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Spam Turns 70 - Take a Quiz to Celebrate!

YumSugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 10:03:33 -0800

A little while back, our very own canibits presented me with a loverly can of Spam. Turns out the luncheon meat that you either love or love to hate is turning 70 this year. To celebrate I thought I'd test your Spam knowledge. Think you know what this stuff is made of? Then give it your best shot!

Take the quiz

Fast & Easy Dinner: Penne With Mushrooms

partysugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:50:30 -0800

Although some people may think all pasta dishes are loaded with carbs and cheese, this recipe proves them wrong. It's chock full of mushrooms and kale, and combines whole wheat pasta with a rich sauce made from hazelnuts. Most grocery stores carry whole wheat pasta these days; you can find it in the regular pasta aisle. There's no meat, but the mushrooms and nutty gravy give this dish a complex heartiness. To check out this vegetarian-friendly, cheese-free pasta recipe, read more.

Penne With Mushrooms
From Everyday With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

Salt
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
A handful dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups vegetable or mushroom broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 portobello mushroom caps, halved and thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
Freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped peeled hazelnuts
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.
While the pasta is working, in a small saucepan, soften the dried mushrooms in the broth over low heat.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil, over medium heat. Add the portobellos, shallots and garlic and cook until tender, 6 minutes. Add the kale, cover the skillet and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg and toss.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the porcinis to a cutting board and chop, then add to the kale mixture.
Pour the porcini broth into a bowl or cup, discarding any grit at the bottom of the pan; set aside.
Wipe out the pan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the hazelnuts and rosemary and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the reserved porcini broth and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Toss the pasta with the kale mixture and gravy; season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

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Turkey Roulade Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:50:33 -0800

This Thanksgiving, surprise guests by offering a main dish that's a slight departure from the typical turkey roast: a turkey roulade. In case you aren't familiar with the term, it merely refers to any kind of meat that's been rolled around a filling and then cooked. The result? A platter that looks more elaborate and grand than any run-of-the-mill roasted turkey.

Ironically, despite the dish's opulent appearance, a roulade is rather simple, and can make for an ideal entree at a beginner's Thanksgiving. Lean on gourmet canned vegetables, like marinated artichokes and mushrooms, to create the filling for your rolled turkey. Or, if you're up to the challenge, make a traditional roulade that's served with from-scratch stuffing and a cider gravy. Does either interest you? Then read more.

6 Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

partysugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:50:37 -0800

Planning a Thanksgiving dinner can be a daunting task. To make it more manageable, start thinking about the meal now and take things one-step at a time. First, select a menu. Chances are you're still seeking recipe inspiration. Thus, I've created six fabulous menus for you to browse. From a meat-less vegetarian feast to an easy dinner that's perfect for beginners, here you'll find something for everyone.

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Off to Market Recap: Thanksgiving Accessories

partysugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:50:19 -0800

Creating a memorable Thanksgiving is not just about serving a moist turkey and flavorful pureed potatoes. It's also about enjoying a meal with loved ones! To get excited for the big day, I searched the Internet for festive table accessories and functional turkey tools. Then I used our wonderful bookmarking device to save the products in the Off to Market group in the YumSugar Community.

This allows me to share all of my discoveries with you in one easy widget! I'm absolutely crazy for this three-section leaf server ($30). It can be used for appetizers like nuts, olives, and chunks of cheese. Or for the main meal, fill the acorn center with gravy and the surrounding dishes with turkey, sectioning off the dark and light meat.

Interested in learning more about bookmarking and creating product widgets? Check out the complete instructions here.

Thanksgiving Tip: Calculate How Much Food You'll Need

YumSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:42:21 -0800

For an elaborate meal like Thanksgiving, it's crucial to consider how much food you'll serve. Too little, and you'll leave guests wishing they could gobble up more; too much, and you'll wind up with Thanksgiving leftovers for weeks. To make sure your food doesn't go to waste, take time to do some adequate planning. A few pointers, when you read more.

Monday's Leftovers: Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:00:58 -0700

I can't always find ground chicken at the store, so when I do, I stock up on it, and use it in various dishes. Last night, I busted out the wok for a spicy and speedy Thai noodle stir-fry, and tonight I'm using the rest of the ground meat to create a newfangled twist on a familiar favorite: meatballs.

Rather than the typical pork-and-beef mix, I'm taking the meatball to a different level with a mixture of chicken, scallions, and ginger - then tossing in shelled edamame, snow peas, and rice to the mix for a balanced supper. A simple teriyaki sauce ties the whole meal together. Ready for the recipe? Then keep reading.

Sunday Dinner: Drunken Noodles

YumSugar — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:30:52 -0700

For this week's Sunday night chicken dinner, I can't wait to apply the mainstream meat to a home-cooked Southeast Asian meal.

I love preparing ethnic foods at home, and this spicy noodle stir-fry, with its complex flavors, comes together in mere minutes, thanks to quick-cooking (and inexpensive) ground chicken.

Craving Thai takeout, sans the grease? For the recipe, read more.

Reader Recipe: Hamburger Stroganoff

partysugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:50:43 -0700

Do you cook wonderfully delicious dishes and then take photographs of them to show your friends and family? Well, why not go one step further and share them with us in the YumSugar Community? That's what reader MénagèreModerne recently did with this scrumptious sounding stroganoff recipe. Classic stroganoff is made with ground beef, but Ménagère used ground pork because that's what she had on hand and she wanted to "cut down on the salt a bit." The final dish, that combines the meat with sour cream, sherry, and mushrooms, is economical and surprisingly fast. More of Ménagère's stunning food photography can be viewed on her blog, mmmm...food!, but to check out the pork stroganoff recipe, read more.

Hamburger Stroganoff
www.simplyrecipes.com

I made this over the weekend and my husband and I both really liked it. I used ground pork instead of beef since that's what I had on hand and cut down on the salt a bit and it tasted great. It was yummy, economical (since it uses ground meat instead of a more expensive cut), and really fast to make. I will be making this dish again for sure.

Ingredients

* Butter
* 1 lb ground chuck
* Salt and pepper
* 1 yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
* 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms (can substitute button mushrooms), sliced
* 1/3 cup of dry sherry, dry white wine, or water
* 1/2 cup chopped parsley, loosely packed
* 1 1/4 cups sour cream (room temperature)
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice (I used a bit more than that)
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika or more to taste (I used smoked paprika instead and more than what the recipe called for)
* 8 ounces egg noodles

Directions
1) Put a large pot of salted water (1 teaspoon salt for every quart of water) on to heat, for the pasta.
2) Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in the pan and swirl it around. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan generously with salt. Working in batches as not to crowd the meat, break up the ground beef and add it to the pan. Sprinkle the meat with salt. Do not stir the meat, as stirring will prevent browning. Once the meat is well browned on one side (a couple minutes, depending on how hot the pan), use tongs or a fork or a metal spatula to flip to the other side. Once that side is browned as well, use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan and set aside. Continue to brown the meat in batches, adding a teaspoon of butter to the pan with each batch if needed, and salting the pan and the meat, until it is all browned. Remove meat from pan. Drain excess fat from pan.
3) Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pan. If you are working with very lean meat, you may not have any residual fat in the pan. If this is the case, you'll want to add in a tablespoon of olive oil or butter to the pan. Cook the onions, scraping up the meat drippings, until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove onions from the pan (add to the meat).
4) Depending on the cooking times of your particular brand of pasta, this is likely a good time to add the pasta to the (should be now) boiling, salted water.
5) While the pasta is cooking, add a tablespoon of butter to the pan, increase the heat to medium high. Add the sliced mushrooms. Sauté until nicely browned (about 4 minutes). Add the sherry (or dry white wine or water) to the pan to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Let the sherry reduce by at least a half, then lower the heat to low.
6) Remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the sour cream and paprika until smooth. Return the pan to very low heat, and not let the sour cream boil (or it may curdle). You may add a few tablespoons of water to the mixture to thin it out a bit at any time. Stir in the lemon juice, and about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt (taste). Stir in the meat and onions. Stir in the chopped parsley. Add more salt, pepper, and/or paprika to taste.
7) Keep the stroganoff on warm heat until the noodles are done cooking. When the noodles are ready (al dente) drain.

Serve the stroganoff on top of egg noodles. Serves 4.

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Make Your Own Vegetable Stock

partysugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:00:02 -0700

While many soup recipes incorporate vegetarian-friendly ingredients like vegetables, cream, or cheese, the majority call for chicken broth, making them inedible to someone who doesn't consume meat. This problem is easily remedied with one simple component: vegetable stock. Made from vegetables that are roasted and then simmered in water, veggie stock is flavorful and rich.

While you could purchase a boxed variation from the grocery store, it's far more rewarding to make your own batch. Along with mushrooms, carrots, shallots, garlic, and red peppers, this recipe uses a cup of canned tomatoes, which provide depth, a mild sweetness, and an earthy color. If you have some time to experiment with homemade vegetable stock, get the recipe and read more.

Vegetable Stock
From Gourmet

This recipe would also be an excellent base to gravy.

Ingredients

1/2 lb portabella mushrooms, caps and stems cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb shallots, left unpeeled, quartered
1 lb carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (including stems)
5 fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves (not California)
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 qt water

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell peppers, parsley and thyme sprigs, garlic, and oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
Transfer vegetables with slotted spoon to a tall narrow 6-quart stockpot.
Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Transfer to stockpot and add bay leaves, tomatoes, and water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding solids, then season with salt and pepper. Skim off fat.

Makes about 2 quarts.

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