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What's Your Favorite Dive-Bar Snack?

partysugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:45:42 -0700

Recently I read an interesting article in 7x7 magazine about the pleasures of dive bars. It got me thinking about dive-bar food. You don't have to admit that you frequent dive bars, but 'fess up: What is your favorite dive bar snack?

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Not Your Regular Nachos: Potachos

partysugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:15:32 -0700

What do you get when you cross potato skins with nachos? Potachos! The best of both worlds, this tasty invention uses the base of nachos (crunchy potato chips) with the topping of potato skins (cheddar cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, and green onions).The recipe is simple and like all nacho recipes, easily adaptable to your personal liking. These fabulously named (seriously say potachos out loud, it's fun!) nachos make a wonderful appetizer for a baseball watching party. For the recipe, read more.

Potachos
Original recipe from PartySugar

Ingredients

1 small bag potato chips, about 2-3 cups of chips*
salt, pepper
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4-6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
2 green onions, dark green and white ends removed, minced
sour cream for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Scatter the potato chips over the foil, forming a single layer. Season chips with salt and pepper.

Evenly sprinkle half of the cheese over the chips, being careful to make sure each chip has some cheese.
Top the cheese with half of the bacon bits, once again evenly distributing so each bite has bacon.

Cover with another layer of chips, cheese, and bacon.
Bake in the oven until cheese is melted, chips are crispy, and bacon is heated through, about 12-15 minutes.
Remove from oven and evenly top with the green onions. Dollop a heaping tablespoon on the middle.
Enjoy immediately with more sour cream for serving, if desired.

Serves 2-3.

*I used Kettle brand unsalted potato chips.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Oven-Fried Fish & Chips

partysugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:28:31 -0700

I love taking a classic pub meal and making my own version at home. Fish and chips are a pub favorite that is usually heavy on the oil. However, if you bake both the potatoes and fish in the oven - instead of cooking in a deep fryer - the dish is delicious and much lighter. This flavorful fish is coated in a mustard-egg mixture before being dipped in crushed melba toast. Serve with malt vinegar, hot sauce, or even ketchup.

Take a look at the recipe when you read more.

Oven-Fried Fish & Chips
From Family Fun Go

Ingredients

4 all-purpose baking potatoes (such as Russet or Idaho)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Box Melba toast, Mediterranean or garlic flavored (about 5 ounces)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water
1 pound skinless white fish fillet, (such as cod or haddock), cut into 3-inch pieces (should be about 7 pieces)
1 cup Tartar Sauce
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

Lightly grease a baking sheet with sides. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Peel potatoes and cut in half, and then cut each half into 8 wedges.
In a bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper. Place potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the fish. Place the Melba toast in a plastic ziplock bag and pound with a mallet or the back of a heavy spoon to crush -- there will be some pieces that remain large (the size of a pebble), this is OK as it adds to the texture once baked.
Place the crushed Melba toast on a plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, Dijon mustard, and the water.
Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste. Dip the fish on both sides with egg mixture and then press to coat with crumbs, turning to coat both sides.
After the potatoes have cooked for 15 minutes, use a spatula and push them to one side of the pan. Place fish in the pan, making sure they do not touch and return pan to oven. Bake for another 15 minutes, until the fish is crisp and firm to the touch.
Serve immediately with tartar sauce and a lemon wedge.

Serves 4.

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Yummy Links: From Nirvino's Wine App to Eater's Expansion

partysugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:50:56 -0700

Introducing the newest must-have wine application for your iPhone. - Nirvino
Fabio Viviani's cookbook by the numbers. - Eat Me Daily
Here are 21 tasty bar snack recipes. - Chow
Everything you need to know about buying sustainable seafood. - Sunset
Eight common fast foods you should avoid. - SF Weekly
Michael Pollan's next mission: reform health care. - Grub Street
The real reason Hector was kicked off of Top Chef? His thermometer didn't work.- The Feedbag
Is it OK to serve pesto at a dinner party? - The Epi-Log
This lavender honey spice cake is seriously Italian. - Serious Eats
Eater is expanding and looking for bloggers/photographers in a city near you. - Eater

Foodie Flashback: Space Food Sticks

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 07:28:11 -0700

For some reason I assumed energy bars were an invention of the 90s. However, I just discovered that back in the late 60s, Pillsbury developed "many special foods" for the space race. The first one was called Space Food Sticks and it was a "compact, nutritious, high energy food." And it was apparently good for everyone from astronauts - who strangely have a hole in their helmets for their space food stick to go through - to baseball playing tykes. And hey, it's only 44 calories.

They disappeared for a while, but now they're back in a slightly different format. You can get an entire case for about $30. Now you can blast off into outer space!

To check out the fantastic commercial for this fantastic flashback product, read more

If you're looking for more bizarre flashbacks, be sure to check out GiggleSugar.

Yummy Links: Weekly Food News Roundup

YumSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 10:03:18 -0700

Should bars put sealed lids on drinks in order to prevent drugs from being slipped in? - Liquor Snob
Maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to make it to the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. Or as it's dubbed "The Sundance of Food." - Serious Eats

Need some more kitchen tips? Check out the top secrets from this years best new chefs - Yahoo Food
Did you hear about the toddler who was served alcohol at Applebee's? - Slashfood
With the newest round of certification in place, just how organic is organic? - Culinate
Sad but true, McDonald’s fish sandwich is more sustainable than Nobu’s tuna sashimi. - Chow
Wanna take up baking? Be sure to stock up on the 10 things you need for baking in your kitchen. - Baking Bites

Momofuku's David Chang Talks Sabbaticals and San Francisco

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:00:48 -0800

We've always been huge fans of New York chef and restaurateur David Chang: He was Sugar's pick for Best Restaurant Chef of 2008. By fusing innovative flavor combinations and haute kitchen techniques with casual dining, the Momofuku overlord revolutionized the restaurant scene in America.

What's most refreshing about Chang, however, are his irreverent demeanor and unapologetic opinions. Even though I'd interviewed him before, when I heard Chang and his co-author, New York Times writer Peter Meehan, were in town promoting their new bible, the Momofuku Cookbook, I couldn't resist chatting with them. His two cents on culinary trends, TV, and Top Chef Masters, after the jump.

Yummy Link: Pop Rocks Chocolate Bar

YumSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:03:31 -0700

I am definitely adding this Pop Rocks Chocolate Bar to my list of candy-must-trys. - Junk Food Blog

Candy Bar Milk? Slammers from Bravo! Foods

YumSugar — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 08:53:47 -0700

I know that kids are drinking too much soda (adults too), and so everyone is looking for new products to drink (like flavored, fortified and designer water), but do we really need candy bar flavored milk? The folks at Bravo! Foods think so and have recently come up with new milk based products called Slammers. Available in Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, Starburst and MoonPie, Slammers are the "ultimate milkshake" (or smoothie in the Starbust case). I don't know about this one guys, do we really need a drinkable candy bar?

Anyone tried these, what do you think of them?

Come Party With Me: March Madness - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:30:59 -0700

No appetizer spread is complete with out a sweet dish. For my March Madness night with the fabulous ladies of Sugar, I'm serving a menu of sophisticated snacks. To keep up with the theme, I'll offer these lime squares with pistachio graham-cracker crust.

They're like key lime pie, but in bar form. This type of dish is the perfect party dessert because it can be made in advance and doesn't require utensils for eating. To take a look at the recipe, read more.

Lime Squares with Pistachio Graham-Cracker Crust
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

For the crust:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pan
2/3 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup (4 ounces) graham-cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoons grated lime zest
For the filling:
2 large egg yolks
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with melted butter. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
In a food processor, finely grind pistachios with graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, and zest. Blend in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.
To make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice; whisk until smooth. Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.
Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack; then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using parchment paper overhang, lift out of pan, and transfer to a cutting board.
With a serrated knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut. To store in refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap.

Makes 16.

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