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Yummy Links: From Sustainable Seafood to Baconfest

partysugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:50:47 -0700

Is it too late to save the world's seafood population?- The Atlantic
Twenty-five reasons to love the spoon. - Mouthing Off
Hosting a party in San Francisco? Consider having it at one of these restaurants. - 7x7
Angelina Jolie is a fan of Sandra Lee's no-bake birthday cake. - Eat Me Daily
Catch up with New York City chefs via Twitter. - Eater NY
Haven't figured out what to serve on Halloween? Here are four awesome menu ideas. - Bon Appétit
Did anyone attend Baconfest in Chicago? - Serious Eats

Sandra Lee Shoots Back at Food Elitists

YumSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:50:37 -0700

To promote her appearance as a celebrity volunteer on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, TV chef Sandra Lee chatted with Walletpop about the merits of jarred garlic, premade cosmos, and other random musings. But the Food Network star waits for the end of the interview to leave the biggest takeaway: Being a foodie isn't about snobbery.

"A lot of people think that foodies are this huge, elitist group in the sky that are there to critique and to judge. Can I tell you? If you eat, you're a foodie. If you have an opinion about what you're tasting, that makes you a foodie. Your job in life is to enjoy your life. So whatever makes it easier, faster, and more wonderful, that you can enjoy your life by, God bless you."

After watching Sandra defend her position with poise, I have to say I agree with her. Why are certain subsets of eaters more entitled to make judgments than others? Say what you will about Sandra Lee. She may not be the most popular of cooking personalities, yet she continues to take on her opponents with kindness.

Are you surprised by Sandra's public statement? Do you agree with her?

Killer App: Figs in Blanket

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:15:55 -0700

Figs are one of my favorite late Summer, early Fall fruits. Thus, after making bacon-wrapped dates, I looked for a similar recipe that used fresh figs. To my delight, I came across this Sandra Lee recipe that combines figs, goat cheese, and prosciutto. Inspired by her recipe but wanting to keep it simple, I came up with my take on her killer app. Rather than heat up the house, I decided to throw these tasty little bites on the barbecue.Although any variety of fig will work, I used Calimyrna and found that the easiest way to remove the flesh is with a melon baller. This delicious appetizer is perfect for a party because it can be prepped ahead of time and only requires a few minutes on the grill, so you won't miss any of the fun. With the salty prosciutto, sweet fig, and tangy goat cheese center, these nibbles are full of flavor and texture. If you want to impress your guests with figs in a blanket, keep reading.

Rustic Focaccia in Under 30 Minutes

YumSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:05 -0700

The number of "I must make this, stat!" moments I have while watching TV chefs is getting out of hand. First it was Lidia's Neapolitan mac and cheese. Then Giada's Asian chicken salad. On another weekend, I made this herbed focaccia. I've never really tried any of Sandra Lee's recipes, since I tend to associate them with ingredients like canned soups and prepackaged spice mixes that play a role in her semi-homemade philosophy. However the focaccia, which I watched Sandra make on her new show, is different. It calls for refrigerated pizza dough, an ingredient that's reasonably fresh. I often keep pizza dough on hand, and happened to have some in the fridge. I'm grateful I seized the moment. The rustic bread, which I made with heirloom tomatoes and whole-wheat dough, is simultaneously soft and crunchy, with a nice acidity from the tomatoes. You, too, can make this easy, breezy recipe.

Rachael Ray, Ina Garten Nab Daytime Emmys

YumSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:00:22 -0700

Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, and Ina Garten took home top honors at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmys on Saturday night.

For the second year in a row, Rachael Ray won the outstanding talk-show prize for Rachael Ray, her daytime TV spot. Grill It! With Bobby Flay took home the award for best culinary program, beating out Barefoot Contessa, Giada at Home, Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie, and Simply Ming. But Ina Garten had her time to shine, too, prevailing with the award of outstanding lifestyle host for Barefoot, an honor bestowed on Giada De Laurentiis last year for her show, Everyday Italian.

But Giada De Laurentiis didn't go home empty-handed, either. Her newest project, Giada at Home, won for directing in a lifestyle program. Food Network's only Susan Lucci of the bunch? Sandra Lee, who lost both her nods - one in outstanding achievement in hairstyling and the other for makeup - to The View. Judging by her ultrapolished, Barbie-esque look at the awards, however, perhaps the Academy should reassess. Are you surprised to hear who the winners are?

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Video Pokes Fun at Sandra Lee's Most Suggestive Moments

YumSugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:02:20 -0700

If you haven't gotten enough of Sandra Lee from her new show, Eat Me Daily has discovered a YouTube compilation of Sandra Lee's most memorable quotes which, when taken out of context, sound rather suggestive.

The video reveals Sandy's ridiculous preference for the word "delicious," her affinity for vodka-spiked cocktails, and her mispronunciation of the word "espresso."

My initial reaction was what fanatic has this kind of time on his hands? But my second thought was to hit the play button again as soon as it was over - it's that funny. What do you think of the video - is it an accurate representation?

Yummy Links: From Sandra Lee to TV Dinners

partysugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:50:59 -0700

Semi homemade be gone: Sandra Lee gets a seasonal fresh-ingredient makeover. - Eat Me Daily
Mustard manufacturer Grey Poupon wants Obama to pardon Dijon lovers. - Grubstreet
Ten food moments from The Office. - Chow
Be inspired: An adorable owl is a fun theme for a baby shower. - Hostess With the Mostess
Thomas Keller's casual Napa Valley eatery, Ad Hoc, is now serving breakfast. - Eater SF
Lemon and basil make a healthy and delicious pasta salad. - Serious Eats
Menus and party plans inspired by your favorite television shows. - The Epi-Log

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Should TV Chefs Be Responsible For Promoting Eco-Friendly Cooking?

YumSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:00:26 -0700

When we recently disagreed with the assertion that cooking shows are too unrealistic, many of you seemed to share our opinion that food TV can actually be rather inspiring. Well, here's another question for you to ponder: Should TV chefs serve as role models?

In a Huffington Post article titled "Nasty Habits of Food Network Celebrities," columnist Isabel Cowles criticizes Food Network chefs like Giada De Laurentiis, Sandra Lee, and Guy Fieri for "encouraging wasteful, unhealthy behavior."Cowles derides De Laurentiis for using (and not recycling) nearly 1,000 square inches of aluminum foil on an episode of Everyday Italian. She frowns on Sandra Lee's use of packaged foods that come in more bags, bottles, and packaging. She doesn't approve of a chili recipe by Guy Fieri that calls for four pounds of meat from three animals, which, she maintains, encourages the reckless consumption of big-agriculture meat. Cowles argues:

The image these chefs are creating of our country's food ethos and practices wreaks of wastefulness, over-indulgence, and laziness. The Food Network and its celebrity chefs should inspire Americans to savor quality food and the entire process of making a meal . . . It's a shame that these chefs don't use their popularity to truly help improve how Americans cook and eat.

I'm curious to hear what you think. Are television chefs being wasteful? Is it their responsibility to serve as an example for the rest of us? Should cooking shows lead the way in encouraging America to reduce its kitchen carbon footprint - or is society expecting a little too much?

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Sandra Lee to Debut New Food Network Show

partysugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:50:38 -0800

Both Ina Garten and Giada de Laurentiis premiered new Food Network series last Fall, so it's no surprise to learn that another of the network's biggest stars, Sandra Lee, is set to begin production of a new cooking program.

Sandra's Money Saving Meals will premiere on May 10 at 12 p.m. The show will focus on Lee's "triple A factor" of accessible, aspirational, and affordable food. She'll provide cost-saving tips for grocery shopping and feature innovative ways to use leftovers.

As more and more people look for inexpensive meal options, it's only natural for the Food Network to move toward a recession-friendly lineup. In a statement, Bob Tushman, the senior vice president of programing, said:

At this critical economic time, Sandra comes to the rescue by providing our viewers with creative ways to save money and time while cooking great meals at home. We appreciate the dedicated passion and in-depth knowledge Sandra brings to this topic, and we look forward to launching this new endeavor with her.

Although I've never really been a fan of Sandra's 70/30 semi-homemade philosophy, I'm curious to see her tips on affordable eating - after all, she was made from scratch! What do you think about the new series? Will you watch Sandra's Money Saving Meals?

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Sandra Lee to Whip Up Semi-Homemade Magazine

YumSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:00:51 -0700

For Semi-Homemade star Sandra Lee, remembering to "keep it simple and always keep it semi-homemade" has really paid off.

The queen of kitchen shortcuts has just snagged a deal for her own magazine. The glossy will be published by Hoffman Media, the company that publishes Paula Deen's eponymous Cooking With Paula Deen, and will feature recipes, entertaining tips, and home decor advice (coordinating tablescapes, anyone?). The periodical will hit newsstands beginning next February/March and will come out six times a year. A one-year subscription will cost $19.98. The circulation is predicted to be 280,000 copies.

Just earlier this month, we learned that Food Network would be launching a magazine of its own beginning Oct. 14, and now Sandra Lee will be entering the mag market as well. Do you think the Food Network is overexposing its celebrity chefs? With the struggles that the print media industry is facing right now, it seems like a riskier time than ever to start a magazine from scratch. Do you think it has a good chance at succeeding?

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