Lately I have been bombarding you with super chocolatey decadent desserts. For this I apologize. If you are ignoring my temptations and really sticking to your diets, congratulations! Here is a dessert that can serve as your reward without being overly loaded with chocolate, whipped cream, and marzipan. It's actually quite simple, apples are usually widely available and make a delicious fruity dessert on their own with a little flavorings (translation: you can have apples for dessert not in the form of pie, pastry, or cake). Ok it does have a little butter and sugar..but it's a dessert. If you really don't want to consume butter, sugar, and the like you shouldn't be having any dessert. Oh no, I'm starting to sound like FitSugar! Make it at your own discretion, apples poached in vanilla syrup sounds too good to deny...for the recipe, read more

DSC_8290.JPGBelieve it or not, we're not finished with all of our Fancy Foods coverage. There are still a few trends that I wanted to discuss in a little more depth, so expect a few more posts throughout the week. Today it's the all things alcohol trend. Okay, so this isn't exactly a new thing, but it was definitely something I noticed a lot of. There were organic mixers, regular mixers; hand bottled infused alcohols, organic alcohols, new flavors and so much more.

One of my favorite things at the entire show was the Tamborine Mountain Distillery booth. At first I was just wild for founder Michael Ward (when you watch the video you'll find out why, he's so amazingly charismatic and fun!), but after tasting several of the infused liqueurs as well as the Australian Vodka Company vodkas, I was wild for their product too. They were all deliciously smooth (seriously, the Lemon Myrtle vodka was amazing) and beautiful (the liqueur bottles are all hand-painted). Besides, he's a great storyteller and like I said, I was wild for him too. To check out their history in Michael Ward's own words, watch the video (more show highlights below the video, so scroll down).

Two more products I liked, plus a gallery of others,  read more

Hey everyone!

In order to make YumSugar a better place, we're trying to learn more about what you guys are into. Do you prefer recipes or polls? Desserts or Top Chef recaps?

If you've a couple of minutes to spare (and it really only takes a few minutes), please take the YUMSUGAR survey. We would really appreciate all the feedback you can offer.

Cheers to everyone who participates!

White Russians are my absolute favorite dessert drink. When I was in college, I always kept a bottle of vodka and Kahlua on hand in my freezer. Milk was only consumed when it was mixed in with a White Russian. Even when I was a bartender in Spain (where milk is an unheard of mixer) I would whip them up during after-hours, and taught all of my fellow Spanish bar-mates how to make them. As I was thinking about milk today, I realized I haven't had a White Russian in forever (definition of forever: a few months). If you have yet to have one, make one now—they are super yummy! For the recipe, read more

Don't forget to post your images in the Savory Sights group. We love looking at all the yummy things you guys are eating, and all the parties you're having. The Savory Sights group is a place for you to put all of your fantastic images, be they food, drink, centerpieces, party decor, etc. Just post content to the group as a blog, click "add image," add a little blurb about your photo and click submit. It's easy and fun!

Today's savory sight find comes from my gal, BuzzSugar. Her friend made her this excellent Squid and Barley Salad. Looks devine, I'd love to eat that now!

To have your photo displayed here for all to see, simply add your image to Savory Sights group. Every week we choose an image or two to share with the world. Next time, it could be yours!

My friend Kathleen commutes to work each and everyday. She hates driving and traffic, so she grabs her laptop or Vogue and catches the bus at the way-too-early time of 6:52 am. She asked me if I had any ideas for a healthy, nutritious on the go breakfast that is more substantial than a banana or yogurt. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and Kathleen skips it practically every morning. She's naturally very thin, focuses very hard on her work and often times "forgets" to eat. This, dear readers, is why she needs our help desperately. It's time to hit the market in search of the best commuter's breakfast that will get her day started out on the right foot. The breakfast should be fast and must be transportable. Save your finds and recipes in the Yum Market or the recipe database with the tag, Commuter's Breakfast.

For more on the Yum Market and how to submit recipes, read geeksugar's informative explanation.

Ragu
A sauce of meat, poultry, or a combination of the two and finely diced vegetables simmered for a long time in one or more liquids, such as water, milk, cream, wine, broth, or stock and seasonings. A staple of northern Italy's Bologna, ragu is typically served with pasta.

Though different than the French ragout, both are derived from the verb "ragouter," which means to stimulate the appetite.

In case you haven't heard, "real" frozen yogurt is all the rage now. In fact it's so hot that there's not one, but two franchises that cater to the new trend. FitSugar wrote about the differences between the two celebrity hotspots, and it seems like Kirsten Dunst prefers pinkberry. I found this photo of her keeping cool with pinkberry this past October.

So, what's the big deal with pinkberry and why does everyone love it? Unfortunately I don't live in LA or New York (where their franchises can be found), so I have yet to taste it. However, since I knew you guys would be interested, I sent my YumSugar undercover reporter (aka my brother) out to do some investigating.

To read what he had to say and see more pictures of pinkberry, read more