BLOGHUNGRY

Cheddar French Toast with Grilled Tomatoes

This french toast/cheesy bread recipe is a nice side to a lunch or dinner soup or some eggs for brunch. I served it with a white bean soup for dinner last night and it was the perfect meal to eat alongside last week's episode of Project Runway and Monique's Fat Chance.

Cheddar French Toast with Grilled Tomatoes

2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
8 oz grated sharp cheddar
1 Tbsp dried thyme
8 thick slices of crusty country style bread
4 Tbsp butter
3 tomatoes thickly sliced
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

With a fork, combine egg, milk, and salt in a large bowl or baking dish. Add thyme and cheese and soak 2 slices of bread for 2 minutes per side. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lift bread out of liquid letting any excess drip off. Place bread into skillet and using a fork, transfer some of the cheese from the batter to the bread. Cook bread until golden, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter and bread. Season tomato slices with salt and pepper. Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat. Heat olive oil in pan. Add tomatoes to pan and cook 2 minutes per side. Serve tomatoes alongside the french toast.

Sauteed Spinach with Parmesan Cheese

Eating more vegetables and less dessert or comfort food is the best way to get an overweight gay blogger into a bathing suit. This said, I'm always looking for different ways to cook vegetables. Here's a sauteed spinach recipe that can turn fresh spinach into a side dish that goes well with practically anything.

Sauteed Spinach with Parmesan Cheese

2 bunches spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Using half the ingredients and working in batches, heat olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Saute garlic about one minute. Add spinach leaves, increase heat to high, and stir until evenly wilted, about 2 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Cook an additional minute. Stir in grated Parmesan, remove from heat, taste, and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately. If spinach releases too much water, you can drain mixture in a colander before serving. Taste and adjust seasonings again after draining.

Banana Cornmeal Pancakes

Have you ever woken up on a Saturday morning starving with an excess of cornmeal and brown sugar in your kitchen? Well I have and with the help of Emeril and The Food Network recipe search, this is what I ended up with. They have a good flavor and texture and with the exception of whipping egg whites, aren't too difficult to throw together.

Banana Cornmeal Pancakes

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1 ripe banana, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 egg whites
Vegetable oil for cast iron skillet
Garnish:
Unsalted butter, softened
Maple syrup

Heat a cast iron pan over low heat to warm up for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine the cornmeal and flour. Stir the cinnamon, baking soda and brown sugar together and add to the bowl. Add a pinch of salt. In another bowl combine the yogurt, vanilla and milk. Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Lightly fold in the bananas and melted butter. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the egg whites.

Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the skillet and add 1 tablespoon of batter to the pan, spreading the batter to form even 2-inch pancakes. Cook until bubbles cover the surface, flip and cook until golden underneath, about 30-40 seconds. Continue with the remaining batter. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Roasted Pears with Brown Sugar and Vanilla Ice Cream

Summer is a time for light and fresh desserts. Especially after eating 3 lbs of spaghetti and meatballs.  Here's a roasted pear recipe from Giada that's tasty and easy to throw together. To make your life easier, leave the peel on your pears and slice them up rather than coring each one.

Roasted Pears with Brown Sugar and Vanilla Ice Cream

1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored (about 1 pound)
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the pears cut side up in a baking dish. Whisk the apple juice and sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the butter. Pour the sauce over the pears. Bake until the pears are crisp-tender and beginning to brown, basting occasionally with the juices, about 35 minutes.

Spoon the pears onto plates. Top with ice cream. Drizzle with any juices and serve.

The pears can also be served frozen. To do so, cool the pears, then place them in the freezer until frozen solid, about 8 hours.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Homemade spaghetti and meatballs are a classic comfort food. This recipe is based on one from Ina Garten. The meatballs are moist and flavorful and the sauce is quick and easy. The whole process can be a little time consuming, but it makes a ton and is a real crowd pleaser. It's perfect for a weekend dinner with family or friends. I served it up last Friday night during an Eddie Murphy themed bad movie night event featuring The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Holy Man, and Vampire in Brooklyn.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

For meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For serving:
1 pound spaghetti, cooked
grated Parmesan

Place the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Bloghungry Episode 1

This is the first of many Bloghungry episodes to come. Each episode will parody a different t.v. show, movie, or music video and will feature a different Bloghungry featured recipe in action.

Chocolate Creme Fraiche Pot

2 1/2 cups creme fraiche
11 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Whipped cream, for serving
Cocoa powder, for serving

Put the creme fraiche into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until it begins to bubble and add the chopped chocolate. Stir well until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Pour into 8 souffle cups and chill, covered, for 2 hours. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.

Bing Cherry Mojito

This was a Martha Stewart summer drink recipe that Bloghungry modified to make more manageable. I'm not sure why it's called a mojito, because it uses vodka instead of rum and contains no mint. However, it is light and refreshing and was the official drink of our 4th of July BBQ this year. Martha knows her booze.

Bing Cherry Mojitos

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)
16 oz bag frozen cherries
9 oz vodka
1 liter tonic or club soda

Bring 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar to boil, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. In a medium sized bowl, mix frozen cherries, lime juice, sugar syrup, and vodka. Fill 6 glasses with ice, spoon in 1/2 cup cherry vodka mixture, top off with soda and serve.

Blueberry Cobbler

Now that blueberries are in season, it's the perfect time to dust off your favorite blueberry cobbler recipe. Don't have one? I used this one for the 4th of July this year and it went over pretty well. Nilblogette and I were pretty set on making it red, white, and blue so we paired it with cherry ice cream and whipped cream. It all went together surprisingly well. 

Blueberry Cobbler

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 cups picked over blueberries
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons cinnamon
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as an accompaniment

In a large bowl stir together the cornstarch, sifted, and the granulated sugar and add the blueberries and the lemon juice. Toss the mixture until it is combined well and transfer it to a buttered 10-inch (6-cup) deep-dish pie plate or baking dish. In a bowl thoroughly combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the butter and blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water and stir the mixture until it just forms a dough. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of the dough over the blueberry mixture and bake the cobbler on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden and cooked through. Serve the cobbler warm with the ice cream.

Dinner Party Music

The must play song for gay hipster dinner parties this season is here. It's called Dinner Party and is available now on a new self titled album by Dirty Sanchez. It also makes for good listening on your way to work or while taking shirtless pictures of yourself in your bathroom mirror.

Listen Now: Download 03_dinner_party.mp3

Parmesan Popovers

Looking for a way to bring funky little bread bites into your lunch or dinner? These Parmesan popovers by Giada are light, moist, and delicious. They have a subtle flavor and a slightly eggy texture. just throw everything in the blender, pour the batter into mini muffin cups and bake. They are practically foolproof.

Giada's Parmesan Popovers

3 eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 cups whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a blender, combine eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and herbs, milk, and cheese. Blend on medium speed.

Spray a mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.