YumSugar

Your Chocolate Words Against Mine

YumSugar — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:18:31 -0800

I'll tell you right now, I absolutely love game night. Sure it seems nerdy, but a nice glass of wine and a good game of Scrabble really make me happy. So when I found out that Brooklyn based Mary & Matt created a Chocolate Scrabble bar ($6), I knew I had to order one right away. It's made from dark chocolate and is the full alphabet of tiles; it's absolutely perfect for chocolate month! Get a few and make your own Scrabble game. I call the Z tile, it's ten points!

Come Party With Me: Housewarming Party - The Look & Music

partysugar — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 06:01:39 -0700

Unlike a theme party, the decorations at a housewarming party don't play a vital role in the atmosphere. Don't get me wrong, you do need decorations, but keep it simple and elegant. The decor of the party should not disguise the natural look of your new home, but enhance it.

A richly hued tablecloth with mirror disks scattered over the top looks festive yet understated. For the centerpiece fill a large copper bowl with aqua colored floating candles. Place a large bouquet of white tulips in tall square vases in every room of your house. Tie brown ribbon around the vases, on door knobs, and the back of chairs. Set up a stainless steel standing champagne bucket and fill with ice. It is a game night so don't forget the games! Trivia Pursuit, Catchphrase, Pictionary, Taboo, Charades, Monopoly, or Apples to Apples are all fabulous selections. If you don't have games, ask one of your friends to bring over their collection. For music play mixes by Putomayo: Eurolounge, Latinlounge, Saharalounge, and Afrolatino are all great background tunes that are upbeat and exotic.

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Come Party With Me: Housewarming Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:28:39 -0700

Much like the christening of a boat, to start the celebration off at your housewarming party, pop open a bottle of champagne and invite everyone to join you in a toast to your future in the new house. Guests can enjoy the glass as you show them around the space. Once the game night portion of the party gets started, offer an assortment of beers, wines, and a big bowl of "player's punch." Serve the watermelon punch in a pitcher because it will be easier to pour while playing games. Also be sure to pour the drinks in to real glasses (you registered for them so might as well use them!). A nice, light red - such as Beaujolais - or a crisp white unoaked Chardonnay will pair nicely with the pizzas. For those who do not drink alcohol, sparkling water on the rocks spiked with fresh watermelon puree and slices of cucumber or mint makes a festive and refreshing mocktail. You'll find the player's punch recipe after the break, so read more

Watermelon Punch
From Instyle magazine

6 cups watermelon juice (to make, purée fresh seedless watermelon)
One 3 oz. can frozen limeade
6 cups vodka
1 liter chilled club soda
Watermelon wedges

In a serving bowl, combine watermelon juice, limeade and vodka.
Refrigerate until cold.
Then add ice and chilled club soda; garnish with small watermelon wedges.

Serves 12-15.

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Come Party With Me: Housewarming Party - Menu II

partysugar — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:01:38 -0700

During the walking tour around your house, place a few appetizers on side tables for nibbling while you discuss your artwork. After they have seen all of your gorgeous furniture and inspiring paint jobs, invite everyone into your largest room for a few rounds of your favorite game. Serve 2 types of crispy pizza - make several of each kind and cook throughout the evening - a white carbonara and a vegetarian eggplant are tasty treats perfect for munching while you play. Add a sweet finish to the evening by offering guest brownies decorated to look like dominos. The pizzas can be assembled in advance and baked later making them an ideal entertaining recipe. To see how simple it is, read more

Carbonara Pizza
From Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Cornmeal, for sprinkling
1 pound pizza dough, at room temperature
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
2 large egg yolks, beaten
1 clove garlic, grated
Pepper
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded provolone cheese
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 450°.
Sprinkle a little cornmeal on a pizza pan or baking sheet. Place the pizza dough on the pan and stretch into a large round or rectangle. Drizzle the dough with olive oil and partially bake until puffed and golden, about 8 minutes.
In a small skillet, heat a drizzle of the oil over medium heat.
Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
Add the ricotta, pecorino romano, egg yolks and garlic to the pancetta; season with pepper and stir to combine.
Spread the ricotta mixture over the partially baked pizza dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Top with the provolone.
Bake until the crust and topping are golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Scatter the parsley on top and cut into wedges.

Serves 4.

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Eggplant, Tomato, and Fontina Cheese Pizza
From Gourmet magazine

1 (1 1/2-lb) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
2 garlic cloves
10 oz grape tomatoes (2 cups), quartered
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing dough
1 lb pizza dough
Flour for dredging
1/4 lb Italian Fontina, rind discarded and cheese cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)

Prepare pizza toppings: sprinkle eggplant with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a colander and let drain in sink, turning slices occasionally, 30 minutes.
Finely chop together basil, mint, and garlic. Toss with tomatoes in a bowl, then drain in a sieve set over bowl.
Preheat broiler.
Rinse eggplant, then pat dry in batches between paper towels, pressing firmly to remove excess liquid. Brush both sides of slices with oil (about 4 tablespoons total) and form small stacks, then cut stacks into quarters. Arrange eggplant pieces in 1 layer in 2 shallow heavy baking pans and broil, 1 pan at a time, about 5 to 6 inches from heat, turning eggplant over once, until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Cool eggplant to room temperature.
Put pizza stone* in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F (allow 1 hour for pizza stone to heat).
Assemble pizzas: do not punch down dough. Gently dredge 1 piece of dough in flour to coat, then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper set on baking peel or baking sheet. Holding 1 edge of floured dough in the air with both hands and letting bottom touch parchment, carefully move hands around edge of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing weight of dough to stretch it to a round roughly 10 inches in diameter. Lay round on parchment and adjust shape as needed.
Discard any liquid exuded from tomatoes and toss tomatoes with remaining tablespoon oil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl.
Brush dough round with oil and scatter half of eggplant, half of tomatoes, and half of cheese over it, leaving a 1-inch border around edge. Line up far edge of peel with far edge of pizza stone and tilt peel down, jerking it gently to start pizza moving. Slide pizza, along with parchment, onto stone and bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove pizza from oven by sliding peel under paper. Transfer pizza to a cutting board and discard parchment.
While first pizza is baking, assemble second pizza on another sheet of parchment, then bake in same manner.

Makes 2 pizzas.

*Note: If you do not have a pizza stone use a warmed baking sheet.

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Domino Brownies
From Instyle magazine

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 oz. (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
White chocolate chips and white frosting in tube for decoration

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13" x 9" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In large bowl beat butter and sugar together with electric mixer.
Stir in melted chocolate; beat in eggs until well combined, then stir in flour and salt. Add vanilla.
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 min.
Cut into rectangles measuring about 3" long by 1" wide. Place on wire rack to cool.
Add frosting lines, top with white chocolate chips to resemble domino patterns.

Makes 24.

Note: For a hassle free no time recipe simple halve bakery brownies and decorate with white frosting from a tube and white chocolate chips to resemble dominos. Or serve store-bought checkerboard cookies or Pepperidge Farm's classic Chessman cookies.

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Come Party With Me: Housewarming Party - Menu I

partysugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:01:38 -0700

While you may be tempted to bring out all of the stops for your housewarming party, I suggest that you take it easy in the kitchen. The house and decor should be the shining star - not the food. Still, delicious tasty bites are absolutely necessary. Start by purchasing a few of your favorite grocery store appetizers (I like marinated olives, nuts, and dips that can be jazzed up with fresh herbs) and throw in a few homemade appetizers. Small bites that can be eaten quickly and placed around the house are ideal. Blue cheese and chive celery canapes sound elegant, but are simple to prepare and popcorn shrimp with lemon aioli dipping sauce are irresistibly delicious. For these yummy recipes all you have to do is read more

Blue Cheese & Chive Celery Canapes
From Instyle magazine

1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
salt and pepper
6 stalks celery, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
minced chives for garnish

In a bowl mash together blue cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, chives, salt and pepper.
Spoon into celery pieces; garnish with chives.

Serves 20.

Note: The image is the dip before it is placed inside the celery bowls.

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Popcorn Shrimp
From Instyle magazine

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
1½ cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1½ cups unseasoned bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable oil (if frying)

In medium bowl combine first 8 ingredients.
Make a well in the center and gradually whisk in milk and eggs. Let stand 30 min.
Working in batches, stir shrimp into batter; remove with slotted spoon, letting excess batter drip back into bowl.
Coat shrimp with bread crumbs.
If you want to fry the shrimp: Heat oil to 350°F in deep saucepan. Working in batches, add shrimp to hot oil. Fry 2-3 min., or until golden. Remove with slotted spoon to baking sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat until done.
If you want to bake the shrimp: Heat oven to 450°F. Place wire rack on baking sheet; lightly spray with nonstick vegetable spray. Put shrimp on rack in single layer. Bake 12-15 min., or until golden.
Serve hot with lemon aioli dip: In small bowl combine 2 cups mayonnaise, 5 cloves minced garlic, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 12.

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Come Party With Me: Housewarming Party - Invites

partysugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:01:38 -0700

A housewarming party is a fabulous celebration where you invite friends and family into your new/remodeled/just purchased/first home. This type of party is also great for newlyweds who may be feeling a little down after the excitement from the wedding has ended and the tan from their honeymoon has faded. A housewarming allows you the chance to show off your home and after the tour is over, gather guests into a few friendly rounds of old school games like Monopoly, charades, or Taboo. For step-by-step instructions on how to make fun house shaped invitations to a game night housewarming party, read more

To make an invitation similar to the one seen here you will need:

polka dot ribbon in 2 colors (I used chocolate brown and turquoise)
Cardstock
scissors
glue
satin ribbon
computer and printer
hole punch

To assemble an invitation similar to this one:

Start by creating a new document on Microsoft Word. To ensure that the invitation is small write out the text in 1 side of a column. Add all of your party details - including the time, place, and reason for the celebration (your new house!). I used the font Euphemia UCAS Italic in regular size 12. Here is what the inside of my invite says:

Julie & Scott are finally settled in! Join them for game night
in their new home!

8:00 pm
Saturday July 21

Home sweet home is at
5 Main Street in Washington D.C.
Please rsvp to PartySugar 415.555.5555
Print out a test sheet and read for mistakes. Once satisfied with the text, print out on to cardstock. Set aside.

Make a house shaped template by taping together a rectangular piece of paper and a triangular piece of paper.

Place the house shaped template over the printed text on the cardstock. Repeat, tracing another house shape on a portion of the cardstock that does not have text.

Cut out the shapes.

Glue small strips of ribbon to outline the shape of the roof, the windows, and front door.

Punch a small hole in both house shapes (the front piece & back piece) in the exact same spot.

Tie a piece of satin ribbon through the holes to connect the two pieces together to make the complete invitation. Make an elegant bow.

Send in an envelope that matches the color scheme with the names of guests in your best handwriting.

Come back and party with me all this week for more tips, ideas, and inspirations for your housewarming party. Not moving anytime soon? Tell us how you celebrated your current home!

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Top Chef Vegas: Episode 12

partysugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:12:49 -0800

It was down to five cheftestants on last night's episode of Top Chef. The final Las Vegas challenge - the next two shows take place in Napa, California - highlighted the Bocuse d'Or, the world's most prestigious classical cooking competition. A plethora of big name chefs including Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud, guest judged. Ready to discuss? Keep reading.

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?

Source

Guy Fieri, Other Food Personalities Face Identity Theft

YumSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:00:24 -0700

The fashion world may claim that fakes are never in style, but lately, the food world sure has seen a lot of them. Take Food Network star Guy Fieri, who's living the good life - in three short years, he went from unassuming restaurateur to TV star and TGI Friday's spokesperson. But apparently, his life is looking so good that somebody actually wants to be him. "So check this out," Fieri recently twittered. "Some cat is playin me in KC. Crazy, just for da record. I am home."

Indeed, a Fieri fake was passing himself off as the real Guy at a Kansas City Royals game on Monday night. Sporting the trademark spiky platinum hairdo and Ray-Ban sunglasses, the faux Fieri even managed to get interviewed by a Fox Sports Net reporter. Check out the footage when you read more.

Fieri's identity is not the only one to be highly sought-after. The online food world has seen several cases of stolen Twitter accounts - or what food blog Eater has dubbed "twidentity theft." New York Times food critic Frank Bruni (@frankbruni) and New York Daily News reviewer Danyelle Freeman (@restaurantgirl) have both fallen victim to twidentity theft. Freeman is taking legal measures claiming trademark infringement.

Do you find this new wave of identity theft to be as bizarre as I do? What are your thoughts on this issue?

Source

Come Party With Me: Super Bowl - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:15:52 -0800

The ideal dessert for Super Bowl is something that can be made in advance: that way you won't miss a minute of the game! I prefer a deliciously decadent dessert that can be consumed without the aid of a knife and fork. Rich chocolate brownies with a layer of peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache are so scrumptious they're sinful! Make the cake-like dish the night before the party to allow plenty of time to chill.

If you don't want to serve a chocolaty treat, consider lemon cheesecake squares - another Super Bowl-worthy dessert that's best made ahead of the game. Otherwise, for the brownie recipe, read more.

Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownies With Salted Peanuts
From Bon Appétit

Ingredients

Brownies
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Frosting and ganache
1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

For brownies: position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line 13-x-9-x-2-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving long overhang; butter foil.
Place 3/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add both chocolates; stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.
Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and salt, then eggs, 1 at a time. Fold in flour, then nuts. Spread in prepared pan.
Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; cool.
For frosting and ganache: Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter and 1/4 cup butter in medium bowl to blend. Beat in powdered sugar, salt, and nutmeg, then milk and vanilla. Spread frosting over brownies.
Stir chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Drop ganache all over frosting; spread to cover.
Chill until set, about 1 1/2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)
Using foil as aid, transfer brownie cake to work surface; cut into squares. Bring to room temperature; serve.

Makes 30 brownies.

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