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Backstage Demands

YumSugar — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 00:35:55 -0800

Everyone has their favorite foods and beverages, including pop stars. Only, unlike the rest of us, pop stars can demand to have these items waiting for them in their dressing rooms. Whether it's Oreos, 10 pounds of carrots or Cristal, the stars get what they ask for. You think your ritual of one cup of strawberry yogurt each day is weird, wait until you read some of the demands the stars ask for. To check out some of my favorite pop star food demands, read more

When preparing for her next gig, Christina Aguilera needs to have her dressing room stocked with Flintstones chewable vitamins, Oreos, Nesquick and an assortment of organic foods.

Country pop diva, and juice fiend, Shania Twain insists on 10 pounds of carrots, six lemons, three papayas, one watermelon and then some. To balance out all of that juice she insists on chomping down orange colored cheese popcorn.

But my favorite demand comes from 50 Cent. His demands include KFC, Boston Market and a cold bottle of Cristal. Now that's what I call classy!

How about you? If you were a pop star, what food would you demand?!

To learn more about other wacky star demands, check out this great list compiled by the folks at eDiets.

Starbucks Wants to Give You a Boost

YumSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:00:37 -0700

Believe it or not, I don't drink much coffee. I cut it out of my life and now only indulge every so often, more for flavor than for the wake-up boost. However, I know there are quite a few of you, who absolutely can not live without your morning cuppa. If you're in that camp, then I have some interesting news for you. Starbucks is launching an energy boost.

Their new option, called +Energy, is a blend of B vitamins, guarana, and ginseng. For 50 cents, it can be added to any existing drink. Now you can have your caffeine boost AND an energy boost all at the same time. When asked why they were doing this, Starbucks spokesperson Bridget Baker said:

It's a perfect match for active lifestyles. It's a way of meeting that demand and addressing that need.

And if you're too active to actually stand in line for a drink, starting next month they'll offer a ready-to-drink version for grocery stores, convenience stores, and any other places their ready-to-drink products are sold.

So has anyone tried the +Energy boost? Did it make your coffee taste differently?

Source

'Wich of the Week: Philippe's French Dip

YumSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:10:33 -0700

While I was down in Los Angeles for the PopSugar Tech Party, I couldn't pass up a trip to Phillipe the Original, the downtown LA institution that invented the French Dip. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Phillipe's (as it's known to locals) offers everything you'd want from a historic restaurant, including old-timey signage, 10-cent coffee, and a sandwich whose construction has been honed over decades to perfection.

Typically, a French Dip sandwich involves hot roast beef served on a French roll with a side of au jus, a gravy whose name amusingly translates to "with juice." But don't expect a dipping bowl at Philippe's; what makes its legendary version oh-so-tasty is that the au jus is built right into the bun. For a firsthand account of my Philippe's adventure, read more.

Originally, Philippe's served three kinds of French Dip: beef, lamb, and pork; in the 1980s, the restaurant added turkey to appease the health conscious. The first time I went to Philippe's, I tried the turkey, but I felt like I was missing out, so this time I got the pork sandwich, "double dipped," with both sides of the roll gently submerged in juice.

The Philippe French Dip is divine in its simplicity. In the words of general manager Richard Binder: "It's no secret. It's meat. It's bread." Of course, it's also the au jus, of which Philippe's makes three enormous batches a day. Each batch of stock uses 50 pounds of bones and a potpourri of veggies, plus drippings from the pans that roast nearly 1,000 pounds of meat every day.

Philippe's high volume and time-intensive preparation makes its sandwiches difficult to re-create at home. The pork is so tenderly roasted that it gives just right when you bite into it, and the juice - rich with hours of flavor - provides a yummy transition between the soft, warm roll and the meat. I'm sure cheese would be good too, but I just flavored mine with a bit of Philippe's hot housemade brown mustard. Remarkably, despite being incredibly moist, the Phillipe's French Dip isn't messy, because the ingredients cooperate with each other so well. Neat, simple, and delicious.

Have you been? Tell us about your Phillipe's adventure in the comments!

Does Water Really Clean Your Fruits and Vegetables?

YumSugar — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:18:33 -0700

When it comes to washing veggies, most of us rely on good ol' water. Others use vinegar or soap, but are these techniques more effective? The folks at Cook's Illustrated magazine wanted to know and decided to put it all to the test.

In their test, they washed fruit with one of the following solutions:

Antibacterial soap (not recommended as food safety experts think soap isn't something you should eat)
One part vinegar and three parts water
Scrubbing with a brush
Plain water

Once they had washed their fruit, they then took a sterile cotton swab and rubbed it on the outside of the fruit. The grime collected on the swabs was then placed into Petri dishes and sat at 80F for several days.

Want to know what their results were? Find out, just read more

The best result was a solution of water and vinegar, which ended up removing 98 percent of the bacteria. Second was the scrub brush, which removed a tiny bit more than just water alone.

To achieve this level of cleanliness at home, spray the fruit with enough to coat the surface and then rinse it under the tap. Cook's Illustrated's editor Jack Bishop had this to say about it:

"The cold water will wash the residual flavor from the vinegar, and finishes the cleaning process. So it's a 30-second, 50-cent investment."

What do you think? Will you use a vinegar solution to clean your fruits and veg?

Source: NPR
Image Source

The Ultimate Bar: Cocktail Napkins

partysugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:30:19 -0700

When I was a camarera (bartender in Spanish) at En Boga (in Cordoba Spain) we had the cutest little cocktail napkins with the En Boga (in vogue) logo. When a new customer approached the bar, a clean napkin had to be placed in front of them before asking, que te pongo (what can I get you)? Often overlooked, the cocktail napkin adds a polished touch to the presentation, especially when handing off your drink to a guest. Oh and did I mention they are 100% practical and actually serve the function of acting as a coaster, a plate, or a finger cleaner? Without cocktail napkins, your bar is incomplete. Cocktail napkins come in almost every color and pattern, so you can find the one that best suits your needs as a hostess. For summer - and margaritas! - I love these brightly striped cocktail napkins. A pack of 20 is the reasonable price of just $4.75, so buy two packs.

For a few more styles read more

Cocktail napkins can be monogrammed with a quote, birthday message, or image. These engraved napkins would be ideal for an over the top bachelorette party. Maids of honor factor it into your budget (these will totally make the party more memorable) - 100 napkins for $28.95.

Add a touch of elegance to your bar with these modern black and white floral vine cocktail napkins. The vibrant print pairs perfectly with a Classic Martini or vodka tonic. These are 25 cents cheaper than the striped ones and total at $4.50 for a pack of 20.

Happy Hour: E & J Gallo Winery

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 11:59:41 -0800

This morning, as I was waking up to NPR, I heard that winemaker Ernest Gallo died yesterday at age 97. In college I became pretty familiar with the Gallo name (Boone's Farm anyone?), and knew that it was created in order to bring inexpensive California wine to a growing market. What I didn't know was that the original Gallo recipe was borrowed from pre-Prohibition pamphlets found in the basement of the Modesto public library. With the recipe under their hat, the brothers (the J stands for Julio who passed away in 1993) rented a rundown building and hoodwinked everyone in their family to make wine for 50 cents a gallon - the going rate at the time was $1.

To celebrate their lifelong legacy, pick up your favorite bottle of E&J and raise a toast in remembrance. The one pictured is their Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a full rich wine with tones of black cherries, spices and currants (it's also light-years away from Boone's Farm).

Come Party With Me: Mardi Gras Bash - Music

partysugar — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:58:12 -0800

There is less then 36 hours to go until my Mardi Gras party and I believe I have everything basically under control. The invitations were sent and the RSVP texts have been vibrating on my phone all morning (why does everyone wait until the last minute to rsvp???), my house is already set into party mode, the keg will be picked up in the morning, and later today I'll start making sweet and savory appetizers. I hope that everyone comes in the mood to dance and that is why the music is a very important part of this party. The music at an event should never be overlooked (sometimes I get so caught up in the cooking I forget until the last minute!) and if you are not a super DJ, ask a trusted, musically inclined friend to help you. To see what I've compiled on my playlist, read more

I took my own advice and talked to the Sugar Network's in the know resident DJ, BuzzSugar. She recommended I put at least one New Orleans/Mardi Gras inspired mix on the list and pointed me to a compilation called Louisiana Gumbo. There's also an interesting sounding CD on iTunes called Mardi Gras Party. I'll also add all of the songs from BuzzSugar's Mardi gras playlist to my mix for the night. It may be a long night so I'll need a great variety of songs.

As for my dance favorites, the new Madonna (Confessions on A Dance Floor), Justin Timberlake (FutureSex/LoveSounds), Nelly Furtado (Loose), Black Eyed Peas (Elephunk) mixed with older dance classics: Christina Aguilera's Dirty, Beyonce's Crazy In Love, 50 Cent In Da Club, Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out of My Head, Britney Spears' Slave, Bon Jovi's Livin on a Prayer, Stone Roses' Fool's Gold, Shakira's Hips Don't Lie and current top 40 hits: Fergie's Fergalicious, Beyonce's Irreplaceable, Gwen's Sweet Escape, KT Tunstall's Suddenly I See, and Rihanna's SOS.

Did I fail to list your favorite dance song? Please tell me about it below!