Because sometimes the best part of a date is the food...

The Hungry Dater

The Secret Ingredient for Out-of-this-World Roasted Turkey

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I love to entertain.  So naturally the holidays are some of my favorite times of year because it’s a wonderful excuse to make large meals for big groups of friends and family.  This includes Thanksgiving Turkey.

Because I love these meals, even if I’m not cooking for the actual holiday I almost always make the meals so I can fill my house with the smells, feelings, and leftovers that come with hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas.  This means I roast a turkey pretty much every year without fail (sometimes two).

I’ve worked really hard to figure out exactly how to roast the best turkey.  I’ve taken classes, read blogs, Googled recipes, and asked friends and family.  Honestly, even after all that, I still sucked at it.  But one thing I constantly heard is how amazing brined turkey is.

 

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Halloween Date Attire and Boobs – To See or Not to See

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In another life, I was a costume designer. Therefore, Halloween is seriously one of my favorite holidays because it was the one time a year I got to wear my creations instead of see them on others. But Cady Heron was right when she said “Halloween is a time when a girl can dress like a total slut” without repercussion. Not only can they, it’s expected.

Halloween is also a great night to meet people. But with this ridiculous “slut rule,” if you don’t dress like a slut, you may not get as much attention as everyone else.

But usually, I almost completely ignore the slut rule and wear something long, beautiful, and historic. And one year I got a great vote of confidence from a drunk girl:

“I just haaaaaaad to tell you, you are covered up, you look comfortable, and you are STILL. SO. SEXY.”

Yep, it wasn’t a guy, it was a girl. But hey, she was right that I was covered and comfortable, and I like to think she was also right that I was looking sexy! Not only that, I spent most of my night silently smirking at those girls who were walking around the literally-freezing city in next-to-nothing, just so they could go home with a man they would regret waking up next to.  But hey, to each his own, and whether you’re abiding by the slut rule or not, Happy Halloween, Daters!

Best Homemade Gluten Free Pizza

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Being Gluten Free can be hard.  There’s a huge advantage to doing it now simply because it’s so trendy.  There are so many options, the process is much easier than it used to be.  But it still isn’t easy.  Some specific bread-y things are difficult.  Honestly, even with the great delivery options pizza-wise, I feel like Gluten Free pizza can be one of the “tough” things.  Yes, Gluten Free is relatively easy to get in a pizza place–or even delivered to your door–but it’s not super easy to make….

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10 of the BEST Pumpkin Recipes for Fall!

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All of the photos below are credited to their respective sites.  All of them are copyrighted and owned by the individual blogs.  See each link for individual copyright information.

It’s no secret around here that Fall is my absolute favorite season.  I love the flavors, I love the colors, I love the smells…  Let’s just say this time of year pleases all my senses.  And one of the biggest pleasures of my senses in Autumn is Pumpkin-Flavored-Everything.  So while you’ll definitely get some Hungry Dater Pumpkin Recipes this year, I thought there would also be no better way to celebrate October than to show you a bunch of other stellar recipes from MY favorite bloggers around the web!  Enjoy!

#10 – Pumpkin Fondue – Not Without Salt

Ashley Rodriguez from Not Without Salt was probably the first food blogger I fell in love with.  Her recipes are always wonderful and I adore the fact that, just like me, she explores the power of food as a component of relationships.  As a matter of fact, she just had her second book come out this week, and she’s a complete pleasure to read and cook with.  I don’t usually have any use for savory pumpkin recipes (I have a major sweet tooth), but I will be trying this fondue as soon as humanly possible!  (Perhaps this weekend so I can report back immediately.)

 

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Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream – Solution for the Pumpkin Spice Early Birds

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This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on the links provided, I may receive a commission, at no cost to you. See my full Disclosure Policy for more information.

I have a friend who recently told me she has a personal rule that gives her trouble at this time of year:  No Pumpkin Spice Lattes until October 1st!  Personally, I think she’s crazy, but I do understand her thought process: She doesn’t want to ruin the magic.  The more we allow ourselves the “special” foods in our lives at un-special times, the more their special-ness is sortof eroded. But honestly, as much as I love my friend, I don’t agree with her in general on the “Pumpkin Spice” craziness.  I want to eat it all the time….

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How to Start a Crazy Profitable Food Blog

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This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on the links provided, I may receive a commission, at no cost to you. See my full Disclosure Policy for more information.

So, this is a bit of an unusual subject for me, but people have been asking me how to go about this, so I figured I’d start writing a monthly article about the actual business of blogging.  And not just any blogging, but, specifically, for starting a food blog.

Food blogging is its own animal.  And, for me, The Hungry Dater is really its own animal since food is only half of it.  There are so many things that one needs to consider before starting a food blog.

A Twist

There are so many great food blogs out there.  So the first thing you need to think on is a twist on the food subject matter that will set you apart.  I got lucky this way. I wanted to start a food blog, and it was my friends and family who actually requested a food blog sprinkled with my dating stories since they enjoyed those stories so much.  Once I realized how connected food and relationships actually are, I understood that the dating stories which revolved around food actually gave my food blog a very specific niche and something to set it apart from the millions of other food blogs out there.  Not only that, it gave me a specialty to rely on and write about.

When you officially come up with  a niche within the food world for your blog, you’re giving it a personality…  and you’re giving yourself a louder voice among “the many.”

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Healthy and Delicious Low-Cholesterol Teriyaki Salmon

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When I was about 3 or 4, my dad was diagnosed with high cholesterol. This was back in the 80’s when everyone was completely freaking out about fat. After that, this meal became a veeeeeery regular regular on our weekly rotation.  As a very tasty salmon dish with lots of great health qualities and almost no fat, it satisfied all three of our requirements for a “great meal.”

Back then, Fat was the enemy–and my dad is a “fighter.”  So naturally, my homemaker mom was stuck with the task of trying to find a series of regular meals that were low in fat, high in health, and tasty enough to satisfy the palate of a picky adolescent. I can’t imagine this was easy for her. In spite of that, she did an amazing job….

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Easy Week Morning Egg Muffins

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On Time-Saving Tuesdays, it’s rare we ever write about breakfast because breakfast ends up being so rushed.  But I suppose that’s what Time-Saving is all about!  So today we’re talking breakfast. And most specifically, the attempt to get protein-packed eggs into our weekday routine.

Breakfast is the meal that sets the stage for the rest of the day.  I generally need to have some protein every day with my breakfast just to make sure the rest of my day isn’t spent in a state of “starving.”  But really, that’s hard because there’s only so much yogurt a girl can eat (though don’t get me wrong, I love yogurt)….

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How to Make the Most of Our Dogs’ Health

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This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on the links provided, I may receive a commission, at no cost to you. See my full Disclosure Policy for more information.

Pets – The Single Gal’s REAL Boyfriends

While we’re primarily a food blog around here at The Hungry Dater, the “Dater” part of our name lends itself to a fairly large amount of lifestyle issues.  On Fridays we talk about general life issues which usually include wellness, fitness, fashion, and natural living.  But one thing I think people overlook a lot regarding those topics is our pets.  And for singles, our pets (and more specifically, our dogs) are our children, families, and… our boyfriends.  At least, my pets are for me.

My grandparents were regularly horrified when I called my beautiful (female) Bernese Mountain Dog, Flower, my “boyfriend.”  I guess it was just a bit too unconventional for them.  They sortof stressed between, “But it’s a dog!” and “But she’s a girl!”  But my feeling is, one way or another, that dog was the “person” who greeted me when I came home every day, went with me to Friday Happy Hour, and slept with me every night.  She was as much a boyfriend as I’ve had in years.

I never really imagined I’d be the “dog girl” or a “cat lady.”  And yet, here I am, going on 35 years old with no husband or kids of my own, and I could seriously plan my day or my week around my pets—and, most specifically, my dog.

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Catfishing – A Blow to Clearly Already-Low Self-Esteem (And I’m Not Talking About the Victim’s)

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I’ve been dating a long time. And as you know, I’ve experienced my fair share of awkward, stupid, and flat out cringe-worthy dates. But one thing I hadn’t personally experienced was “catfishing.” Well, last week I experienced it.

I know someone who was catfished.  They met online, talked for about a week, then made plans to go on a date.  He showed up at the restaurant and a woman waved him to her table and called him by name.  He was confused because he didn’t know her.  She told him she was the one he was meeting.  But she was a completely different race, build, and stature than the photos of the woman he’d been emailing with.  He said it was the only date he actually left before it started.

Catfishers: Setting Themselves Up for Failure

When he told me the story, I felt sorry for the girl. But then I thought, “you’re asking for this… You specifically put pictures of someone who looks NOTHING LIKE YOU on your dating profile. Obviously, you’re going to attract people who are attracted to THAT picture, not your own.”  I suppose you could try and keep them on that first date because they don’t want to be rude.  Then, on the foundation of “I-guess-I’ll-stay-for-one-drink-so-I-don’t-seem-like-an-asshole.” you try and hook them for future dates with your dazzling personality.  This plan sets you up for failure.

Last week I started talking to someone on Tinder who seemed like a pretty good match for me. His photo was a bit blurry, but to me he looked like maybe an olivey-skinned, light brown haired, medium build guy. However, when he showed up, he was NOTHING like the picture—even the blurry one. And we’re not talking an old picture of someone who just doesn’t quite look the same… This guy full on posted a blurry photo of someone else….

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