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10 Sandwiches to Jazz Up Your Lunchbox

Katie Sweeney — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:44:44 PDT

Portable and delicious, the sandwich was virtually made to be enjoyed at lunchtime, and everyone from the average kindergartner to the president of the United States has been known to eat them come noon. I'm a fan of bringing my lunch to work and am always looking for ways to make the sandwich more exciting. To encourage you to pack a lunch instead of purchasing one during the workweek, here are 10 scrumptious sandwiches.

Trail Mix Two Ways - Sweet and Savory

Susannah Chen — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 04:00:38 PDT

With the leaves turning all manner of golden blond, brown, and red, organize a meditative afternoon hike through the outdoors to appreciate the changing Fall foliage. Bring your family and friends, and keep their appetites at bay by offering an irresistible homemade version of trail mix. The Halloween-eager sweet tooth won't be able to resist a sophisticated spin on gorp that incorporates cinnamon spice and flakes of tropical coconut. For more of a salty mix, try an Asian-inspired medley of puffed rice, dry-roasted peas, and sesame sticks. Or, if you can't choose just one, make both - they'll only take a few minutes to toss together. See the recipes when you read on.

Summer of Salads: French Fingerling Potato Salad

YumSugar — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:00:28 PDT

Move over, classic and German potato salad. I like you both a lot, really, but I've found a new Summer obsession, and it's called French potato salad. How do I love thee, French potato salad? Let me count the ways: You're a class act, with your dainty fingerling potatoes and your sherry vinaigrette. You can satisfy even the fiercest of mayonnaise-dressing haters, and you're lighter on the calories. You can be made in well under 30 minutes and taste delicious warm or cold, made on the spot or in advance. You're portable and work well with any lunchbox sandwich, especially the hearty bistro kind (or at a movie in the park picnic). Oh, and you're naturally gluten free, sugar free, and vegan, so you please everybody. And no, you're not too good to be true. Seeing is believing; just read more.

Summer of Salads: Pearl Couscous With Roasted Tomatoes

partysugar — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:00:05 PDT

During the Summer, I love to experiment with different salad recipes. There's a plethora of fruits and vegetables to choose from at the market, and the hot weather almost requires salads as a side dish. Since I had never cooked with Israeli couscous, I recently made this scrumptious salad. Israeli couscous, or pearl couscous as it's sometimes called, is larger than regular couscous and has a chewy texture and orzo-like starchiness. It can be mixed with just about anything, but this recipe coats it in a roasted tomato and garlic dressing before tossing it with tomatoes, black olives, and tons of fresh herbs. The resulting salad is easy to transport and would be great for a picnic. Serve with grilled meat at a barbecue or, for a lighter meal, a chunk of hard cheese and grilled bread. Trust me, this salad recipe is a keeper! Get it now.

Come Party With Me: Bachelorette Dinner - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:15:09 PDT

Next month, my friends and I will head to Calistoga for a bachelorette party. We've rented a house and will take the weekend to honor the bride, Melissa, with pool time, good eats, and lots of wine. On Friday night I am planning the dinner. I'll do the majority of the cooking at the house, but want to make the dessert in advance. This way, once the celebratory meal gets started, I won't have to worry about anything else. Since everyone loves chocolate, I'm baking these easy-to-transport caramel-coconut fudge brownies.

Don't be intimidated, the recipe is simple and instead of calling for a homemade caramel sauce, it uses chewy caramel candies. These brownies are portable and crowd-pleasing - making them delectable for any Summer picnic. Check out the method when you

Roasted Root Veggies for Babies and Adults too!

lauren — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:54:40 PST

Recipe from Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, Homemade, Delicious Foods for 6 to 18 Months

My niece has some of the best eating habits of any one-year-old. Again, I attribute this largely to the dedication of my brother and his wife to expose her to a wide variety of foods. Now that my niece has just started getting some teeth she has started moving from puree to more solids. This recipe for roasted veggies is great for babies and just as wonderful for adults too! Also, any root veggie will work just pick something that is in season.

INGREDIENTS

2 carrots
2 parsnips
1 sweet potato or yam
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400. Peel your root veggies. Carefully slice all of the veggies to roughly the same size.
Put the vegetables in a glass or ceramic baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cook for 15-20 minutes.I tossed mine in a small bowl and then cooked the root vegetables on a tin-foil lined cookie sheet.
If your child is small, you can puree it or chop it into the appropriate size for your child.

Makes 2 cups.

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Reader Recipe: Potato Soup

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:00:47 PST

Soup is one of my favorite meals to enjoy year-round, so when I caught this shot of homemade bacon and potato soup, I started salivating. All Mansionmogul did was free-form this recipe, and I dreamt of a steaming hot bowl of this velvety, chunky soup sitting in front of me, the grated cheese topping already in a blissful state of melted gooeyness.

Make this soup - perfect for a cold Winter night - when you

read more.
Submitted by TeamSugar member Mansionmogul

Potato Soup
Original Recipe

So I made Potato Soup this week, and it turned out really awesome. I totally improvised and used basically just what we had around. The base is mostly mashed potatoes + water + dairy (of some sort). Add your accoutrements as desired.

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, baked or fried and crumbled 2 medium onions, chopped 2 carrots, chopped (if desired) 2 stalks celery, chopped (if desired) 1 cup corn (if desired) 3 pound (about 5 large) potatoes 3 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream + 2 cup whole milk (I didn't have sour cream on-had so ended up using 2 cups heavy cream and some extra milk to thin it out) 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter 1 tbsp black pepper 1 tbsp smoked paprika 4 scallions, thinly sliced (if you have them) 3/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (for garnish)

Directions
I started with a basic recipe for potato soup and then improvised and changed it to what I wanted - you can change it up however you want. Start by browning your onions, in the bottom of a large pot. Then add the celery and carrots and heat through. I peeled and cut half of the potatoes into thirds, and chopped up the second half into smaller pieces, leaving the skins on. Place all the potatoes in a large pot with water to cover, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the smaller potatoes are cooked but not too soft. I then separated the smaller potato chunks out to go into the pot (if you can think of a better way of doing this, let me know!). I cooked the remaining potatoes until they were very soft -- about 45 minutes. Drain the potatoes, discarding all but a tablespoon or two of the water, and return them to the pot. Mash them with a potato masher until smooth. Add the sour cream and butter and stir until melted. Add the mashed potatoes to the large pot with the milk, pepper, bacon, corn, and remaining salt and smoked paprika and bring the soup back to a simmer. Divide among 8 bowls and serve the soup hot, garnished with scallions, cheese, and bacon. Makes 4 Servings

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Reader Recipe: Chicken Salad in Celery Ribs

YumSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:00:08 PST

Whenever I find myself in need of creative inspiration, I simply look to the Kitchen Goddess group. This week, I came across a killer app - mini celery boats stuffed with chicken salad and peas. I'm thinking these would make a great appetizer to bring to my next book club, since they're bite sized and not too messy. Apparently, I'm spot on: Jenious says they're such a big hit at gatherings that she always doubles the recipe. To make these for your next get-together,

read more. Submitted by TeamSugar member Jenious

Chicken Salad with Peas in Celery Ribs
Adapted from a recipe by Mary Barber and Sara Corpening for Food & Wine.

Easy to make, can be made ahead and assembled upon arrival or the day of the event. Adjust to your preferences by swapping herbs like dried Italian herbs or dill. Depending on desired consistency you can also adjust the amounts of chicken, mayo, and cream cheese. A toothpick in each helps guests serve themselves. Pulse in a food processor prior to adding peas and, talk about easy! I double the recipe since it's always a hit at gatherings.

Ingredients

8 wide celery ribs, trimmed 1/3 cup cream cheese (2 ounces), softened 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil 2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon 2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1/2 pound cooked chicken breast, finely chopped or shredded 1/2 cup frozen baby peas, thawed 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the celery ribs so they sit flat, then cut them on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths. In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, basil, tarragon, parsley and lemon zest. Add the chicken, peas, and onion and stir gently until just combined. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the chicken salad onto each piece of celery.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Chicken Potpie Empanadas

partysugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:45:08 PDT

The classic chicken potpie gets a portable makeover in this delicious recipe. Although a traditional potpie, with its homemade dough and slow-cooked chicken, takes time to make, this shortcut version uses refrigerated pie crusts and rotisserie chicken to cut the cook time. Kids will especially enjoy these empanadas because they require no eating utensils. For the recipe please,

Will You Buy an Upgraded PSP 3000?

GeekSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:00:09 PDT

I'm a fan of the PSP. It's got some amazing graphic capabilities, and since one of my favorite games is on the PSP, it's totally handy to have with me when I travel. But if I'm being honest, the PSP does have its drawbacks; most notably being the screen glare! I love that I can watch movies more comfortably than I could with my iPod, but contorting the console to get the best angle while on the go is kind of a bummer.

So the announcement of the spruced-up PSP, called the PSP 3000 – which will hit European markets in October – has me anticipating an upgrade. The $250 dollar PSP 3000 will have an improved LCD screen with reduced glare, so I can play games and watch videos outside comfortably, and will also boast a built-in mic for all those Skype calls I'll be making.

Since I'm still not sure how many of you own a PSP, tell me, will you buy a PSP 3000 when it hits the States?

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