BLOGHUNGRY

No Cookie Left Behind

It's that time again! This Saturday, June 28th from 12pm to 4 pm you can buy tasty baked goods to combat childhood hunger. The goal is to increase access to public and private programs that can provide food to those who need it, strengthen the community infrastructure for getting healthy food to children, and to teach families how to get the most nutrition out of a limited budget. It doesn’t hurt that you can walk away with some amazing goodies. Can't make it to the bake sale? Support the cause with a tax-deductible donation.

What: The No Cookie Left Behind Bake Sale
When: June 28, Noon to 4 pm
Where: Scoops Ice Cream Shop, 712 N. Heliotrope, just north of Melrose

Happy 5th Anniversary Popmuse

Popmuse and I have been together for 5 years today. Here's to eating on the couch together for the next 5..

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Frittata

I got this recipe is from Dani spies. She's a health counselor and fitness trainer who is into healthy fresh fare. Personally, healthy food is not my thing, but the textures and flavors of this really took frittatas to a new place for me. Still, I think it would be even better with some bacon or sausage on the side and maybe some fresh tomato.

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Frittata

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cups of cubed butternut squash
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
A pinch of nutmeg
A splash of water
1 cup of cooked Quinoa
3 eggs
4 egg whites
1⁄2 cup of skim milk
1⁄2 cup of blue cheese crumbles
Salt and pepper

Serves 4.
Directions
Preheat oven to 400.

Heat olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add in onions and allow to cook for about 8 minutes or so…you want them to be translucent and on they’re way to sweet.

In the meantime combine eggs, egg whites, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. 

Once the onions are ready, stir in squash, rosemary, and nutmeg.  Add a splash of water and pop a lid on for about ten minutes or until just tender.  Remove lid and stir in quinoa.

Once everything is well combined, turn the heat off and pour in egg mixture.  Top with crumbled blue cheese and pop everything in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Chicken Milanese

So I have been really driven to pound some meat these days. Branching from my love affair with Chicken Picatta is Chicken Milanese. It's more breaded and less complex in flavor since there are no capers involved, but otherwise it's pretty similar. I like Picatta better, but it's important to broaden your horizons sometimes. Note: Milanese goes best with/on/under a light salad of spicy greens.

Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups (packed) baby arugula leaves (about 2 ounces)

Using meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to thickness of 1/2 inch. Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend. Mix panko, 2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper on plate. Dip chicken in beaten eggs; turn to coat. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating completely.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plates; sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss arugula with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in medium bowl to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mound salad atop chicken.

Savory Sun Dried Tomato and Cheese Muffins

Savory muffins are the future. Ever since my trip to some Seattle bakeries last year, I have been hooked on them. I made this amazing recipe from Food and Fun this weekend and it was a big crowd pleaser.

Savory Sun Dried Tomato and Cheese Muffins

2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4th cup whole milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella and parmesan - shredded (optional)
1 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (oiled ones, finely chopped)
1/2 cup spring onions - chopped (white and greens separate)
8-10 cloves of garlic - minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs - beaten
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
salt and black pepper - to taste
4 tbsp basil flakes
2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda through a sieve. Add the salt, black pepper, herbs, and red pepper flakes. In a pan, add the olive oil, then saute the white prt of the onions and garlic till it starts giving out an aroma. Allow to cool a bit.

In another bowl, beat the eggs to make them fluffy, then add to the sauteed onions/garlic mixture. Combine this with the flour mixture. Slowly add the cottage cheese, mozzarella or parmesan, green onion parts, and tomatoes. Continue mixing/folding gently as you add milk little by little. Do not overbeat, just mix to combine the ingredients.

Grease 12-muffin pans with non-stick spray. Preheat oven to 350 deg F, then fill the mixture in the muffin pans upto the brim. Bake for 20-25 mins, and not more. Insert a tooth-pick in the center to make sure they are cooked. If the muffin tops look white, turn to broil setting and bake for about 15 seconds or until .browned

Once done, allow them to cool on the wire rack. Gently remove from the pan and serve immediately.

Columbus Foodie: Recipe Pack Rat

I just found Columbus Foodie, an amazing food blog from a blogger in Columbus, Ohio. It boasts market fresh ingredients and exciting recipes with mouth-watering pictures of food. However, the real genius of this blog is is the month end wrap-ups with links to the best recipes posted each month from hundreds of food blogs separated into savory and sweet groupings.

Chicken Piccata

I love a good pounded meat and not just in a crass pornographic sort of way. In fact I'd be willing to give up naked pictures for a really good chicken piccata. Follow this recipe for a thin, juicy, and flavorful piece of chicken to call your own. It goes really well with mashed carrot puree.

Chicken Piccata

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon drained bottled capers, rinsed and chopped
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Thin slices lemon and chopped
fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Sprinkle a small amount of water on a large plastic sheet of plastic wrap. Place 2 of the breast halves on top of the plastic and sprinkle again with water. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat pounder until about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining 2 breast halves.

Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a shallow pie plate. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Working in 2 batches, place the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat on all sides. Shake off the excess flour and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate or platter and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.

Pour off the fat from the skillet and return the skillet to the heat. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring to pick up and browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer, turning often, until warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and the capers. Season with salt and pepper and heat just until the butter has melted. Serve on warmed plates with a spoonful of the skillet sauce, topped with lemon slices and parsley.

7 Layer Chocolate Cake

I made this cake for Popmuse's dad a couple weeks ago. Apparently, this is a pretty iconic cake among Jews in the Northeast. As it turns out it's thin layers of sponge cake surrounded by a decadent surprisingly light tasting frosting. It's a little labor intensive, and I don't recommend making it if you don't have a stand mixer, but it's a pretty impressive slab of cake to have on your plate. 

7 Layer Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Buttercream:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
6 large egg yolks
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled, or 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 to 3 tablespoons rum or kirsch

To make the buttercream: Stir the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, or 250°F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. In a slow, steady stream, pour the hot syrup into the eggs, beating continuously as you pour. (Do not let the syrup touch the beaters or it will spin into threads.) Continue beating until the mixture thickens and cools to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Beat in the butter and shortening, 2 tablespoons at a time, until absorbed. Gradually beat in the chocolate. Blend in the vanilla, salt, and rum if using. Do not add the flavoring too quickly or the buttercream might curdle. Chill until of spreading consistency, at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. If the buttercream firms too much, return to room temperature before using, about 1 hour.

Cake:
6 large eggs
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottoms of two 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inch pans (or cookie sheets with a 1” lip) and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

To make the batter: Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt. Sift the flour over the top and carefully fold it in.

Spread the batter evenly over the bottom of the two prepared pans. Bake until the edges begin to color, 5 to 7 minutes. Cut each pan into three 5” X 10 1/2” rectangles.

To assemble, place a cake layer on a serving plate, spread with 1/8-inch thick layer of buttercream, then place a second layer on top. Repeat layering the buttercream and cake layers. Cover the top of the cake with buttercream. Cover the sides of the cake with buttercream and chill. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day or in the freezer. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Baby Blues BBQ

I have been looking for some decent BBQ in Los Angeles for over 5 years now. After Baby Blues BBQ, the search will continue.

Atmosphere: There is always a long wait to get in due to some misleading write-ups and awards covering the windows from people like Marc Summers and Citysearch. It's clearly trying for Nashville neighborhood BBQ meets Universal City walk. It succeeded in corporate beer can chic meets rundown strip mall with ill-concieved student-grade black and white photography. Our table was next to a hole in the wall that had a draft of cool air blowing in every time the door opened.

Clientele: A mix of LA transplants desperate for BBQ, and waifs doing their best Jessica Simpson/Daisy Duke impression.

The Food: They offer a good-looking menu with Ribs, BBQ Brisket Sandwiches, Shrimp, Catfish, and a random assortment of sides (e.g. stewed tomatoes or sauteed okra). Everything is overpriced and bland and leaves you with a strange aftertaste that you will feel for a full 24 hours. I swear the Cornbread tasted like smoky fish and still haunts me. The safest things on their menu are their red Kool Aid and the Mac and Cheese.

Bloghungry Rating: D+

Baby Blues BBQ
444 Lincoln Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 396-7675

Mashed Carrots

I love a cooked carrot and a mashed root vegetable. These mashed carrots are savory, sweet, buttery, and delicious. I am a big fan of serving them along side some chicken or pork. This recipe makes a lot, but they go fast and with some added stock they could make a decent soup. If you are looking for a healthier option sub plain yogurt for the butter.

Mashed Carrots

4 lbs carrots, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, quartered
1/4 cup chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add carrots and onions and continue to boil until carrots are cooked through and soft. In batches if necessary, put carrots and onions in food processor with butter, stock and blend until smooth. Return to pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ginger and Grapefruit Pitcher

I love a summer cocktail and I love grapefruit and ginger. Here's a tasty drink you can make a pitcher to avoid spending so much time bar tending.

Ginger and Grapefruit Pitcher

2 grapefruits, quartered
4 ounces Ginger Simple Syrup, recipe follows
2 limes, juiced
1 lime, for garnish
5 ounces tequila
Ginger ale
 
In a large pitcher or bowl add grapefruit, ginger simple syrup and limes juice. Muddle, add tequila and ice. Fill container with ginger ale. Garnish with lime wedges 

Ginger simple syrup:

1 cup water
3-inch piece peeled and sliced ginger
or 2 Tablespoons ginger puree
2 cups sugar

Add water, ginger and the sugar to a saucepan and bring to boil. Stir until sugar is dissolve. Strain. Let cool and store in the refrigerator in an air tight container.

Chicken Corn Chowder

Chowder was recently defined on NPR as a soup that is thickened with potatoes. Who doesn't love that?! I made this recipe recently with some corn bread and a summer cocktail for my bad movie night group. I can still taste the smoky bacon and red pepper in the creamy broth. I also added a handful or two of frozen chopped spinach, because Popmuse  watches too much Dr. Oz. It came out pretty great.

Chicken Corn Chowder

1 lb boneless chicken, cut into 1" pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 large ears corn or equal amount of frozen corn
1 3 medium zucchini, chopped
1 pound small potatoes, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of generous handfuls,
A few dashes hot sauce, to taste

In a medium soup pot bring stock to a boil and add chicken pieces. Cook until poached about 5 minutes and turn burner off. Heat a large skillet or medium pot over medium-high heat with extra-virgin olive oil. Add bacon to hot oil and cook until crisp at edges. Add onions and corn, zucchini and potatoes and bell pepper as you get them chopped. Also add to the soup pot the bay leaf, thyme sprigs, paprika, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes to begin to soften the vegetables. Sprinkle flour into the veggies, stir and cook 1 minute. Stir veggie mixture into chicken and the stock pot and bring it come up to a bubble and thicken up a bit. Then stir in half and half, parsley and hot sauce, to taste, and simmer 5 minutes.

BH on 7up vs. Sierra Mist

I can no longer be silent. What happened to 7-Up and what the fuck is a "Sierra Mist"? Admittedly, I grew up in a Sprite-drinking household and prefer ginger ale to all soda. However, 7-Up had a good campaign, taste, and packaging going for it. Who didn't like the red dot? Sierra Mist is just a Sprite knock-off and is clearly a bastardization of Sprite and Mountain Dew campaigns that took a turn for the generic. Every time I see Sierra Mist at a restaurant or movie theatre I feel like I am being forced to consume the product of a corporate hack who is still hung up on "XXXtreme sports" and targeting customers with zany Southwestern furniture sets or Bed Bath and Beyond color-blocked bistro paintings. Shame on you corporate hack. Haven't those people suffered enough? Every time I pass by your product I shed a tear for empty robotic soul.

Feta and Sun-dried Tomato Lentil Salad

I enjoy lentils and feel like they are highly underrated. This lentil salad from Gourmet Magazine has a lot of good flavors happening. I'm a fan.

Feta and Sun-dried Tomato Lentil Salad

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 cup drained finely chopped sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
1 cup lentils picked over and rinsed
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese (about 2 ounces)

In a large bowl whisk together oil, vinegar, thyme, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add lentils to a large saucepan of salted water and bring water to a boil. Cook lentils at a bare simmer until just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils in a sieve and rinse gently. Toss lentils well with dressing and gently stir in Feta.

Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a big fan of pairing dark chocolate and orange. Here is a recipe for some reinvented chocolate chip cookies that will surprise and excite you.

Orange Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c butter
1/2 c Crisco
3/4 c white sugar
3/4 c light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
zest of one orange
juice of one orange
2 1/4 c self-rising purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter, shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, orange juice, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Stir flour and zest into the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips lightly and chill for 20 minutes or so. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on lightly-greased baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes until light golden brown and still soft, but set in the middle. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then remove to cooling rack or counter. 3-4 dozen cookies.

BH's Favorite Spinach, Egg, and Bacon Pizza

This is my new favorite pizza. I love salty bacon mixed with spinach, Parmesan, and a runny egg yolk. It really makes all other pizza it's bitch. Forget everything you thought you knew about good homemade pizza and make this recipe.

BH's Favorite Spinach, Egg, and Bacon Pizza

Premade pizza dough for 1 crust
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups thawed frozen chopped spinach
2 cups grated Parmesan and/or Pecorino Romano
6 slices bacon, cooked until crispy and roughly chopped
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the dough out with a rolling pin or just by using your hands onto  a pizza pan. Top with the sauce, spinach, cheese, and bacon and bake for approximately 15 minutes until crispy. Crack 2 eggs in the center of the pizza and place in the oven for an additional 6 minutes until egg is just cooked. To serve, cut slice and serve while hot and egg is runny.

BH Hearts BK

I have eaten a lot of fast food in my life. Like many kids growing up in the 80's, I was raised to keep special place in my heart for McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's. In the 90's I opened myself up to Checkers, Sonic, and Hardee's. Since moving to California I have tried Carl's Jr., Tommy's, In and Out, Astro Burger, and many more. However, they were all just carnal moments of shame compared to the flame broiled complexity of a Burger King burger and the salty crispness of their fries. After a lot of research, I am now ready to proclaim Burger King the best fast food chain burger and fries in the industry.

Recipe For The New Mariah

I have heard the new Mariah Carey album and figured out the real formula for her new album. Forget "E=MC2", just take Fergie and add a dash of Tyra.

Cereal Rainbow: The Winner

I am finally getting around to posting the results of the cereal rainbow competition. Here is the official CR bracket from the weekend. It took 2 days and 3 types of milk to get down to a final 3 and ultimately revealing Cinnamon Toast Crunch as the judges' overall favorite. Through this process I learned a lot about myself and the composition of cereal. I found that cereal texture, cereal flavor(s), and milk flavor to be the most important factors for judging any cereal. Cinnamon Toast Crunch offered all of these in spades.

Also, after the competition with what little hunger for cereal that I could muster, I began to make cereal combos. After some experimentation I recommend Honey Comb/Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch/Apple Jacks, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch/Golden Grahams. I will also say that the Cocoa Puffs/PB Capn' Crunch combo is not as good as Reese's Puffs.

Blueberry Cupcakes w/ Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

As soon as I heard this song in 2003, a margarine spread commercial started playing in my mind. I pictured Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow sitting and buttering muffins from a tub of butter substitute and singing to each other. In honor of them and buttered muffins everywhere here is another muffin turned dessert recipe by Bloghungry. For the fans of my stellar video scripts, I am posting the outline for the video that I pictured at the time. 

"Pictures" Script Outline fo Sheryl Crow/Kid Rock

Enter on Kid Rock rolling out of bed in a trashed hotel suite. Surrounded by empty bottles, he stumbles out of bed and to a glass door with the drapes closed. He picks up a broken framed picture of Sheryl lying on the floor.

Cut to Sheryl seated on a patio table singing and sipping coffee. She is surrounded by a backdrop of grassy vineyards or wheat fields and is painted in the golden light of a sunrise.

Cut to Kid pulling back the hotel room drapes, opening the sliding glass door, and walking out to a balcony sunrise. He clutches the picture and sits at a table on the balcony.

Cut to Sheryl and pull back to reveal that she has been sitting next to a giant wall of blueberry muffins. She pulls a muffin from the wall and butters it with a knife from her tub of margarine.

Cut to Kid to reveal that he is sitting on the other side of the giant wall of blueberry muffins. He pulls a muffin from the wall opening a hole to reveal that Sheryl is sitting on the other side.

Cut to Sheryl realizing that Kid is present and accessible on the other side of the giant muffin wall. Wide shot to reveal the two feverishly pulling muffins from the wall, buttering, and eating them. With each bite they become more intoxicated with love. The muffin wall collapses and they fall into each other's arms surrounded by muffin carnage.

Blueberry Cupcakes w/ Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting

6 premade blueberry muffins
1/4 cup butter @ room temperature
6 oz cream cheese @ room temperature
1/8 cup sour cream
1/2 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 16oz pkg powdered sugar

Beat the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream together in a large bowl until light. Add the blueberries, vanilla, and sugar, mixing well until fluffy. Spread over premade blueberry muffins and keep refrigerated until serving time.