The Gourmet Fabulous - A Long Overdue Thank You! The Gay Gourmet!™

Due to life being crazy - see previous blog post "Eating My Feelings" - I have, stupidly, let some things fall to the wayside and now I'm playing major catch up! So my first order of business is to discuss Jill Hickey...


Who is Jill Hickey you may ask... well when researching a bio this is all I found..

I would write something clever but my 2 year old son just pulled something down on himself and my 3 older daughters (13,12 & 9) were making up a dance to old Abba tunes and were mid grande jete’ and couldn’t help.

Meanwhile my husband of 16 years is on his Blackberry shouting businessspeak….

So I figure, my job is try and make this chaos sound funny— because it is a blast!

Please join me on Toginet.com radio, find me on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter (all under~~~wait for it~~~ NotSoSoccerMom) if you enjoy my musings.

~Jill Hickey


Jill is super! We were connected via twitter through twitter friends and now the love affair has started.

Mom of 4, ZUMBA teacher, wife, internet radio personality and much more, Jill is a renaissance woman if I do say so myself! She oh so graciously invited me for an interview during National Cookie Week, which just so happened to be when we captured Osama, and had so much on her roster that we had to cut the interview short. I was so honored and overjoyed that I got to spend 10 mins with her, I surely didn't mind. Much to my surprise she invited me back for a full hour of co-hosting fun with her!

SAY WHAT?!?!?


Jill is funny, smart and knows how to get down to business with her guests! Speaking of...she's had all sorts of fabulous people from myself (hehehe) to Melissa & Joe Gorga from the Real Housewives of NJ, to survivors of the Joplin tornados, and that's just most recently!

I never got to publicly say thank you for inviting me to co-host and hopefully she will forgive me!

Follow her on twitter @NotSoSoccerMom listen to her show every Tuesday at 1pm on Toginet radio, check out her site www.notsosoccermom.com & send her lots of love from me!!!

You can listen to the day I joined her on the radio here - Fabulous People just search my show date is 5/13/11

And this blog wouldn't be complete without a gourmet fabulous recipe!

Margarita Cheesecake Filled Strawberries!

This is Weight Watchers® friendly recipe inspired by summer, getting skinny, my quest to find foods that taste like they are full fat but not, my alcohol problem (which really isn't a problem - I know De-Nile is not only a river in Egypt!), and fabulous people like Jill!

On to Ms. Rita Fromage

10oz fat free cream cheese (you can use low fat or full fat the WW points just go up accordingly)
.5 shot of good tequila
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1.5 tsp Vanilla
1 TBS Lime Juice
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1 TBS Lime zest
2 Cartons of Strawberries
graham cracker crumbs

In a large bowl combine all ingredients (except strawberries and graham cracker crumbs) and whisk till combined and smooth.

Refrigerate for 30 mins till "cheesecake" mixture has firmed.

Wash and carefully cut out the centers of your strawberries.

Using a pastry bag or a large Ziplock, fill it with the cheesecake mixture and then cut off the point of the bag so you can start piping the filling into the strawberries

Pipe filling into strawberries and then garnish with a pinch of graham cracker crumbs!

Enjoy, as the entire bowl (if using fat free cream cheese) is only 10 points plus by my deduction! Which means you can eat a bunch of  filled strawberries for practically no points!!

Kisses and Love to my friend Jill! You've changed my life!

Deliciously Living,

Michael Muñoz
The Gay Gourmet!™

©2011 Michael Muñoz

Gourmet Soda! The Gay Gourmet!™ (Weight Watcher Alert!)

All this singing of my theme song sure did make me thirsty and although I'm sure it's Happy Hour somewhere I have a full day ahead of me and a cocktail just won't do right now!

I've already had my 2 pints of morning water and I'm craving something with flavor. (yes I get cravings..like pregnant lady cravings...so much so that I'd go to the ends of the earth to get somethings)

SO here I have a craving for soda, specifically Sprite, but this is one craving I more often than not try to NOT fulfill as it'll just be a downward spiral for me of high fructose corn syrup & calories!

So now what to drink...juice? I love juice but once again too much sugar and I have no self control... Club soda has the fizz but not the goodness that I want.. and let's be honest vitamin waters, ice teas etc etc are a gateway to becoming fat fast and diet drinks are gross! PLUS, Lord knows swimsuit season is right around the corner! So what's a boy to do!?!?!

ugh..

Oh wait.. I know..

Make home made soda! Yup you heard right... now just go with me on this one!

I am not a big fan of artificial sweeteners at all. Why? cause they taste artificial..duh! but I have been using a packet of Splenda® in my morning Fat Free Cappuccino cause I need something and it's bearable!

So I wondered.... What if I mixed a packet of Splenda, some club soda (sodium free) and a lemon and lime wedge? What did I get?!?! Diet Sprite without the sodium, the gross aspertame taste and a sense of I know how much chemical went into making it and into my body! For a quarter of the price at that!!! Weight Watcher's you are gonna thank me for this one!

I mean why not try it?!?! It'll curb that soda craving without having to go buy a two liter of something and end up in a sugar coma! It's my new drink and I may just add some Stoli Oranj to it on a Friday night!

"WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME?!?!" - Dorothy Zbornak

P.S. I do know that some diet drinks come Splenda made but it's not the same and to be honest it's just more fun making it yourself!



Deliciously Drinking,

Michael Muñoz
The Gay Gourmet!™


©2011 Michael Muñoz

Gourmet Soup du Jour for a Blizzardy Night!

I think I have perfected what is a delicious Autumn/Winter Soup to warm the soul & heart!

It's my Pumpkin, Sweet Potato & carrot soup! Yes PointsPlus® Weight Watchers you too can eat your big hearts out without feeling guilty but enjoying all the pleasure! (Don't You get any ideas!)

Run to your local hottie grocer and get;

2/3 can of Pumpkin
2 small to med Carrots - peeled and cubed
2 Sweet potato - peeled & cubed
2 stalks Celery - wash 'em well and cube them
1 Parsnip - peeled and cubed
1 Sweet yellow onion - cube it up
1 small Fennel bulb - cut & reserve fronds for garnish..chop it up!
1TBS of Olive Oil

1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 a fresh grated Nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
5 whole Star anise
1/4 cup Maple syrup
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
Sea Salt & pepper to taste.. I used about a TBS of both
4.5 cups Vegetable or Chicken stock plus 1 cup to thin as needed


In a stock pot or heavy bottomed deep pot preheat oil over medium heat. Add cubed parsnips, carrot, celery, onion and cook till onion is clear/veggies start getting soft.

Add sweet potato, spices & stir it up

Add pumpkin then stock and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling lower heat and cover. Cook till potatoes are soft about 30 mins or so.

Once potatoes are soft remove all 5 whole star anise seeds.

If using an immersion blender carefully blend once you add pumpkin.
If using a regular blender/food processor carefully ladle out in batches and blend. (I suggest using a blender as it comes out creamier and we know how I like it creamy!) add veg stock as needed to thin it out a bit.

Once all blended and back in the pot add maple syrup, salt & pepper and stir

This soup is one of my favorites and it's really great the day of but once it has sat for a day is even more brilliant! Quick and easy (don’t you get any ideas) and delicioso!

For you freaks out there who like a little decadence (Weight Watchers close your eyes) I like to add about a half cup of creme fraiche and it adds a delicious richness!

I like to serve it with

Grilled Blue Cheese croutons:

Crusty Whole Wheat Sourdough or your favorite bread White or Even Arnold's Sandwich Thins even work for you WW's!

Blue cheese/laughing cow make a blue cheese triangle that’s low points & probably just as delicious as the real thing Weight Watchers!!
Butter/Pam

Heat grill pan or nonstick pan over medium high heat.

Pam® the bottom of the pan if using Pam®. If not using Pam® leave pan ungreased for the moment.

Assemble blue cheese sandwiches by spreading generous amounts of blue cheese between two slices of bread.

Once assembled butter top of sandwich and lay it butter side down on the pan.

Place heavy plate or use spatula to press the sandwich down.

Let grill for 3-5 mins till bottom side is nice an brown..if using butter as you flip the sandwich place a small pat down in pan underneath sandwich as you flip.

Cook for another 2 mins.

Place on a cutting board and let cook for a couple mins.

Once cooled cut off crusts and cut into cute triangles to place in soup as a garnish with pieces of the fennel fronds!! Uh-mazing!!

Deliciously Living,

Michael Muñoz
The Gay Gourmet™

©Michael Muñoz 2011