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Yummy Links: From Vegetarianism to Breakfast

partysugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:15:51 -0700

This week's episode of Top Chef brought to light four myths about vegetarian cooking. - Jezebel
New York City's food bloggers are playing musical chairs. - Grub Street NY
Are these 10 items really the world's scariest foods? - Concierge
Still looking for a cocktail to serve on Halloween? Make full moon punch. - Chow
A roundup of November's Thanksgiving-themed magazines. - Eat Me Daily
Top Chef Masters season two has started filming, so Angelenos be on the lookout for competing chefs. - Eater
Cod with tarragon-anchovy breadcrumbs is a delicious dinner. - Serious Eats
Learn what people around the world are eating for breakfast. - Woman's Day

Come Party With Me: All Hallow's Eve - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:00:46 -0700

It's T minus two days until your big Halloween party! Since nobody wants to spend the entire night mixing cocktails, serve a punch. It's quenches the thirst of a crowd and is easy to make. All you have to do is dump the ingredients into a cauldron and stir. This potent concoction is a mixture of passion fruit vodka, cranberry juice, ginger ale, and sparkling apple cider. To achieve a smoldering affect, you'll have to get your hands on dry ice, but if you don't have time to seek it out, the punch is still enjoyable without the smoke. Also, stock up on beer or order a keg. To check out the apple punch recipe, read more.

Wicked Witch Apple Punch
From Skky

Ingredients

1 750 ml bottle Skyy Infusions Passion Fruit
1 750 ml bottle sparkling apple cider
1 64 oz. bottle cranberry juice cocktail
1 Liter ginger ale
2 cups pineapple juice
Red apple slices

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large black witch’s cauldron with ice and stir.
Garnish with large slices of red apple floating on top and if desired, dry ice.

Serves 12-14.

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Come Party With Me: Pumpkin Carving - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:21 -0700

Not only is my annual pumpkin carving party about creating cool pumpkins, it's also about celebrating the flavors of Fall.

To get people in the mood to party, I'll be pouring a potent punch made from pear nectar and sparkling apple cider. It's fruity, bubbly, and refreshing - what more could you ask for in a punch?

In case people want to imbibe something other than hard alcohol, I've asked my guests to bring an assortment of seasonal ales and sparkling sodas. To check out the easy punch recipe, which would be welcome at any large event, read more.

Pear and Sparkling Cider Cocktails
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 cups pear nectar, chilled
2 cups sparkling apple cider, chilled
2 cups seltzer, chilled
4 ounces (1/2 cup) bourbon whiskey, such as Knob Creek
1 Bosc pear, unpeeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 8 wedges

Directions

Stir together pear nectar, cider, seltzer, and whiskey in a pitcher.
Divide pear wedges among glasses, and pour in cocktail. Serve immediately.

Serves 8-10.

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Come Party With Me: Harvest Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:48 -0700

During the main meal at my harvest-themed dinner party, I'll pair the chicken and risotto with wine. However, before we sit down to the table, I want to treat guests to a luxurious champagne cocktail.

Since a punch easily quenches the thirst of a crowd, I'll be mixing a large bowl of classic champagne punch. The cocktail gets its rosy hue from chambord, a raspberry-flavored liquor.

With the poached pear dessert, I'll let guests sip a sweet late harvest wine. To check out the recipe I'll be using for the punch, keep reading.

Come Party With Me: Technicolor Luau - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:00:20 -0700

When Fab first asked me to help host her technicolor luau, I envisioned serving a fabulous layered tiki cocktail. However, deep down, I knew there was no way I could offer this kind of cocktail because it's too much work and I would end up spending the entire night behind the bar! To make things easier, I'll serve a tropical rum punch instead. The super-simple recipe can be multiplied for a large crowd. It combines light and dark rum with fresh squeezed orange juice, mango nectar, and pineapple juice. It's a potent, yet refreshing drink, that's sure to get any party started. To look at the recipe, read more.

Rum Punch
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

80 mint leaves, torn or thinly
8 ounces light rum
8 ounces aged rum
8 ounces fresh orange juice
8 ounces mango nectar or juice
4 ounces pineapple juice
Ice
8 pineapple wedges

Directions

In a pitcher, combine all of the ingredients except the ice and pineapple wedges and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Stir well and serve over ice in red wine glasses. Garnish each drink with a pineapple wedge.

Serves 8.

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Come Party With Me: Outdoor Concert - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:45:09 -0700

Why do I love sangria so much? Let me count the ways. It's wildly delicious and refreshing. It can easily satisfy a crowd and tastes best when made in advance. Essentially, sangria recipes takes inexpensive wine and turns it into something extraordinary. Oh, and it's perfect for sipping in the Summer at an outdoor concert!

Simply make in a pitcher with a lid and pack in a cooler. This recipe uses no hard alcohol, but instead combines wine with fresh fruit. The ingredient list calls for strawberries, peaches, and bananas, but any combination of fruit works well. To take a look at it, read more.

Sangria
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1/ 2 pound strawberries, washed and halved
2 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
juice and rind of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 bottles ordinary red wine
ice

Directions
In a large pitcher put strawberries, peaches, bananas, the lemon juice and rind, sugar, and cinnamon. Add red wine and stir the mixture thoroughly, mashing the fruit slightly. Let the sangria stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, add about 20 ice cubes and stir the mixture briskly until it is ice cold.

Serves 8-10.

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Happy Hour: Blackberry and Cabernet Caipirinha

partysugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:00:12 -0700

After being inspired by San Francisco Cocktail Week, I've decided that this Summer, I'm going to experiment with different spirits and mixers. First up is the Brazilian sugarcane rum known as cachaça. The caipirinha is the classic cocktail that features cachaça. Normally it consists of muddled lime and sugar, but this recipe takes a sangria-like approach to the drink and combines the potent rum with red wine, fresh citrus juice, and smashed blackberries.

The final concoction is punchy, flavorful, and wildly fruity. Be careful though: while this caipirinha is perfect for sipping on a warm afternoon, it's a deceptively potent cocktail. Enjoy one too many and you may end up passed out on the couch. The straightforward recipe is ideal for a party because it's easy to double (or triple as I did) the batch. It requires at least one hour of chill time, so mix it well before your event begins. Check out the recipe and read more.

Blackberry and Cabernet Caipirinha
From Duggan McDonnell of Cantina

Ingredients

24 blackberries
4 ounces simple syrup
12 ounces cachaça (potent Brazilian sugarcane spirit)
4 ounces Cabernet Sauvignon
8 ounces fresh orange juice
2 ounces fresh lime juice
Ice
6 lime wheels and 6 orange wheels

Directions

In a pitcher, muddle 12 of the blackberries with the simple syrup.
Add the cachaça, Cabernet, and the orange and lime juices and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
Stir well and strain the drink into ice-filled white wine glasses. Garnish with the remaining 12 blackberries and the lime and orange wheels.

Makes 6 drinks.

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Come Party With Me: Memorial Day - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:50:39 -0700

No Memorial Day celebration should be without strawberries. The plump juicy berries are at the peak of their season now, so take advantage of them! You could incorporate them into an appetizer, salad, or dessert, but why not use this luscious fruit to mix up a tantalizing cocktail? This punch recipe serves a crowd (18 people!) and is packed with vibrant flavors. Vodka is combined with Cointreau and ginger ale to make a drink that is fizzy and refreshing. Although it calls for frozen cherries, if they have already popped up at your farmers market, substitute fresh.

Don't forget plenty of beer, wine, water, and sodas - it is a party! For the recipe to the jewel punch, read more.

Jewel Punch
From Every Day With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1 liter ginger ale, chilled
Three 12-ounce bags frozen cherries
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
3 cups purple grape juice, chilled
1 1/2 cups vodka
1/4 cup Cointreau or triple sec
Ice, for serving

Directions

Combine the ginger ale, cherries, strawberries, grape juice, vodka and Cointreau in a punch bowl or large pitcher and stir well.
Pour into ice-filled glasses and enjoy!

Serves 18.

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Come Party With Me: Inauguration - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:10:08 -0800

Although it's named after a city in Massachusetts, Cohasset Punch is a classic concoction native to Chicago. Since the menu of my Inauguration kickoff party is Chicago themed, in honor of Barack Obama's old home, the signature drink should be a cocktail with origins in the Windy City. A favorite since before World War I, Cohasset Punch is a mixture of rum, Grand Marnier, and canned peach syrup. Along with the punch, offer guests a small selection of beer, wine, and sodas. To learn how to make the Cohasset cocktail, read more.

Cohasset Punch
From The Wall Street Journal

Ingredients

1½ oz dark rum
1 oz sweet vermouth
juice of ½ lemon
½ oz syrup from canned peaches
½ oz Grand Marnier
2 dashes orange bitters

Directions

Start by putting half a canned peach in the bottom of a saucer champagne glass; then half-fill the glass with shaved ice.
Put all the liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into the glass.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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All the News That's Fit to Eat - Dec. 31, 2008

partysugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:30:15 -0800

Punch is making a classic comeback. - Los Angeles Times
How caramel and salt became a delightful match. - New York Times
Five healthy recipes to start the new year off right. - Washington Post
One cookbook recovers New Orleans's favorite recipes. - San Francisco Chronicle
Fall in love with Ina Garten. - Chicago Tribune
It's easy and delicious to cook with sherry. - The Sacramento Bee

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