Most of the food lovers I know were pickier eaters as kids. Over the years, as we try more foods, we discover that tastes we once disliked have transformed into deliciousness. I don't know about you, but once I start liking a new food, I can't get enough of it. When I first realized I liked brussels sprouts, I went on a serious brussels sprouts eating binge. Does this happen to you? What formerly reviled foods do you now get excited to eat?
June flew by so quickly it's hard to believe July is here! To ensure that you properly enjoy this glorious Summer month, I'm sharing the items I currently can't live without. These are my must haves for the month of July.
"Elegant simplicity" isn't the best adjective for this Six-Gallon Beverage Dispenser ($35.75) but it certainly is simple. The spigot-equipped bucket would solve one of my biggest party headaches: My pitchers are relatively small, so I end up mixing batch after batch of whatever drink I'm serving and miss part of the party. Would you use this bucket (perhaps with some added adornments) or is it too ugly for you?
There's nothing like deliciously creamy, homemade ice cream. While it's a treat almost everyone enjoys, it's not a dessert everyone makes, as it requires a special piece of culinary equipment.
If you can't live another Summer without an ice cream maker, get excited because we're giving away this Cuisinart Supreme Ice Cream Maker! Start researching ice cream, gelato, and frozen yogurt recipes because one lucky reader will win this stainless steel kitchen gadget. Imagine all of the ice cream sandwiches you can make!
To enter to win this incredible prize, you must log in and take the fun ice cream maker quiz below. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just by completing the quiz once you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a TeamSugar member, and you must log in before taking the quiz. If you're not already a member, register here for an account. One quiz entry per person, as all repeat quizzes will be ignored.
The contest is open to US residents only and ends on July 2, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. PDT. Click here for official rules. Enjoy and good luck!
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On Friday afternoon I was in the ice cream aisle at my local grocery store. Since food is incredibly pricey these days, I was searching for the cheapest vanilla ice cream. As I reached for what I thought was the cheapest, my bff pointed out that it was actually a smaller container with a more expensive price tag! As we all know, ice cream cartons aren't the only items on grocery store shelves that are shrinking, and Time magazine reports on the growing trend:
Soaring commodity and fuel prices are driving up costs for manufacturers; faced with a choice between raising prices (which consumers would surely notice) or quietly putting fewer ounces in the bag, carton or cup (which they generally don't) manufacturers are choosing the latter. This month, Kellogg's started shipping Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks containing an average of 2.4 fewer ounces per box.
Other brands that are offering consumers shrunken products at unchanged prices are Tropicana, Wrigley's, Hellman's, and Country Crock. Have you noticed any of these smaller products at your supermarket?
Fab is strictly enforcing the black and white dress code for our upcoming luau, so I'm creating a menu that features black and white dishes. Since the party starts after dinner, we'll offer guests only a few small bites.
Although it's not Hawaiian, a platter of sushi from our favorite Japanese restaurant is perfect for late night noshing. Homemade finger foods will include piña colada scallop brochettes and spicy black bean cakes. The scallops are easy to make and pretty to present. The black bean cakes will be served with a cooling lime scented sour cream.
To get these black and white recipes, read more
Give tuna salad a gourmet makeover by using fresh tuna instead of its canned counterpart. In this delicious dinner recipe, the tuna steak is seared in a fennel, black pepper infused olive oil. Grown up ingredients — capers, garlic, and black olives — are stirred into the mayonnaise based dressing.
Served in avocado halves, this salad is rewarding, sophisticated, and scrumptious. Look at the recipe when you read more
Last week before interviewing Marcus Samuelsson, I ate his African spiced lamb chops and mango lime couscous. The pairing was delicious: the meat was moist and succulent and the couscous flavorful and exotic.
While the ingredients were not grossly insane, the method for eating the dish was out of the ordinary. There were no serving utensils and the chef requested that we eat the lamb while using the bone to scoop the couscous out of the bowl.
I greatly enjoyed sucking on the lamb bone as it doubled as a spoon, however I can understand how some people might not be interested in eating without utensils. Do you have a problem with it?
