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How-To: 14 Tips For Being a Gracious Guest

casasugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:00:50 -0800

Thanksgiving is all about family, food, and remembering our blessings. Yesterday, I gave you tips on how to keep your cool if you're hosting Thanksgiving. But if you're spending Thanksgiving dinner as a guest, you have responsibilities as well! Perhaps the best way to thank your host family for their hard work is by acting like a gracious guest. Check out my 14 tips for being a guest they'll remember (in a good way) for years to come. Source

All the News That's Fit to Eat — Nov. 26, 2008

YumSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:30:31 -0800

Put together the perfect cheese platter this Thanksgiving. — Los Angeles Times
Turkey hotline operators reveal the biggest trends in turkey over the past 20 years. — Washington Post
This holiday season, try these gluten-free desserts on for size. — The Oregonian
Stay calm during the holidays by running your kitchen like a business leader. — New York Times
Why demand for Beajolais nouveau has been on the decline. — Wall Street Journal
A new book by British food journalist Bee Wilson uncovers the history of food fraud. — Boston Globe
A shopping list guarantees you won't miss any ingredient. — Chicago Tribune
Master these 10 techniques, and you'll be set for a lifetime of Thanksgiving dinners.— San Francisco Chronicle

Source

Thanksgiving Tip: Make an Oven Plan

partysugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:45:15 -0800

If you are hosting Thanksgiving tomorrow, it's most likely your oven is going to see a lot of action. To ensure that everything gets cooked, I suggest making an oven plan to keep you organized. Here's how:

Start by listing every dish that needs oven time. Write the name of the dish, the temperature it cooks at, and how long it takes to bake/roast.
Take note of which dishes can be made in advance and which can be cooked at the same time.
Make an oven time frame. For example, bake the pie in the morning, the turkey in the afternoon, and while the turkey rests, cook any other side (sweet potatoes, cornbread, stuffing, etc.).

Cooking a bunch of dishes on the stove? Adapt this plan to include stovetop space. How have you gotten organized for Thanksgiving dinner?

This Thanksgiving, Brine and Dine

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0800

Last week, I asked how many of you were planning to brine your turkeys this year. Although more than half of you responded yes, at least 20 percent of you weren't sure what a brine was!

For those of you who didn't know, brining is a cooking technique often used to maximize juiciness in cooked poultry and meat, and it's particularly popular with Thanksgiving turkeys. Various techniques recommend soaking turkey anywhere from six hours to three days in a brine, a saltwater solution that often includes herbs and sweeteners (like our must-have version). To understand how brining works,

Thanksgiving Tip: Give Your Turkey a Break

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:00:19 -0800

It's easy to get excited when the star of dinner — the Thanksgiving turkey — is done, but the key to a moist meal is to remain patient. Once you've tested the turkey with a thermometer and it's reached 160-165°F in the middle of the thigh, remove it from the oven and let the bird sit for 20 to 30 minutes.

There are several reasons for doing this. First, the temperature will continue to rise — in fact, by as much as 10°F — even after the resting bird's out of the oven. This will ensure your turkey is fully cooked.

In addition, while a turkey roasts, its juices tend to move away from the heat to the middle of the turkey. Cutting into the turkey immediately, therefore, will result in all of the juices running out.

Instead, focus your attention on the sides, and give the bird time for its juices to redistribute. Even the leanest parts of the turkey, such as its breast, will remain succulent. A juicy turkey is also significantly easier to carve than a dry one.

How long do you like to let your turkey rest? Do you have any other tips for keeping your turkey moist?

How-To: Decorating Tips From Top Design Contestants

casasugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:00:18 -0800

We've finished the second season of Top Design, but there's still plenty of material to reflect on before we bid it adieu! Recently, PointClickHome assembled 11 decorating tips from the final three contestants. I've gathered together six of these tips. For all of the contestants' tips, check out PointClickHome's article. To see my fave tips, check out the slideshow. Photos courtesy of Bravo

Use the Hair Dryer on Products, Not Just Your Head

bellasugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

My pals with choppy layers often sing the praises of dense styling products in creating their piecey looks, but don't have as many kind words for the wax itself. When one recently complained that, no matter how vigorously she rubbed her hands ("like I was trying to start a fire between them"), it still clumped when she went to put it on her head. Not so pretty.

If this sticky situation sounds familiar to you, simply hold your blow dryer up to the mouth of the jar a couple inches away and skim the top layer with circular motions for about 10 seconds. This softens the product so you can scoop and smooth easier than ever. Simple!

How-To: Prevent Eye Cream From Stinging

bellasugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:37 -0800

A few years ago, I was convinced I had major allergies. My eyes were red and watery, and they stung like hell. My eye makeup? A smudgy disaster by end of day. This is how I solved it.

Over happy hour after work, I was telling my friend Cynthia, an esthetician, about my plight. Is it ragweed? My Marlboro-puffing neighbor? Do I need heavy medication? "It's probably just your eye cream," she said. She was right.

I wasn't actually allergic to the eye cream, I was just applying it wrong. Thinking I would get maximum benefits by thoroughly tapping it in as close as possible to my lash lines, I ended up overdoing it, and I looked like a stoned mess. Cynthia recommended that I apply the product just to my orbital bone area, noting that the heat from my body would help the product travel upwards. Ah, relief — without the drowsiness. . . or munchies.

Source

Thanksgiving Tip: Stock Up Early

YumSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:00:46 -0800

If you're hosting Thanksgiving at your house, then hopefully you've started planning your menu. Once you've decided on the menu lineup, don't wait to stock up on seasonal essentials. Three days before, shop for herbs, spices, seasonings, and other specialty Thanksgiving ingredients, as they'll be the first to go out of stock at the store. These include items such as:

Fresh cranberries
Herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and sage

To see other items I suggest stockpiling,

How-To: Conceal Under the Eyes

bellasugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:00:19 -0800

Whether it was a boozy late night or you inherited them from your Aunt Martha, dark circles under the eyes are often unavoidable. So, if you've been seeing the blues (or purples), I've got some easy directions on how to reduce the appearance of these unwanted tones below:

Choose the right concealer: Pick a color about one-half of a shade to one shade lighter than your foundation. Going too light will only amplify the area you want to conceal. Yellowish shades will work best for masking those bluish-purple tones. Try the cream-based Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer ($22) or Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer ($5.49).
Moisturize: Earlier, I shared with you some of my favorite makeup tips from Robert Jones, and among them, he says to prep the skin before concealing with a generous dollop of eye cream. Concealers are more dense than foundations and are formulated to cover, so you want to make sure that you're nice and hydrated to avoid cakey lines.

To see the rest of my tips,