Yesterday TeamSugar and I hosted a surprise Cinco de Mayo party here in the Sugar office! In little under 45 minutes, we transformed the conference room into a Mexican fiesta zone. Soft tacos, taquitos, and chips were on the menu. We filled buckets with ice and Coronas and pitchers with the ultimate margarita. To see the transformation in action, check out the video below.

How did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? What are your tips for quickly turning any space into a place perfect for a party? Share with us below!

If you're more like me than PartySugar — and by that I mean a solid procrastinator — I should probably remind you that Mother's Day is this Sunday. If you still don't know what to get for the lady of your life, well calm down, I've got some ideas.

Le Creuset recently announced a new Dijon color set. The bright and bold yellow color is wonderfully Spring friendly and a load of fun. Pots and pans don't sound like the most amazing Mother's day gift, but believe me a new Le Creuset set does. But, if mom ends up hating it, take her to a day spa and keep the Dijon set for yourself!

If you want to spoil her with an entire mustard-yellow theme, then scroll through to see some more bold finds.

When I was in college, one of my favorite professors — hi Manfred! — invited me to a dinner where he served homemade tempeh. I've had it many times since, but it's not as tasty as homemade. Maybe it's time I try to make tempeh. It requires special equipment, and patience, but looks like it could be worth it. — HomeMadeS

Let's all give a round of applause to April's top commenter on YumSugar, TeamSugar member sonnabobble. Congrats sonnabobble! You'll be receiving a YumSugar apron in the mail soon. When dealing with kitchen disasters she suggests keeping first-aid supplies in the kitchen:

I always burn myself getting things out of the oven . . . or flipping things like tortillas with my hands (i know it's stupid, but that's how my mom and grandma do it).That's why i keep the burn salve in the kitchen cabinet.

She loves to cook and won't change her shopping habits just because food costs more:

I buy stuff on sale, and use coupons when the store puts them next to items, but i buy what i want!! i love to cook and i'm not gonna stop . . . plus, it's still cheaper than eating out.

Thanks for being our top talker sonnabobble!

Want your own YumSugar swag? Then come out of hiding and start leaving comments! The person who leaves the most comments during May will also be rewarded a YumSugar apron, 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.

Somehow, a themed cake makes the party. People will lick their lips at any delicious dessert, but the wonderfully thematic cake will be talked about afterwards.

This past weekend TeamSugar member eclaireassuch held a Kentucky Derby Party and created a fantastic cake to go along with it. She decorated a chocolate-nutella cake with intricate red roses — like the ones the winner wears — and topped that with a ring of horses.

After the tragic end where Eight Belles died, she knocked one of the horses over. She admits now, it was probably in poor taste. Yet, I still have to admire her creation. What do you guys think? Despite the dark humor, don't you want to just dive head first into that ring of roses?!

Last week TeamSugar member WhiplashGirlchild wrote a post about one of my favorite sketch comedy troupes, The Kids in the Hall. I used to be a huge fan, but haven't actually seen any of their sketches in some time — which is why I was thrilled to see some of the sketches she included in her post.

The first one that Whiplash shared with us was their sketch called "Girl Drink Drunk." It's a sad story of a man who doesn't drink, but falls in love with "Girl Drinks" — you know, big froo-froo things with umbrellas and pink sugar — and then heads down an awful spiral of being drunk on the job. While drinking on the job is normally not a laughing matter, it's really hard to take it seriously when someone is popping into the storage closet to blend margaritas. To check out the funny sketch and see exactly what I'm talking about, read more

• If you're too lazy to use a spoon to scoop cool whip from the tub, you're in luck! Kraft has just released their new canned cool whip. — Serious Eats
• Food and Wine celebrates their 30th anniversary with a then and now look at the magazine. — Mouthing Off
• Chicago chef and cancer survivor Grant Achatz discuss how he lost and found his ability to taste. — The New Yorker
• A surprising look at the health inspections of certain celebrity chefs' kitchens. Violators include Gordon Ramsay and Emeril Lagasse.— Health Inspections via Barf Blog
• Can you really make Nikki's whole roasted chicken and vegetables with ingredients from Whole Foods for under $10?— Karmic Kitchen
• Learn how to properly take care of wooden cooking utensils. — The Kitchn
• The best way to sample a chef's food is by ordering a bunch of appetizers — it cuts calories and cost! —The Wall Street Journal
• Do you remember every cake you've ever made? — New York Times

Source

DearSugar is celebrating her 30th birthday at one of her favorite restaurants, Le Colonial. After 10, the restaurant turns into a nightclub complete with a DJ and packed dance floor. Dear has rented out the upstairs and will provide her guests with a plethora of appetizers. Le Colonial specializes in scrumptious Vietnamese food. Some of the dishes on the menu include chicken meatballs in lettuce wraps, mango shrimp summer rolls, and mini Vietnamese steak sandwiches. To take a look at these recipes read more