The mojito certainly gets the most play of any muddled drink, but others deserve a moment in the spotlight, too. Case in point: this surprising kiwi cobbler cocktail, which builds layer upon layer of flavor thanks to a tequila base and the addition of vanilla bean, sugar, soda water, and freshly muddled mint leaves and kiwi fruit. Watch the video, then print out the recipe and try it for yourself.
This Christmas, give your beloved friends and family a thoughtful, inexpensive gift that'll keep on giving in the months to come: made-from-scratch vanilla extract. This recipe, which calls for only two ingredients and less than five minutes of prep, isn't just functional — it's also pretty and long-lasting. Watch the video to find out how to prolong the life of your homemade vanilla extract and how to package it as a beautiful gift for the holidays.
I've never been the biggest soda fan. Even as a child I was far more interested in sugar in solid form (I'm somewhat of a sour gummy candy fanatic) than Coke and the like. Nonetheless, I've always had a soft spot for fragrant cream soda. There's a certain ineffable something about it that manages to lure me in nearly every time I come across it — which is both sadly, and admittedly lucky for my waistline, not that often.
Oftentimes a recipe will call for only part of a vanilla bean. Since vanilla beans can be somewhat expensive, don't discard the extra bean. There are lots of ways you could put it to good use:
What's your favorite way of using leftover vanilla bean?
Happy Fat Tuesday! Don't you wish this plate of beignets were real rather than just a picture? Dice215 shared the image in the Savory Sights group in the YumSugar Community.
Freshly made vanilla bean beignets with warm chocolate fudge sauce on the side.
For the recipe, check out her blog. If you have a delicious photo to share, upload it to the Savory Sights group in the community!
Today, word spread that ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins is retiring five of its flavors, among them Campfire S'mores, Apple Pie a La Mode, Caramel Praline Cheesecake, and Superfudge Truffle. But the most surprising news of all? The company also plans to retire French Vanilla, a longtime hit and one of its original 31 flavors created in 1945.
Not only has French Vanilla been a core flavor for the past 65 years, but vanilla is the most popular ice cream variety in America by a wide margin. Does the discontinuation of French Vanilla suggest fewer consumers have an appetite for the flavor?
In recent frozen dessert encounters, I've spotted vanilla bean ice cream much more frequently than its flaxen yellow French counterpart, which is strained to be free of flavorful vanilla bean seeds and made heavier and creamier with egg custard. What do you think: Will other ice cream companies follow suit? Does French vanilla ice cream seem like a dated flavor to you?
Source: Flickr User cowbite
Source: Flickr Users whitneyinchicago and joyosity
For FabSugar and my Twister party, I'm going to get creative with the dessert. My first instinct was to serve something twisted, but then I thought it's more fun to offer a sweet inspired by the Twister mat.
Thus, I'm going to take this recipe for classic vanilla-on-vanilla cupcakes and make mini cupcakes. Then, I'll divide the vanilla buttercream into four bowls and tint each one a different color: red, blue, green, and yellow.
I'll arrange the mini cupcakes on a white platter in the same pattern that the dots are on a Twister board! To look at the basic vanilla cupcake recipe I'm using, read more
I was talking to CasaSugar today and found out that she isn't the biggest fan of vanilla-scented things, which got a bunch of us into a conversation about different common scents we're not so fond of inhaling.
It turns out PartySugar doesn't like incense and I cannot condone that waxy fake chocolate scent (organic and real chocolate notes, though, I love.) It seems like all of us have at least one Achilles' heel when it comes to smells. So now I want to know if there's a common scent you can't stand, and if you have one, what is it?
This Friday a group of my closest friends will join me at my vacation house in the mountains. It's going to be a whirlwind weekend filled with amazing eats, snowboarding, and a birthday celebration. My girlfriend Katie is turning 29 and I'm making her cake.
When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted (and explained that the sky's the limit!), she simply replied, "I want a vanilla cake. Is that boring?" Hardly. A basic vanilla cake with whipped frosting is elegant and classic. To make it extra special, I'll place 29 candles on it. Want to see the recipe I'm using? Keep reading.
