghungry Cleans Out The Freezer

Note to Readers: Bloghungry's day job is kicking his butt right now and his boyfriend is out of town for a few days. So Bloghungry is currently living a bachelor life fueled by Lean Cuisines and Balance bars. Fear not, I'm still managing to stock pile some recipes and have big plans for the week ahead.

Baking Bacon

Tired of pan frying your bacon a few pieces at a time and splattering grease all over your kitchen? Why not bake it instead? Just preheat your oven to 400. Lay the bacon out on a sheet of nonstick foil in a cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until it reaches your desired crispness.

Spinach Parmesan Balls

Cheese has taken over my blog and my life. It's everywhere I turn and it's all I want to eat. So when Nilblogette pulled out Dan & Steve's Spinach Parmesan Balls recipe for the Golden Globes, I was transfixed. This recipe is simple and addictive, but is bordering on labor intensive as you will need to hand roll around 50 cheese balls.

Spinach Parmesan Balls

1 pound package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
5 eggs
1 large onion, minced
10 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 cup shredded Parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 3/4 cups Italian-style bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Squeeze the excess water from the spinach and put it in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well by hand.* Form the mixture into 1-inch balls, either by hand or with a small ice cream scoop. Place the balls closely together on a baking sheet.

Cook in the top half of the oven until firm to the touch, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, and then transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

The New Grilled Cheese

For last night's viewing of Project Runway, I decided to try out some new trends in grilled cheese that I saw on PBS's Real Simple. The future of grilled cheese is in the pairing of cheese and fruit. Here are a couple of recipes that my focus group recently reviewed with high marks. Both are very fashion forward for grilled cheese and I'd recommend either for a tasty brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Cheddar, Apple, and Bacon Sandwiches

(Makes 4 sandwiches)
8 slices bacon, preferably applewood-smoked
6 ounces grated Cheddar (about 1 1/2 cups total)
8 slices country bread, 1/2 inch thick
1/2 Granny Smith apple — peeled, seeded, and very thinly sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Heat oven to 400 ° F. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

Place 4 slices of the bread on a work surface. Top with half the Cheddar, the apple slices, bacon, then the remaining Cheddar. Sandwich with the remaining bread. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of butter on the outsides of each sandwich. Heat a large, preferably nonstick, skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sandwiches and cook until the bread is golden brown and the Cheddar has melted, 2 to 3 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula to flatten.

Monterey Jack and Marmalade Sandwiches

(Makes 4 sandwiches)
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack Cheese (about 1 1/2 cups total)
8 slices white bread
Orange Marmalade
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Place 4 slices of the bread on a work surface. Spread inside of slices with Orange Marmalade and top with Monterey Jack cheese. Sandwich with the remaining bread. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of butter on the outsides of each sandwich. Heat a large, preferably nonstick, skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sandwiches and cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted, 2 to 3 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula to flatten.