blog - Host The Toast

Grilled Mac n’ Beer Cheese Sliders with Bacon, Beer, & Tomato Jam

From an outsider’s perspective, one might say that police lights seem to have a comparable effect on me as strobe lights do to an epileptic. All it takes is one flash of red and blue to get me uncontrollably trembling and flailing, and the cop doesn’t even have to be near me. I’m not exaggerating;…

Filet Mignon with Herbed Butter and a Zinfandel Reduction

First of all, let me apologize for not posting yet this week. Lately, I’ve been about as able to write a single coherent sentence as the characters on MTV’s Buckwild have been to speak one. Haven’t watched it? Don’t, unless you really love reading subtitles and you don’t mind dying a little bit inside. They…

Easy Parmesan Garlic Knot Hearts

Naysayers believe that you shouldn’t make Italian food for a romantic dinner, but I will most definitely risk some serious garlic breath on Valentine’s Day for a batch of these heart-shaped garlic knots. Along with spaghetti, meatballs, and homemade marinara sauce, these easy-to-make garlic knot hearts are the finishing touch for a perfect plate. I…

The Best Italian Meatballs You Will Ever Eat

There’s been a lot of fuss about this upcoming Valentine’s Day, and about cooking for someone in general. One redditor suggested that for V-Day, you should “[b]e her renaissance man,” and that, when cooking for someone, you should “[s]ee that project through, from choosing the right ingredients, to the right music selection, to the perfect…

Marinara Sauce

My boyfriend, James, loves to talk about his mother’s cooking. I mean, he talks about it non-stop. While he definitely appreciates my meals, when I go to make ANY recipe for the first time, he tells me that his mom makes it the best, she uses X brand of this, she always uses this method, …

Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Syrup

Cupid’s arrow often points me in the direction of Valentine’s Day catastrophe. I will spare you the gory details of my many V-day disasters, but think messy break-ups, dislocated knees, stomach viruses, and an overwhelming heap of steaming disappointment, and you won’t be surprised to hear that Valentine’s Day has never been my favorite holiday….