YumSugar

Yummy Links: From Red Velvet Cheesecake to Cocktails

partysugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:45:00 -0800

Must make: red velvet cheesecake. - Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Homemade hot sauce makes a spicy gift. - The Kitchn
Make out of season tomatoes taste better. - Chow
Interested in working in the food industry? Check out Food Jobs, a new career guide. - Serious Eats
Impress your family with an easy to make candy cane cake. - Hostess with the Mostess
This Christmas Bon Appétit's giving us 31 delicious cocktail recipes. - Bon Appétit

Aspiring Chef Dies Following Spicy Sauce Challenge

YumSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:00:02 -0700

We know of death by chocolate as a humorously-named dessert. But death by hot sauce? That may be for real.

Andrew Lee, 33, of Great Britain, passed away in his sleep after partaking in a spicy sauce-eating competition. The forklift driver and aspiring chef challenged his girlfriend's brother to see who could create and then eat the spiciest hot sauce. He arrived at his girlfriend's apartment with a jar of sauce made with red chiles that had been grown by his father just for the occasion.

Lee suffered an intense bout of itchiness, and after girlfriend Samantha Bailey was unable to revive him later that night, she called an ambulance. Lee was pronounced dead at the scene.

This is the first known case where voluntarily consuming spicy chiles may have caused a fatality. Lee was reportedly in excellent health, having recently passed a medical examination. Investigators say it is possible, however, that he may have suffered a heart attack. They are also conducting toxicology tests to find out whether he suffered a reaction to the spicy food.

Have you ever engaged in or witnessed a hot sauce-eating competition? If so, does this news change the way you look view them?

Source

Yum Market Finds: Time to Warm Up

partysugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:01:18 -0800

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but Northern California has been wintry and stormy. When the weather turns for the worst, I go to my kitchen for comforting dishes. The bookmarks in the Yum Market on TeamSugar also demonstrate that it's time to warm things up. Hot drinks like mochas and teas hit the spot, while hot sauces and spicy oils add heat to main meals. How fabulous are these tea-for-one pots? Amh678 found the handy kitchen tool that comes in three fun colors, complete with teapot, strainer, and teacup.

For more warming ideas, browse the finds below.

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

Fast & Easy Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Wraps

partysugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:47:19 -0800

Buffalo wings are one of my guilty pleasure bar foods; I love to order them when I'm out drinking beers with the buddies. Unfortunately, they're not the most figure friendly food, but this recipe for a healthy version also hits the spot. Making these fiery buffalo chicken wraps at home allows you to control the quality of ingredients. The classic blue cheese sauce gets made over with reduced fat mayo and nonfat yogurt. Stuff the wrap with a good amount of lettuce, celery, and tomatoes to ensure you get your daily dose of veggies. To make these tasty wraps for dinner tonight, just read more

Buffalo Chicken Wraps
From Eating Well

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce, such as Frank's RedHot
3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound chicken tenders
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup sliced celery
1 large tomato, diced

Whisk hot pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken tenders; cook until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add to the bowl with the hot sauce; toss to coat well.
Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in blue cheese.
To assemble wraps: lay a tortilla on a work surface or plate. Spread with 1 tablespoon blue cheese sauce and top with one-fourth of the chicken, lettuce, celery and tomato. Drizzle with some of the hot sauce remaining in the bowl and roll into a wrap sandwich. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and serve.

Serves 4.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 275 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 55 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 24 g protein; 4 g fiber; 756 mg sodium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (35% daily value), Selenium (28% dv), Vitamin C (20% dv). 2 Carbohydrate Servings

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Definition: Harissa

partysugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 08:00:44 -0700

Harissa
A hot sauce from Tunisia that is usually made with garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway, olive oil, and hot chilies. It's a great companion to couscous and is used to flavor soups, stews, and other main dishes. The paste is sold in tubes or jars in most Middle Eastern grocers and gourmet markets.

Source

Simple Tip: Heat Leftover Pasta Over the Stove

partysugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:00:28 -0700

For the majority of my life, I heated up leftover pasta in the microwave. The result is hot, slightly crusty, not-as-good-as-the-night-it-was-made pasta. Recently, I started practicing a new technique that I think is much better. I slowly heat the pasta over the stove and the noodles end up being soft, the sauce is warmed through, and the dish tastes (almost) exactly like it did the night before! Here's how I do it:

Depending on what kind of sauce the pasta was made with, start by heating a little butter or olive oil in a large saute pan over low to medium heat.
When the butter is melted or the oil hot, add the cold pasta.
Now add a couple of tablespoons to 1/4 cup of liquid like water, broth, milk, or wine. Use the kind of liquid you employed when first making the sauce. For example, if reheating leftover macaroni and cheese, add milk. If reheating bolognese, add red wine, etc.
Stir the pasta with the liquid until the pasta is heated and soft, and the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Do you eat leftover pasta? What's your method for reheating?

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Chicken Pumpkin Stew

partysugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:50:42 -0700

Celebrate the flavors of Fall by making this quick-cooking stew. Seared chicken is simmered with broth, chunks of pumpkin, red peppers, and green beans. The thick sauce is seasoned with paprika and creamy peanut butter, resulting in a stew that is satisfyingly scrumptious.

Don't hesitate to modify the recipe: white beans can replace the green beans, onions would be as delicious as red peppers, and butternut squash works if you can't find a sugar pumpkin. To serve this piping hot stew to your family tonight, get the recipe and read more.

Chicken Pumpkin Stew
From Woman's Day

Ingredients

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, visible fat trimmed, cut in 1-in. pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, cut in 1-in. pieces
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can each (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth and diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups 1-in. cubes peeled sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (1 lb)
8 oz fresh green beans, cut in half
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter

Directions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, pepper and garlic; sauté 4 minutes until softened.
Add 1 1/2 cups broth, the tomatoes, paprika and salt. Bring to a boil; add chicken, pumpkin and beans. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 12 minutes or until chicken and pumpkin are tender.
Meanwhile stir remaining broth, the cornstarch and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Add to pot; stir until blended. Cook 2 minutes or until thickened.

Serves 6.

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Mac Attack! Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:35 -0700

From classic stovetop shells to leek-and-cheddar penne, I've never met a mac and cheese I don't like. But the recipe I'd been craving most of all was one that, up until recently, only lived in my imagination: buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese.

My fantasy finally became reality one weekend when I put together all the elements I'd dreamed about. Al dente elbows of pasta, coated in creamy, sharp cheese sauce, topped with hot pepper sauce and crispy chicken.

It only occurred to me after sinking my teeth into the first bite that I could improve upon it even more by dotting the top with blue cheese crumbles and diced celery squares. That's why I can't wait to make it again! The epitome of indulgence, after the break.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

partysugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:50:31 -0700

Traditionally, the classic sloppy Joe is not considered healthy or vegetarian-friendly. However, this innovative recipe creates a lighter, meat-free sloppy Joe.

Soy ground beef is the meat substitute that's combined with diced onion, mushrooms, and celery. The sauce is a mixture of vegetable stock, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce resulting in a sandwich filling that's thick, spicy, and flavorful.

If this sloppy joe sounds interesting to you, check out the recipe and read more.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
From The Nest

Ingredients

4 Kaiser rolls
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or more as needed
1 onion, diced
12 ounces soy ground beef, crumbled
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup vegetable Stock
Dashes hot pepper sauce to taste, optional
4 ounces shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Slice the rolls in half, cutting off the upper third of the roll to leave the larger bottom section. Scoop out the inner portion of each bottom section, and set the tops and bottoms aside on a large baking sheet.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, sauté the onion for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the soy ground beef, celery, mushrooms, barbecue sauce, stock and hot pepper sauce, if using. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture is heated through. Remove from the heat.
Spoon equal portions of the mixture into the bottom sections of the rolls. Sprinkle each filled roll with cheese, and spray the insides of the top sections of the rolls with nonstick cooking spray. Set the tops on the baking sheet, cut side up.
Bake the tops and bottoms for about 5 minutes, or until the tops brown and the cheese melts and spills down the sides of the rolls. Remove from the oven, and serve.

Serves 4.

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How to Quickly Clean a Whisk

partysugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:50:56 -0700

For years I hated when a recipe required whisking. Not because it hurt my wrist, but because cleaning the whisk was such a pain. Until one day, while doing the dishes, I had a light bulb moment. The dirty whisk was sitting in a small bowl filled with soapy hot water. Without thinking I quickly swirled the whisk, whisking the soapy water. In seconds, I realized the whisking had whisked all the sauce off, and voila! The whisk was so clean I could make another custard or béchamel sauce. Now I always whisk my whisk until it's clean.

Do you have any secret no-brainer tips for cleaning everyday kitchen tools? Share with us below!