YumSugar

I Heart Candy Roundup

YumSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:28:39 -0700

I was so excited to open up my inbox and see it stuffed with I Heart Candy submissions. You guys are really amazing and totally impress me, from cookies to truffles and everything in between, you guys really love your candy! There are 20 entries total, so let's just get this candy-loving party started!

Oh and if you sent one in and it didn't appear here, use the contact form above to drop me a line and I'll get it added!

Entry #1
Our first entry comes from TeamSugar member calibabi who wrote in to share her recipes for Rolo Cookies and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. I think I know what I'll be baking this weekend!

Entry #2
Kate from A Way To Eat took her home state Vermont into consideration when she made maple walnut pepper crunch. This looks fantastic over ice cream, but I bet I could eat handfuls on its own!

Entry #3
Amy from Seattle's Nook & Pantry melted my heart with green tea truffles. I've had these once before and have always wanted to make my own. Thanks for submitting these!

Entry #4
Utah-based Heather from dustbunnies wrote in to tell about her favorite new candy: Bertie Botts Every Flavored Jelly Bean. As someone who's a big Harry Potter fan, I was excited to hear that she and her family love to play Bertie Botts russian roulette. Hope you don't end up with the vomit flavored one!

For SIXTEEN more sweet entries, read more

Entry #5
Manila-based SweetPleasures got inspired by the film Chocolat and made us some lovely homemade chocolates. I gotta make my own someday too!

Entry #6
Bon Vivant's own Colorado-based Chelsea decided to make an English Toffee Inspiration Sundae. Is it bad that I am craving this so early in the morning?!

Entry #7
Candied blood orange peels end up being the secret weapon for Nina of Sweet Napa. Her orange creamsicle birthday cake will surely beat the Los Angeles heat!

Entry #8
Based in the Philippines, Chef KC wrote in to say that it's fun to play with your food, especially if it's candy!

Entry #9
Minko of Couture Cupcakes sent these vodka soaked Red Skins cupcakes all the way from Australia. I've never even heard of Red Skins (a raspberry "flavoured" hard candy), but I really want to try these!

Entry #10
TeamSugar member Karla Sugar wrote in to say that although it sounds odd, she thinks water with lemon tastes just like candy! Especially if it's room-temp or cool (not ice cold). What do you guys think?!

Entry #11
Maryland based TeamSugar members crispet1 and beamer1, did three entries! First they created a selection of adorable candy filled phyllo purses and then they created cute cupcakes and a drink they call "Gummy Worm" - can't wait to try them all!

Entry #12
Our very own GeikoSera has decided to list her favorite candy. Mallo Cups... mmm....

Entry #13
Molly was able to capture a pic of the elusive Knut the polar gummi bear!

Entry #14
Canada-based Sweetheart_450 sent her recipe for Peanut Butter Buckeyes. She says they're the most delicious sweets she's ever tasted and a must try for everyone!

Entry #15
Team member Bonne sent us a recipe for rock candy and then wrote in to tell us how she used to eat all the fundraiser candy! Shhh.. don't tell!

Entry #16
SU3 of TeamSugar treated us with two delights: M&M's Kisses pretzels and Butterfinger popcorn balls. I can't decide which treat I want to try first!

Entry #17
TeamSugar member poetess treated us to a quick poem about candy.

Entry #18
The office went wild for the Heath Bar Cake that PartySugar made. So delicious!

Entry #19
Our pal TeamSugar shared her weakness for Milk Duds and Dots (just not at the same time)!

Entry #20
And finally, I started the whole shebang by creating Reese's PB Cup Cookies.

Not enough candy? Be sure to check out some more candy related posts. There's still some time left in June, so it's not over yet!

I Heart Candy Submissions Due Tomorrow!

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:01:31 -0700

I hope you've been enjoying National Candy Month as much as we have - in addition to eating our candy, we've been baking with it and drooling over it too! If you need an excuse to celebrate, don't forget our I Heart Candy challenge. All you have to do is write a blog post about candy (and let us know about it)! In your post you can talk about your favorite candy, come up with a recipe using your fave candy, make a drink that tastes like candy, whatever strikes your fancy! We've received some great submissions, but if you haven't turned yours in yet, there's still time! Be sure to check out all the submission details and come back this Friday, June 22, for a full candy roundup!

I Heart Candy! Submissions Due June 19th!

YumSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:57:44 -0700

June is National Candy Month, and in celebration, I thought it would be fun if we all came up with recipes or stories that involve candy! Do you have a favorite dessert that uses candy? How about a drink that tastes like candy? I once saw a recipe that used melted candy red hots on chicken, maybe you've got something like that up your sleeve? Or maybe you've just got a great candy story you need to share!

No matter what it is, get your submissions in (use the contact form on top, leave a comment here, private message me, or send an email to: yumsugar@gmail.com) by June 19th, and I'll do a full roundup on June 22nd.

Here are all the details:

On TeamSugar, or your on your own blog elsewhere, write about your favorite candy, a recipe using candy, or just a great candy story (be sure to include a link to this post).
Notify me by June 19 with the following information:
- Your name & location
- Your blog name or TeamSugar name
- Permalink for your post
- What candy you used and why
- A 100x100 pixel image of your creation or favorite candy (optional)

I can't wait to see what you guys end up sharing - Happy Candy Month!

Image Source

I Heart Candy Submissions Due Next Week!

YumSugar — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:01:18 -0700

I hope you've been celebrating National Candy Month as much as we have - we've been eating our candy, baking with it and more! If you're looking for another way to celebrate, don't forget our I Heart Candy challenge. All you have to do is write a blog post about candy. In your blog you can talk about your favorite candy, come up with a recipe using your fave candy, make a drink that tastes like candy, whatever strikes your fancy! Here's an example of candy purses made by TeamSugar member crispet1. Isn't it delectably adorable? If you've got a great candy idea up your sleeve then join us. I'll post the rest during the roundup on June 22. To participate, check out all the submission details. Can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

You Must Make These Brown-Sugar-Caramel Frosted Cupcakes!

partysugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:31 -0800

Love pecan pie, but tired of making the same old Thanksgiving dessert? Then bake these brown-sugar-pecan cupcakes with caramel frosting instead! Seriously, these cupcakes are the best dessert I've tasted in weeks.

The fluffy batter is rich, but light with a distinct browned-butter flavor. Although it requires a little time to make, the caramel frosting is absolutely to die for. It's smooth and creamy with a sweet taste similar to caramel candies. The pecans tie the elements together and provide a breakfast-like texture to the cakes.

When I served these at a recent dinner party, I was shocked at how good they tasted. Everyone was simultaneously saying, "mmmm" and "these are amazing." You simply must make these delicious cupcakes. Get the recipe after the break.

The Lagito Cabin Gingerbread House

partysugar — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:30:00 -0800

After twelve hours, five emergency trips to the grocery store, three batches of royal frosting, and two house threatening crises, my log gingerbread snow cabin with frozen lake was completed and ready to enter the challenge. Let's hope it wins the the SugarHQ best gingerbread house contest!

It was a tough, time consuming project, but the final result - an amazingly cute gingerbread house - was well worth the effort. I couldn't have done it without the expertise of an incredibly creative friend, the support of very loving parents, and the candy from a recently opened old-school candy shop. To check out a gallery of images of The Lagito Cabin and learn more about the house making process - along with my tips for future builders - read more

Use a recipe that produces a large quantity of dough. I used Martha Stewart's dark molasses gingerbread cookie recipe. I made the dough the night before, allowing enough time to chill.
From start to finish it takes a lot of time to make a stylish yet classic gingerbread house so if you are entering our challenge keep this in mind.

Stock up on supplies before you begin to make the house. Parchment paper and powdered sugar are a few of the items that had to be picked up at the grocery store in the middle of the project.

Problem solve! My dog Lacey ate a chunk of the roof so we had to patch up the hole with a chocolate graham cracker and frosting.
Get creative. My design consultant made a separate trip to the candy store for inspiration. It was easy to shop for the candy once we knew what we were doing.
Go to a candy store where you can purchase candy in bulk. We needed only one Nerd for the doorknob. Instead of buying an entire box of Nerds we bought one.
Have fun! It was an all day event so we made sure to have delicious Irish blue cheese and crackers, crab salad on crostini, and gambas al ajillo for snacking. We also had cocktails, red wine, and tons of Christmas music to get us in the mood.

View 62 Photos ›

10 Weird Ways to Celebrate National Candy Month

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 03:00:10 -0700

It's hard to believe it's been a year since our I Heart Candy challenge, but it's true: National Candy Month is here again! Throughout the month of June, we'll be celebrating all that the candy world has to offer, so I thought I'd kick things off with 10 of the weirdest candy offerings I could find. Have you tried any of these? Start the slideshow and tell me what you think.

View Slideshow ›

Yummy Links: From Food Photography to Budget Weddings

partysugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:45:36 -0700

Tips for taking the most beautiful food photos. - Vegan Yum Yum
Learn how to participate in a hunger challenge. - Cooking With Amy
Simple and delicious: Asian pear and gouda grilled cheese sandwich. - Chow
More on Hershey's chocolate's new formula. - Candy Blog
Chopping chocolate is easy if you use a serrated knife.- The Kitchn
Hold a bake sale for kids' cancer.- The Epi-Log
Why do Italian noodles cost a lot more than their Chinese counterparts? - Serious Eats
Breakfast ideas to keep you full until lunch.- FitSugar
Tricks for keeping your wedding menu costs to a minimum. - InStyle Weddings

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What's Yummy This Week: YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 07:57:31 -0700

Don't miss this interesting gallery of families surrounded by a week's worth of food. The difference between countries is astonishing.
This week we started things off with National Cheese Day. We showed you some great cheese tools, how to store cheese and we wanted to know your fave cheese. If you've got any leftover, you can always make cheese chips.

June is national candy month, so I'm challenging you to come up with great candy recipes and stories.
The summer of cooking reality shows has begun. Be sure to check out our recaps for Top Chef, The Next Food Network Star, and Hell's Kitchen. While you're at it, let us know which one you plan on watching.
Could you eat 59 1/2 hot dogs in 12 minutes?
If you're looking for some delectable sweet treats, try chocolate mint bars or chocolate-malt brownies. Not into chocolate? How about strawberry cheesecake (easy and expert recipes!) instead?
These drop dead gorgeous photos really blow my mind. Death by gummi bears, nutella, cotton candy and more.
Know someone graduating this year? Plan them a great graduation party.
Are you buddies with your barista?
If you're getting married soon, don't forget to eat on your wedding day! Also, here are some ideas for a great rehearsal dinner.
And finally, we find out if Mexican (real sugar) Coke tastes better than regular Coke.

Yum's December Must Haves

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:01:39 -0800

The holiday season has arrived and if your house is like mine, there's bound to be loads of cooking, baking and fun. Of course, this also means there's room for stress and freneticism; so to help you make it through December in one piece, I've rounded up a few holiday must haves.

If you're planning on doing a lot of baking this season, invest in a three-tier cooling rack ($10.99). It will triple the amount of counter space and the grids securely hold even small items without letting them slip through the cracks.
Brighten up your holiday baking with this Holiday-Red cookie sheet ($24.95). It also comes with a must have set of holiday-themed cookie cutters.
If you're more of a candy maker than a cookie baker, then take a look at a reliable candy thermometer ($14.95). Make sure you get one that doesn't touch the bottom of the pan and has an accurate temperature reading.
Make your guests smile with these 12 Days of Christmas appetizer plates ($98).
Retire your traditional menorah and spruce up your festivities with Jonathan Adler's Skyline Menorah ($130).
And finally, what house is complete without a miniature gingerbread house? Choose from a modern design ($77) or a more classic one. Or, surprise your family by creating your own and entering our gingerbread house challenge!