Hungry Blogger

Pumpkin Spice is Back

Get ready to indulge in fall flavors

When it comes to pumpkin spice, some people are sick of it just by hearing about it--but others can't get enough of the product. Various restaurants have their own spin on the flavor and some of them are so well-known that people count down the days until they can eat them again. For example, the pumpkin spice cheesecake at Olive Garden is a well-known favorite, as is the same offering at the Cheesecake Factory.

Red Robin has offered a pumpkin pie milkshake in the past, but it's not a regular item on the menu, unfortunately. Several chains are offering pumpkin spice coffees or lattes, from Krispy Kreme to Tim Horton's to Dunkin Donuts. Starbucks and Baskin Robbins are also known to jump on the trend.

What is your favorite pumpkin spice treat? Share where we can get one in the chat!

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Food & Beverage

Desserts/Sweets

Eating with the Blahs

What's your go-to food?

When you get a case of the blahs, when everything feels wrong and you have no idea why or how to fix it, sometimes a comforting meal can help. I'm not suggesting that food will cure depression, but sometimes it will help lighten up a cloudy week. Maybe it's something your grandmother or father used to make, or something that you had when you were sick. Perhaps it's the first meal you learned to cook on your own. Whatever it is, if you're feeling the blahs, why not make that food today?

Macaroni and cheese is a good choice, although some people will head straight for the ramen. No judgment here! Maybe some bread pudding is your go-to comfort food, or even a bowl of hot soup. Whatever that food is, if you could use a pick-me-up, go for it!

What is your favorite food when you have a case of the blahs? Share your recipe with us in the chat.

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Food & Beverage

Home Cooking

Small Plate Recipes

What do you make to impress?

Whether you're making appetizers for tailgating season or a series of small plates to enjoy at a birthday party, small plates are all the rage. Restaurants featuring small plates are popping up everywhere and there's nothing more fun to eat than a wide variety of items. It's the closest thing the West has to going out for tapas, but if you ever have the chance, definitely go to Spain to try the tradition in person. It's much more fun--and cheap!

From cheese popovers to fried green tomatoes, Martha Stewart has dozens of small plate recipes that are simple yet delicious to get you started. Bon Appetit is a great source of one-bite appetizers that are sure to impress at any gathering, from bacon-butter radishes to savory palmiers. There are all kinds of small plate recipes across the web to get you started, but you can also check out the nearest small plate restaurants near you to find out what everyone is eating and how to make something special.

Do you have any go-to small plate recipes to share? Post them in the chat below.

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Food & Beverage

Home Cooking

Cool Off with Cucumbers

Enjoy the coolest food of the season

Some people may love watermelon, but for me, it's all about the cucumbers this season. Cool, crisp and delicious, they keep me hydrated and satiated throughout the day. While I sadly don't have my own garden this year, I have so many friends bringing gifts of cukes lately that I haven't even had to buy any!

What do you do with your cucumbers? There are so many countless ideas, from salsas to ambrosia, salads to even pickling (and my husband makes the BEST garlic pickles), but I honestly just enjoy them plain. Salt, cayenne and other herbs can definitely be tasty, but plain old cucumbers are the best!

Do you have any great cucumber recipes? Share your favorites in the chat.

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Food & Beverage

Vegetarian / Vegan

Baked Eggplant

Try this crispy dish tonight

When my best friend bought an eggplant at the farmer's market and admitted that she'd never cooked it before, I couldn't believe it! It wasn't that I'd never heard of someone not cooking eggplant; I didn't even try it until college. It's just that she's such an amazing cook that I couldn't believe she didn't already have some amazing recipe up her (adorably witchy, bell-shaped) sleeve.

I suggested Eggplant Parmesan, of course, because that's my favorite dish of all time, let alone eggplant dish, but I like crispy eggplant "chips," too. So when I ran across a recipe for baked eggplant with crispy edges, I knew I had to go for it. It's going on the meal plan for next week!

Have you ever made crispy baked eggplant? Do you have any good tips?

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Food & Beverage

Filling Foods That are Mostly Water

Fill up without making yourself sick!

It's hotter than hot and you're hungry, but you know a full belly is just the thing to make you feel sick in this heat. What do you do? If you're like me, just the thought of heavy foods makes you queasy while it's hot. You want something that will satiate your hunger without making you feel like that Violet in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but what should you eat?

Whether you want something light and refreshing, you're trying to cut calories or up your water intake, you can make the switch to foods with high water content to help you feel full without getting a heavy stomach this summer. Here are just a few great ideas to snack on or make into a meal; what would you add?

Cucumbers! These are best right from the garden if you grow them. So good.

Apples! Between the fiber and water, you fill up and hydrate--and you get to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Watemelon! It's the perfect time of year for it and it's so tasty. Cantalope, too!

Salads. Summer salads are so satisfying (say that 10 times fast).

Pineapple, oranges, raspberries... make your own fruit salad!

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Food & Beverage

Wholey Cheese!

New baked crackers from Snyder's

Are you a cheese lover? I adore cheese! Cheese snacks are among my favorites, but I don't like the flavor of cheese-like powder. I really prefer the flavor of real cheese, so I tend to make my own cheese chips in very small batches. You can make them easily by grateing a favorite cheese (I love asiago or parmesan!), making small "puddles" of the cheese on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and baking it for about 10 to 15 minutes for a crispy snack. This is expensive, though, and it's not very portable.

Enter the new Wholey Cheese! snacks from Snyder's of Hanover. No, they aren't low-carb like my "crackers" are, but they are delicious and made with real cheese. The crackers are so light and puffy that they fill you quickly and they come in a resealable bag, making them perfectly portable. I've tried the gouda flavored ones but there are additional flavors.

Have you tried the new crackers? What did you think?

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Food & Beverage

Vegetarian / Vegan

Lemon Glazed Blueberry Cake

The perfect summer dessert!

Blueberries and lemons are plentiful and gorgeous this time of year. What better way to celebrate that sweet and tart, tangy combo than to enjoy lemon glazed blueberry cake with the people you care about after dinner? It's the perfect backyard dessert to follow a barbecue or to serve alongside a cool glass of lemonade over brunch with friends. It's so fresh and inviting that no one is going to turn it down!

Did I mention that it was fresh? You're going to need three cups of blueberries and fresh lemon juice to make this cake! Don't worry, it's an easy recipe to follow and the glaze itself is so simple (just lemon juice and powdered sugar), yet so tasty you'll have to fight yourself from dipping your fingers in to taste test more than you need to do!

Do you have any delicious dessert recipes that feature fresh summer fruit? Share them in the chat. Be sure to include photos of your own cooking adventures!

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100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous

"The Easy and Delicious Way to Cut Out Processed Food"

This Hungry Blogger is finally well and ready to cook "real" food again! Excited at this prospect, I checked out a few cookbooks at the library yesterday and one of them is #1 New york Times bestselling author Lisa Leake's new book, 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous. I had not read her previous books, but if you have, you already know her as the home cook who listened to Michael Pollan's concerns about processed foods, made some changes for her family of four, went on a 100-day challenge of eating no processed foods and hasn't looked back since! Her journey can be found on her blog as well.

What I love about Leake's new book is that not only is there a photo for every recipe (something I deeply appreciate) but that she includes sample meal plans, along with grocery lists, for each season. How cool is that? And while her shopping is a little expensive for my budget, I can see where I can swap out some things or just eliminate items as needed. The issue with books and plans like these is authors who assume a food budget can be inflated at a momen's notice when it's often the first thing to be sacrificed, so it's important to be able to include cheaper swaps when you can. Some recipes also call for items like a food processor, which many cooks may not have.

There are some great recipes in this book and most look pretty simple. There's asparagus with homemade Dijon sauce, lunch box ideas, pastas, homemade granola and my favorite, a whole chapter on a wide variety of salads (because you get tired of the same greens every time!). There are some great shopping tips and general cooking tips, too. Check it out!

What has been your favorite summer cookbook so far?

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The BRAT Diet

More foods for the sick blogger

Remember last week when this hungry blogger was suffering from a terrible respiratory virus and shared some sick-food ideas? This week she's down with a STOMACH virus! So far, I've been sick every day this summer. It has NOT been fun.

When you're sick to your stomach, you need to stay hydrated. Of course you can't do that while you're throwing up, but as soon as you stop puking, start by sipping water and other clear liquids (apple juice and chicken broth are good choices). Follow that up when you feel like eating with some crackers, then try the BRAT diet. The BRAT diet consists of bananas, rice, applesauce and tea. Dry toast is another good choice, as is cooked cereal. Some doctors disagree about weather or not the BRAT diet has any merit, but most agree that it doesn't hurt if you're recovering from illness. As long as you can get some nutrients in and keep your energy up, which this blogger has completely failed to do...

What do you like to eat when you're recovering from a stomach bug?

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