ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers

Oscar Gold

It is a fact universally known that the greatest friends you can make, are those that you connect with during the darkest periods of your life and our dear, dear friend and Academy Award winner Geena Davis came to us in a time of deep personal turmoil.

We connected with Geens when she was studying for her role in Thelma and Louise. It is a little known fact that the final car chase is based on actual events.

Annelie and I had committed a crime that we don’t like to talk about (it was the basis for the plot of Ocean’s Eleven and we don’t talk about it because we hate Clooney); we were caught, were tailed by the police and drove into the Grand Canyon.

Geena was so understanding of our issues when she was trying to get into character that we have continued our friendship and even had her support when we were thrown off the set of Stuart Little during one of our foiled revenge plots against Jonathan Lipnicki.

Geens wanted to catch-up before the Oscars to talk about the rise of Patty Arquette and comeback of our mutual friend Keats (I was DeVito’s stunt/body double on Batman Returns) and we felt something warm and loving, like our ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers, was appropriate.

 

ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers_1

 

The gooey cheese is offset by the rich passata with a strong punch of the basil that makes the meatballs a perfect comfort food/first post-awards-season-dieting meal.

Well, if you don’t go to In’n’Out, obviously. Which you should.

Enjoy!

 

ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers_2

 

ParmiGeena Davis Meatball Poppers
Serves: 4.

Ingredients
500g beef mince
¾ cup breadcrumbs
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, pressed
small onion, grated
2 Tbsp + 1 cup passata
½ Tbsp dried oregano seasoning
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Set aside 1 cup passata and the shredded mozzarella

In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Mix well, do not over mix or you will have tough meatballs. Portion out meat mixture to desired size (about a tablespoon is good) and place on baking sheet. After all meatballs have been portioned roll into balls with wet hands.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Turn over meatballs and drizzle passata over each meatball and top with cheese.

Bake a further 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Gorge.

Heloumi Hunt Skewers

Oscar Gold

You always need a calming force following a catch-up with Cagey and there is no Academy Award Winner more calming than our dear friend, Helen Hunt.

We have known Helen since our time together working as Jami Gertz’s co-Assistants on the set of Twister, where Hells was the only person able to calm us down during our infighting to be Jami’s personal favourite and confidante.

It was a highly tumultuous period of our lives and the thought of sharing that honour was too much to handle and she was the only one brave enough to come between Annelie and I when we were throwing empty bottles at each other and ruining the other’s weaves.

Helen stuck with us during the years of court-ordered anger management, rehab and prison (following the Halle incident) and has become like a third Hollywood mother to us (she got us a role as Wilson’s assistant on Cast Away to get our feet back in the door, bless her).

To show our appreciation we made some Heloumi Hunt Skewers to enjoy while we discussed Julianne finally winning Best Actress. We don’t even have to pretend that won’t happen, right?

 

Heloumi Hunt Skewers_1

 

The combination of charred vegetables and haloumi are amongst my favourite and with a splash of lemon the party moved from our hearts, to our mouths.

Enjoy!

 

Heloumi Hunt Skewers_2

 

Heloumi Hunt Skewers
Serves: Hunger and ingredient dependent.

Ingredients
haloumi
zucchini
capsicum
cherry tomatoes
red onion
lemon wedges, to serve

Method
Cut all ingredients (except cherry tomatoes) into a roughly one centimetre dice…or you know, cherry tomato size.

Load skewers with ingredients piece by piece, alternating however you find aesthetically pleasing. I tend to start and finish with capsicum or haloumi as they act as an anchor to keep the skewers together.

Once all of the skewers are done, heat a large griddle or frying pan. Fry for a couple of minutes each side, season to taste and serve with lemon wedges.

Note: If you are using wooden/bamboo skewers, soak them in water for a couple of hours so that they don’t burn.

Jeff Rib Probst and Elisabeth Hasselbeck Potatoes

12 Days of Survivor Christmas, Main, Side

It’s been an exhausting 10 days, with many of our closest survivor pals dropping by for a Christmas catch-up. With every cookie, pie and fancy dessert, there was always one thing in the back of our minds – Probst.

Probst. Came. Today, dear reader, was finally the day.

As you would probably be aware, our relationship with Jeff Dreamy-McDreamy-Free-Pass-Eternal-Object-Of-Our-Affection Probst has been tumultuous, so he insisted on bringing a friend to dinner (likely to deter us from making him our prisoner/Misery-esque lover). Luckily, his guest of choice was the delightful Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the Survivor: The Australian Outback contestant that has the dubious honor of being the first contestant to be worldwide spank bank material/the second America’s Sweetheart (we still love you too Col).

Lis has been keen to catch up ever since she hit it off with Ben on the set of The View. After Jazz in Your Face’s resounding success on the Ellen Show, Ben was looking for further opportunities for the troupe while Annelie continued with plans to thwart future Elijah Wood movies and subsequently save mankind from further suffering.

Long story short, Ben provided a short, naked dance intermission during a heated conversation between Rosie O’Donnell and Lis. Ben’s interpretative and confronting (literally) interlude got Lis’s attention and lifelong friendship and scared Rosie from ever returning…for a while (the whole Iraq issue was a farce).

How else to make the love of our lives and his equally amazing date feel welcome?

Indeed, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. However, the way to a man becoming your eternal (likely unwilling) love slave is through meat sweats and a food coma so terrible they lose the will to fight back. So, big meaty roast it was!

photo(5)

The Jeff Rib Probst pulls out all the stops and is destined for special occasions only. Accompanied with crunchy, fluffy Lis Hasselbeck potatoes, this is a meal certain to impress.

Make sure you have plenty of cold ones on hand to wash down this deliciously meaty edible utopia!

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Jeff Rib Probst and Lis Hasselbeck Potatoes
Serves: 8.

Ingredients
2kg approx. beef prime rib roast (allow one rib per two people)
8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
12 medium size desiree potatoes
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Using a small paring knife, make small slits in the top of the prime rib (ribs facing down) and insert slices of garlic. Rub with four tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes in a cast iron roasting tray.
Meanwhile, wash and peel the potatoes. Using a sharp knife, halve potatoes and then cut fine slits, leaving 1cm at bottom of potato half to ensure potato stays together.
Once beef has cooked for 20 minutes, add potatoes to roasting tray and drizzle with extra 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast meat and potatoes for another hour for rare beef, or until cooked to your liking. Allow meat to stand for at least 20 minutes, while potatoes finish cooking through.
To serve, sprinkle potatoes with caraway seeds and arrange around the roast on a large platter. Serve with cherry gravy or other delicious seasonal sauces!

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Happy Christmas from the Fame Hungry team and all our celebrity besties!

Phillip Sheppard’s Pie

12 Days of Survivor Christmas, Main

In the spirit of giving and in a desperate attempt to use leftover pumpkin from Thanksgiving, Ben and I decided to catch up with our ex Writing And Looking-into-things-covertly R Us (WALRUS) colleague and only known frenemy with a stomach of steel, Phillip Sheppard.

Now Sheps (yes, we are that close) and Ben worked on some pretty significant WALRUS operations in their day but ultimately were brought together through a common commitment to ending up in the bed of the Great and Holy Probst. This led to Sheps’ successful inclusion in the cast of Survivor: Redemption Island (if you’re curious why we weren’t cast, read more here).

phillip 3

While Phillip won over the hearts and minds of many (?), sadly he failed to go where only one Survivor contestant has gone before (curse you Julie Berry)

Luckily for him, we were on hand to soothe his heartbreak trample all over his broken heart while scrambling to Jeff’s side.

Regardless, Sheps was keen for a catch-up and we decided that, in the spirit of Christmas, it was time.

This pie is a revamped take on a classic, warming winter dish. Mashed pumpkin and sweet potato provide a sweet and light alternative to traditional white mash. Inside the pie awaits a rich, delicious beefy serenity full of tomatoey, peppery goodness sure to win over even the most steadfast of frenemies.

So in the spirit of Christmas AND Sheps – whip up a pie, bust out those faded red budgie smugglers/manties and have yourselves a cracking festive season in the land down under.

Phillip 1

Phillip Sheppard’s Pie
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
1kg lean minced beef
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red chillies, finely chopped (seeds out if you don’t want too much kick)
3 carrots, diced
1/2 bunch celery, chopped
1 cup red wine
500mL beef stock
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Handful fresh bay leaves
1-2 tablespoons rice bran oil
Cracked pepper, to taste

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Mash
600g pumpkin, peeled and cubed
600g sweet potato, peeled and cubed
50g butter
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method
In a large ovenproof pan, heat 1-2 tbs rice bran oil and cook the onion, celery and carrot until beginning to soften. Add minced beef and cook until browned. Mix through garlic, chilli and bay leaves.

Add red wine and cook until wine has reduced by approximately half. Stir in tomato paste, brown sugar and beef stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally on low heat until the liquid is reduced and thickened, approximately 1 hour. Add pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, place chopped pumpkin and sweet potato in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Boil until tender – approximately 8-10 minutes. Drain thoroughly and mash with butter and parmesan until smooth and creamy.

Assemble the pie by arranging the mash over the mince mixture and scallop the top lightly with the back of a spoon.

Bake in 180 degree oven for 30 minutes or until set and golden.

 

 

 

12 Days of Survivor Christmas

12 Days of Survivor Christmas, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

We make no secret about our love for Survivor/Jeff Probst and wish that the world would embrace Buffs as appropriate attire for all occasions, so that we can rock out our Villains Buffs to formal events.

Anyway, in our attempts to bed Probst and get on the show (in whichever order) we have ingratiated ourselves heavily in the Survivor community. Some castaways, like Penner and Sugar, we have known for sometime but others we have met by breaking into their homes and watching them sleep/tickling their feet (sorry Aras, thanks for not pressing charges).

Against all odds, or maybe because they are slightly-scared, we have become best friends with a large section of the castaway community and as such, like to spend our Christmases catching-up with them.

In honour of our intimate relationships, we decided to dedicate the blog to the Twelve Days of Survivor Christmas…as you know, we’ll be catching-up with them anyway.

What says deck our halls with your boughs of holly, Probsty?

Picture source: Today.com

Stephen Fried Chicken

Main

It is hard to maintain friendships with people that were a) deported to the other side of the planet and b) can be skittish at the best of times. That is unless you are Stephen Fry.

In our years of criminal exile back to our less glamourous lives in Australia, Stephie has always made sure he was checking in on us and making sure we knew that he is always there for us. It isn’t overstating it to say that Stephen Fry is a saint.

He is also a terrible liar.

He dropped by for lunch and gushed about how beautiful Brisbane was at this time of year. For such a great actor, I’m not sure why he struggles with lying? To celebrate the heat of summer and the wild storms we have been experiencing recently, we made our famous Stephen Fried Chicken to eat while we caught up.

 

Stephen Fried Chicken

 

The buttermilk marinade ensures that the chicken stays tender, while the polenta ensures that the crumb creates a fake skin that is crunchy and delicious. Oh, and the spice mix is like a dry version of Buffalo Chicken with the perfect balance of heat and sweet.

Serve with mash or fries or as a snack with blue cheese sauce or natural yoghurt…or better yet, with a generous helping of Benjamin Slaw.

Enjoy!

 

Stephen Fried Chicken

 

Stephen Fried Chicken
Serves: 4.

Ingredients
4 free range, skinless chicken breasts
vegetable oil for deep frying

Buttermilk Marinade
200ml buttermilk
10ml tabasco
15ml maple syrup
5g salt

Chicken Seasoning
15g smoked paprika
15g sweet paprika
10g celery seed
10g cayenne powder
10g table salt
5g ground cinnamon
5g ground white pepper
5g ground black pepper

Seasoned Flour
225g plain flour
25g polenta/corn meal
50g chicken seasoning

Method
Slice chicken in to large “tenders” as desired.

Combine all ingredients in buttermilk marinade and stir to dissolve salt. Pour over chicken. Gently massage to cover all surfaces of chicken.

Cover and leave in fridge for 12-24 hours…aka a decent enough time for the buttermilk to tenderise the meat.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and leave covered for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius and vegetable oil in a deep pot on the stove.

Combine flour, polenta and chicken seasoning in a large flat baking tray. Place the chicken pieces into flour. Coat well and cover all surfaces with the flour. Gently shake the excess flour off the chicken, careful not to lose the crust (this will become the healthier fake skin).

Carefully place the chicken in the oil a few pieces at a time, taking care not to splash the burning hot oil. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the “skin” has formed and is a deep golden brown. Remove from hot oil with a perforated spoon or ladle. Place onto a roasting rack in a baking dish and place into the pre heated oven.

Repeat the frying steps with the chicken until all cooked.

Remove the chicken from the oven and season liberally with the remaining chicken seasoning.

Pizsa Zsa Gabor

Main

Some things never change; Zsas is a spitfire with a heart of gold and we love her for all that she has done in keeping our lives together.

After her driver dropped her off at 5PM for our dinner (this is due to the elderly needing to eat early, and by that I mean Annelie and I need to eat early) she immediately launched into her concerns that I was living in an unsafe neighbourhood (“Grifters and vagrants everywhere, Darling”) and my kitchen was barely that (“This box is a kitchen? Darling, we will call it the Deluded Kitchen until you upgrade”).

Being that Zsa Zsa was like a surrogate mother to us throughout the years, we felt the need to make something homely and loving, so went with a Pizsa Zsa Gabor.

 

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The dough had nothing it needed to prove (classic), being as warm and soft as one of Zsas’ hugs. In turn, the pizza was as spicy as her love life, brought out her exotic edge … and highlighted her hot temper.

She loved it, we love her. Enjoy!

 

pizsa-zsa-gabor-2

 

Pizsa Zsa Gabor
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
2 cups warm water
1 ½ tsp dried yeast
½ tsp caster sugar
785g plain flour
1 tbs salt
3 tbs grated parmesan
3 tbs finely chopped herbs (I use oregano, rosemary and sage)

Topping and assembly
½ butternut pumpkin, diced
cinnamon
200g feta, diced
chilli flakes
small bunch of sage
tomato sauce or paste
herbs
cheese to top

Method
Place yeast, sugar and water in a bowl and stir to dissolve. Stand for 5 minutes, or until mixture starts to foam. Sift flour and salt into a bowl, add the yeast mixture, parmesan and herbs and stir until dough starts to come together.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic (you could use an electric mixer, but we learnt that kneading was therapeutic in anger management). Move to a large, oiled bowl and cover with cling-wrap; set aside in a warm place to prove for 3 hours or until doubled in size.

Knock back the dough and divide into 6 balls. Place on a large tray and cover with a damp cloth (tea towels work great) for a further 2 hours. If you don’t want to make 6 pizzas (don’t know why you wouldn’t but in case), you can wrap the remaining dough balls in cling-wrap before proving and freeze for 2 months. You can then defrost and prove as usual.

When you’re almost ready to start, pre-heat oven to 180C.

Spread diced pumpkin on a small tray and coat with a dash of oil and some cinnamon (I am pretty heavy handed, but this is discretionary). Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.

While the pumpkin is cooling slightly, flatten the dough out to fit the pizza tray (or whatever you are cooking it on). Full disclosure, I am terrible at flattening out the dough. I would suggest searching YouTube for instructions. It didn’t help me, but I assume it didn’t hurt either.

Cover with a tomato sauce (I just used tomato paste and the remaining herbs), sprinkle with chilli flakes (again, quantity is discretionary) and spread sage leaves, pumpkin and feta over the top.

Bake, serve and then eat.

Luke Perry Peri Chicken

Main

Ben would have you believe that Luke has still got it.

Thankfully Luke didn’t need to use the shower and is still on my side in the Shannen Doherty feud, otherwise the awkwardness would have continued for another decade.

Luke pulled into the driveway last night as the sun started to set, with Ben watching from my front window (“To make sure he doesn’t get lost”), still full of his Dylan McKay swagger.

He casually joined us in the kitchen (or as casually as you can when Ben pretends there are no more stools and demands to sit in Luke’s lap), as we put the finishing touches on the Luke Perry Peri Chicken and chatted about our time in Beverly Hills and Torz and Jen’s conveniently timed, ill-fated return to the spotlight (trying to piggyback on us, obviously).

 

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I don’t know when exactly it happened, but by the time dinner was ready there were conveniently only two chairs, so again, Ben offered to sit on Luke’s lap (honestly I don’t know how I got a photo of him without Ben). Luckily for Luke, all the spice and heat was in the chicken (he needs something hot and ambiguously exotic, Ben demanded) as he was able to delicately turn down Ben’s advances without the help of a restraining order.

For a more intense flavour, the chicken can be marinated for up to two hours prior to roasting. While we just had the Chicken with some salad, it would go beautifully with some crispy potatoes, green beans or even some Sean Black Bean Salad.

Enjoy! Ben sure did.

 

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Luke Perry Peri Chicken
Ingredients
1 whole (1.5-2kg) chicken, spatchcocked
6 small bird’s-eye chillies (seeds in for additional heat, if you wish)
½  teaspoon chipotle chilli powder
4 cloves garlic
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons oregano
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup champagne vinegar
salt and pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 220. Combine chillies, garlic, lime juice and zest, paprika, oregano, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Process to a thick paste.

Brush chicken with mixture and roast for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Chilli Con Kim Carnes, con Kim Carnes

Main

Kim came over for lunch today, it was so great to catch up on the good old days when we were just starting out as singer-songwriter sensations.

Annelie and I decided that her more expansive kitchen, the Bitchin’ Kitchen, was the most appropriate place to prepare a meal for, and host, a dear friend who is also such a star.

We all huddled around the stove, cervezas in hand, as we gossiped about our other friends in the biz and cooked our lunch. Don’t ever let it be said that Kim is afraid of hard work!

With Kimmy being Kimmy (FYI, we call her Kimmy as we are so close), we thought she needed something with a bit of spice and a kick to match her spitfire personality and acerbic wit (don’t get her started about Gwyneth!) and as such decided to make Chilli con Kim Carnes, con the help of Kim Carnes herself.

 

Kim loving it

 

Like Kim, the chilli could be underestimated by its apparent simplicity but after one mouthful, or in Kimmy’s case one note, you know they are winners.

Full of the kind of heat (I would advise taking out the jalapeño and halving the cayenne pepper if you want a tamer chilli) and flavour you won’t find in a meal-kit. For a Rob Lowe fat option, switch out the sour cream for greek yoghurt and add a can of chickpeas or lentils (you could even replace the meat with a can of each).

Enjoy! It really sucks you couldn’t share with us and Kim. She loved it!

 

Kim eating

 

Chilli con Kim Carnes
Ingredients
2 rashers diced bacon
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground coriander seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
salt
pepper
900g beef mince
1x400g can tomatoes
1x400g can kidney beans
2 cups water
2 tablespoons fine cornmeal or polenta
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Chopped jalapeño
Grated cheddar cheese, lime wedges, chopped coriander, sour cream and rice to serve

Method
In a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Add spices and ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, and breaking up the meat with the side of the spoon, until the beef is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Stir in water, cornmeal, and vinegar, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid thickens, about 20 minutes. It may be necessary to add a little water to thin the chilli. Season to taste.

Serve hot, garnished with desired toppings.