When I was a little girl, my parents would often take us on a ride out to Bodega Bay. The highlight of these trips was always a stop at a little Italian dive restaurant where we would get minestrone soup. After a day at the beach nothing tasted better than the warm, hearty soup. To re-create these memories, I now enjoy making minestrone in my own kitchen.

It's a classic soup that is simple to prepare and always delicious. It's wonderful as a first course or scrumptious as an entrée. I found two recipes one is easy and quick, and the other is difficult and slow. If you are short on time, prepare the beginner, but if you have a Sunday stretched out in front of you, give the expert version a whirl. For both vegetarian recipes all you have to do is read more

Just wanted to give a quick shoutout to TeamSugar member aimeeb. She was our top commenter for the month of November!

Congrats aimeeb! You'll be receiving a YumSugar T-shirt in the mail soon!

Want your own YumSugar swag? Then come out of hiding and start leaving comments! The person who leaves the most comments during December will also be rewarded a YumSugar shirt, so start talking! You must be a TeamSugar member to comment, so if you're not a member, please register here for an account.

If you're feeling a bit shy you can always order your own. I've put some of my favorites — like the apron and bib — below, but there's lots more to choose from.

Celebrate the first snow — or your climate's lack of snow — with holiday snow cookies. — Never Bashful With Butter

On Saturday night, I attended a party hosted by FabSugar. The stylish soirée was at San Francisco's Rye and the theme of the party, inspired by a book she recently read, was Blood is the New Black.

Fab took my advice and transformed a section of the bar into a personal party haven. Use these ideas on your next bash and make the space Fab-worthy. Here's what she did:

• Arrive early. Fab showed up with a posse of pals at nine. This allowed her to scope out the scene, stake out several tables, and set up decorations.
• Use balloons and rose petals to enhance the mood. Fab hung balloons from a nearby wine cage and scattered blood red rose petals across the tables.
• Get guests ready to party with photos. Fab's bff brought along her Polaroid camera and snapped pictures of everyone. She left the camera on the tables allowing guests to snap party pics at their own leisure.

For more tips on how to host your own fab bar party, plus a full gallery of photos from Blood is the New Black, read more

If you tell me that there's not a single chocoholic on your holiday shopping list, I'm going to have to call you a liar. Everyone knows at least one — they may be a closet fiend, but they're on your list — and luckily, they're easy to shop for. You could rush out and buy them a box of generic sweets, but why stop there? Why not put a little thought behind your gift? No time? Well, no worries, I've rounded up a bunch of gifts that would be perfect for the chocoholic in your life. You could test their knowledge with Chocolate Smarts, a set of 60 cards with facts, tips, and chocolate techniques. Or, if you'd rather satiate their sweet tooth, surprise them with Hotel Chocolat's Cool Yule Goody Bag or a set of Theo's 3400 Phinney Bars. Looking for more? Scroll through for several other chocoholic gift options.

When creating a menu for a cocktail party be sure to look for recipes that can be made in advance. You don't want to spend the entire party in your kitchen. Make everything ahead and cook off batches as guests arrive. Choose several grocery store staples like nuts, olives, cheeses, crackers, and salumi to supplement a couple of homemade savory bites.

At my party I'll serve Moroccan style chicken rolls with a spicy tomato dipping sauce. Ham and cheese sandwiches grow up with caramelized onions and watercress. Tomato quiche tartlets are cute and bite sized. Sweet potato chips with caramelized onion dip rounds out the menu. To take a look at these tasty recipes, read more