Besides stocking my pantry with party-ready items, I also keep several very important ingredients in my kitchen at all times. These are items that I use on a daily basis to make tons of different dishes. Read on to see what they are, and then share your must-have foods in the comments below!
One of our favorite demonstrations at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival was led by chef Alex Guarnaschelli. If you're not watching her wildly entertaining and informative show on the Food Network, Alex's Day Off, I highly recommend you check out a few of the episodes. Her passion and enthusiasm for food is infectious, and her recipes are creative and delicious-sounding. On Saturday afternoon, in the bright sunshine, Guarnaschelli made homemade pizza. While she whipped up tomato sauce and pizza dough, she provided the audience with tons of helpful hints for channeling your inner pizzioli. Read on for her suggestions.
Although I've always wanted a pizza stone, I simply can't justify buying one. Sure, I make pizza on a regular basis, but I have a small kitchen and limited budget. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying super-crispy pizza crust! To check out my technique for ensuring that the crust is thin and crunchy every time, read more.
Happy Valentine's Day! Hopefully by now, you've browsed all the chocolate and aphrodisiac recipes and have decided on a special menu to enjoy with loved ones.
Since it's just me and I try to practice meatless Mondays, I'm making grilled cheese sandwiches. Not just any grilled cheese, but one with caramelized pears and onions and three different kinds of cheese — yum! For dessert, I made chocolate diablo cake. I'll pair both with sparkling Rosé.
How about you? How are you celebrating Valentine's Day? What are you making?
If you've been keeping up with YumSugar this week, you'll know that we've been talking about all things chocolate. Hopefully you've been inspired by the chocolate recipes and will whip up something delicious to enjoy with loved ones on Valentine's Day. When it comes to cooking with chocolate, I want to know what's your go-to brand. I always bake with Ghirardelli chocolate because it's local and good quality without being insanely expensive. How about you? What brand of chocolate do you cook with?
Source: Flickr User somegeekintn
I'll be the first to admit that I really enjoy cooking on the weekends. It's more relaxed than cooking during the week because there's time to experiment with new recipes and exciting ingredients. Since tomorrow is the Super Bowl, there's a chance you may be making something for game day, but if you're not watching, you could be whipping up something else. A brunch dish? A comforting pot of soup? A celebratory Chinese New Year spread? Whatever it is, I want to hear about it! What items are you cooking this weekend?
Source: Flickr User Simon Doggett
It's freezing in San Francisco, and I think it's high time I broke out my slow cooker. It's a wonderfully useful kitchen gadget that makes cooking a dinner for a crowd easy — while filling your house with an amazing fragrance.
I'm not the only one who is interested in slow cooker experimentation, reader dreamalittledream recently asked the YumSugar Community for crockpot help. She says, "I just got a crockpot and am itching to use it. I've found a ton of recipes online, but I trust YumSugar members more for recipes. Any crock pot recipe that I have to try!?"
Well, I highly recommend blackberry pulled pork, red wine short ribs, classic chili, and Cuban chicken. Also, don't forgot to check out our tips for cooking with a crockpot. I've revealed mine, and now it's time for you to share yours: what are your favorite slow cooker recipes?
Source: Flickr User love♡janine
Today is National Bean Day! Consuming legumes on a regular basis is one of the foundations of a healthy Mediterranean-style diet. Since my culinary resolution is to eat more vegetarian cuisine, I'm cooking lots of beans. My favorites are lentils, garbanzos, and black beans. If I stock my pantry with all three, I can make a wide variety of soups, salads, and sautes.
How about you? What is your preferred bean?
When making things like ice cream or salad dressing, a slow stream of liquid sometimes has to be added to a bowl while whisking. However, if one hand is whisking and the other hand is pouring, that leaves no hands to hold the bowl in place. No matter, here's what you do: take a kitchen towel and hold the top left-hand corner and the bottom right-hand corner in your hands. Twist to form a long roll and wrap the roll into a circle on your kitchen counter. Nest the mixing bowl in the middle of the circle and start whisking. The bowl will stay perfectly in place.
