Earlier today, I told you about how I accidentally passed out before dessert at a dinner party I was hosting. Embarrassment aside, the worst part was not being able to taste the dulce de leche cheesecake I made! What was left of it is pictured at left.

When I saw the recipe in the current issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray, I knew I had to make it. The crust is a mixture of crushed shortbread cookies, almonds, and brown sugar. The smooth and creamy filling is a perfect blend of luscious cream cheese and sweet caramel. To take a look at the recipe please read more

Attention all you candy freaks! Looks like it's time to start pinching your pennies. This morning Hershey Co. said that it will raise the prices of its candy bars.

The price raise is being pinned on the rising cost of milk and cocoa, and Hershey is defending the decision by stating that its products contain more milk and cocoa than competitors. Hershey spokesperson Kirk Saville said:

"While we have no way of knowing what others are thinking, or what their cost situation is, we do know that within the category our products include far more pure milk chocolate and solid chocolate than our competitors."

For a while, Hershey was looking into changing its formula to lower milk usage. However Saville had no comment on whether or not Hershey's is still planning to go down this route.

The price increase will be effective immediately, and it will be about a 3 percent increase across a third of its US candy line. How does this make you feel? Will you still purchase Hershey's candy, or will a price increase make you think twice?

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If you are hosting a Super Bowl party, you should consider making a few vegetarian dishes. This hearty vegetarian sub is a scrumptious idea. It will make even the meat lovers drool! — 28 Cooks

Last weekend, I hosted a Winter getaway at my vacation house. Seven of my best girlfriends joined me for a wonderful weekend away. On Saturday, after a long hard day of wine tasting, I found myself scrambling, half drunk around the kitchen making appetizers, dinner, and dessert. After dinner I laid down — while someone else did the dishes! — for a minute. Except, surprisingly, a minute turned into all night!

Unfortunately, this was before I had a chance to finish making the dessert. Passing out before dessert is served is not okay, especially if you are the hostess! I was absolutely mortified and contemplated changing my name from PartySugar to PartyFizzle.

Has anything similar happened to you? Has your hostess been a party pooper before the party finished?

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It's hard to believe that I've been making soup without a ladle all Winter long. All this time I was serving soup with a measuring cup! I asked you to help me solve my soup-dispensing dilemma by heading off to market in search of a shiny, new ladle. You looked for one that is practical and fun and will last me a lifetime. You bookmarked your discoveries in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Ladle. I love this large silver ladle that ElizabethRae saved. She says it's "simple, but gets the job done." Couldn't have put it better Elizabeth, nice find! To take a look at all of the ladles, browse the selection below.

To better understand this fun feature, read GeekSugar's guide to bookmarking on TeamSugar.

Although it's not an official holiday, the Super Bowl is a wonderful excuse to host a party! I'm sure plenty of you are planning some sort of watching event this weekend, so feel free to take my ideas and make them your own. All week we'll be featuring winning recipes and touchdown tips. To start things off we have to send invitations. While you could remain neutral in the invite, I like to show spirit for the team I'm rooting for. To see how I made these simple, not-too-feminine New England Patriot invites, read more

If several hit television shows, a video game, Michelin star restaurants, and cookbooks weren't enough, Gordon Ramsay is planning to launch a UK chef academy. He's doing so in order to fight what he sees as poor standards of UK catering colleges. If the folks on Kitchen Nightmares (UK) are any indication of the standards, then maybe Gordon's onto something. At the recent opening of his new restaurant in Prague, Ramsay said:

I’m fed up not just with the [National Vocational Qualifications] standards, but at what’s coming out of our catering schools. I want to set up my own modern day apprentice scheme, where students will experience everything from a most amazing pub, to a one, two, or three Michelin starred establishment."

At a time when many folks are questioning whether or not culinary schools are a waste of time, do you think it makes sense for Gordon to open his own?

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I have been drooling over the cover of the February Bon Appétit cover ever since it landed in my mailbox a few weeks ago. On a stark white background sits a huge stack of whole grain pancakes topped with blueberry syrup. Yesterday evening, YumJimmy and I finally decided to curb our pancake cravings by whipping up our own batch. So imagine our surprise when we found out that today was actually National Blueberry Pancake Day! Talk about a fun coincidence.

So, how did ours turn out compared to theirs? Find out, and get the recipe so you can try it at home, just read more

When I think of Cheetos, I think of crunchy cheesy goodness that turns your fingers bright orange. I do not think of strawberry or chocolate. However, the folks at Frito-Lay in Japan apparently do. These Strawberry Cheetos have just hit the shelves in Tokyo. I think they sound a bit intriguing, they're essential plain cheetos with a strawberry frosting. I'm pretty sure there isn't a cheese flavoring, although fruit and cheese go well together so I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Oh and if you're wondering why strawberry and not chocolate? Well, it's simple, they already have a chocolate version.

So what do you think? Would you try these?

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