YumSugar

What Did We Cook Up This Year?

YumSugar — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:01:18 -0800

Each week we test to see if you've been paying attention. A lot of you do really well, and so I thought it would be fun to see how well you've been paying attention all year. I've created questions from our most popular, or most interesting stories. Even if you haven't been with us all year long, be sure to click through to discover the stories. Some of these might surprise you!

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Our Sunday Best

YumSugar — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:18:11 -0800

Every Sunday for the past year, we've brought you either a delicious Sunday Dinner that you could really sink your teeth into, or a delightful Sunday BBQ that you could treat your family with. As part of our Best of 2007 coverage, I thought it would be fun to pick my favorite three dinners and favorite three bbq recipes. From the top left corner, going clockwise:

How about you? Is there a Sunday meal that you think we missed?

You've Got Mail!

YumSugar — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 04:17:31 -0800

Whenever I see something I like - such as these root beer float cupcakes - I have a tendency to share it with all of my friends. Well, according to the geeks you guys do the same thing! I had them pull some info for us and we discovered which stories were the most emailed of 2007. Here, from top to bottom, are the top ten emailed stories of 2007. Oh and is anyone else detecting a pastry theme here?

So what do you think? Did you email any of these around?

2007's Favorite Food Reality Judge Is...

YumSugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:18:31 -0800

A while back, we asked you who was your favorite food reality show judge of 2007. There were 10 judges to choose from, but the leader of the pack was definitely Tom Colicchio from Top Chef. His tell it like it is attitude and affable smile won your hearts this year. While I wholeheartedly agree with your decision, our personal favorite was Gail Simmons.

This summer, PartySugar and I had a chance to chat with Gail and she is the absolutely sweetest person. She knows her food and has the qualifications to back her opinions up. I also find it refreshing to see a young female in her position. In a profession where men dominate the roost, it's great to see her in charge. If you want to know more about her, be sure to read both parts of our interview with Gail.

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Revisiting Travel Week

partysugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:50:18 -0800

This Summer YumSugar and I went on a trip around the world, and we invited you along for the ride! We devoted entire days to discussing the delicious cuisines from 10 different countries around the globe. I've looked back at all of our coverage and picked out my favorite memories from our culinary journeys. Here they are for you to revisit! Starting in top left corner and moving clockwise:

Yum celebrated all things Brazilian by making Pão de Queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread.
I planned a travel party.
In Morocco, we chowed down on kefta - spiced meatballs - with eggs.
We learned how to say cheers in 12 different languages.
When we went to Japan, we channeled our inner sushi chef by rolling sushi.

How about you? Where did you enjoy traveling to this year?

2007's Favorite Food Reality Contestant Is...

YumSugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:01:18 -0800

When we asked you to name your favorite food reality contestant, I should have known that Dale Levitski was going to top the list. A lot of you guys have been cheerleading for him since day one. Also, you have to just love the story of him re-discovering himself as a chef during the Top Chef journey. And who could forget his wacky sense of style and phrases? I'm thrilled that you guys liked him. However, when it came time to choose our favorite, we ended up going with Julia Williams from Hell's Kitchen. She was - or at least was edited to be - the lovable line cook that could. She could fry eggs better than her professionally trained counterparts, and she never seemed to play the stab you in the back card. Sure she had her catty moments - and a jealous tantrum when she had to help the finalists - but something about her just made you want to root for her. She might not have won the challenge, but Gordon Ramsay is sending her to culinary school and that seems like a pretty decent second prize.

As for your favorite? Dale is actually close to opening his new restaurant called Town and Country. Can't wait to add it to my list of places to try!

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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?

Our Favorite Ice Cream Sandwiches

YumSugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:31:39 -0800

This Summer, PartySugar and I took turns making ice cream sandwiches each week. We made fourteen different variations, but for our Best of 2007 coverage, we decided to pick our top five. Here they are, starting at the top left corner:

And this Heart-Shaped Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich wasn't one of ours, but it was so popular, I had to share it with you all again!

2007's Favorite Food Holiday Is...

partysugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:01:31 -0800

When we asked about your favorite food holiday of 2007, most of you eagerly voted for Thanksgiving. In this case, I totally have to agree. Thanksgiving is the ultimate food holiday, a celebration that revolves around an elaborate meal. Like food magazines that devote their entire November issue to Thanksgiving, we provided plenty of turkey tips and delicious desserts. We tested a no fuss turkey, supplied decor ideas, and created three - a beginner, a vegetarian, and a classic - exceptional menus. I was sad to see it go and already look forward to next year's Thanksgiving!

What do you think? Are you as hungry for turkey as I am?

2007's Favorite Food Trend Is . . .

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:40:31 -0800

This year saw the rise of food as a fun activity, fancy fro yo, and sweets that are savory. However none of those topped your favorite-food trends the way local food and high-end comfort food did. The lead kept flip-flopping - currently high-end comfort food is winning by two votes - however I'm going to have to go with the local-food movement.

Eating locally is a trend that has been growing over the years and in 2007 it's finally become something the average person has heard of. The Oxford American Dictionary declared locavore word of the year, and even my local Safeway touts produce that's locally grown. It's also a trend that many restaurants have adopted, and I think it's one that will grow in 2008.

So what do you think of the local-food movement? Do you eat locally-grown food when you can? I try to, but admittedly, I can't do it completely. Give up pineapple? I think not!

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