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Yum's June Must Haves

partysugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:50:42 -0700

This morning when I woke up and realized it was the first day of June, only one thought came to mind: hello Summer! With its warm weather and long days, June is a perfect time for outdoor cooking and alfresco entertaining. Whether you're hosting a chic soirée by the pool or packing up your family for a picnic in the park, here are six items that will make your month magnificent and memorable.

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Happy Hour: Tinto de Verano

partysugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:00:28 -0700

Spain's cheap variation of sangria, the tinto de verano, is quite simply a red-wine spritzer. Refreshing and delicious, this concoction is my go-to drink when I'm in the mood for something light. This easily drinkable cocktail is a delightful alternative to beer and wine.

Choose a mixer that suits your tastebuds: sparkling water, Pelligrino Limonata, and Squirt are variations that I've made, and always garnish with a fresh lemon wedge. To learn how I recently made this version, which uses Hansen's new sparkling water, read more.

Tinto de Verano
Original recipe from PartySugar

Ingredients

red wine
sparkling water
Hansen's cranberry grapefruit sparkling water*
lemon wedge, for garnish

Directions

Fill a large wine glass, goblet, or Tom Collins glass with ice.
Fill 2/3 full with the red wine. Top with sparkling water until glass is all but half an inch filled.
Top with sparkling cranberry grapefruit water. Garnish with a lemon wedge and enjoy immediately!

Makes 1 drink.

*This drink should be made to your liking. If you prefer more sparkling juice than sparkling water, do it!

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Off to Market Recap: Wine Cooler

partysugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:18:39 -0800

Last week, I told you about DearSugar's search for a wine cooler to give at Christmas. She always gives me wonderful advice, so I agreed to research wine refrigerators. I asked you to help Dear and me by hunting for an extraordinary wine cooler. You looked for fridges that have dual-temperature settings, can hold more than 30 bottles, and are free standing and attractive. You saved the wine fridges in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Wine Cooler.

The fridge that Dear plans on purchasing is one that both gruaig_rua and emalove discovered. This wine cooler holds up to 50 bottles, is totally freestanding, and has chrome, pullout shelves. Thanks ladies! For more options browse through below.

Get more info on bookmarking when you read geeksugar's informative article.

Off To Market: Wine Cooler

partysugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:13:39 -0800

My good friend DearSugar is searching for a wine cooler to gift at Christmas. She always gives me wonderful advice, so I agreed to research wine refrigerators. Can you help Dear and I hunt for an extraordinary wine cooler? Look for fridges that have dual temperature settings and can hold more than 30 bottles. It should be free standing and attractive. Bookmark the wine fridges you find in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Wine Cooler. On behalf of DearSugar and myself, thank you!

Get more info on bookmarking when you read geeksugar's informative article. To check out a list of my favorite online shops, read more

Bed, Bath & Beyond
CB2
Cooking.com
Crate & Barrel
Ikea
Linens and Things
NapaStyle
Pier 1
Plum Party
Pottery Barn
Sur La Table
Target
Restoration Hardware
Williams Sonoma
Wishing Fish
World Market

Off to Market Recap: Pink Kitchen

partysugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 09:15:49 -0700

Pink is my favorite color. Call me crazy, but if I had to marry a color, it would be pink. Since it's Breast Cancer Awareness month, I thought it would be a great time to pack my kitchen with pink! Lots of companies are selling pink kitchen tools or pink linens with proceeds that go towards the cure.

Since I love the idea of getting pink kitchen supplies while doing something good for the world, I asked you to help me find the most fabulous pink kitchen supplies. You bookmarked your discoveries in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag Pink Kitchen. There was an amazing selection of all things pink, from rolling pins to onion goggles.

I loved the 48-piece pink food storage set, but my favorite find was this pink crystal wine cooler. A girl after my own heart, aimeeb says it's something "every girl needs"! Thanks to everyone who participated! If you are interested in pinking out your kitchen, browse below for ideas.

For more on how to bookmark, refer to geeksugar's guide.

YumSugar Gift Guide: Wacky White Elephant

partysugar — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:54:13 -0800

A White Elephant is a type of gift exchange in which each guest is asked to bring an anonymous wrapped gift. Usually, there is a maximum amount of money that can be spent, and oftentimes the gifts are unpractical and eccentric. If you are attending a White Elephant party bring fun shaped ice cube trays. A set of Emeril's spices are hysterical and could provoke conversation about the future of Food Network. However, my favorite gift is this chicken kitchen timer. It's ten percent bizarre and 90 percent practical. I definitely wouldn't buy it for myself, but it would be fun to get at a White Elephant gift exchange.

For more wacky White Elephant gifts, browse below.

Ice cube tray ($1.99)	Chicken Kitchen Timer ($8.95)
Veggie Ornaments ($9.99)	Wine Bottle Gift Bags ($12.95)
Essence Assortment (Set of 4) by Emeril Lagasse ($14.95)	Way Cool Way Hot Mini-Fridge ($130.00)

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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Come Party With Me: Farmers Market Feast - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:30:53 -0700

Turn your patio or backyard into an inviting and eclectic dining space for a meal inspired by the freshness of the farmers market. Set up a wooden table and put a placemat in front of each seat. Place a blue plate, napkin, low glass tumbler, and silverware on the placemats. Avoid being matchy matchy; instead mix prints and patterns all in the same color scheme. Arrange different-sized recycled metal lanterns into a centerpiece. To ensure that guests don't have to make a trip back inside for a cold beverage, fill a barrel cooler with ice, wine, and carafes of watermelon-rum mash. Skip the fancy floral arrangements normally associated with dinner parties. Head to a local home store and pick up some plantable flowers like petunias.

Place them in planters boxes near the dining area and you'll enjoy them all Summer long!

Source

Come Party With Me: Rehearsal Dinner - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:00:23 -0700

At a rehearsal dinner, don't go overboard with the alcohol. The last thing you'll (whether you're the bride, maid of honor, or a guest) want to deal with on the big day is a hangover. Don't offer a full bar, instead tempt guests with one cocktail, beer, wine, and sodas. When making special toasts, sip sparkling wine. For Ronda's backyard soirée, I'm making a batch of limoncello spritzers with mint.

The light fizzy concoction is festive and fits with the relaxed Italian theme. This delightful cooler is a refreshing start to any Summer menu, so get the recipe now and read more.

Limoncello Spritzers With Mint
Modified from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

Limoncello:
2 pounds lemons (about 10 large)
1 (750-ml) bottle 100-proof vodka
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
Spritzers:
Ice cubes
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup club soda

Directions

To make limoncello: Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Place the lemon peels in a 1-quart jar. Pour the vodka over the peels and screw on the lid. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 1 week at room temperature.
Stir the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely, then stir in the vodka mixture.
Strain the liquids into bottles, pressing on the peels to extract as much liquid as possible. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
To make spritzers: Fill 4 tall glasses halfway with ice. Add the mint leaves. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, coarsely crush the mint leaves into the ice. Pour some limoncello over, and stir to blend. Add a splash of club soda and serve.

Makes 2 1/2 quarts of limoncello and 4 spritzers.

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Come Party With Me: My Half Birthday - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:50:18 -0800

Months ago, I ripped this recipe for rose sangria out of Food and Wine magazine. The recipe has haunted me - I've tried to make it several times, but on each occasion, I've run into problems. The first shot I didn't realize the syrup needed a night to macerate. The second try I thought I had Port in my wine rack, but didn't. The third attempt I could no longer find fresh cranberries at the local market. However, I've decided I WILL make it for my half birthday picnic. There is plenty of time between now and then for me to make sure I have all of the necessary ingredients. A batch can be whipped up in advance and kept chilled in a cooler on the ride out to the Hog Island Oyster Company farm.

Besides the sangria, I'll pack beer, water, and champagne. To look at the recipe, read more.

Rosé Sangria With Cranberries and Apples
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 large cinnamon stick
4 allspice berries
3 whole cloves
1 star anise pod
2 cups cranberries
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
One 750-milliliter bottle Spanish rosé
1/3 cup ruby port
1/3 cup Cointreau
1/3 cup cranberry juice
Ice cubes, for serving

Directions

In a saucepan, mix the water, sugar, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and star anise. Simmer the syrup over moderately low heat for 15 minutes.
Strain into a bowl and add the cranberries and apples. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Strain the fruit, reserving the spiced syrup.
In a large pitcher, mix the rosé with the port, Cointreau, cranberry juice, fruit, and 3/4 cup of the spiced syrup. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Serve over ice.

Serves 12.

Make Ahead: the sangria can be refrigerated for up to 6 hours.

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