With 14 weeks of ice cream sandwiches, I know I'll be making a lot of ice cream this summer. Last year I bought an old school ice cream maker and used it a ton. It held up pretty well considering I hauled all of the pieces to parties all over the state. However it's about time for an upgrade and I asked you to help me find a new machine. You searched the internet for an ice cream maker that is durable, functional, fashionable, and easy to transport. You bookmarked them in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Ice Cream Maker.

The one that I absolutely LOVE is this hot pink ice cream maker with candy crusher. It's automatic, involves no messy ice or rock salt, and is compact enough to be packed into a tote bag. Awesome find daddio49! Browse the selection of ice cream makers by scrolling below.

Don't know how to use the bookmarking feature of TeamSugar? Have no fear, GeekSugar has helped you by creating an easy how to.

Earlier this week, we attended the Star Chef's Rising Stars San Francisco tasting at the St. Francis Hotel. Star Chefs is an online community devoted to serving the food industry, and their event was a showcase/contest open to industry insiders and the public alike. Young chefs from 16 of the cities top eateries were invited to share their dishes and the audience then voted on their favorite.

With small serving tables, each uniquely decorated in a theme that reflected the decor of the respective restaurants, the chefs plated up small bites of two dishes each. Everyone concurred that the top 3 dishes were the Moroccan beef cheeks, the deconstructed pineapple upside down cake, and the delicate trout - which won. Created by Chef Mark Dommen of One Market, it was a sublime balance of textures and intricate flavors. To take a look at all of the dishes we ate and to check out the gourmet recipe from Chef Dommen, read more

I was so excited to open up my inbox and see it stuffed with I Heart Candy submissions. You guys are really amazing and totally impress me, from cookies to truffles and everything in between, you guys really love your candy! There are 20 entries total, so let's just get this candy-loving party started!

Oh and if you sent one in and it didn't appear here, use the contact form above to drop me a line and I'll get it added!

Entry #1
Our first entry comes from TeamSugar member calibabi who wrote in to share her recipes for Rolo Cookies and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. I think I know what I'll be baking this weekend!

Entry #2
Kate from A Way To Eat took her home state Vermont into consideration when she made maple walnut pepper crunch. This looks fantastic over ice cream, but I bet I could eat handfuls on its own!

Entry #3
Amy from Seattle's Nook & Pantry melted my heart with green tea truffles. I've had these once before and have always wanted to make my own. Thanks for submitting these!

Entry #4
Utah-based Heather from dustbunnies wrote in to tell about her favorite new candy: Bertie Botts Every Flavored Jelly Bean. As someone who's a big Harry Potter fan, I was excited to hear that she and her family love to play Bertie Botts russian roulette. Hope you don't end up with the vomit flavored one!

For SIXTEEN more sweet entries, read more

A few weekends ago I found myself at the Union Street Festival with Dear, Yum, and Geek. We started off at Umami, a sushi restaurant where Dear is friends with the bartender. As a favor to us, she had him make his specialty: a vodka tangerine mash up. It's an original concoction that he calls a faded crane, but I like calling it a vodka tan mash up. Refreshingly wonderful, this drink isn't too sweet, too sour, or too strong. In fact its only problem is that it goes down a little too easily - so drink carefully when you consume these. I'll definitely be serving them at my next party and you can too. Get the recipe, just read more

When I think of summer, I think of hot nights and cool delicacies such as ice cream sandwiches. That's why we've decided to go all out this summer and post a recipe for a different one each week. That's right, it's officially the summer of ice cream sandwiches! We'll do fully homemade versions with homemade ice cream (like today's), as well as ones you can whip up in a snap (think semi-homemade). To get things started, I've taken yet another page out of David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop. This time it's fresh mint ice cream paired with crisp ice cream cone cookies. To try it out for yourself, get the recipe.

• Should bars put sealed lids on drinks in order to prevent drugs from being slipped in? - Liquor Snob
• Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to make it to the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. Or as it's dubbed "The Sundance of Food." - Serious Eats



• Need some more kitchen tips? Check out the top secrets from this years best new chefs - Yahoo Food
• Did you hear about the toddler who was served alcohol at Applebee's? - Slashfood
• With the newest round of certification in place, just how organic is organic? - Culinate
• Sad but true, McDonald’s fish sandwich is more sustainable than Nobu’s tuna sashimi. - Chow
• Wanna take up baking? Be sure to stock up on the 10 things you need for baking in your kitchen. - Baking Bites

Sometimes I think it's fun to take an ordinary dish and deconstruct it. Don't get overwhelmed, it's actually super easy. For example, instead of serving fajitas in a soft tortilla, serve them in a bowl over rice with crispy fried tortilla strips. Dinner comes together quickly in under a half an hour. By incorporating canned, frozen, and fresh ingredients, you create a meal that is layered with flavors and textures. Mash up a simple guacamole, chill the Pacifico and sit back - TGIF! Get this fast and easy recipe - read more

Not so surprisingly, a recent survey states that 90% of moms think it's important that fast-food restaurants provide info about the food they're serving. What is surprising is that McDonald's heard their concerns and is inviting moms to go behind the counter in order to discover how the food is prepared. Their new "Moms' Quality Correspondents" are planning on meeting with McDonald's chefs, nutritionists, suppliers, execs, and more. They'll also be able to check out new products and supplier facilities.

The interesting thing about all of this? The McMoms will be blogging about their experience (well, sort of, I'm sure McD's will have some sway in what they say since it's hosted on their site). However, as Susan Forsell, McDonald's VP of US Quality Systems stated:

"These are real moms, with real opinions and real questions about the
food they are feeding their families.

It will be interesting to see where they go, and what they discover, but something tells me if something goes wrong, that won't show up in the journal.

Source: PR Newswire

When planning a picnic on the beach, start by making a list of all of the things you need to bring. Incorporate the theme colors (mine are turquoise, yellow, and orange) into the beach blanket, beach chairs, plates, and napkins. Fill a big bucket with ice and cold beverages and toss a few throw pillows on the blankets so when night falls guests can lay back and gaze at the stars. Have one floral arrangement of vibrant lilies. Instead of regular votives purchase cheap candles in sea shell votives. Enclose your party space by sticking several tiki torches in the sand. Arrange the blankets around the fire pit/grill, set up an area for dancing and food. Oh and, don't forget to pack the kites!

Create a playlist with current summer hits and fun party music. BuzzSugar has created a fabulous summer playlist with songs that are sure to be a great background for your beach picnic.

After the first two parts of my French Laundry excursion, I've arrived at the final installment: the cheese & dessert. I must say, although I was ridiculously full at this point, I somehow managed to make room - which actually came as no surprise. The night we were there, Thomas Keller was actually at a big Food & Wine event in Aspen. However the man pictured, Corey Lee, the chef de cuisine, really took care of us. The entire evening was a fantastic (if not overly hot and stuffy - it was 109F outside when we started our meal!) experience. To see how the number one restaurant in America does dessert read more