The Great Food Truck Race

As you all know, my friend Doug (The Big Gay Ice Cream Man) has a food truck in NYC called "The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck." Doug's truck is part of a long list of trucks included in the voting for season 2 of "The Great Food Truck Race," a show on The Food Network. Through September 10, you can visit the site, simply by following this link, and cast your vote (actually 10 votes per day!!) for The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. Winners receive $10,000 and a chance to appear on season 2 of the show. There's something in it for the voters, too...a chance to win a trip to The Food Network NYC Wine and Food Festival. How bad can that be?

Vote early and vote often for The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. I appreciate it and so does Doug.

What's For Dinner?

File Under: Sometimes I Like to Cook!

I don't watch a lot of TV but I do have my shows that I like. One network that I watch a lot is The Food Network. I love tuning in to see how much butter or mayonnaise Paula is adding to her recipes, I get a kick out of seeing Ina dote over her husband and party with her gaggle of gay friends, I laugh whenever Semi-Homemade "Aunt" Sandy says "It's Cocktail time." Girl loves her booze! I relate most to the things that Giada De Laurentiis prepares. Her recipes are easy to follow and they produce excellent results. Here's a recipe for the most recent dish I prepared.


Prosciutto Ravioli
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
2 large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
48 wonton wrappers
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano Freshly grated pecorino

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, prosciutto, egg yolks, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Place 1 tablespoon of the ricotta filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper lightly with water. Fold the wrapper in half, enclosing the filling completely and forming a triangle. Pinch the edges to seal. Transfer the ravioli to baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. (Can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

Melt the butter in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add the oregano and stir 1 minute. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat. Working in batches, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the ravioli to a large shallow bowl.

Pour the oregano butter over the ravioli and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle the pecorino over the ravioli and serve.

Try it, you'll really enjoy it!

Do you like to cook? Do you have a recipe you recently tried and were pleased with the results? Post a comment and tell me about it.

Meet Denise!

File under: Friends


Here's me with my friend Denise:


I met Denise shortly after I met Dan. This is an important part of the story because Dan and Denise were roommates when I met. They have been friends for nearly 20 years and lived together many of those years. So, meeting Denise for the first time, I was a bit nervous because it was like meeting a member of Dan's family.

I think for our first meeting, Dan, Denise and I went shopping together. Right away we hit it off. She's fun, witty and sharp. Over the course of time we discovered our shared love of Christmas decorations, fun stores, and The Food Network, to name a few things. We have such fun together whether it's reviewing the results of "Dancing With the Stars" or following our favorite cooking celebrities.

Denise has been on a journey over this past year. She's lost close to 70 pounds and she looks amazing. YAY DENISE!

Stay tuned for details from our most recent adventure, seeing Paula Deen Live!