YumSugar

The Amazing Rice: Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffing

partysugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:15:45 -0800

During his Thanksgiving demonstration at the Food Network NYC Wine and Food Festival, Bobby Flay made a scrumptious-sounding stuffing. I've been looking for an exciting new recipe to include on my Thanksgiving day menu, so I decided to give his recipe for wild rice and goat cheese stuffing a try. The rich stuffing is packed with delicious flavors: fragrant chorizo, milky cheese, and fresh herbs that combine to create a dish full of contrasts. It's moist yet crunchy, spicy yet creamy, and incredibly addictive. I'm contemplating doing a Southwestern-themed dinner, so I can make this stuffing, it's that good. To look at Bobby's recipe, read more.

Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffing
From Bobby Flay

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups wild rice
5 cups water
Salt
1/2 cup coarsely diced chorizo
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoons minced garlic
2 carrots, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
3/4 pound stale country-style bread, cubed
6 ounces goat cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, plus extra, if needed

Directions

Place the rice, water, and salt to taste in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer until the grains open all the way. Drain the rice.

Meanwhile, cook the chorizo in a small saucepan over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the chorizo gets a little crisp. Drain.
Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and sweat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the rice, chorizo, bread, cheese, parsley, thyme, and stock and stir to combine. The mixture should be quite wet: add a little more stock or water, if needed. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a 6-cup buttered baking dish and bake, uncovered, until golden brown and heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. May be refrigerated up to 1 day; reheat with a little chicken stock for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Serves 8.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 11 Photos ›

Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffing

partysugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:46:55 -0800

View Slideshow ›

Fast & Easy Dinner: Singapore Noodles

partysugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:50:56 -0700

Brighten up the middle of your week with an exotic meal inspired by the cuisine of Singapore. This recipe combines everyday ingredients - shrimp, onions, peas, and ham - with Asian elements like rice noodles, fish sauce, and curry powder.

The resulting dish is complex, delicious, and wildly flavorful. Trust me, your family will be fully content while slurping on these noodles, so learn the method and read more.

Singapore Noodles
From The Nest

Ingredients

8 ounces dried rice vermicelli, soaked in water until pliable
24 small headless tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup fresh shelled green peas, or frozen peas, thawed
2 teaspoons Indian curry powder
6 ounces Cantonese roast pork or thick slice of ham, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 sprigs cilantro, trimmed

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat and cook the noodles until tender yet firm, about 10 seconds. Use a strainer and tongs to pick up the noodles and transfer them to a bowl.
In the same water cook the shrimp until opaque, about 1 minute, and drain.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Stir-fry the onion until golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the noodles, and peas, and sprinkle the curry powder over the top. Toss well, making sure all of the noodles become yellow.
Add the pork, shrimp, and fish sauce, and continue to stir-fry until the noodles are heated through, about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve garnished with cilantro.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:30:59 -0800

Rice lovers will rejoice over this Thanksgiving-worthy wild rice and goat cheese stuffing.
We've got all the tips you need for a foolproof Thanksgiving.
A glimpse of President-elect Obama's favorite US restaurants.
Test your knowledge of YumSugar nachos recipes.
If you're on a budget like many of us are, PartySugar's planned the Thanksgiving for you.
Check out the scenes from a Public Fruit Jam, and learn to make your own preserves.
Entertaining at your house will be under control with these must haves for November.

Thanksgiving Tip: Select a Menu

partysugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:11:43 -0800

With Thanksgiving a couple of weeks away now is a good time to plan your menu. I planned mine over the weekend. Here are some things one should take into consideration when deciding what dishes to serve on the big day.

Start by choosing a theme. Traditional to modern, Italian to Southern, the possibilities for a menu's theme are endless.
Search a wide range of sources for recipes that match your theme.
Know your guests. If one friend is allergic to peanuts and another is a vegetarian, respect these dietary needs by serving dishes that everyone can enjoy.
Several vegetarians in attendance? Think about serving a vegetable entree that's a hearty alternative to turkey.

For the rest of my tips, read more.

Combine new dishes with classic favorites. Every year my brother insists that I make the same pecan-topped sweet potatoes. I oblige and experiment with new recipes for the mashed potatoes and turkey.
Think about the texture and color of the food. The dishes should be pleasing to the eye and palate.
Avoid over-using a single ingredient. If you make wild rice stuffing with goat cheese, don't serve a spinach salad with goat cheese or goat cheese stuffed mushrooms.
Look at the cooking technique of each dish. Because the turkey will occupy the oven, make sure some items can be made on the stove, grill, or in a slow cooker.
Choose recipes that make sense and use seasonal ingredients. Caprese salad - as delicious as it is - does not belong on a Thanksgiving table.
Don't go overboard on the appetizers. Serve enough to tide guests over, but leave plenty of room for the main meal.
Consider your kitchen space and cooking gadgets. If you don't have a food processor, stay away from a pumpkin soup that must be pureed.
Ask your family to get involved! This year my sister came to me and said she was ready for more responsibility than mashed potatoes. She wants to make a dessert, so I said, go ahead.

How do you select a Thanksgiving menu? What will you be serving this year?

Noteworthy Nibbles - Oct. 14-20, 2008

YumSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:00:42 -0700

It's only Tuesday, but I'm already looking forward to the multitude of festivals this weekend.

There are so many in the Bay Area alone that I can't decide whether to hit up the Santana Row Pear Festival, the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, or the Monterey Wine Festival. I suppose I might just rock them all!

Have we left something out? If so, please drop us a line in the comments below!

San Francisco, CA: Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting - Oct. 14
New York, NY: At the Table: New York - Oct. 14
Torrance, CA: Oktoberfest at Alpine Village - Oct. 14-20
Circleville, OH: Circleville Pumpkin Show - Oct. 15-18
Monterey, CA: Monterey Wine Festival - Oct. 16-18
Tulsa, OK: Tulsa Oktoberfest - Oct. 16-19
Crowley, LA: International Rice Festival - Oct. 16-19
New York, NY: 6th Annual Gourmet Institute - Oct. 17-19
Paso Robles, CA: Harvest Wine Weekend - Oct. 17-19

To see the rest, read more.

Niceville, FL: Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival - Oct. 17-19
Hood River, OR: Hood River Valley Harvest Festival - Oct. 17-19
Atlantic City, NJ: Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival - Oct. 17-19
Poquoson, VA: Poquoson Seafood Festival - Oct. 17-19
Shenandoah, VA: Hot Air Balloon & Wine Festival - Oct. 17-19
Richmond Hill, GA: Great Ogeechee Seafood Festival - Oct. 17-19
Chackbay, LA: Louisiana Gumbo Fest of Chackbay - Oct. 17-19
Llano, TX: Llano Chuck Wagon Cook-Off - Oct. 18
Pittsburgh, PA: Good Taste! Pittsburgh - Oct. 18
Chincoteague, VA: Chili & Chowder Cookoff - Oct. 18
Half Moon Bay, CA: Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival - Oct. 18-19
Chicago, IL: Tour de Champagne - Oct. 18
Wellfleet, MA: Wellfleet OysterFest - Oct. 18-19
Millville, NJ: South Jersey Pumpkin Show - Oct. 18-19
Cullman, AL: Alabama Gourd Festival - Oct. 18-19
Cedar Key, FL: Cedar Key Seafood Festival - Oct. 18-19
Leonardtown, MD: St. Mary's County Oyster Festival - Oct. 18-19
Salisbury, MD: Wicomico County Autumn Wine Festival - Oct. 18-19
Gautier, MS: Gautier Mullet & Music Fest - Oct. 18-19
Chatsworth, NJ: The Cranberry Festival of Chatsworth - Oct. 18-19
Newport, RI: Bowen's Wharf Seafood Festival - Oct. 18-19
Richmond, VA: Shockoe on the Halfshell - Oct. 18-19
Berkeley, CA: Spice of Life Festival - Oct. 19
New York, NY: Apple Day - Oct. 19
San Jose, CA: Santana Row Pear Festival - Oct. 19
Welches, OR: Wild About Game Festival - Oct. 19
San Francisco, CA: Fiesta on the Hill - Oct. 19
Philadelphia, PA: Foodie Venture Fair - Oct. 19-27
San Francisco, CA: Nirvino Female Bartender Cocktail Competition - Oct. 20

Source

Today's Special: Lemon Mint Risotto

partysugar — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 08:59:17 -0800

I used to think that risotto was a fearful and extremely difficult dish to make - one left only for the expert chefs of several starred restaurants. Then I went to dinner at my aunt's house where my cousin, Sarah, had successfully mastered and produced a delicious wild mushroom risotto. She said it was easy, you just have to make the time to stir the rice. With her as inspiration, I made my first risotto and I've been making them every since. I actually find the 15 minutes spent stirring the rice to be quite soothing; to me cooking is comforting. Plus it'll wow your family when you tell them risotto is on the menu for dinner. Technically a rice dish could hardly be described as refreshing, but this scrumptious simple vegetarian dinner is just that: refreshing. The flavors of mint and lemon meld perfectly to create a bright and clean taste for your palate. To see the recipe, read more

Lemon MInt Risotto
From Everyday Food magazine

3 yellow peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
5 cups Homemade Chicken Stock , or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
1/2 pound pencil-thin asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch lengths
6 sprigs fresh mint, plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped leaves
6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup minced shallots (about 1/2 pound)
1 cup finely diced fennel (about 3/4 pound)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons lemon zest, about 2 lemons
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine peppers, 6 tablespoons water, and 1/4 cup chicken stock; cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until very soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and puree peppers with liquid in a food processor. Strain through a coarse sieve into a small bowl. Set aside.
While the peppers cook bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil, and add asparagus. Cook until bright green and still slightly crunchy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place in an ice bath for several minutes. Drain, and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine remaining 4 3/4 cups chicken stock with sprigs of mint, parsley, and rosemary, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and keep stock at a bare simmer.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, fennel, and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until very soft but not browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in rice and coriander, and cook, stirring constantly, until the edges of the rice are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine and lemon zest, and cook, stirring constantly, until nearly all the wine is absorbed, about 30 seconds.
Remove herb sprigs from stock with tongs or a slotted spoon. Add salt and pepper and about 1/2 cup of simmering stock to rice, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until nearly all the stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to be nearly absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy-looking and each grain is tender but still firm in the center. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat, and stir in pepper purée, asparagus, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon chopped mint, all the chopped parsley, and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Divide risotto among six plates, and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon mint. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Make It FAST: If you're in a hurry skip the first step (the pepper puree) and add the chopped peppers to the saute pan (step 4) with the shallots, fennel, and garlic. Proceed following the rest of the recipe.

Substitute: one cup of frozen peas if asparagus is unavailable.

Per serving: 269 calories, 6 g fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 43 g carbohydrate, 633 mg sodium, 11 g protein, 5 g dietary fiber.

Print recipe with images | without images

Keep Your Camping Food Cool

YumSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:27:13 -0700

Summer's slowly coming to a close, but there's still time to pack up the car, pack up the cooler and go on a weekend camping getaway. That's why we're declaring this week camping week here at YumSugar. All week long we'll bring you great camping tips and ideas. Whether you're going on a quick jaunt to the woods, or planning a seaside escape, you won't want to miss out.

For starters, here are a bunch of must-read camping food tips.

Plan your menus ahead of time. Think about how long you'll be camping and whether or not you're going to bring perishables. Are you hiking in? Will you be able to carry everything you plan? If your meal calls for a cup of rice, only bring a cup not the entire bag.
Be sure your coolers are sturdy and hold plenty of ice.
Consider taking two coolers, one for raw foods and one for fresh. This will help avoid cross contamination.
Store coolers in the shade, and open as infrequently as possible. If you can, cover with light-colored blankets.
Pack your coolers in the reverse meal eating order. The current meal should be on top. This will prevent you from having to dig through the coolers.
Consider bringing soups or stews. You can make them in advance and freeze them. This way they'll also act as ice packs.

For more camping food tips, read more

Make sure that everything is cold before it goes into the cooler.
Avoid loose ice if possible. Go with cold ice packs, or ziploc bags of ice if you don't have cold packs. Or better yet, freeze bottles of water - this way you'll also have extra cold water.
Make sure you bring plenty of snacks, but don't overpack.
Be aware of bears and other wild animals, keep food sealed tightly and use a bear box if possible.
Dice vegetables like onions, garlic, bell peppers in advance.
If bringing a camp stove, make sure you bring enough gas along with you.
If you're going to bring eggs, consider breaking them into a sealable container ahead of time, or choose an egg alternative.

Do you have any secret camping food tricks? Share them with us below!

Image Source

For The Love Of Ice Cream Roundup

YumSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:01:38 -0700

Well everyone, it looks like we do indeed all scream for ice scream! I am so impressed, when I asked you all to submit your own ice cream post, I was not expecting such a great turnout - there were 26 entries! They ranged from adult ice cream sodas to watermelon bombs and everything in between. One of my personal favorites even has a video to accompany it.

Entries #1 & #2
Our first two entries come from TeamSugar members beamer1 and crispet1. For this challenge they've put their minds together and have come up with a mango frappe and a scoop of mango ice cream with sticky rice. They both sound amazing, I'm not sure which one I would choose!

Entries #3 & 4
TeamSugar member sumnboutme wants to make sure we know about Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream with flavors like Thai Chili, Salty Caramel and Goat Cheese with Balsamic Cherries, how can you go wrong?! Sumnboutme also wants to make sure we check out her recipe for a Lemon Fog Martini - vodka, triple sec, lemon sorbet, sign me up!

Entry #5
The next entry comes from Curious Alice. She has a whole batch of ice cream tips including, great definitions, how to make your own ice cream, and a review of several machines.

Entry #6
Pam of Project Foodie reminds us all that no matter where you are in life, ice cream is always a first love.

Entry #7
J in Walnut Creek has a great story about how when she was a child, she and her pal stole ice cream, dropped it on the floor and ate it anyway. Loved it!

Entry #8
It's as if TS member luvbriere is trying to melt my heart. What could be better than an orange custard ice cream? How about and orange custard that is mixed with chocolate chips and caramel & chocolate swirls.

Entry #9
All the way from Turkey we have Cenk at Cafe Fernando with amazing sounding Gianduja Gelato. Oh and did I mention it was an ice cream sandwich too?

To check out the rest of the spectacular ice cream roundup (and believe me, it's worth it, you guys were awesome), read more

Entry #10
Paula wanted to let us know about the best ginger ice cream ever. It's so good she suggests you eat it naked, as in plain!

Entry #11
Kat from Berkeley based KungFoodie, wrote in to tell us about her Honey Sweet Frozen Peach Yogurt. Anytime yogurt can be described as XXX sounds fab to me!

Entry #12
PartySugar's gonna drool when she sees this dulce de leche & nougat ice cream that Rachel dreamed up.

Entry #13
Mercedes in New York sends us two classic Italian deserts in one with a tiramisu ice cream. Plus, she's got an ice cream project up her sleeve for the month of August!

Entry #14
Anne sends this Irish Coffee Ice Cream Cake all the way from Sweden! The best part? You don't even need an ice cream maker!

Entry #15
My French is a little rusty, but Edith sent in this lovely white chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate chunks proving that great food transcends languages.

Entry #16
Jason of YuzuMura sends this intriguing recip for pistachio saffron kulfi. I can't wait to try it!

Entry #17
My pal Meeta at What's For Lunch, Honey? brings us this show-stopping, beautiful, don't settle for second best cherry semifreddo cake.

Entry #18
Ulrike writes in all the way from Nothern Germany just to share choclate ice cream. If you're not a fan of chocolate, there's always marzipan, honey lavender, tarragon and more!

Entry #19
TeamSugar member mellafe would love to share her favorite drink Cafe Helado. Coffee powder, milk, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream? Yum!

Entry #20
Gabi from The Feast Within has graced us with a spiced Ibarra Mexican chocolate ice cream. Delish!

Entry #21
TeamSugar member radarkitty sends us this great tale about ice cream, baseball and a famous old man.

Entry #22
WildHeavenFarm tempts our palates with something she calls Dirty Monkey Ice Cream. There isn't a photo to accompany it because it was devoured before one could be taken!

Entry #23
Who says ice cream soda has to be for kids? Not davie_k, she suggests adding a shot of vodka to an ice cream soda for a nice grown-up twist.

Entry #24
Why stop at vodka? Our own SweetPeasMom continues the adult ice cream trend with her Pina Colada Smoothie. Ice cream and rum!!! Seriously do I need to say anything else?!

Entry #25
And finally our last entry comes from lickety split who decided to make the beautiful watermelon bombe. Check out the video below:

Entry #26
Update: This one went missing in my inbox, but you guys can not miss out on it. Brooke from Colorado sends us a simple recipe for an amazingly simple, extremly sniful fabulous ice cream cake. I'm going to have to make this one sometime!

Thanks again to everyone who sent in their submissions! If you still haven't had your fill of ice cream, don't forget that we're still creating new ice cream sandwiches each week!

Image Source