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Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:50:14 -0700

To get in the mood for St. Patrick's Day, set up a "Make Your Drink Green" bar and let the girls help themselves. Fill one ice bucket with bottles of a light Irish beer (such as Harp) and another with bottles of white wine. Arrange beer and wine glasses and green food coloring nearby. Have everyone tint their drinks green.

Also set out the ingredients for a specialty cocktail and write the recipe for the drink, so your guests can play bartender. This interesting cocktail features Irish whiskey making it wonderfully appropriate for the holiday. It combines the whiskey with fresh ginger, lemon juice, apricot jam, and orange liquor.

To look at the recipe, read more.

Tommy Gun
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 thin fresh ginger slices
1 teaspoon apricot jam
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Ice
2 ounces Irish whiskey
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1 lemon twist

Directions

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the ginger with the jam and lemon juice.
Add ice and the whiskey and Grand Marnier; shake well. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Makes 1 drink.

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Get Your Green Beer On

partysugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:43:31 -0700

Last night to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I made some green beer. Green beer - or any colored beer for that matter - is extremely festive and fun for a themed party. Here's how I made this simple conversation starter:

Fill glass with beer.
Add a couple of drops of food coloring. For a vibrant dark green add 5-6 drops, for a pastel, minty green add 1-3.
Combine the two liquids with a stirrer.
Enjoy! Disclaimer: If too many green beers are consumed in a short amount of time you may end up with green-stained lips.

How about you? Have you ever had green beer? How did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

Fast & Easy Dinner: Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches

partysugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:50:55 -0800

Tonight, surprise your loved ones with a homemade version of a ballpark classic, sausage and pepper sandwiches. No grill is necessary, all you need is an oven.

The veggies and sausages are roasted while the bread gets toasty and the cheese melts. The ingredient list calls for bottled balsamic dressing, but if you have the time and skills, why not whisk your own quick vinaigrette?

Serve with mixed greens and a cold beer. To make this mid-week pick-me-up, get the recipe after the break.

Come Party With Me: Vampire Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:45 -0700

At my vampire party, I'll be offering guests dressed like Buffy and the Cullens an assortment of vampire-themed drink options.

Red wine is a no brainer: it's the color of blood. To tint beer red, I'll use the same technique I employed on St. Patrick Day's only with red food coloring instead of green.

I'll also offer this dessert cocktail. It's a mixture of raspberry vodka, white chocolate liqueur, and half and half. The dripping blood rim is made from strawberry syrup and the ingenious garnish? Plastic fangs! To get the recipe keep reading.

Food Section Sampler - Sept. 30, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:50:50 -0700

Beer tries to earn a spot next to cheese plates. - Wall Street Journal
Reforming school lunches isn't easy - or cheap. - Washington Post
New green cookware lets you sauté without worry. - San Francisco Chronicle
In West Virginia, pepperoni rolls are an old-time favorite fast food. - New York Times
Should restaurants be allowed to ban diners from using laptops? - Boston Globe
How dinner parties are changing among cost-conscious foodies. - Chicago Tribune
One LA bakery's strawberry cake is a local legend. - Los Angeles Times

Source: Flickr User Samat Jain

Noteworthy Nibbles - June 23-30, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:00:13 -0700

It's almost July, and the palatable parties just keep coming. If you're a wine enthusiast, head over to Pinot Days or the Telluride Wine Festival. Beer more your thing? Throw back some sake bombs at the Beer & Sake Festival, or hit up the Colorado Brewfest. Here in Fog City, the Best of the Bay looks to be one heck of a soirée. What happenings are you hitting up?

If you know of anything that's been left off the list, please go ahead and chime in below!

Sedona, AZ: Dine in Sedona Restaurant Fest - June 23-30
Hampton, SC: Hampton County Watermelon Festival - June 23-28
Gettysburg, PA: Gettysburg Festival - June 23-28
Portsmouth, NH: Taste of the Nation Portsmouth - June 24
London, OH: London Strawberry Festival - June 24-27
San Francisco, CA: Pinot Days - June 24-28
Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Cranberry Blossom Festival - June 24-28
San Diego, CA: Beer & Sake Festival - June 25
Milwaukee, WI: The 2009 Big Taste - June 25
San Francisco, CA: Best of the Bay - June 25
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Taste of the Nation South Florida - June 25

To see the rest, read more.

Cedar Rapids, IA: Cedar Rapids BBQ Roundup _ June 25-28
Telluride, CO: Telluride Wine Festival - June 25-28
Luling, TX: Luling Watermelon Thump - June 25-28
Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Wine Festival - June 26-27
Emerson, AR: Purple Hull Pea Festival - June 26-27
Chipley, FL: Panhandle Watermelon Festival - June 26-27
Tacoma, WA: Taste of Tacoma - June 26-28
Long Grove, IL: Long Grove Strawberry Festival - June 26-28
Burlington, VT: Green Mountain Chew Chew Food & Music Fest - June 26-28
Chicago, IL: Taste of Chicago - June 26-July 5
Honolulu, HI: Slow Food's Honolulu Fish Auction Tour - June 27
Washington DC: National Capital Barbecue Battle - June 27-28
Fort Collins, CO: Colorado Brewfest - June 27-28
Pennington, NJ: East Coast Food & Wine Festival - June 27-28
New York, NY: Summer Rosé Celebration With Ariane Duarte - June 29

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Dining Among the Redwoods at Sunset's Celebration Weekend

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:50:52 -0700

On a recent weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Sunset's Celebration Weekend, an outdoor event dedicated to all things lifestyle, from gardening to home improvement to, of course, food. The festival, which took place under a shining sun at Sunset magazine's headquarters in Menlo Park, CA, featured cooking demos from chefs like Cindy Pawclyn, Jamie Lauren, and Aaron McCargo, Jr.; composting seminars from Sunset editors; wine tastings; and vendors selling fresh greens, molés, and gelato. There was tons of food and drink to sample: I spotted everything from grilled sausages to watermelon beer to the tallest strawberry daiquiris known to man. To transport yourself to this sunny California festival, read more.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Broiled Salmon With Spinach Feta Saute

partysugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 06:50:58 -0700

After a weekend of burgers and beers, opt for a lighter dinner menu tonight. Broiled salmon is quick, healthy, and scrumptious.

Served on a bed of wilted spinach dotted with creamy feta crumbles, this dish is perfectly balanced in both flavor and texture. Pine nuts add a necessary crunch that complements the plump, flaky fish, chewy greens, and tangy cheese.

Learn the technique when you read more.

Broiled Salmon with Spinach Feta Saute
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

4 skinless salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bags (5 ounces each) baby spinach
1/2 cup feta, crumbled (2 ounces)
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Broil until opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add as much spinach as will fit; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing spinach and adding more to skillet as space becomes available, until tender, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat; drain off excess liquid.
Stir in feta, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Serve salmon with spinach saute.

Serves 4.

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Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:00:16 -0700

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays because everyone goes to the local pub, drinks beer, and is in a great mood. It's also a fabulous time to meet guys, so this year I'm inviting all my single ladies over for appetizers before we head out to the bars. Since some of my girlfriends are vegetarian, I'll offer a meat-free menu of green snacks. To start there's green goddess dressing with green crudités like celery sticks, green beans, edamame, and sugar snap peas. A warm spinach artichoke dip is decadent, but healthy when served with pita wedges. Slices of pizza topped with fresh pesto and arugula are delicious and filling.

Broccoli soup is pretty and portable when placed in small tea cups or shot glasses. To look at these green themed recipes, perfect for any St. Patty's Day soirée, read more.

Green Goddess Dressing
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed parsley leaves
1 to 2 anchovy fillets, optional
1 scallion, coarsely chopped
1/2 small garlic clove
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

In a food processor, pulse parsley, anchovies, scallion, and garlic until scallion and parsley are finely chopped.
Add mayonnaise, yogurt, and vinegar; pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with grilled shrimp, fish or crudités. If storing, cover and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Serves 10.

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Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip
From Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 cloves garlic
1 (9-ounce) package artichoke hearts, defrosted, rinsed and dried
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, excess liquid squeezed out.
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese)
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes, or until onions are light golden but not browned. Remove from heat and cool.
In the bowl of a food processor combine artichoke hearts, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, Neufchatel, mozzarella and salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Add cooled onion-garlic mixture to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Transfer mixture into an 8-inch glass square baking dish or 9-inch glass pie plate which has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with pita wedges or crudites.

Serves 12.

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Pesto Pizza
From Every Day With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1/2 store bought pizza dough
5 tablespoons store-bought pesto
One 3-ounce package thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into pieces (optional)
2 to 3 handfuls arugula leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Invert a large baking sheet and place it on a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat the oven to 500°. Invert a second baking sheet on a work surface and cover it with a sheet of parchment paper. Stretch the pizza dough to fit the parchment paper.
Using the back of a spoon, spread the pesto over the dough.
Slide the pizza and the parchment from the cool baking sheet to the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake until golden, about 7 minutes.
Top with the prosciutto (if using), arugula and Parmesan, and cut into pieces.

Makes one 10x16 inch pizza.

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Creamy Broccoli Soup
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large white onion, chopped
3 small celery ribs, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets
3 1/2 cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cheddar crisps, optional for serving

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes.
Add the broccoli and water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender and puree until smooth.
Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve with the Cheddar Crisps, if desired.

Serves 4.

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Come Party With Me: St. Patrick's Day - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:15:24 -0700

With a few fun flourishes, you can achieve a festive and fabulous St. Patrick's Day decor. Start by covering the table with a printed green cloth. Serve the dip in a glass chip and dip holder and the soup in mini cups. Place the pizza on a large platter.

Set out plenty of beer glasses. Light white candles and stick inside dark green votives. Don't forget the green food coloring. Hang vintage Guinness posters on the walls and arrange a beautiful bouquet of sunny yellow flowers.

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