YumSugar

Peacock Melamine Tray: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:18:33 -0800

I was flipping through the latest Pottery Barn catalog when I came across this Peacock Melamine Tray (was $19 now $12). On one hand I think it's lovely and I absolutely adore birds. On the other, there's something rustic about it that irritates me to no end. I'm a bit torn, how about you? Would this tray find a place in your home?

Come Party With Me: Bachelorette - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:15:05 -0700

For Ronda's belly dancing themed bachelorette party, the decorations will be opulent and rich with lots of gold accents. Here's how you can achieve a similar look.

Cover the appetizer table with a raw silk brocade fabric. Peacock feather placemats add texture to the tablescape. Serve the pita rounds, Turkish cigars, lamb flatbread, and skewered shrimp on luxe teal platters. Set the fudge brownie tartlets on a golden elephant cake stand. Fill an elegant drink dispenser with lavender peach bellini and let the girls fill up the champagne coupes.

Hang festive colored lanterns from trees or the ceiling and arrange an exotic bouquet of flowers. Belly dancing jewelry is a fabulous and unexpected party favor.

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Christmas Fun Facts!

partysugar — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 01:03:39 -0800

Feliz Navidad! I hope everyone is having a fabulous Christmas. To celebrate the season I've compiled a list of fun facts that are related to Christmas. These useless tidbits are great conversation starters. For example, when you are put on the spot by your nosy old aunt, you can mention that if she received all of the presents in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" she would receive exactly 364 gifts.

For more interesting facts about Christmas, read more.

Holly berries are poisonous.

Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in just six weeks.
Coca-cola was the first beverage company to use Santa as part of their winter promotion. The character that we know as Santa was the one they used on their Coke cans.
Swan, goose, and peacock were all once consumed at lavish Christmas meals.
Over 1.76 billion candy canes are produced during Christmas.

Christmas was banned in Boston in the late 1600s because the Pilgrims believed it was too decadent. Anyone spreading Christmas cheer was fined.
The story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally written as a sales gimmick by the Montgomery Ward Company in 1939.
Gingerbread houses came into popularity after the Brothers Grimm wrote the story of Hansel & Gretel.
Candy canes were originally given to children during mass. The treat was rewarded to kids who behaved while in church.

Got a fun fact about Christmas? Please share with me below!

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2007 James Beard Award Winners

YumSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:15:12 -0700

Last night the who's who of the food world all came out for the James Beard Foundation Awards. If you're not sure what that is, let me just say that it's sort of like the Oscars of the food world. They give awards to several categories of cookbooks, journalism, chefs, media, and more (including humanitarian & lifetime achievement awards). The "They" is a group of Awards Committees consisting of food-industry professionals. The judges are chosen by the committees and choose the winners by reviewing all entries and voting via secret ballot. Oh and just to be fair, if you're a judge, you can't enter to win in that category.

So now that all the rules and regulations are spelled out let's talk about the winners. The big "star" of the night was David Chang (pictured) of Momofuku in New York who won the award for Rising Star Chef of Year. Also noteworthy was Traci Des Jardins of Rubicon here in San Francisco, she was one of the few female chefs to win anything (she won the Pacific regional award for Best Chef).

For the list of winners and a gallery of folks on the red carpet, including: Martha Stewart, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi with NY's Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Salman Rushdie and Bobby Flay (who was inducted into the Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America), read more

Winners list after the gallery. Check out the James Beard Foundation website for a full list of winners (including nominees).

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RESTAURANT AND CHEF AWARDS

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Thomas Keller of The French Laundry
Outstanding Chef Award
Michel Richard of Michel Richard Citronelle
Outstanding Restaurant Award
Frontera Grill Chef/Owners: Rick and Deann Bayless
Best New Restaurant
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Rising Star Chef Of The Year
David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar
Outstanding Pastry Chef Award
Michael Laskonis of Le Bernardin
Outstanding Wine Service Award
Michel Richard Citronelle - Wine Director: Mark Slater
Outstanding Wine And Spirits Professional Award
Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards
Outstanding Service Award
Tru Owners: Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand, and Richard Melman

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

Best Chef: Great Lakes
Grant Achatz Of Alinea

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
R. J. Cooper III of Vidalia
Frank Ruta of Palena

Best Chef: Midwest
Celina Tio of The American Restaurant

Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
David Waltuck of Chanterelle

Best Chef: Northeast
Frank Mcclelland of L’espalier
Best Chef: Northwest
John Sundstrom of Lark

Best Chef: Pacific
Traci Des Jardins of Jardinière

Best Chef: Southeast
Scott Peacock of Watershed

Best Chef: Southwest
Nobuo Fukuda of Sea Saw

Best Chef: South
Donald Link of Herbsaint

AMERICA’S CLASSICS

Aunt Carrie’s Owner: Elsie Foy
Brookville Hotel Owners: Mark and Connie Martin
Doe’s Eat Place Owners: The Signa Family
The Pickwick Owner: Christopher Wisocki
Primanti Brothers President: Demetrios Patrinos
Weaver D’s Owner: Dexter Weaver

BOOK AWARDS

Cookbook of the Year
The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Matt Lee and Ted Lee
Cookbook Hall of Fame
Moosewood Cookbook
Mollie Katzen
Asian Cooking
Cradle of Flavor
James Oseland
Baking and Desserts
Baking: From My Home to Yours
Dorie Greenspan
Cooking from a Professional Point of View
Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse’s Desserts and Pastries
Alain Ducasse and Frédéric Robert
Entertaining and Special Occasions
The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining
Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
Food of the Americas
The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook
Matt Lee and Ted Lee
General
Tasty: Get Great Food on the Table Every Day
Roy Finamore
Healthy Focus
Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way
Lorna Sass
International
The Soul of a New Cuisine
Marcus Samuelsson
Reference
What to Eat
Marion Nestle
Single Subject
The Essence of Chocolate
John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg
Wine and Spirits
Romancing the Vine
Alan Tardi
Writing on Food
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Michael Pollan
Photography
Michael Mina
Photographer: Karl Petzke

HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR

Art Smith

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Barbara Kafka

WHO’S WHO OF FOOD & BEVERAGE IN AMERICA

José Andrés
Jim Clendenen
Bobby Flay
Dorie Greenspan
Michael Pollan

Full list of winners - including nominees

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Foodie King Charlemagne

partysugar — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:07:19 -0700

Today is the birthday of the great Medieval king, Charlemagne who you'll know most likely from your sixth grade history class as being a great emperor. But did you know that he was also a tremendous foodie? You know I have a thing for famous foodies and fun facts so read on:

He was a fan of stinky cheeses and his favorite was Roquefort.
He is thought to have civilized humankind by introducing the knife as silverware.
The peacock was first served during his reign.
He invented the German dish, Sauerbraten: slow cooked stew made of beef marinated in a sour-sweet marinade for 2 to 3 days.

Know something else about Charlemagne, or any other fun food facts in general? Please share them below!

Source: Food Reference