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Tips For Hosting a Debate-Watching Party

partysugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:00:56 -0700

Last week the series of presidential debates began and tonight the saga continues with a showdown between vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. It's the perfect occasion to throw an impromptu viewing party! Hosting a debate party is a great way to feel more involved in the election process. To help you quickly plan a fabulous fete, I've rounded up some tips and ideas. Get them now and read more.

Send a presidential themed evite to let friends know about the party.
Make sure there is plenty of comfortable seating and that everyone can see the TV.
Turn up the volume and put closed captioning on. When some of the crowd gets too noisy, dedicated debate watchers can read what the candidates are saying.
If you have a laptop and WiFi connection, set up the computer on a nearby coffee table and participate in CitizenSugar's live chat.
Play a drinking game by setting up rules like drink every time Palin says "small town" or drink whenever Biden uses the word "Scranton."
Download bingo cards and have guests play bingo. Give small bottles of liquor to the winners.
Create a patriotic atmosphere by decorating with red, white, and blue.
Before the fun begins and while guests are arriving, ask trivia questions about the candidates.
To be really official, register your event online.
Stock up on plenty of drinks and delicious snacks.
If your friends have different political views, establish a few ground rules when everyone arrives, so no brawls break out.

Have a tip to add to the list? Please share with us below!

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The Best Debates

partysugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:03:57 -0800

To get to know you better, we love to ask conversation provoking polls. Sometimes the simplest questions are the most stimulating. When forced to decide between one beloved dish or another, you are quick to express your likes and dislikes. We're always wondering, would you rather eat this or that? I've gone back over all the Would You Rather polls and picked out the ones that were toughest for me to choose between. Actually, I probably voted, "How can you make me choose?" on all of these! From top to bottom:

Would You Rather Eat French or Coconut Macaroons?

How about you? What Would You Rather was the hardest for you?

Burning Question: What's the Difference Between Stuffing and Dressing?

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:00:04 -0800

It's arguably the standout dish at Thanksgiving, yet at the same time shrouded in ambiguity. What's the proper way to refer to it: stuffing or dressing? Is there even a distinction?

Some believe that if it's cooked inside a roast, it should be dubbed stuffing; if it's prepared outside the bird, then the proper name for it is dressing. But go south of the Mason-Dixon line, and cooks will call it dressing, regardless of whether its preparation, citing the term "stuffing" as an unpleasant-sounding word. Likewise, northern states and New Englanders generally refer to the dish as stuffing across the board.

So, much like the soda-pop debate, whether you term that beloved side of seasoned starch and vegetables stuffing or dressing is really a matter of where you're eating. But we can all call it one thing for sure: delicious.

Got a burning question? Join the Burning Question group in the YumSugar Community! It's your place to post the most pressing questions about the culinary world.

Food Section Sampler - Sept. 23, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:30:44 -0700

Turns out the rest of the world has taken a liking to the American cupcake trend. - New York Times
Seemingly slight factors - not the economy - may be to blame for the bulk of this year's restaurant closures. - Boston Globe
Is food art? The debate continues. - Washington Post
Learn how to buy, boil, and eat a lobster. - Chicago Tribune
Why Sept. 11 led one Wall Street trader to become a waiter. - Wall Street Journal
The USDA is rolling out a new initiative to promote local food. - San Francisco Chronicle
To cut costs, Whole Foods may stop accepting checks. - Los Angeles Times

Source: Flickr User ginnerobot

Hybrid Produce: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:50:21 -0700

After returning from the farmers market with pluots and apriums aplenty, Party, another coworker, and I got into a debate over hybrid fruits and vegetables. Personally, I love pluots, especially juicy, green Flavor Queens that possess none of the tartness of a typical plum. But Party begged to differ. "I like the way a peach tastes. I like the way a plum tastes. I don't want to taste them together," she bemoaned. Where do you stand?

Source: Flickr User clayirving

USDA Orders Audit of National Organic Program

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:00:51 -0700

In the wake of the economic downturn, not only has the organics industry lost a significant share of customers, but it's been plagued by scandal as well. The natural foods industry was also the subject of debate when a recent UK study found that organic food is no healthier than conventional. Now, the US Department of Agriculture, hoping to address the ongoing organics problems, has ordered an audit of its National Organic Program (NOP), the organization that sets standards for organic products in America. The review, to be performed by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, will examine whether the program is using internationally recognized standards for overseeing its network of almost 100 private certifiers, all of which have authority to determine whether foods meet federal organic standards.

Will an audit of the National Organic Program put questions about organic standards to rest? Do organic foods have a higher nutritional content than their conventional counterparts?

Ray Isle on Rosé

partysugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:15:18 -0700

Each month when Food & Wine magazine arrives at my desk, I look forward to reading Ray Isle's latest article. As the deputy wine editor for the glossy, Isle writes interesting wine-related stories, recommends affordable pours, and pairs each of the recipes with an excellent variety. In short, he's incredibly knowledge in the world of wine. What I like best about Ray is his kind approachability: he doesn't have an ounce of wine snob in him. I was lucky enough to sit down with Ray on a warm afternoon at the Classic in Aspen and chat about one of the wine industry's hottest trends: Rosé.

To find out what Ray had to say about the pink wines you should be drinking, read more.

Before we could get started, Ray explained that there are two ways to make Rose. The traditional French method, known as saignée, employs red grapes. The juice soaks in the skins, but before the liquid turns into red wine, it is bled off. This pink juice is turned into Rosé. The second technique makes Rosé by simply mixing already-made red and white wines.

PartySugar: What happened to Rosé? How come it has such a bad rap?
Ray Isle: White zinfandel killed the image of dry Rosés. People didn't like the overly sweet white zin and any pink wine got lumped in with it.

PS: And why are we seeing a renaissance of Rosé now?
RI: Wine education is changing the way people drink wine. More and more people are becoming educated on wine. Before they didn't know that there was a category of really good dry Rosé, but now they do.

PS: Let's talk about the recent debate on Rosé production in Europe. Where do you stand?
RI: While it's typically cheaper for a wine maker to blend them, the quality of wine is inferior. They just don't taste as good as the wines made in the saignée method. I think the classical producers were right to stand up for their tradition.

PS: When shopping for Rosé what should one look for?
RI: First, don't spend more than $20. There are plenty of really great affordable Rosés out there. Look to a classic region like the South of France. The bottles don't have to say how the Rosé is made, so to ensure you get one made with the saignée method, it's best to look to a well-known region. For fruitier and richer Rosés select one from Spain or California. Etude's Pinot Noir Rosé is a great bottle and so is the Clos du Bois Rosé.

PS: Can one pair Rosé with food?
RI: Rosé is quite possibly the most food friendly variety of wine. Because it takes characteristics from both red (the fruit) and white (the acidity and lighter body) varieties, it's very easy to pair with food. Rosés cross both boundaries and can pair with anything from sushi to roast chicken. Remember Rosés are a great outdoor picnic or party wine. Serve it cool, like you would a white wine.

Europe Drops Plans to Permit Blended Rosé Wine

YumSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:00:48 -0700

After months of debate over legislation that would allow European Rosé wine to be made from the mixing of red and white wines, the European Union commission has dropped its plans to vote this month on the proposed change.

Rosé is traditionally produced by leaving the skins of red wine grapes in along with the grape juice for several hours to create a rose color. The proposal, however, would have allowed European winemakers to blend red and white wine and label it Rosé - a technique used by certain producers outside of Europe. In May, the measure's opponents, which included France, Italy, Greece, and numerous European wine producers, led the fight for a veto on the legislation.

In response to the heated objections, the commission rescinded its plans to vote on allowing blended Rosés. "It's become clear over recent weeks that a majority in our wine sector believe that ending the ban on blending could undermine the image of traditional Rosé," said European agricultural commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel. I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that the commission chose to preserve the time-honored tradition of rosé winemaking over commercial growth. Would you have cared if European Rosés were a mix of red and white wines?

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McDonald's and Wendy's Move Toward Cage-Free Eggs

YumSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:00:13 -0700

It's still debatable whether America's in the midst of a food revolution, but a growing number of the country's biggest corporations are focused on promoting natural and local ingredients.

Late last week, McDonald's announced it will take part in a study in conjunction with animal welfare groups, academics, and egg suppliers that compares battery cage-dwelling hens to free-range hens. The following day, Wendy's proclaimed that two percent of its egg purchases will now come from cage-free hens. The response from the animal rights community has been mixed. Although the Humane Society called Wendy's decision "a modest but meaningful step in the right direction," it also maintains McDonald's is only conducting the study to delay reforms in its farming practices.

Both Wendy's and McDonald's have been under fire for failing to change their practices after many other competing chains, such as Burger King, Quizno's, Hardee's, and Denny's, have already converted to using eggs from non-caged hens.

I'm happy to hear that both chains are making a concerted effort to look into free-range eggs - although it's disappointing that only five percent of eggs in North America come from free-range hens. Do you find yourself hopeful or skeptical about the chains' efforts to go cage-free?

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Do You Know What's Cooking This Week?

YumSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:30:46 -0700

Well, Easter and Passover went down without a hitch, so we've moved on to the next big thing: wedding season and planning friends' engagement celebrations!

We also found the time to make chocolate banana bites, shop for a compost pail, and debate the merits of cooking shows.

Were you around for it all? Find out when you take our quiz.

Take the quiz