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Yummy Link: Learn About Pecorino Romano

partysugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:31:31 -0800

Who knew that pecorino romano is an ancient Italian cheese whose recipe has remained the same throughout time? Fascinating! For more on pecorino, read this quick but interesting profile. - Vanilla Garlic

Yummy Links: Bacon Cupcakes

YumSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 08:28:39 -0700

I'm a firm believer that everything tastes better with bacon. Even cupcakes. - Vanilla Garlic via Tastespotting

What Would You Make???

partysugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:28:33 -0700

Ok here's the scenario: you are at home and hungry for food. You have to make something delicious for you and your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/child/friend but the ingredients you have from the grocery store are limited.

You have several uncooked chicken breasts, a batch of fresh arugula, and a log of herbed goat cheese. Using only the products you currently have in your cupboard and refrigerator, what would you make???

To see the list of ingredients you do have on hand, and to see what I would cook up, read more

I would start by chopping one onion and several cloves of garlic. I would add these to a pan and saute until tender.
Next I would add a can of diced tomatoes and the chicken. I would simmer until the chicken is cooked through and meanwhile, boil and cook the pasta.
I would dress the arugula with salt and pepper, lemon juice and olive oil.
Once the pasta is cooked I would add it to the sauce and toss to combine.
To plate I would pile the chicken and pasta sauce in the middle of a shallow bowl. I would top with a helping of the arugula salad and crumble the fresh herbed goat cheese all over the dish.

Now you know what I would make, how about you, what would you make??

In the fridge you have:
milk
butter
eggs
parmesan cheese
ketchup
mayonnaise
mustard
soy sauce
lemons

In the cupboard you have:
garlic
onions
potatoes
extra-virgin olive oil
vegetable oil
cooking spray
vinegar
hot pepper sauce
Worcestershire sauce
dried pasta
canned tomatoes
canned tuna
flour
granulated sugar
brown sugar
baking powder
baking soda
pure vanilla extract
peanut butter
chocolate chips
nuts

In the spice rack you have:
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper
crushed red pepper
chili powder
paprika
ground cumin
bay leaves
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg

Source, Source, Source

Yummy Link: Lemongrass Pudding

YumSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:15:05 -0700

My mom recently gave me a bunch of lemongrass to plant in my garden. It's nowhere near ready to harvest, so I'll have to buy some to whip up a batch of this lemongrass pudding. - Vanilla Garlic

Yummy Link: Chocolate and Pink Peppercorn Cupcakes

YumSugar — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:18:31 -0800

I love spicy chocolate, there's something about it that is just so warming. That's why these chocolate and pink peppercorn cupcakes with chocolate ganache are going directly to the top of my must-bake list. - Vanilla Garlic

Yummy Link: Kiwi Sorbet

YumSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:01:18 -0800

Even though winter is hitting many of us hard, sometimes a frosty treat really hits the spot; especially when it's made with fresh fruit. That's why this kiwi sorbet has caught my attention. I'm going to pull the covers up, turn the heater on and indulge! - Vanilla Garlic

Yummy Link: Chocolate Peppermint Drop-Cookies

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 03:18:39 -0800

If you're looking for a great cookie to nibble on while you decorate for the holidays, try these Chocolate Peppermint Drop-Cookies. - Vanilla Garlic

Come Party With Me: How The Grinch Stole Christmas Watching Party

YumSugar — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 08:46:08 -0800

Looking for an informal yet celebratory reason to entertain this season? Hold a get together where you make a comforting dinner and watch your dearest holiday special/movie/television show. The original cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is my choice for this party, but BuzzSugar has a list of other holiday classics and holiday-ish films for you to choose from. To make the menu and get all the party details, read more

Invites: Make an invite that has a picture of the show you are going to watch. To change things up make a long and skinny invite the size of a legal, everyday envelope by folding a piece of evergreen card stock in half. On the front paste a long and skinny picture of the Grinch. On the inside write (or you could print out the info on a piece of colored paper, cut with crinkled scissors for a festive feel, and paste inside the card) the facts of the party (time, date, place, occasion...). Slide the card into a chartreuse envelope and send to your invitees.

Menu: Take a classic concept: the TV dinner, and redo it for a finger-licking, melt-in-your-mouth, lip-smacking good meal (think old school recipes updated). Have shrimp cocktail waiting for your guests to arrive and during the show serve pancetta wrapped meatloaf sandwiches, smoked gouda mac and cheese and green beans with parsley and garlic. For dessert: apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

Decorations: As this party revolves around watching a show on the television and most of us don't have private home theaters, set up pillows, blankets, fur cushions and TV dinner trays in your living room. Light a fire to warm the room and dim the lights or turn off the lights and light a few candles. The number of guests you invite should be proportional to the size of your sofa. Everyone should fit comfortably into your living room. Pile up everyone's plates, fill their glasses and then sit down to relax, eat and watch.

Music: Once again, the point of this party is to watch a show on television so music is not a large part of the equation. Put your iPod on shuffle and let it do the work for you. Turn off the music for the show and restart the playlist for dessert.

Drinks: With the shrimp cocktail offer guests a champagne cocktail in the form of a Kir Royale. During the show drink a Medium-bodied silky red wine (i.e. Chianti, Malbec, Rioja). For a non-alcoholic option offer ginger ale and sparkling water.