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Thanksgiving Tip: Have Extra Place Settings Ready

partysugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:11 -0800

Besides setting the table early - a couple of days before Thanksgiving - I also put aside several extra place settings. I'll stack two to three plates, chargers, napkins, and utensils in a hidden spot in the dining room.

My Thanksgiving is a "the more, the merrier" type of event, so if someone shows up with an unexpected friend or family member, all I have to do is grab the extra place setting that's ready and add another chair to the table.

It's one less thing to worry about, and will ensure that you don't have to go digging into your China cabinet looking for extra plates on the big night. Got a great Thanksgiving tip? Please share it with us below!

Don't Have Day Old Bread? Make It Yourself

partysugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:28 -0800

Recently, I decided to try a recipe that called for day-old bread. I wanted to make the dish that night and headed to the grocery store hopeful that I could find a loaf of day-old bread. Although I was out of luck, I chatted with the baker about my dilemma. How could I turn new bread into stale bread? Here's what she told me to do:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Slice the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. If your recipe calls for no crusts, remove them now.
Place the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Do not season or coat with oil.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the bread cubes are toasted and dry, but not browned.

Use the dried out bread to make your recipe. This technique worked perfectly for me! How do you dry out bread?

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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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Better Than Lollipops: Crispy Rice Treats on Sticks

YumSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:30:10 -0700

At a baby shower this year, LilSugar sent everyone home with the most clever party favors: crispy rice treats on a stick! They were the perfect parting gift at the shower, but, when adorned with color-coordinated orange sprinkles and ribbons, they'd also make a charming alternative to serve trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

This delight takes less than 10 minutes to come together on the stove top. Evenly press the mixture into a pan coated with cooking spray, and let cool for about five minutes. Cut them to uniform size, roll each into the shape of a ball, and insert sticks through the middle. Wrap treats in individual cellophane bags, and tie with a pretty ribbon.

Got any other sweet ideas for Halloween? Share them below!

Get Involved in the YumSugar Community!

partysugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:50:55 -0700

Have you checked out our recently relaunched fabulous YumSugar Community? It's a great place to post and share recipes, cooking tips, and everything in-between. There's already a ton of groups you can join and explore, or feel free to start some new ones! Here's a taste of what the community has to offer.

Kitchen Goddess: This group is older than YumSugar, making it the original PopSugar Network recipe exchange suite. Post your favorite recipes or browse for meal inspiration.
Wedding Talk: The one-shop stop for discussing everything about the big day. Here you'll find ideas on the ceremony, stationary, flowers, hair, dresses, etc.
Super Special Occasion: This group is my baby, and I invite you to post pictures of the parties you attend and host. Discussion is welcome, so if you need help locating the perfect plates for an upcoming baby shower you're planning, this is your place to do it.
Savory Sights: Eat something wildly delicious looking? Snap a photo and post it in this group. Check out this insanely mouthwatering breakfast YumSugar had last weekend at Ad Hoc!
What's For Dinner?: Wondering what to make for dinner? This is your location to chat about quick chicken meals, one-pot wonders, and everything else fast and easy.
Burning Question: What foods are aphrodisiac? Why does brown sugar form clumps? This is the ultimate forum for asking and answering those food-related questions. We pick the most intriguing ones and answer them here.

How to Clean Leeks

partysugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:00:45 -0700

With their mild onion flavor and thick white stalk, leeks are one of my favorite vegetables. They're excellent in cold weather preparations like soups, stews, and braises. When cooking with leeks, it's important to take the time to properly clean them. Because of the way they grow, leeks are one the dirtiest of vegetables, with mud and dirt getting trapped between the layers. Here's how I like to clean mine:

Most recipes call for the white and light green parts only. Start by slicing the dark green part off. Slice off the bottom end.
Cut the leek in half lengthwise and dice according to the specifications in your recipe.
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Toss the chopped leeks in the water and swirl with your hands.
Let stand in the water for several minutes. Swirl with your hands again to ensure all the dirt is removed.
Drain in a colander and dry with a paper towel.

Do you cook with leeks? How do you prepare them?

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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!

Learn How to Participate in Off to Market

partysugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:00:35 -0700

If you're an avid YumSugar reader, you're probably familiar with the regular feature Off to Market, where I ask you to help me find fabulous stuff on the Internet. Using our bookmark feature lets us share amazing products with each other. To encourage bookmarking, I've put together this guide that teaches you how it's done:

Join the group Off to Market.
Once you have joined, you'll need to add the PopSugar Bookmark tool to your browser's favorites. This link is the OnSugar Bookmark "button" you click on to bookmark products. To add it to your toolbar, right-click on the link and select "Bookmark this link" or drag the link onto your toolbar or favorites. (Check out Bookmark FAQ for more information.)
Find the products you want to bookmark for the challenge.
Click the bookmark button on your toolbar. A window will pop up with your bookmark.
If you want, you can customize everything. Feel free to change the title or fill out the Categories and Tag fields.
Select Off to Market in the group dropdown. Repeat this process for as many items as you would like to include in your widget.
Once you have all your bookmarks, visit Off to Market and click on new post. Choose Layout from the tabs at the top. To include your bookmarks in the layout, click on Add Image and Your Bookmarks tab. Click on the bookmarks you would like to include. You can personalize your Layout page and make it look like a magazine spread.
Once you have created a Layout, you can easily make a widget to post on any of the Sugar sites, in a group, or your own personal site.

While it may seem complicated, once you get the hang of bookmarking it's really fun and fabulous. Start bookmarking now!

Simple Tip: Use the Menu to Establish a Theme

partysugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:15:01 -0700

While I hosted a Gossip Girl premiere party, my best friend invited a group of gals over to view the series premiere of Cougar Town. The entire event was cougar-themed and she asked everyone to wear animal print.

She set the tone by printing out a special menu. The title of each dish was changed to be more cougar-like. Instead of a fantastic dinner party it was fangtastic. Strawberries become clawberries. The main course was caprese stalker salad and cougar risotto cakes.

Changing the food's names is a fun and easy way to establish the tone of a party. It's very Martha Stewart and can be applied to any event from Halloween to a child's birthday. The best part? It got guests talking and had us coming up with crazy cougarspeak all night! What's your secret for emphasizing a party's theme?

Share Your Recipes in the Kitchen Goddess Group!

partysugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:00:04 -0700

Did you know that besides checking out our fabulous recipe recommendations you can also post, share, and create your very own recipes in the YumSugar Community? It's super easy and wonderfully rewarding - you can even ask for tips and get feedback. Here's what you do:

Start by joining the Kitchen Goddess group. It's the original recipe exchange suite. There are already loads of fabulous tested recipes from our members, so be sure to browse it once you've joined.
Now it's time to post your own recipe! Click on New Post. It's on the left hand side of the page. Click on the Recipe tab.
Fill in the necessary spaces including the link to a recipe's source (if you found it someplace on the Internet), the ingredients, and the directions. The Rich Text Editor bar across the top allows for easy customization of posts.
Don't forget to upload images! Snap a picture of the finished dish before you eat it and add it to the recipe.
Fill out the Categories and Tag fields, if you want.
Click Create Post. Voila! Your recipe is done.

So what are you waiting for? Start sharing your recipes in the YumSugar Community. If you're lucky, we'll feature your recipe here on YumSugar!