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How to Taste Fine Whiskey

partysugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:00:47 -0700

While downing green drinks or beer cocktails is a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, sipping a fine, Irish whiskey is a low-key way to mark the occasion. Like wine, there is a special technique to enjoy the potent caramel-colored spirit.

Here's how:

Make sure the whiskey is at room temperature. Pour into a clear glass with a narrow mouth and wide bottom.
Examine the color of the liquid. The darker the whiskey, the longer it has been aged.
Warm the glass with your hands and smell the whiskey's aroma. Note any fruit, spice, or other flavors, like butterscotch.
Before tasting, add a tiny bit of water to dilute the concentrated spirit. You will be able to better taste the whiskey without a harsh burn from the strong alcohol.
Finally, sip the whiskey like you would a wine, and be aware of its body and flavor.

Do you enjoy whiskey? Have you ever been to a whiskey tasting?

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Fish and Chips

partysugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:50:51 -0700

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day tonight, serve your family a classic pub favorite. Although fish and chips is a traditionally British dish, this recipe pairs perfectly with an Irish pint.

Large chunks of fresh fish fillets are dipped in buttermilk and coated in cornmeal. The chips are baked in the oven, resulting in potatoes that are crisp, but not overly oily. For the uncomplicated recipe, read more.

Fish and Chips
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 large russet potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed
Four 6-ounce sea bass or cod fillets (about 1 inch thick), skin removed
For the seasoning:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the coating
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon paprika
For the garnish
Lemon wedges
Malt vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven.
Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick strips. Rinse well in a large bowl of cold water, and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; toss well. Arrange strips in an even layer on the sheet. Bake on lower rack until golden and crisp, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place fish fillets in a large bowl. Add buttermilk, and gently turn fish to coat.
In another shallow bowl, combine cornmeal, paprika, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add fillets to cornmeal one at a time, turning to completely coat. Transfer to a plate while repeating with remaining fillets.
Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining tablespoon of oil; swirl to coat. Add fillets, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Cook until nicely crusted, about 1 minute; turn over with a spatula.
Place skillet in top third of oven, and cook until firm but beginning to flake when pressed in the center, about 8 minutes.
Transfer to plates, and serve with potatoes. Serve lemon wedges and malt vinegar on the side.

Serves 4.

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Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:15:24 -0700

With a few fun flourishes, you can achieve a festive and fabulous St. Patrick's Day decor. Start by covering the table with a printed green cloth. Serve the dip in a glass chip and dip holder and the soup in mini cups. Place the pizza on a large platter.

Set out plenty of beer glasses. Light white candles and stick inside dark green votives. Don't forget the green food coloring. Hang vintage Guinness posters on the walls and arrange a beautiful bouquet of sunny yellow flowers.

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Say Cheese! Cheddar and Guinness Welsh Rarebit

partysugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 10:15:41 -0700

Cheddar is a widely known, popular variety of cheese that originated in the Somerset region of England. However, the firm cow's milk cheese is now made in many places around the world. It can range in flavor from mild to sharp and in color from white to orange. Orange cheddar gets its color from a natural dye called annatto. An incredibly versatile cheese, cheddar is delicious alone, on a sandwich, or mixed in a sauce - as is the case in this recipe.

Since some of you were disappointed by a recent chicken rarebit recipe that called for jarred cheddar cheese sauce, I decided to find a homemade version and share the technique with you. Although a Welsh rarebit is a British dish, my variation uses Irish cheddar and Guinness, making it appropriate for St. Patrick's Day. This cheesy, toasty snack is comforting and simply delicious. To look at the easy recipe, read more.

Beer Cheese on Toast
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 pound extra-sharp cheddar, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup dark beer
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Salt
Toasted baguette slices from 2 baguettes
Sliced tomatoes

Directions

In a food processor, combine the cheddar with the beer, garlic, mustard and cayenne and blend until smooth. Season the beer cheese with salt.
Preheat the broiler. Spread the toasts with the beer cheese and arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet.
Broil the toasts 6 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, rotating the pan, until the cheese is bubbling and browned around the edges. Top with tomato slices and serve.

Serves 6.

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5 Beer Cocktails For St. Patrick's Day

partysugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:30:51 -0700

This St. Patrick's Day, instead of sipping regular old beer, get creative and use an Irish brew to make a beer cocktail. If the thought of an Irish car bomb or Broilermaker makes you shudder, have no fear; these libations are easier to drink than their shot-in-beer cousins. And there's something for everyone, whether you prefer a lighter lager or rich stout. Source

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Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:00:16 -0700

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays because everyone goes to the local pub, drinks beer, and is in a great mood. It's also a fabulous time to meet guys, so this year I'm inviting all my single ladies over for appetizers before we head out to the bars. Since some of my girlfriends are vegetarian, I'll offer a meat-free menu of green snacks. To start there's green goddess dressing with green crudités like celery sticks, green beans, edamame, and sugar snap peas. A warm spinach artichoke dip is decadent, but healthy when served with pita wedges. Slices of pizza topped with fresh pesto and arugula are delicious and filling.

Broccoli soup is pretty and portable when placed in small tea cups or shot glasses. To look at these green themed recipes, perfect for any St. Patty's Day soirée, read more.

Green Goddess Dressing
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed parsley leaves
1 to 2 anchovy fillets, optional
1 scallion, coarsely chopped
1/2 small garlic clove
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

In a food processor, pulse parsley, anchovies, scallion, and garlic until scallion and parsley are finely chopped.
Add mayonnaise, yogurt, and vinegar; pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with grilled shrimp, fish or crudités. If storing, cover and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Serves 10.

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Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip
From Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic
1 (9-ounce) package artichoke hearts, defrosted, rinsed and dried
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, excess liquid squeezed out.
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions are light golden but not browned. Remove from heat and cool.
In the bowl of a food processor combine artichoke hearts, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, Neufchatel, mozzarella and salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Add cooled onion-garlic mixture to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Transfer mixture into an 8-inch glass square baking dish or 9-inch glass pie plate which has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with pita wedges or crudites.

Serves 12.

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Pesto Pizza
From Every Day With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1/2 store bought pizza dough
5 tablespoons store-bought pesto
One 3-ounce package thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into pieces (optional)
2 to 3 handfuls arugula leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Invert a large baking sheet and place it on a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat the oven to 500°. Invert a second baking sheet on a work surface and cover it with a sheet of parchment paper. Stretch the pizza dough to fit the parchment paper.
Using the back of a spoon, spread the pesto over the dough.
Slide the pizza and the parchment from the cool baking sheet to the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake until golden, about 7 minutes.
Top with the prosciutto (if using), arugula and Parmesan, and cut into pieces.

Makes one 10x16 inch pizza.

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Creamy Broccoli Soup
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large white onion, chopped
3 small celery ribs, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets
3 1/2 cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cheddar crisps, optional for serving

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes.
Add the broccoli and water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender and puree until smooth.
Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve with the Cheddar Crisps, if desired.

Serves 4.

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Feeling Lucky? Irish Food and Drink Facts

YumSugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:30:16 -0700

Though St. Patrick's Day may not be a food holiday on the level of Thanksgiving, it's still a great excuse to eat, whether you're making Irish soda bread for breakfast or slow-cooked stew for supper.

Do you know your Irish food and drink facts? Take my quiz to see if you get lucky.

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Off to Market Recap: Party Glasses

partysugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:50:53 -0800

What with the Oscars, Mardi Gras, and St. Patrick's Day, I plan on doing a lot of entertaining in the next couple of weeks. From Champagne flutes, to tumblers, to pint glasses, each soirée requires a certain glass. I asked you to help me find the best party glassware by heading off to market. You looked for the most stylish stems and saved them in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Party Glasses. Aren't these triangular Champagne flutes fabulous? Jspeed suggested we use them for the Oscars, they'll be fun for Mardi Gras bubbly as well! Check out the entire selection of glassware below.

Geeksugar has put together an article that explains how to bookmark on TeamSugar.

Off to Market: Party Glasses

partysugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 06:45:22 -0800

Now that ~~single's independence day~~ Valentine's Day is finally over, we can focus on the more fabulous upcoming "holidays," like the Oscars, Mardi Gras, and St. Patrick's Day. I plan on doing a lot of entertaining in the next couple of weeks and each soiree will require the proper glasses. Let's head off to market in search of all types of party glasses from Champagne flutes (for toasting the Academy Awards) to tumblers (for sipping Sazeracs) to pint glasses (for enjoying green beer). Bookmark the glassware in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Party Glasses. Cheers!

Geeksugar has put together an article that explains how to bookmark on TeamSugar. Check it out for more details!

Not sure where to start looking? Be inspired by some of my favorite online stores when you read more.

Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Cooking.com
Crate & Barrel
Ikea
Linens and Things
NapaStyle
Pier 1
Plum Party
Pottery Barn
Sur La Table
Target
Restoration Hardware
Williams Sonoma
Wishing Fish
World Market

Conan Irishes Up "His" St. Patrick's Day Stew

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:18:51 -0700

Earlier this week I let you in on how Good Housekeeping published Conan O'Brien's recipe. Unfortunately it wasn't actually Conan's recipe and so a feud was born. All week long Conan has been talking about it and creating Irish recipes of his own. I sort of thought it would never end, but last night Good Housekeeping's editor in chief, Rosemary Ellis, decided to pay Conan a visit. She apologized, gave him a lifetime subscription to Good Housekeeping, offered to teach him how to cook the stew, and actually brought some in for him to try.

After tasting it, Conan decided to "Irish it up" a bit. Let's see, what would make it more Irish? How about some Jameson? Perhaps some Guinness, too? If you want to see what he did, we got the clip, watch it when you read more.