YumSugar

YumSugar Gift Guide: Wacky White Elephant

partysugar — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:54:13 -0800

A White Elephant is a type of gift exchange in which each guest is asked to bring an anonymous wrapped gift. Usually, there is a maximum amount of money that can be spent, and oftentimes the gifts are unpractical and eccentric. If you are attending a White Elephant party bring fun shaped ice cube trays. A set of Emeril's spices are hysterical and could provoke conversation about the future of Food Network. However, my favorite gift is this chicken kitchen timer. It's ten percent bizarre and 90 percent practical. I definitely wouldn't buy it for myself, but it would be fun to get at a White Elephant gift exchange.

For more wacky White Elephant gifts, browse below.

Ice cube tray ($1.99)	Chicken Kitchen Timer ($8.95)
Veggie Ornaments ($9.99)	Wine Bottle Gift Bags ($12.95)
Essence Assortment (Set of 4) by Emeril Lagasse ($14.95)	Way Cool Way Hot Mini-Fridge ($130.00)

Keep Your Camping Food Cool

YumSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:27:13 -0700

Summer's slowly coming to a close, but there's still time to pack up the car, pack up the cooler and go on a weekend camping getaway. That's why we're declaring this week camping week here at YumSugar. All week long we'll bring you great camping tips and ideas. Whether you're going on a quick jaunt to the woods, or planning a seaside escape, you won't want to miss out.

For starters, here are a bunch of must-read camping food tips.

Plan your menus ahead of time. Think about how long you'll be camping and whether or not you're going to bring perishables. Are you hiking in? Will you be able to carry everything you plan? If your meal calls for a cup of rice, only bring a cup not the entire bag.
Be sure your coolers are sturdy and hold plenty of ice.
Consider taking two coolers, one for raw foods and one for fresh. This will help avoid cross contamination.
Store coolers in the shade, and open as infrequently as possible. If you can, cover with light-colored blankets.
Pack your coolers in the reverse meal eating order. The current meal should be on top. This will prevent you from having to dig through the coolers.
Consider bringing soups or stews. You can make them in advance and freeze them. This way they'll also act as ice packs.

For more camping food tips, read more

Make sure that everything is cold before it goes into the cooler.
Avoid loose ice if possible. Go with cold ice packs, or ziploc bags of ice if you don't have cold packs. Or better yet, freeze bottles of water - this way you'll also have extra cold water.
Make sure you bring plenty of snacks, but don't overpack.
Be aware of bears and other wild animals, keep food sealed tightly and use a bear box if possible.
Dice vegetables like onions, garlic, bell peppers in advance.
If bringing a camp stove, make sure you bring enough gas along with you.
If you're going to bring eggs, consider breaking them into a sealable container ahead of time, or choose an egg alternative.

Do you have any secret camping food tricks? Share them with us below!

Image Source

Yum Market Finds: Entertain Outside

partysugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:38:31 -0700

I'm totally looking forward to doing tons of fabulous entertaining outdoors this summer. At their vacation house, my parents recently got a brand new gigantic deck, so there will be plenty of grilling, eating, and wine tasting under the sequoias. Judging from some of the latest bookmarks over in the Yum Market on TeamSugar, it looks like entertaining outside has been on your minds as well. When the moonlight is not enough to see your food, cast a romantic glow with this hanging candle holder that was bookmarked by SU3. It creates a circle of light and can easily encircle your picnic table's umbrella. Fixing up your patio, backyard, or deck with a chic entertaining space? Get more ideas, just read more

Keep drinks cool with this chic little outdoor ice bucket. Its lovely blue color adds a touch of cool ocean breezes to your patio, even if you live miles from the coast. Thanks for the fabulously fun find crispet1!

Treat your outdoor living space as you would your indoor rooms and add lots of atmosphere with this Moroccan inspired embroidered pouf. Lolipop89 saved this pouf that you can throw on a patio lounge chair to create a loungey, relaxed, laid back feel.

Found a cool kitchen tool, outdoor appliance, or chic cooking accessory? Share them with us all in the Yum Market! To learn how to do so read geeksugar's guide.

Off to Market Recap: Wine Cooler

partysugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:18:39 -0800

Last week, I told you about DearSugar's search for a wine cooler to give at Christmas. She always gives me wonderful advice, so I agreed to research wine refrigerators. I asked you to help Dear and me by hunting for an extraordinary wine cooler. You looked for fridges that have dual-temperature settings, can hold more than 30 bottles, and are free standing and attractive. You saved the wine fridges in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Wine Cooler.

The fridge that Dear plans on purchasing is one that both gruaig_rua and emalove discovered. This wine cooler holds up to 50 bottles, is totally freestanding, and has chrome, pullout shelves. Thanks ladies! For more options browse through below.

Get more info on bookmarking when you read geeksugar's informative article.

Off To Market: Wine Cooler

partysugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:13:39 -0800

My good friend DearSugar is searching for a wine cooler to gift at Christmas. She always gives me wonderful advice, so I agreed to research wine refrigerators. Can you help Dear and I hunt for an extraordinary wine cooler? Look for fridges that have dual temperature settings and can hold more than 30 bottles. It should be free standing and attractive. Bookmark the wine fridges you find in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Wine Cooler. On behalf of DearSugar and myself, thank you!

Get more info on bookmarking when you read geeksugar's informative article. To check out a list of my favorite online shops, read more

Bed, Bath & Beyond
CB2
Cooking.com
Crate & Barrel
Ikea
Linens and Things
NapaStyle
Pier 1
Plum Party
Pottery Barn
Sur La Table
Target
Restoration Hardware
Williams Sonoma
Wishing Fish
World Market

Happy Hour: Ginger Beer Cooler

YumSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:00:30 -0700

Last night, I dined at a local Burmese cafe with a friend. While we went there for dinner, which was delicious, I wound up getting tipsy on these beer drinks called Burma coolers.

With a lemon zing and tangy ginger finish, they were wildly refreshing, so I tried to re-create them at home.

To see how I made my version of this divine drink, read more.

Ginger Beer Cooler
Inspired by Burma Superstar's Burma Cooler

Ingredients

1/2 ounce simple syrup
Fresh ginger root
Juice of 1 large lemon
12 ounces chilled pilsner-style beer*
lemon wedge, optional for garnish

Directions

Grate the ginger, peel on, until you have approximately 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Squeeze the juice out of the grated ginger using a cheesecloth or a fine sieve.
Pour 3/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed ginger juice (reserve rest for another use) and lemon juice into a pint glass, along with the simple syrup. Top with beer.
Garnish with a slice of lemon.

Serves 1.

*I used Birra Moretti.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 4 Photos ›

Happy Hour: Watermelon Vodka Cooler

partysugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:11:38 -0700

You didn't think I was going to let National Watermelon Day pass without featuring a watermelon cocktail did you?!? Watermelon, while wonderfully delicious in its pure unadulterated form, is also extremely excellent pureed and used as a basis for a cocktail. Combine it with lemon vodka, simple syrup, and fresh berries, watermelon makes this vibrantly colored drinkie perfectly refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. With a blitz of a blender, this concoction comes together in seconds. To get the recipe and salute watermelon, read more

Watermelon Vodka Cooler
From Cook (Almost) Anything

½ cup berries of your choice
1 cup watermelon
1½ ounces Lemon Vodka
½ ounce sugar syrup
½ cup ice

Add the berries, watermelon, vodka and ice to a blender and process.
Taste and depending on the fruit you may need to add the sugar syrup.
Pour into tumblers and serve.

Serves 2.

Print recipe with images | without images

Source: Flickr User chantoozie

Plan the Perfect Picnic!

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:40:11 -0700

Now that you've got all the items needed for a great picnic, I thought I'd help you out with a few picnic tips.

When packing a picnic, keep non-perishable foods (potato chips, fruit, etc.) separate from perishable ones. This way you'll save cooler space & ice for items that need it. Remember, the more stuff you pack in the cooler, the less cold it will be. An ideal ratio is 75% food and 25% ice, although I think 50/50 is even better!
Pack your cooler in reverse order. Put your dessert in first, the main course second and the appetizers third. This way you won't have to dig around in your cooler to find the items you need. This will save you time, effort and will help keep the cooler cold longer.
Freeze drinks (unless they're in cans) the night before. This will help them stay cool, as well as act as supplement ice in your pack. If you're worried about messy condensation, wrap them in aluminum foil (which may keep them frozen longer) or store in ziploc bags. Even if you don't freeze them, make sure they're already cool. It'll keep the cooler colder longer if the items are already cold.

To read the rest of my picnic tips, read more

If you've got the tupperware, pack things in individual servings. This way you won't have to worry about serving spoons and you'll save time when dishing out the food.
If you're packing a cook-out picnic, be sure to keep the raw foods away from the cooked foods. Ideally they would be in separate coolers. You don't want to worry about cross contamination.
Thanks to the picnic pack list, you'll never forget your blanket again. But what happens if the ground is wet? To ensure a nice dry spot, consider bringing along a tarp as well.
When looking for the perfect picnic spot, find one that fits the weather. If it's hot, look for one in the shade (keep the cooler there too!), if it's windy consider one tucked on the side of a hill (preferably the side without the wind!), and if it's cool find one that is nice and bright (don't forget the sunscreen!).
Picnic baskets are very chic, but consider bringing a cooler since it can keep food cold and double as a table.
If your food will be exposed, keep flies away by keeping it covered when not in use. Consider napkins with weights (such as small rocks) placed on each corner.
Even if it was delectable, throw away any perishable food that has been left out for more than a few hours.

Got a great picnic tip? Share it with us below!

Off To Market: Beer Bucket

partysugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 03:18:01 -0700

I'm planning on doing a lot of outdoor entertaining in the next few weeks. Instead of putting bottles of beer in a boring old everyday cooler, I desperately need a chic little beer bucket. I'm always writing about them when I plan the look for my parties, and yet I do not own one of my own. The time has come for me to buy one and I want you to help me find it. I want the bucket to be versatile (one party it may hold beer and the next party it may hold mini champagne), durable (it should last all summer holding the weight of ice and bottles), and fabulous (no corny designs or beer logos please). Bookmark the beer buckets you find in the Yum Market on TeamSugar tagging them with the keyword Beer Bucket.

To learn how to bookmark cool stuff read geeksugar's easy to understand explanation.

Yum's August Must Haves

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:38:12 -0700

It seems like June was just yesterday, but I blinked, and suddenly it's August! Since the first half of Summer flew by, I've resolved to relish the rest of it with more cookouts and get-togethers featuring my favorite warm-weather foods. To help max out the month, I'll be sure to have a few indispensable items within arm's reach. Keep reading to find out which items I can't live without right now.

View Slideshow ›