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Are You a Neat or Messy Cook?

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:15:05 -0700

I have a friend who doesn't like to watch Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten on TV because she's such a sloppy chef, but I don't mind her lack of precision.

It's good to know that even great cooks sometimes chop haphazardly and spill flour out of measuring cups. Are you messy in the kitchen?

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Rachael Ray's Garbage Bowl: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:03:35 -0700

By now I'm sure you're all aware of Rachael Ray's garbage bowl technique. She keeps a bowl on the countertop during cooking, and stashes all the trash and bits in the bowl. It's actually a pretty great tip and helps make cleanup a breeze. I sometimes follow it myself, and just use one of my smaller mixing bowls. Recently Ms. Ray has actually started selling her own garbage bowls ($17.95). What do you guys think of them? I'd rather use a bowl I already have. After all, do I really need a special bowl for "garbage"?

Reduce The Amount Of Cupcake Clean Up

partysugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 07:56:31 -0700

What I hate about making cupcakes is having to scrape and scrub the muffin tin afterwards. Removing the caked on batter hurts my arm and ruins my nails. So I developed a system: I cover the muffin tin tightly with aluminum foil. Next, I slice a hole where the cupcake batter is supposed to go and press the foil into each indentation. I place the cupcake paper liners in the hole and fill with batter. If any of the batter spills it gets on the foil and not on the pan! After the cupcakes or muffins are finished baking & cooling, simply peel off the dirty foil and dispose.

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After-Party Mess Be Gone!

YumSugar — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 00:09:56 -0800

Empty bottles, half eaten appetizers, bottle caps, used napkins, and cookie crumbs. There is natural disarray that occurs after any sort of party. While some mishaps (shattered wine glasses, candle wax on the tablecloth, spills on the carpet) are unpreventable, there are some messes that can be avoided with the proper planning. To minimize the clean up after the party, read more

Try to keep your kitchen organized from week to week. Take the extra ten minutes each day to put plates, glasses, and cookware in their specified places.
If hosting a large party fill several large plastic tubs with hot, soapy water. During the party place dirty dishes in here (instead of stacking them up in the sink) where they can soak for several hours. After the party, dishes can be rinsed and placed in the dishwasher.
Designate a place for dirty glasses so they won't be knocked over. If you have the room, lay stemware on its side in a large roasting pan lined with dish towels.
If hosting a dinner party, quickly scrape the first course plates clean and place in the sink before serving the main course. Do not turn the dishwasher on in the middle of your meal, it will be loud and may cause discomfort among your guests.
Start the party out with an empty bag in your garbage and recycling bins. If it becomes too full ask your husband, boyfriend, or trusted friend to quietly take the trash out.
It's 2006, recycle all bottles, cans, and glass.
If a guest offers to help clean up, let them help you!
Once the party is over it's tempting to want to crawl into bed, but if you have the energy turn on the TV or your favorite dance mix and get the cleanup done now. The mess will only be harder to clear once it has sat all night and all morning. You'll be glad you cleaned up the night before when you wake up rested the following morning to a spotless house.

Easy Peeling Clean Up

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:30:56 -0800

The worst part of peeling vegetables is the clean up. I used to peel them over the sink and then scoop everything up afterwards. It was a slimy sensation that I decided I could live without. Now I place a few layers of newspaper on the bottom of the sink before peeling. When I'm done I just wrap it all up and toss the whole thing out.

Reader Recipe: Powderhorn Potatoes

Yum Community — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:50:11 -0800

This story was written by member b1uebunn and comes from the Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community.Check out her family's Thanksgiving recipe when you read more

What Should You Do on a Cold Rainy Day?

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:50:43 -0800

Here are highlights from the OnSugar blog Cakes Icecreams Tarts And.

That's right, you should bake brownies! 'Cause I'm sure you've already got all the ingredients at home, yeah? Chocolate chips, cocoa powder, plain flour, eggs, butter . . . Okay, now you're ready to go into the kitchen! Anyway, It has been raining since morning and, you know, one gets lazy when it rains. I decided to postpone my study plans till tonight, and to stop being envious of all the bakers who'd been baking recently when I had buried myself among my books, I BAKED!

To see her decadent brownie recipe, read more

After a Dinner Party, Do You Offer to Help Clean Up?

partysugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:50:32 -0700

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'Wich of the Week: Reds and Greens Chicken Sandwich

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:00:06 -0700

This was one of those fridge-clean-out sandwiches that came together so brilliantly I wanted to make it again immediately. I started with some ingredients I needed to use up ASAP: precooked chicken patties from Trader Joe's, a bag of mixed Southern-style greens, and a yellow onion.

Then I thought, let's make things a little more interesting. Enter a jar of roasted piquillo peppers (regular red peppers will work just fine) and sliced white cheddar cheese. To balance out all that bite, I settled on cranberry-walnut bread from Acme, while sauteed onions also added sweetness. The resulting stack of reds and greens was delectably unfamiliar and comfortingly juicy. So make it yourself!

Reader's Recipe: Hearty "Cleaned Up" Chicken Pot Pie

YumSugar — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 07:58:13 -0800

For some reason, I have been craving chicken pot pie for the past few weeks. I'm not sure where the craving came from, or why, but I do know that I need to make one sooner than later. I've got a few recipes in my repertoire, but I decided to see if there were any great recipes online. Lucky for me, I didn't have to look too hard. My first stop was TeamSugar and reader suzanne has provided a great looking chicken pot pie that's she's altered from The Best Light Recipes cookbook. To check out what suzanne has come up with, read more

Recipe submitted by suzanne

This recipe (from "The Best Light Recipes Cookbook") started out at 380 calaories and 9g fat (instead of the usual 510 calories and 28 g of fat...) The changes I made did not alter the taste or texture at all... just brought the fat and calories even lower. Serves 8

It's delicious and satisfying. give it a try!

Light Chicken Pot Pie

- 6 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks sliced 1/4 in. thick
- I medium onion chopped fine
- 2 garlic cloved, minced
- 2 tsp. fresh Thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 medium skinless boneless chicken breasts trimmed of all fat
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- 1 cup skim milk
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves
- pinch salt and ground black pepper
- 1 Kroger frozen pie crust (4gm per serving) taken out of the shell, moistened, a bit formed into a ball and rerolled into a thin round circle.

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and 1/2 tsp. salt in a cooking pot. Cook in 4 cups chicken stock until vegetables are soft and tender. Stir in white wine and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
3. Place the whole chicken breasts into the vegatable/sauce mixture and cook until the chicken is not pink in the center - about 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and allow to cool.
4. While the chicken cools, whisk the cornstarch into the milk and add to the simmering pot. Simmer until thick, then turn off heat.
5. Take out the bay leaf, stir in the peas, green beans and parsley and season with salt and pepper
6. When the chicken is cool enought to handle, shred it and then cut into bits sized pieces. Stir the chicken into the sauce/veg mixture.
7. Use a turned over ramekin as a cookie cutter and make 8 pie crust circles for topping the pot pies.
8. Evenly divide the mixture into individual ramekins and top each with a pie crust round. Brush each pie crust round with egg white or milk.
9. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the sauce is bubbly... 20-25 minutes.

Serve on a dinner plate alongside a fresh salad. Mmmmmmmmm!!!