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Yum's May Must Haves

partysugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:50:11 -0700

Wow! Can you believe it's already May? From the Kentucky Derby to Memorial Day, I'm excited because the month is packed with parties! The warmer weather also means picnics, barbecues, and lounging by the pool. Here are five items you'll need to make May memorable.

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Off to Market Recap: Gift Baskets

partysugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:18:33 -0800

My mentor recently moved to New York with his wife and new born baby. I miss him desperately and need to send him a housewarming gift. To show him my appreciation and send my well wishes, I want to get him a spectacular gift basket for Christmas. I asked you to help me find a gift basket filled with delicious goodies and awesome accessories. You bookmarked the goodies you discovered in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Gift Baskets.

Turns out I asked the right people; you were super enthusiastic about gift baskets! In fact, TeamSugar member Country Betty put together an amazing list. I really like the simple elegance of the oil and vinaigrette gift basket that she found. The wooden spoon and fork are both a lovely and practical touch.

Thanks for your help! To see what everyone found, browse through all the baskets below.

Read GeekSugar's guide to bookmarking on TeamSugar to better understand how to use this fun feature.

Off to Market: Gift Baskets

partysugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:23:31 -0800

My mentor recently moved to New York with his wife and new born baby. I miss him desperately and have yet to send him a housewarming gift. To show him my appreciation and send my well wishes, I want to get him a spectacular gift basket for Christmas. He's a crazy writer who enjoys simple, scrumptious foods. Can you help me find a gift basket filled with delicious goodies and awesome accessories? Look for gift baskets with a specific theme like the pasta one seen here by Dean and DeLuca. Bookmark the goodies you discover in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Gift Baskets. Good luck in your search!

Read GeekSugar's guide to bookmarking on TeamSugar to better understand how to use this fun feature.

To see 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

Go Ahead and Make Someone's Day

YumSugar — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:03:11 -0700

Don't just sit there, go and do something nice for someone! After all, today is Do Something Nice Day! So go out and bake someone a fresh batch of homemade cookies!

If you don't have time to bake up a nice treat, then order them something nice instead. The phrase, "Do Something Nice" makes me think of smiley faces; so to celebrate, I've rounded up a bunch of silly smiley face treats below. To check them out scroll through the widget below.

Chocolate-Dipped Oreo Smiley Cookies	Smiley Cookie Bouquet
Smiley Face Cookie Tin	Smiley Face Butter Cookies
Smiley Face Cake, Smiley Cookie Cake	Ultimate Smile Gift Box
Frosted Smiles	Smiley Face Themed Belgian Chocolate Covered Oreo	Smiley Face Chocolates

Brownies 90210

YumSugar — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 09:43:32 -0800

The other day I got an attractive gift basket full of cookies and brownies in lovely little brown boxed packages tied with twine from a place in Los Angeles called Brownies 90210. Brownies 90210 is the bakery of The Farm of Beverly Hills a restaurant that serves simple, farm-fresh ingredients to the stars. I have yet to eat at The Farm, it's on my list of things to do the next time I'm in LA, but I can say the goodies that I tasted were delicious. Voted the "Best Brownies in L.A." by Los Angeles Magazine, both Reese Witherspoon and I are huge fans. The brownies were chocolatey, fudge-like, with a harder outside and gooey inside. I prefer brownies without nuts and was happy to see these were nut free. My top picks of the cookies were the peanut butter and the snickerdoodle which were both light, chewy, and full of peanuty/cinnamony taste. The coconut macaroon with a chocolate dipped bottom was a second runner up for its flaky coconut texture and chewy yumminess. Order you or your friends a gift basket for Christmas.

Yum Gift Guide: Good Eats

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 07:58:12 -0800

Retro Chocolate Bars - These retro inspired bars from the famed Chocolate Bar in New York will be a hit with any chocoholic. Eight delicious bars will arrive in an orange pencil box tied up with a fabulous brown ribbon. Flavors include Peanut Butter Caramel, Raspberry Jam, Key Lime Pie and more! Purchase a set here for $24.00.

Paella Gift Set - This kit comes with almost everything they'll need to create their own paella (chorizo and seafood not included). Give them the gift of Spanish sun and spice and make sure they invite you over for dinner! Order the set here for $75.00.

Three more so read more

Classic Tower of Treats - This year Harry and David have updated their classic gift tower to include Riviera Pears, Cheddar Cheese, Chocolate Truffles and more tasty delights. Expertly stacked and tied up with a beautiful ribbon, this tower will be a fantastic treat to anyone on your list. There are several different variations from $44.95-$99.95.

Deluxe Goat Cheese Collection - Surprise them with award winning cheese from Laura Chenel. Produced on a tiny rural dairy in Sonoma County, this cheese lives up to the highest traditional standards. A true cheese adventure guaranteed to tantalize the palate of every cheese lover. Order the collection here for $39.50.

Bloody Mary Gift Basket - This gift basket is perfect for the cocktail hound on your list. The Stirrings company has put together the perfect basket including their fantastic bloody mary mix and rimmer. Get yours here for $39.99.

World's Largest Cupcake Attempt Is a Sweet Success

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:30:04 -0700

Another one to add to the list of highly unconventional cupcakes: This 1,224-pound behemoth of a baked good, which just knocked out a recent record contender for the title of world's largest cupcake.

The prodigious pastry, which composed of triple vanilla cake batter and topped with pink frosting, was more than eight times the size of the previous record holder in girth. It stood 4 feet tall and spanned 11 feet around, and was created by Manchester, NH-based GourmetGiftBaskets.com. It required 800 eggs, 200 pounds each of sugar and flour, five days of preparation, and 12 hours of baking time.
Slices of the cupcake were served over the weekend at the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise Classic Car Show in Detroit, MI, in exchange for donations to breast cancer foundation Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Even though the cupcake contained an estimated 2 million calories, I wouldn't have been able to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime indulgence. Does the cupcake look appetizing to you?

Photo Courtesy of Charles Whitman

YumSugar Gift Guide: Mother's Day Edition

YumSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:50:10 -0700

There are only a handful of days left until Mother's Day - but if you haven't picked anything out for tu madre, don't go running to the store just yet. We've selected a few of our favorite things that you can still purchase with the convenient click of a button. If she has an insatiable craving for chocolate, she'll love this all-chocolate basket with cookie mix, cake mix, hot chocolate mix, and all other things decadent in chocolate.

Or, let her revel in her morning coffee all year long with a subscription to a gourmet coffee of the month club. If she's got a green thumb, she'll savor the sweet addition of a Kadota fig plant to her garden. For more ideas scroll below.

12 Days of Edible Gifts: Hazelnut Kiss Cookies

YumSugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:00:12 -0800

Every holiday season, I love indulging in those classic peanut butter cookies dimpled with a Hershey Kiss center. For our 12 Days of Edible Gifts, I experimented with this same concept to create a Ferrero Rocher-inspired treat. The combination of hazelnuts and chocolate is always divinely delicious and these crumbly hazelnut cookies with chocolate middles are no exception. They're simple to make and easily gifted in a festive basket or decorative to-go container. To make these delectable cookies for your friends and family, read more.

Hazelnut Kiss Cookies
Adapted from The Taste of Home Cookbook

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup ground roasted hazelnuts
48 unwrapped Hershey Kisses

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Place whole hazelnuts on a large cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes until fragrant. Be careful to not burn the nuts. Fresh from the oven place hazelnuts in a clean dish towel, rub against the towel to remove the skin. Grind or finely chop hazelnuts.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix eggs, yolks and vanilla well. Combine flour and salt and add a third at a time to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in nuts.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie baking sheets. Flatten each ball and place a Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until cookies have set. Only the bottom of cookie will turn golden brown. Watch the cookies closely as the tip of the chocolate can burn. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Print recipe with images | without images

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YumSugar Gift Guide: Who's the Boss?

partysugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:13:31 -0800

If you decide to get your boss a gift these holidays, stay away from a generic gift basket. They'll be receiving tons of gift baskets from PR agencies and other businesses. Instead of the obvious, choose universal gifts that work well for almost anyone. Sushi plates are out of the ordinary and not usually included in an everyday China set.

Wine is a great go-to gift idea. I suggest giving a bottle of California's Ridge because it's my boss's favorite wine!

A classic cookbook, like Julia Child's The Way To Cook, is another option. The book is Child's most creative and comprehensive, making it a gift to be enjoyed by any food lover.

For more ideas, browse below.

Maki Sushi Plates ($5.95 each)	Tasting Olive Oils ($21.95)
Fluted Carafe ($29)	Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel 2005 ($32.99)
The Way to Cook, by Julia Child ($52.00)	Rise to the Occasion Pastry Stand ($198.00)