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Exotic Fruit or City?

partysugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:00:52 -0700

Since you enjoyed the tomato variety or nail polish quiz so much, I thought it would be fun to do a similar exam. This time, I've researched the names of exotic fruits. Some of them sound strangely like cities. You have to identify which names are exotic fruits and which are cities. Sound fun? Get started!

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Emeril Hosts Atlantic City Stadium Show - Sort Of

YumSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:05 -0700

Don't enjoy amateur cooks facing off on TV? Maybe you'll have different sentiments if you're watching them in person. At least, that's what Emeril Lagasse is hoping as he launches his new Atlantic City game show: Taste of Emeril's Cooking Challenge. It begins Oct. 21 at Caesars Atlantic City, and will run several times a week through Nov. 12.

Each night, the casino show will choose six members from the audience to square off onstage at two cooking stations, first competing in two teams, then facing elimination until the last two standing face off to take home the prize. Emeril will appear via the big screen to offer taped commentary and critique. While he admits the casino show is risky, the veteran culinary personality said he was looking for the right show that could be marketed to audiences at a reasonable price.

Tickets are only $35 each, but for that amount, I'd still expect to see more than video footage of Emeril. What about you? Do you see the "interactive cooking competition" being a success?

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Come Party With Me: Sex and the City Marathon - Invite

partysugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:10:51 -0700

In order to prepare ourselves for the much-anticipated Sex and the City movie, Fab and I are hosting a SATC marathon in her new apartment. We're inviting our best gal pals and asking them to dress like their favorite character. After we've had our fill of appetizers and episodes, we're going out dancing. Before we can start planning, we've got to choose a date and send invitations. To see how I made the invites pictured here, read more.

To make a similar invitation, you will need the following supplies:

black cardstock
scissors
glue
image of New York City - I used a silhouette
any fun images from the show - I used one of Carrie from the movie's poster

To assemble the invite:

Start by creating a new document in Microsoft word. Drag the images into the document. For mine, I copied the New York City silhouette three times along the bottom of the invite. Next I added a pink and black diamond border. The Carrie image I centered to the left and I added in text boxes around the image. For the text I used the font Bodoni SvtyTwo ITC TT-BookItalic in Size 12 to write out the details:

Please join me in revisiting old friends and welcoming new spaces
Sex and the City Marathon @ FabSugar’s New Apartment
Late night dancing to follow.
8:00 pm
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Regrets only 415.555.5555
Fabulous outfits inspired by Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte are encouraged!

Once you are happy with the text and format print on plain white paper. Check for spelling and grammatical errors. Print out.

Cut the invite down to size. Glue to the black cardstock, and cut that down to size.

Slide into an addressed envelope and send. Alternatively, you could send the invite as an email.

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Yummy Links: From Oatmeal Cookie Milk Shakes to Food Cities

partysugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 09:15:03 -0700

Must make: oatmeal cookie milk shake. - Chow
Is Eric Ripert the most interesting man in the world? - Eat Me Daily
Padma Lakshmi denies that there is a gender bias on Top Chef. - Grub Street
Grant Achatz on why wine and food pairings matter.- The Atlantic
Learn more about Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth. - Gourmet
Meet the Fojol Brothers, an interesting street food truck that operates out of Washington DC - Serious Eats
Yesterday President Obama and Bill Clinton enjoyed a healthy lunch at Il Mulino in New York City. - Eater
What do you consider to be the top 10 food cities in the world? - The Epi-Log

Come Party With Me: Sex and the City Marathon - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:27:11 -0700

Fab's new - single and fabulous - apartment will set the scene of our Sex and the City marathon. Since this is a housewarming party for her, the decor will be her natural living space with clean, crisp, and minimal accents. Our color scheme is black and white with splashes of hot pink.

Start by covering the table in a fabulous zebra print runner. Serve the food on artistically shaped white serving platters. Stack the linen napkins next to the small square appetizer plates so guests can fill them up with tasty nibbles. For an elegant presentation of cupcakes, use a tiered serving platter. Pour the cosmos into classic martini glasses. Light pillar candles and place in simple, but chic hurricane holders. Arrange hot pink blooms in vases. Throw plush, black pillows on the couch and chairs for easy lounging.

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Come Party With Me: Sex and the City Marathon - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:31:10 -0700

Without Sex and the City, the Cosmopolitan would not be the wildly popular cocktail it is today. Created in the early 80s, the drink became well known because Carrie frequently ordered the rosy-hued concoction. At the Sex and the City marathon that Fab and I are hosting, we'll definitely be pouring Cosmopolitans.

We'll also have tons of pink champagne and sparkling water on hand. To see the cosmo recipe, we'll use, read more.

Cosmopolitan
From Drink of the Week

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. cointreau or triple sec
3/4 oz. cranberry juice
1/4 oz. fresh lime juice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with a lime wedge, if desired.

Serves 1.

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The Sugar Sex and the City After Party

partysugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:00:08 -0700

Wednesday night was huge for us here at Sugar headquarters: we hosted a private screening of the Sex and the City movie! The extravaganza involved glamorous outfits, gorgeous looks, a plush red carpet, and a fantastic after party.

The event was held at a gutted-out, old Limited Store in the Embarcadero Center. Naturally, I helped transform the space to make it suitable for the Sugar party. To see the setting up process of the fiesta, watch the video below.

Wondering what the actual party was like? Well there's another video of the fabulous fete, to check it out all you have to do is read more.

Don't worry more on all the teeny details - like how I made the decorations and what was on the menu - to come!

Sex and the City Foodie Preview

partysugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:30:55 -0700

Earlier this week we paid tribute to the food trends established by the series Sex and the City. Before the show, brunch had never seemed so glamorous and the only thing served in a martini glass was a martini. Like the series, the movie will most likely change the way we eat and drink. To see what I mean - I've got a sneak peek of food moments from the film - just click the "Start" button. Source

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Behind the Scenes: My Sex and the City Party

partysugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:00:14 -0700

Last Friday night FabSugar and I hosted a Sex and the City Marathon. From the tasty snacks and colorful cocktails - inspired by episodes from the show - to the competitive trivia game and outrageous outfits, the party was fabulous, fun, and a total success. To come party with me and take a closer look at the food and decor of our SATC party, click the "Start" button!

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Come Party With Me: Sex and the City Marathon - Desserts

partysugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:15:51 -0700

To celebrate her new apartment, Fab and I are hosting a Sex and the City marathon. The entire menu is inspired by scenes from the show. Carrie and the gals are often seen enjoying cupcakes, so we'll serve mini ones. The cupcakes will be chocolate since Miranda ate chocolate cake from her garbage can.

Another Miranda scene inspires the second dessert, a chocolate chip cookie cake. To take a look at these sweet recipes, read more.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
Modified from Epicurious

Ingredients

Cupcakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 teaspoon confectioners sugar for dusting
Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 drop red food coloring
3–4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Bring water and dates just to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then transfer mixture to a food processor and add cocoa powder and chocolate, pulsing once to combine.
Let cool 2 minutes, then add brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and a pinch of salt, then purée until smooth. Add flour and pulse just until incorporated.
Spray mini muffin cups with cooking spray. If pan is not nonstick, line sprayed bottoms with rounds of wax paper, then spray paper.
Spoon batter into cups, dividing it evenly, and bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack (remove wax paper, if using) and cool completely, right side up.
While cakes cool make frosting. Place butter, milk, vanilla, food coloring, and 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add remaining sugar until light and fluffy.
Ice tops of cupcakes with pink frosting. Serve on a beautiful tray or tiered cake plate.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Make ahead: cupcakes can be made and cooled (but not dusted with sugar) 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
40 ounces (5 packages) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make an even circle of batter, trace an 8-inch plate on the underside of a piece of parchment paper, repeat five times.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Put butter and brown and granulated sugars into mixer bowl; mix on medium until pale and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, eggs, and yolks. Reduce speed to low.
Add flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the cream. Stir in chocolate chips.
For each of the 5 layers, drop 1 level cup batter onto center of a baking sheet lined with parchment (keep unbaked dough refrigerated). Using a small offset spatula, spread into an 8-inch circle. Bake until edges are pale golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Use offset spatula to reshape circle.
Return to oven; bake until edges are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack; let cool. Can be stored airtight up to 1 day.
Mix cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in clean mixer bowl on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Spread onto 4 cookies.
Stack cookies, placing unfrosted cookie on top. Refrigerate until frosting is set, at least 20 minutes or up to 4 hours. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 16.

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