YumSugar

College Cafeterias Are Going Trayless

partysugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:50:11 -0700

In an attempt to cut costs and be more eco-chic, many college campuses have gotten rid of cafeteria trays. Instead, students are being forced to carry their meals on plates. The trayless cafeterias are seeing up to a 30 percent decrease in food waste, and with no trays to wash, the use of energy and water is reduced as well.

While school officials whole-heartedly embrace the change, many students are not happy. They dislike not being able to carry everything at once and are more inclined to spill.

I'm all for the discontinuation of cafeteria trays, not only because it helps the environment, but because it probably also causes students to eat less. Say good-bye to serving trays and say good-bye to the freshman 15! How do you feel about the trend?

College Cooking 101

partysugar — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:17:07 -0700

If you've just left the comforting confines of your parents' house for college life, or life beyond college, you may be wondering what on earth you are going to eat. Don't panic, I've put together a bunch of tips that will ease you into the wonderful world of dorm style cooking. As most dormitories ban ovens of any sort, the George Foreman Grill and the microwave will be your most coveted companions followed closely by the mini fridge. Depending on the dorm's regulations you may also acquire a blender, rice cooker, or hot plate. To see my helpful hints on creating edible meals with these gadgets, read more

Get creative! When opened fully, many of the George Foreman grills can work as a griddle for frying eggs and other tasty proteins.
Learn how to correctly use the microwave and stick to it. Use microwave-safe dishes and don't overcook ingredients. Hot dogs and eggs can turn into a messy mistake if left in the microwave for too long.

When dealing with pre-made meals, follow the microwave directions found on the box.
Don't overcrowd your dorm room with pointless gadgets and little used ingredients. Keep things simple with salt and pepper shakers, bottle opener, can opener, knives, utensils and a set of plates, bowls, and glasses.
Don't like food from a can? Check out your local supermarket aisles. Safeway makes an excellent selection of Signature soups that stay up to three weeks in the fridge.
Be respectful of your roommates. NEVER make anything with an extreme smell like fish or broccoli.

Maintain a high level of cleanliness. Wash utensils and serveware after using and take out the garbage often. You don't want to attract bugs, rodents, or animals.
Know where the fire extinguisher is located in case of an emergency.
Keep dishes simple, the fewer ingredients you use, the easier they will be to put together. Check out Chow's collection of dorm room recipes for more ideas and inspirations.

Did you cook in your college dorm room? Share your secrets, successes, and blunders with us below!

Image Source

Yummy Links: From Shrimp Roll Pizza to Pie Pans

YumSugar — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 07:59:31 -0700

As if that crazy Japanese Double Roll pizza wasn't enough, now Korea has its own Double Roll and it includes shrimp! - Serious Eats
The five cookie finalists in the Mrs. Fields Search for the 30th Anniversary Cookie Contest have been announced. - iVillage
Learn more about fair trade, including 12 ways to shop fair trade. - TeamSugar
Moving to college? Check out these desperate dorm-room tricks and microwave hi-jinxs. - Chow
Summer is full of great produce, and here are five ways to eat more of it. - Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen
Take some time to learn the science behind the restaurant menu. - Will Work For Food
Here's another fascinating vintage recipe. This time it's for Velveeta Nutburgers. - Slashfood
Don't miss this list of eight foods men (and probably women) should eat everyday. - FitSugar
Ever wish you could make just a slice of pie? Well the individual pie slice pan takes you one step closer to that goal. - Baking Bites

Yummy Links: From Avec Eric to The Gorbals

partysugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:00:40 -0700

Chef Eric Ripert brings his cool cuisine to PBS. - W
Top Chef season two winner Ilan Hall has finally opened The Gorbals, a restaurant in Los Angeles. - Eater LA
Meet Brooklyn's new backyard farms. - Serious Eats
Moving past the burn: how to taste spirits. - Chow
The chairman from Iron Chef America will compete in the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars. - Eat Me Daily
Tips for cooking on college campuses. - The Epi-Log

Exploring the Farmers Market of Oahu

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:45:08 -0700

After sampling the tasty treats around Oahu, I had to stop by a farmers market to witness the local food revolution firsthand. Luckily, Kapiolani Community College hosts a weekly market on Saturdays. While the vendors sell everything from tomatoes to abalone, the deliciousness of fresh local pineapple is hard to beat. I arrived around 8 a.m. and found the market already bustling with activity. Here are the highlights.

View Slideshow ›

Food Section Sampler - Sept. 2, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:30:13 -0700

Wines to match perfectly with that grill-out on Labor Day. - Chicago Tribune
The hottest trend in the biz: recycling restaurants. - New York Times
Fed up with mess hall meals, one college student is taking dorm food into his own hands. - Los Angeles Times
Hoping to best competition, casual chains are offering healthier kids' options. - Wall Street Journal
How one restaurant paid the ultimate sacrifice in its attempt to give back to the community. - San Francisco Chronicle
Wake up your morning routine with unconventional breakfast foods. - Boston Globe
The perfect seasonal transition? Grilled Summer soups. - Washington Post

Food Section Sampler - Aug. 26, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:50:07 -0700

Hotdogueros, or Sonoran hot dogs, are going to be the next big thing. - New York Times
College administrators are in upheaval over Bud's new cans in team colors. - Wall Street Journal
What's next for retired food critic Frank Bruni. - Boston Globe
Gearing up for school lunch with a Black Forest ham taste test. - San Francisco Chronicle
Sparkling coffee is like bubbly for javaholics. - Washington Post
Most of the general public is on board with heavily taxing junk food. - Los Angeles Times
Vefa Alexiadou, author of the new Vefa's Kitchen, is Greek food's answer to Julia Child. - Chicago Tribune

Source: Flickr User stu_spivack

Come Party With Me: End of Summer BBQ - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:00:21 -0700

Even though I graduated from college six years ago, I still get the end-of-Summer blues every August. There's only one remedy to this sickness: I turn my energy toward hosting a spectacular barbecue. If you experience the same low, consider throwing a barbecue this weekend or over Labor Day.

This menu consists of a smorgasbord of grilled foods starting with grilled jumbo shrimp doused in a thick shower of garlic-herb butter. For the main course, let guests assemble their own plates by choosing from an assortment of grilled meats (ribs, chicken, and sausages) and vegetables (onions and bell peppers). A strawberry, peach, and melon fruit salad gets a modern makeover thanks to a sweet yet spicy black pepper dressing. To serve these tasty items to your friends and family, get the recipes and read more.

Grilled Jumbo Shrimp with Garlic-Herb Butter
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped basil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
16 jumbo shrimp in the shell, preferably with heads left on
Salt and freshly ground pepper
White rum, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the butter with the parsley, basil, garlic and shallot and melt over low heat.
Light a grill or heat a grill pan. Halve the shrimp lengthwise, leaving them attached 1 inch below the head. Devein the shrimp and spread them open. Season with salt and pepper, then brush liberally with the herb butter.
Grill the shrimp over a medium-hot fire, shell side down, until lightly charred, about 1 minute. Turn and grill the other side until lightly browned, about 40 seconds. Turn the shrimp again.
Brush them liberally with more herb butter, sprinkle with rum and grill until barely cooked through and bubbling, about 1 minute longer. Serve at once.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images

Mixed Grill with Cherry Cola Barbecue Sauce
From Bon Appétit

Ingredients

Cherry Cola Barbecue Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 12-ounce bottles (ketchup-style) chili sauce
1 12- to 13-ounce jar cherry preserves or jam
1 cup cherry cola (regular, not diet)
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon (or more) hot pepper sauce
Spice rub:
2 tablespoons smoked paprika or hot smoked Spanish paprika*
2 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Mixed grill:
1 13x9x2-inch disposable aluminum pan (to catch drips)
4 to 4 1/2 pounds baby back pork ribs, cut into 4 slabs
2 cups (or more) wood chips (cherry, alder, apple, or hickory), soaked in water 1 hour
4 6x31/4x2-inch disposable mini loaf pans (for wood chips if using gas grill)
Vegetable oil (for brushing)
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded with mallet to 3/4-inch thickness
8 fully cooked smoked sausages (such as chicken-apple), pierced in several places with fork

Directions

For barbecue sauce: Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Stir in chili sauce, preserves, cherry cola, brown sugar, and vinegar; bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until reduced to 4 cups, stirring often to prevent scorching, about 50 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more hot pepper sauce, if desired. Transfer to bowl and cool completely. Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
For spice rub: Mix all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight container at cool room temperature.
For mixed grill: Remove top rack from grill. Place foil drip pan in center of bottom rack; fill halfway with water (if using 2-burner gas grill, place drip pan on 1 unlit burner).
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Sprinkle ribs with salt and 3 tablespoons spice rub. If using charcoal grill, light briquettes in chimney and pour half onto rack on each side of drip pan (you'll need to light more briquettes in chimney to replenish 1 or more times during grilling). If using 3-burner gas grill, light burners on left and right, leaving center burner off. If using 2-burner gas grill, light burner on side opposite drip pan.
Drain wood chips. If using gas grill, stack 2 mini loaf pans and fill with 1 cup drained wood chips. Stack remaining 2 mini pans and fill with 1 cup drained wood chips. Place pans on flame. If using charcoal, scatter 2 cups drained chips over coals. Brush top grill rack with oil; return to barbecue.
Place ribs on grill rack over drip pan. Cover barbecue; grill until meat is coming away from bones, turning and repositioning every 30 minutes and adding more wood chips to pans as needed, about 1 1/2 hours. Maintain barbecue temperature at 350°F, opening vents wider for more heat or partially closing for less heat. Transfer ribs to rimmed baking sheet; cool. Ribs can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Remove drip pan from barbecue.
Lightly brush grill racks with oil. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Sprinkle chicken with salt and remaining spice rub. Place chicken, sausages, and ribs on grill racks; cover and grill 7 minutes, turning occasionally.
Brush ribs with 1 cup cherry cola sauce; cover and grill until chicken is cooked through and ribs are glazed, turning frequently, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer sausages to platter; transfer ribs and chicken to cutting board. Cut pork between bones; cut chicken crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Transfer to platter with sausages. Serve with remaining cherry cola sauce.

Serves 8.

Print recipe with images | without images

Grilled Mixed Peppers and Onions
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 white onion, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 red onion, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 green bell pepper, cut into quarters and seeded
1 red bell pepper, cut into quarters and seeded
1 orange bell pepper, cut into quarters and seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into quarters and seeded
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Soak wooden skewers 20 to 30 minutes. Heat a grill to medium.
Skewer the white and red onion slices, passing the skewer through each layer; skewer the green, red, orange, and yellow peppers. Place the skewered vegetables, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl, and turn the vegetables until they are coated.
Place vegetables on grill, and cook until lightly charred, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board.
Cut peppers into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and remove skewers from onions. Transfer vegetables to a serving platter.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images

Fruit Salad with Black Pepper Dressing
From Everyday With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

2 bunches mint leaves
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon pepper
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 honeydew, cut into wedges
1 cantaloupe, cut into wedges
6 large peaches, sliced
4 cups strawberries, sliced
2 pints raspberries

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, half of the mint leaves, the sugar, vinegar and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 4 teaspoons water. Stir into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes; strain.
In a large bowl, toss the dressing with the honeydew, cantaloupe, peaches, strawberries and raspberries. Top with the remaining mint leaves.

Serves 20.

Print recipe with images | without images

Happy Hour: Mai Tai For the Masses

partysugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:00:49 -0700

Last Thursday I got an email from a girlfriend asking me if I would make mai tais for a party on Friday night. Considering my profession, and the fact that I take pleasure in crafting specialty cocktails for my friends and family to enjoy, this is not an uncommon request. However, her email was more like a quickfire challenge because it wasn't just any old party, it was her rehearsal dinner and 78 people had RSVPed - that's a lot of mai tais. After reading the recipe for Trader Vic's classic mai tai, I started to get nervous. Each cocktail requires 3/4 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice. If I made enough for everyone to have two drinks (156 cocktails) I would need a lot of limes. It was during this moment of panic that I made an executive decision.

As much as I love using fresh ingredients, premium alcohol, and homemade mixers, in this case, there simply wasn't time. Thus, I took some help from the store. The resulting four gallons of mai tai wasn't the most authentic tiki drink, but it tasted great and did the job at the party! To check out the massive recipe, that's ideal for large, college-style parties, read more.

Mai Tai For the Masses
Modified from HubPages

Ingredients

2 cups dark rum
1 cup light rum
1 cup triple sec
3 1/2 cups no-pulp orange juice
3 1/2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups sweet n' sour mix
1/2 cup grenadine

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher or cooler. Stir to mix. Serve over ice.

Makes about 24 drinks (I made four batches for the rehearsal dinner).

Print recipe with images | without images

View 17 Photos ›

Denny's Strives to Hit the Late-Night Sweet Spot

YumSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:00:36 -0700

2009 has been a rough year for casual dining, with many restaurant chains struggling to stay afloat. The solution proposed at Denny's? Become friends with the cool kids. Denny's, a 24-hour eating establishment with a reputation as a family road trip pit stop, is attempting to transform itself into an all-night hotspot for young adults.

With the onset of its Allnighter program last year, Denny's began its metamorphosis into a night-owl oasis, blasting rock and country from the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The company also started offering a Rockstar menu at night, hawking dishes like burritos designed by Good Charlotte and a country-fried steak combo created by Rascal Flatts.

The payoff has been meager with late night traffic increasing by only 5 percent. Still, the chain continues to promote its newly-minted image to college campuses, in hopes that schools will consider changing the names of existing locations to "Allnighter" and offer the restaurant's Rockstar menu. I haven't hit up a Denny's since my last road trip, but I'm curious to know if any of you have checked it out. Does the new late-night Denny's lounge seem to have an edge on the competition?

Photo by sun dazed