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Come Party With Me: Vampire Party - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:50:29 -0700

Halloween happens to fall on a Saturday this year which makes it an ideal night for hosting a party. But don't just throw any party, select a theme, like vampires, and use this to inspire a ghoulish bash.

Start by sending our free vampire invitations specially designed for the online invitation service, Pingg. All you have to do is fill them out and send - how easy is that?

Once you've notified your friends, you can focus on more important things, like the menu. Select an assortment of finger-licking good foods that evoke the vampire culture.

Tomato soup filled test tubes resemble the addictive vampire blood popular in the HBO series, True Blood. Stefan Salvatore, the kind bloodsucker on the CW's Vampire Diaries who loves garlic, would devour a platter of garlic and cheese crostini. Guests will feel like Buffy the Vampire Slayer when they stake steak bites with skewers and dunk them into a bloody Mary dipping sauce. Finally, spicy sriracha doused chicken wings are so hearty they'd satiate even the toughest Cullen brother's hunger. Get these festive recipes when you read more.

Vampire Blood Tomato Soup
From Food Network

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped, about 2 1/2 cups
1/2 large onion, chopped, about 1 cup
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
2 cups homemade vegetable broth or low-sodium canned
2 cups tomato juice
6 basil leaves, torn
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat.
Add fennel, onion, garlic, salt, fennel seed and crushed pepper, if using, and cook until vegetables soften and brown slightly, about 5 minutes.
Drain and reserve juice from the tomatoes, then crush tomatoes gently with your hands. Add the tomatoes, increase heat to high, and cook until they begin to brown slightly, about 5 minutes.
Add the reserved tomato juice, vegetable broth, tomato juice, and basil leaves. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until vegetables are cooked through and soup reduces and thickens, about 30 minutes.
Remove pot from stove and puree the soup in batches, with an immersion, regular blender, or food processor. Stir in lemon juice and season with pepper to taste. Serve.

Serves 8.

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Garlic and Cheese Crostini
From Gourmet

Ingredients

24 (1/3-inch-thick) baguette slices (from a baguette at least
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
3/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano (preferably imported)
5 large garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Arrange bread slices in 1 layer on a large baking sheet and brush tops with 3 tablespoons oil.
Stir together remaining tablespoon oil, cheese, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle each slice with about 1 teaspoon cheese mixture, mounding it slightly.
Bake until topping just starts to melt, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and kosher salt to taste. Serve warm.

Makes 24 hors d'oeuvres.

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Steak Bites With Bloody Mary Dipping Sauce
From Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup vodka
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1 rounded tablespoon prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper
1 1/3 pounds beef sirloin cut into large bite-sized pieces, 1 by 2 inches
Steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper
6 to 8 inch bamboo skewers

Directions

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and onions and saute 5 minutes.
Add vodka and reduce by 1/2.
Add Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and horseradish. Stir to combine the dipping sauce and return the sauce to a bubble. Add salt and pepper and adjust seasonings.
Heat nonstick skillet over high heat. Coat meat bites lightly in oil. Season with steak seasoning blend or salt and pepper, to taste.
Cook the meat until caramelized all over, about 2 minutes on each side.
Transfer dipping sauce to a small dish and place at the center of a serving platter. Surround the dip with meat bites and set several bamboo "stakes" or skewers along side meat.

Serves 6.

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Spicy Sriracha Chicken Wings
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

10 pounds chicken wings, split
1/4 cup coriander seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup Sriracha chile sauce
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Finely grated zest and juice of 3 limes
3 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

In a very large bowl, toss the wings with the coriander and cumin seeds, cinnamon, kosher salt and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the wings on 3 large rimmed baking sheets and roast for about 30 minutes, until firm but not cooked through. (At this point, if you don't want to fry the wings, you can roast them for 1 hour longer, until crispy and golden.)
Wash out the bowl. Add the Sriracha, butter, cilantro, lime zest and juice.
In a deep fryer or a very large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil to 375°.
Fry the wings in 4 or 5 batches until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per batch; drain, shaking off the excess oil. As each batch is finished, add the wings to the sauce and toss well. Transfer the wings to a platter, leaving the sauce in the bowl for the remaining batches. Serve hot.

Serves 10.

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How Do You Prefer Your Chicken Wings?

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Buffalo Chicken Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 03:00:07 -0800

From pickled jalapeños to chipotle chile chocolate bars, I love spicy food, but if I were forced to pick a favorite, I'd have to go with spicy buffalo chicken. Not only is it the ultimate comfort food, but the tender chicken is also crispy, zippy, and tangy all at once.

Whether you're looking for the perfect Super Bowl party platter or you simply want something to fulfill your quest for spice, look no further than these buffalo chicken recipes.

The first, made with breast tenders and breaded for crunchiness, is a simplified version of the classic buffalo wing. Alternately, pull out your frying pan and try your ~~wing~~ hand at a traditional recipe for buffalo chicken. Both are definite crowd pleasers.

To see either recipe, read more.

Beginner Buffalo Chicken
From Every Day With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 large eggs
4 chicken tenders
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Coat a chicken piece with the breadcrumbs, dip in the eggs, then coat again with the breadcrumbs; place on a plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the chicken tenders and cook, turning once, until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Microwave the butter at medium power until melted, 45 seconds. Stir in the hot sauce.
Place the chicken tenders on a large platter, drizzle with the sauce and top with the blue cheese.

Serves 6.

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Expert Buffalo Chicken
From Gourmet

Ingredients

Blue-cheese dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about 1/2 cup)
Wings:
3 pounds chicken wings (12 to 14)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (if grilling) or 6 cups vegetable oil (if deep-frying)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons hot sauce such as Frank's or Goya
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 celery ribs

Directions

Make dressing: In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and yogurt and stir in blue cheese (dressing will not be smooth). Dressing may be made 8 hours ahead and chilled, covered.
Cut celery into thin sticks. Soak celery in a bowl of ice and cold water at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Deep fry wings: In a large (5- to 6-quart) deep heavy kettle heat 6 cups oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 380°F. Just before oil reaches 380°F, pat dry 6 or 7 wings. Carefully lower wings into oil and fry, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, golden, and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer wings to paper towels to drain. Pat dry and fry remaining wings in same manner, returning oil to 380°F between batches.
Make sauce: In a large skillet melt butter over moderately low heat and stir in hot sauce, vinegar, and salt to taste. Add grilled or fried wings and toss to coat.
Serve chicken wings warm or at room temperature with dressing and celery sticks.

Makes 6 hors d'oeuvre servings.

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Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip Raises Breast Cancer Awareness

partysugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:15:19 -0700

After publishing her first cookbook, Around My Mother's Table, Ribbon Chick Lisa Burton, continued her crusade to raise breast cancer awareness with A la Pink, a breast cancer survivors recipe contest. Over the past year she's invited women to share their story and their best recipe. The winner, Tina Herold and her scrumptious recipe, buffalo chicken cheese dip, were announced in September.Herold used her experience to open a wig shop that provides support and compassion for women with cancer. Not only is she an inspiring role model, but she's also a great cook. The recipe is easy to make and perfect for a crowd. When I served the dip, I told my guests Herold's story, further raising awareness for the cause. You can, too, so get her winning recipe and read more.

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip
From Tina Herold

Ingredients

2 (8-ounce) packages reduced-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup (6 ounces) cayenne pepper sauce* (I used Crystal)
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped (3 to 4 chicken breast halves or about 3 cups chopped)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips, crackers, or vegetables, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine cream cheese, pepper sauce, and ranch dressing in a small saucepan. Heat, over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted.
Stir in chicken and about half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until combined.
Spoon into prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake 15 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.
Serve warm with tortilla chips, crackers, or vegetables.

Makes about 6 cups.

*For milder flavor, reduce cayenne pepper sauce to 1/2 cup.

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What's Cooking at Slashfood

YumSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 05:50:40 -0700

We love Slashfood so much that every Thursday we round up their most delicious stories. Here are this week's finds:

Is Giada De Laurentiis embroiled in a feud with Rachael Ray?
Pickled beet dip pays homage to the dinner table of the 1970s.
Nashville's hot chicken will put buffalo wings to shame.
Should measuring spoons be grouped together or used apart?
Two of Gourmet's test kitchen titans face off in an avocado cooking battle.
Does a cheese's shape have any effect on its flavor?

Source

Joey Chestnut Does It Again

YumSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:10:31 -0800

This afternoon, over 20,000 fans packed the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Penn., to see the sixteenth annual Wing Bowl. Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, who was the reigning champion, held onto his title by chowing down on 241 chicken wings in 30 minutes. This was 14 more than his nearest competitor Patrick Bertoletti and 36 more than third place Bill "El Wingador" Simmons.

For his gastronomic feat, Chestnut - when did he obtain the nickname "Jaws"? I swear he didn't have it for the Fourth of July Hot Dog Contest - received a Toyota Tundra, a 2008 Black 883 Sportster motorcycle, a championship ring, and, of course, all the bragging rights.

So what do you folks think, could you eat that many wings in 30 minutes? Could you even eat half the amount? Also, can you believe the number of folks who attended? From the look of things, this place was packed!

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Source

All the News That's Fit to Eat - Jan. 30

partysugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:15:41 -0800

Although I'm crazy about them raw, oysters are actually delicious cooked. - Los Angeles Times
Love Korean food? Whip up your own version of kimchi. - San Francisco Chronicle
Come Super Bowl Sunday, you might want to think twice about double dipping. - The New York Times
How do you like your guacamole? With serrano peppers or lime juice? - Washington Post
Not only is he a loud-mouthed, bad boy chef, but now Anthony Bourdain has added rapper to his resume. - Bravo's The Dish
Duck - surprisingly - is a flavorful, rich ingredient for quick weeknight meals. - Chicago Tribune
Everyone knows the importance of eating breakfast, so kickstart your day with breakfast cookies. - The Sacramento Bee
In case you haven't found your Super Bowl party menu yet, here is one that features chipotle wings, beer-battered onion rings, and hot potato salad. - Houston Chronicle
Stop overeating by setting a time limit to your meals. - FitSugar

Reader Question: Simple Appetizer Recipes?

YumSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:38:18 -0700

This weekend TeamSugar member wiciltd wanted some help coming up with appetizer ideas. We pointed her to some of the appetizer recipes we've used on the site - including buffalo chicken wings, mini hot dogs & hamburgers, and savory bacon bites. But we wanted to know, do you have any great advice for wiciltd? What appetizers would you make?

For the Savory Bacon Bites recipe, read more

Savory Bacon Biscuit Bites
From Swill Party

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 sweet onion, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 16-ounce can refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough (regular size)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly grease 2 mini muffin pans with butter or olive oil.
Mix bacon, tomato, onion, cheese, mayonnaise and basil.
Separate biscuits in half horizontally and press each half into muffin tin.
Fill with bacon mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
Only have one pan? Just repeat and bake.

Makes 24 bites.

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Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Menu II

partysugar — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 07:01:38 -0700

Yesterday I talked about keeping cool at a pool party with light, crisp summery appetizer dishes. While serving chilled dishes is a must, in my opinion, you can't have any sort of outdoor party without something from the grill. Turn up the heat on the barbeque and offer guests rum and mint grilled chicken wings. They taste delicious hot off the grill or at room temperature so make them in batches throughout the day and guests can snack on them when hunger strikes. For a dessert, serve the classic childhood treat: otter pops and a homemade frozen treat in the form of a homemade piña colada granita. Sound delish, or what? To bookmark these recipes please read more

Rum and Mint Grilled Chicken Wings
From Rob Rainford

3 pounds chicken wings
Zest of 2 oranges chopped fine
Zest of 2 limes chopped fine
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rum
1/4 cup rough chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
Splash hot sauce
2 fresh mint sprigs
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried hot chili flakes
splash tabasco or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken wings into a sealable plastic bag the chicken wings along with the rum, mint, oil, and a splash of hot sauce. Add in orange & lime zest. Seal the bag and toss gently to coat. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove wings from refrigerator. Remove wings from the marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Discard of the used marinade.
Prepare the BBQ for direct grilling. Preheat to a medium grill.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Oil the grill and add chicken wings for approximately 7 – 9 minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Remove.
Make sauce - In a bowl combine white & cider vinegars, brown sugar, dried hot chili flakes and Tabasco. Mix.
Serve wings with hot vinegar sauce.

Serves 6.

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Piña Colada Granita
From Cooking Light magazine

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
3 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup cream of coconut
1/3 cup dark rum
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Mint sprigs (optional)

Place pineapple chunks in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
Combine the pineapple purée, 3 cups pineapple juice, and next 4 ingredients (pineapple juice through coconut extract) in a large bowl. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; cover and freeze at least 8 hours or until firm.
Remove the frozen pineapple mixture from the freezer. Scrape the entire mixture with a fork until fluffy.
Spoon the mixture into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze up to 1 month. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Serves 16.

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 75(31% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 2.3g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 0.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; SODIUM 1mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.3g

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