Posts for August 2nd 2012

party planning

Celebrate National Ice Cream Sandwich Day!

Happy almost Friday — and Happy National Ice Cream Sandwich Day!

Happy almost Friday — and Happy National Ice Cream Sandwich Day! In addition to the month of August being National Sandwich Month, today, Aug. 2, celebrates the best kind of sandwich possible — one that puts a creamy serving of America's favorite frozen dessert between two cookies for the ultimate sweet snack. Need some food for thought beyond chocolate cookies and vanilla ice cream? Look no further than these six inspired ice cream sandwich recipes.


Strawberry-Banana Nilla Wafer

Lemon With Blueberry Swirl

Mint Ice Cream Cone

Vanilla Berry Brownie

Puff Pastry Cherry Chocolate

Chocolate Citrus Biscotti
Wine

Wine of the Day: 2011 Vinho Verde Adamado

There's arguably no better drinking wine for this weather than Vinho Verde, the sprightly Portuguese white that's young in both age and spirit, and recently, I tried one of the best renditions of this wine that I've ever tasted.

There's arguably no better drinking wine for this weather than Vinho Verde, the sprightly Portuguese white that's young in both age and spirit, and recently, I tried one of the best renditions of this wine that I've ever tasted. This bottle, the 2011 Adega Cooperativa de Ponte de Lima Vinho Verde Adamado ($10), was gone in mere minutes. Vinho Verde translates to "green wine," and this wine literally tasted like green fruits, with notes of tart green apple on the nose. As promised (adamado means "sweet-tasting" in Portuguese), the wine showcased an off-dry, kiwi-flavored finish.

Vinho Verde often has a little bit of prickliness to it; because the wines are young, Portuguese winemakers pump carbon dioxide in the bottles to keep them fresh. This was no exception: it was effervescent in a thirst-quenching, Sprite-can-opening kind of way. It didn't go straight to the head, though, like its bubbly brethren are wont to do. I enjoyed it solo, but dreamt of sipping it on the hottest of days, outdoors at a late-Summer music festival like Lollapalooza. Now if I could just nab a ticket . . .

Food News

SF Chefs Showcase Contemporary Mexican Cuisine

We're covering the SF Chefs Food and Wine Festival, and last night we had the privilege of attending "A Celebration of Contemporary Mexican Restaurants," hosted by Traci Des Jardins and Dylan Montano of Mijita Cocina Mexicana at the Ferry Building.

We're covering the SF Chefs Food and Wine Festival, and last night we had the privilege of attending "A Celebration of Contemporary Mexican Restaurants," hosted by Traci Des Jardins and Dylan Montano of Mijita Cocina Mexicana at the Ferry Building. The tequila was flowing, and the use of avocados was aplenty. Click through for an inside peek at the event, some of the unusual ingredients used, and what we considered the best dish and drink of the evening.

taste test

Taste Test: Starbucks Refreshers

Starbucks has finally snuck its way into the energy drink market with Starbucks Refreshers, a new line of beverages that are sweetened with a blend of fruit juice and natural sweetener Stevia and caffeinated with green coffee extract, a natural (and flavorless) source of caffeine.

Starbucks has finally snuck its way into the energy drink market with Starbucks Refreshers, a new line of beverages that are sweetened with a blend of fruit juice and natural sweetener Stevia and caffeinated with green coffee extract, a natural (and flavorless) source of caffeine. The Refreshers line includes handcrafted fruity beverages served over ice, on-the-go powdered VIA packets, and a carbonated, canned product.

We recently taste tested the Starbucks Refreshers Strawberry Lemonade ($2), Starbucks Refreshers Raspberry Pomegranate ($2), and Starbucks VIA Refreshers Cool Lime ($6). Take a look at what our tasters and the YumSugar editors had to say about Starbucks' latest venture into alternative energizing beverages.

See their ratings — and what we thought — when you read more.

recipes

Genius Combinations: Almond Nutella Dessert Pizza

Two words: Nutella pizza.

Two words: Nutella pizza. To put it mildly, I was smitten at first sight and in a full-blown love affair with the epic treat at first bite. It's life-changing, to say the least, so I'm shocked that it had never crossed my mind to slather gobs of Nutella on toast's most delicious kissing cousin.

The only way I can explain this oversight is that perhaps I was too busy gorging myself on the treat in my typical manner, which is to say I was spooning it jar to mouth — repeat ad nauseum.

Keep reading for the life-changing recipe.

Wine

How Well Do You Know Champagne?

Last night, the YumSugar team ventured to Jardiniere restaurant in San Francisco, where Neil Michael Dixon, owner of Espirit de Champagne, shared a few outstanding Champagnes that are practically unknown to US drinkers.

Last night, the YumSugar team ventured to Jardiniere restaurant in San Francisco, where Neil Michael Dixon, owner of Espirit de Champagne, shared a few outstanding Champagnes that are practically unknown to US drinkers. Along with the restaurant's sommelier, Eugenio Jardim, we learned some incredible facts about the history and culture of Champagne. Test your knowledge with this Champagne exam.

Take the Quiz
community

Savory Sight: Asian Turkey Burgers With Lemongrass Aioli

With the help of spices and a mouthwatering aioli, dmash achieves turkey burger nirvana with her Asian variation.

With the help of spices and a mouthwatering aioli, dmash achieves turkey burger nirvana with her Asian variation.

I originally tried an Asian chicken burger by one of my new favorite celebrity chefs Kelsey Nixon, and I immediately wanted to give it another go with turkey. Success! I think you could make this recipe with cardboard and it would still be tasty. Although some of the ingredients might be a bit difficult to find, as long as you live near a large grocery store, you shouldn't have an issue. I was able to find everything I needed at Safeway and Whole Foods. Enjoy!

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