The most common Italian sparkling wine is Prosecco, which is a dry white sparkling wine made from Glera (Prosecco) grapes. However, Glera isn't the only grape to produce lovely Italian bubbly. We tried Santa Margherita's Vino Spumante Rosé ($24), which is a blend of 50 percent Chardonnay and five percent Malbec in addition to 45 percent Glera to achieve its salmon-colored hue.

This peachy wine is floral on the nose with a slight whiff of ripe berries, like a flower-flavored Perrier sans the sugar. On the tongue, rose, jasmine, and vanilla followed; a mouth-puckering finish helped those dry flavors to linger on the tongue. We'd likely pair this wine with a dozen shucked oysters, dressed in freshly squeezed lemon, and light antipasti before dinner. No wonder this wine quickly disappeared among our tasters.

There's an easier method to marrying meats than constructing a turducken. For starters, try the combination of ground beef and ground pork. Ground beef — a key element in bolognese sauce, tacos, and meatballs — often needs aromatic vegetables, herbs, and spices to amplify its flavor. Ground pork, found in quick Asian stir-fries and breakfast sausages, is semisweet on its own but can be too rich and fatty. Combine the two together, and you have ground meat that's earthy and tender without tasting iron-like.

Try this trick for meatballs, meat sauces, stir-fries, and even chili: combine equal parts raw ground beef and ground pork in a bowl, using a large fork or your hands to mix the two together. Season with salt and pepper and sauté in a skillet over medium high, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon as the meat browns. Cook until no pink remains, about 10 minutes, adding beef stock or water if needed to deglaze the fond at the bottom of the pan. Add the meat to any recipe you see fit; we love it in Texas chili, stroganoff, or stuffed cabbage.

Too tired to clean up after a rousing dinner party? Make things easy on yourself and take one simple step to streamline the cleaning process come morning.

Red wine is notorious for staining everything from carpets to teeth to — you guessed it — wineglasses. Rather than necessitate a long scrubbing process (which might damage your crystal), simply pour a splash of water in all spent wine stems and leave them be until the morning after. Thanks to water's solvent properties, any residual red wine sediment will dissolve while you sleep off the nights excesses and make the arduous chore of cleaning up the next morning fly by.

Source: ThinkStock

• Easy ways to sneak quinoa into your next meal — Kitchen Daily
• LaGuardia Airport's stepping up its gourmet game — Zagat
• Six unconventional recipes to celebrate National S'mores Day — Delish
• Soon, it'll be possible to wed inside of a Denny's — Grub Street LA
• How to get more counter space out of an ironing board — Food52
• Nine dirtiest lines from Rachael Ray on The Late Late Show — Eater
• Eight great tips for deep-frying — Gourmet Live

Sometimes I wonder why homemade pie crust has a reputation for being so difficult to make. I'm often surprised to discover friends who are otherwise proficient in the kitchen, yet continue to shy away from the process, and dismiss any recipe involving a homemade crust outright.

I'd wager that much of the problem is rooted in the excess of admonitions advising against potential missteps. Truth be told, it's actually a rather simple process, and has less to do with skill, but instead requires a certain (small) degree of patience. In a nutshell, if you can keep the butter cold, and resist overworking the dough (which really has more to do with doing less) it ought to be a relatively painless process.

Keep reading for the surprisingly simple recipe.

Summer is in full swing, and that means tomatoes of every shape, size, and color are as ripe as can be. Take advantage of this tasty time with this savory tart recipe from yupitsmabel.

For the full recipe, check out her blog and be sure to upload your latest food-related obsessions with us in the YumSugar Community. If you're on Instagram, then join us by tagging your pictures with the hashtag #savorysight.