Raspberry

Healthy Recipe

A Lighter Dessert: Warm Raspberry-Pistachio Cake

From sorbet to straight out of the basket, I celebrate all things raspberry.

From sorbet to straight out of the basket, I celebrate all things raspberry. I even like Prince's odd '80s tune, "Raspberry Beret." The only dessert that can trump something chocolatey, in my opinion, is a dish featuring my favorite fruit — the raspberry.

Since I like to tinker in the kitchen, I decided to try to improve the healthiness of a recipe I've been making for years: a simple pistachio cake topped with raspberries before baking. By swapping out butter for Greek yogurt and two egg whites for a whole egg, I made the cake lighter in density along with lightening the caloric load; I shaved almost 100 calories off a serving. I think I improved the flavor too. The nuttiness of the whole wheat pastry flour complements the pistachio flavor, and the cake is moist. Plus, each serving is baked individually to help portion control. You got to love ramekins!

Keep reading for the recipe.

frozen yogurt

Strawberry and Raspberry Frozen Yogurt Popsicle

Here at Sugar HQ, everyone is crazy for the new, dangerously close frozen yogurt joint, SoGreen.

Here at Sugar HQ, everyone is crazy for the new, dangerously close frozen yogurt joint, SoGreen. After consuming a couple of SoGreen's delicious, fruity treats, I decided to experiment with my own variation. Currently I'm obsessed with Popsicles, so naturally, I was inspired to make a frozen yogurt Popsicle.

The recipe is simple with only a couple ingredients: strained yogurt, fresh fruit, and sugar. I had strawberries and golden raspberries on hand, but any fruit combination would work.

Once frozen, the bite-sized strawberry chunks were more crunchy than I would have preferred. To avoid the crunchy and hard-to-eat fruit, be sure to thinly slice all berries. Much like any other homemade Popsicle, the hardest part is waiting for them to freeze.

To learn more about making this perfect Summer treat, read more

Philosophy

Product Review: Philosophy Raspberry Sorbet

Philosophy first came out with a Strawberry Milkshake 3-in-1 Cleanser — and all the boys came to the yard.

Philosophy first came out with a Strawberry Milkshake 3-in-1 Cleanser — and all the boys came to the yard. Now with the release of the Raspberry Sorbet version ($16), I can barely keep the boys from banging down my door!

Ahh, if only this were really the case. But seeing as all jokes stem from a little bit of truth I'll have you know that after a few showers with my Raspberry Sorbet (sing along with me and Prince!) my beau has commented on how lovely I smell.

What I like about this sweet smelling shower gel, shampoo and bubble bath is that it leaves my skin feeling silky. The scent isn't overpowering, but it lingers just enough that you can skip wearing perfume if you like. I've also used it to shave my legs, and because it lathers well, it prevents nicks.

The downside: I wish that I could be more positive in my shampoo review. Although it claims to "smooth and condition the hair," mine needed heavy-duty conditioning to soften and detangle after just one use. That's not to say that those of you with oily hair won't like it, but anyone with semi dry to dry hair will appreciate the warning. After trying this and Amazing Grace, I think it's safe to say that Philosophy's three-in-one products work best when you don't use them as shampoos.

See reader reviews of this product and add your own here!


Makeup

Coming Soon: Bobbi Brown Spring 2008 Raspberry Collection

The official first day of Winter hasn't even arrived, so can you believe that we are talking about Spring makeup already?

The official first day of Winter hasn't even arrived, so can you believe that we are talking about Spring makeup already? As strange as it feels, get excited, because from the little sneak peeks I've seen so far, berry lips and cheeks, as well as metallics (of course) are going to be sprouting up all over.

Bobbi Brown is no exception; her 2008 Spring collection is called Raspberry. (I love this model's gap teeth — she reminds me of Lauren Hutton.) Of the collection, Bobbi says:

“Raspberry is a brilliant way to wear color. It brings out the natural flush of pink on cheeks. There’s a shade of raspberry for every complexion — from pink to deep raspberry."

Who doesn't love pink, but hopefully the rest of the upcoming collections are just a little bit more toned down. I think some of these colors look like they'd be difficult to pull off. Here's a look at a few of the items in this line, which goes on sale in early January. For a detailed description, including the price of each of the products, read more

Lipstick

Trend Alert: Bright Pink Lips

The last time we saw bright pink lips like this was on Elisha Cuthbert and before that it was at the 2007 Spring Diane von Furstenberg Fashion Show.

The last time we saw bright pink lips like this was on Elisha Cuthbert and before that it was at the 2007 Spring Diane von Furstenberg Fashion Show. Now, two gorgeous A-list ladies are looking fierce in fuchsia!

Natalie Portman matched her dress and her lips at the Mr. Magorium Wonder Emporium premiere, while Beyoncé sported a shiny pink pout at an autograph signing in Seoul, Korea. I love that stars are starting to experiment with color. How do you feel about this bright pink lip trend? Here are a couple of product suggestions for those of you who are willing to play with pink.

Dior Rouge Dior Replenishing Lipcolor in devilish pink ($26) is a long-wearing lipstick that provides full coverage, moisture, and unrivaled shine thanks to its new Color Reveal Complex. If you are looking for a rich pink to pamper your pout, this is a pretty great product!

For one more magnificent magenta lipstick, read more

candy

Razzmatazz! M&Ms Launches a Raspberry Flavored Candy

Raspberries always seem to get paired with chocolate, so when I heard that M&Ms was releasing a limited edition "RaZZberry" flavor, I immediately wondered why it hadn't been done before.

Raspberries always seem to get paired with chocolate, so when I heard that M&Ms was releasing a limited edition "RaZZberry" flavor, I immediately wondered why it hadn't been done before. The Razzes — as I like to call them — are M&Ms first-ever nationwide fruit-flavor and will only be available for six weeks. I haven't seen the bright pink packages yet, but you should be able to find them in convenience stores, drug stores, gas stations, etc. I'm also not sure if it's the chocolate that's fruit flavored, or the shell. If anyone can get their hands on them, please be sure to let us know!

recipes

Happy Hour: Raspberry Lemonade

Today it is HOT - and that's supposed to be said with a double H and probably a bunch of Ts - more like, HHOTTTTTTT.

Today it is HOT - and that's supposed to be said with a double H and probably a bunch of Ts - more like, HHOTTTTTTT. We're talking the kind of hot where I am slowly slipping into a heat induced coma and every girl (except geeksugar, what were you thinking with long pants!) has slipped into a summer dress and sandals. Anyways, you're not here to read about dresses and sandals, you're here to read about what to drink when it's that hot outside.

When the heat gets up there (and I know, some people enjoy this weather, but not me) I really need something that can quench my thirst. A large margarita sounds good, and so does a slushy daiquiri, but the alcohol is just going to make it worse. So on a day like today, I suggest a nice tall pitcher of raspberry lemonade. The tartness of the raspberries and lemons mix really well together, and you can adjust the sweetness as you please. To check out the recipe, read more

Diane Von Furstenberg

Beauty Spring Peek: Matte Fuchsia Lips

The Spring 2007 Diane Von Furstenberg Show was called "All About Eve," as in the first woman.

The Spring 2007 Diane Von Furstenberg Show was called "All About Eve," as in the first woman. It was meant to look simple, sophisticated and seductive. You can see this reflection not only in her clothes but in her makeup choices as well. She mixed a polished, yet clean and natural, fresh face with a pop of bright fuchsia, matte color on the lips.

Clearly DVF selected the mouth as the seductive focus and kept the rest of the face simple and sophisticated. Nice work. Be sure to check out more of my Spring Peeks.

To see some of my favorite matte fuchsia lipsticks new for Spring, read more