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Seven Summer Soups

YumSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:00:01 -0700

I used to shudder at the thought of chilled soups, until I tasted a cucumber-mint recipe that blew my mind. Then I realized: if I like guacamole and ceviche, why not cold avocado and seafood soups? If you can't get into cold soups, you can also make warm Summer soup using the season's freshest produce. I've found seven soup recipes that are all wrong for Winter but just right for right now.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Chicken and Asparagus Skillet

partysugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:30:30 -0700

Don't underestimate the power of your microwave! When cooking quick dinners, it can be an invaluable tool. In this recipe it's used to rapidly steam asparagus and summer squash.

The vegetables are topped with a chicken bacon mixture and a broth sauce. The final dish is filling and succulent. To take a look at the recipe, please

Noteworthy Nibbles — April 24-30, 2008

YumSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:11:11 -0700

Spring is food festival season, and there's no shortage of events to attend this weekend. From California to Florida and everything in between, there's an event for everyone. If something is missing from this list, let us all know about it in the comments below!

Beaufort, NC: Beaufort Wine & Food Weekend — April 23-27
Dallas, TX: Dallas Wine & Food Festival — April 23-27
Russellville, AR: Taste of the Valley — April 24
Vidalia, GA: Vidalia Onion Festival — April 24-27
Sarasota, FL: Florida Winefest and Auction — April 24-27
St. Michaels, MD: St. Michaels Food & Wine Festival — April 24-27
Mount Olive, NC: North Carolina Pickle Festival — April 25-26
Mesquite, TX: Real Texas Festival — April 25-27
Astoria, OR: Astoria Warrenton Crab & Seafood Festival — April 25-27

Pompano Beach, FL: Pompano Beach Seafood Festival — April 25-27
St. Albans, VT: Vermont Maple Festival — April 25-27
Stockton, CA: Stockton Asparagus Festival — April 25-27
New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — April 25-27, May 1-4
Greensboro, NC: Taste Carolina — April 26
San Francisco, CA: SF International Beer Festival — April 26
Petaluma, CA: Butter and Egg Days — April 26-27
Mansfield, IN: Mushroom Festival and Car Show — April 26-27
Reston, VA: Uncork the Fun — April 26-27
Lambertville, NJ: Shad Fest 2008 — April 26-27
Hana, HI: East Maui Taro Festival — April 26-27
Hunter, NY: Craft Beer & Fine Food Festival — April 26-27
South Pittsburg, TN: National Cornbread Festival — April 26-27

Passover Side: Passover Pasta Primavera

YumSugar — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 03:33:33 -0700

If you're looking for a great side dish for your Seder dinner, then give this Passover Pasta Primavera a try. In this April's issue of Gourmet magazine, Melissa Roberts uses matzo cake meal to create thin strips of pasta. Accompanied by a medley of great veg, it's a dish that everyone can enjoy. To get the recipe,

Yummy Link: Spring Panzanella

partysugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:03:51 -0700

One of my favorite recipes is Michael Chiarello's winter panzanella with mushrooms. I hadn't really put much thought into doing a Spring variation, but when I found this recipe for just that, I couldn't help but be excited! This Spring panzanella is filled with fresh asparagus and crunchy croutons. — Smitten Kitchen

Would You Rather Eat Asparagus or Broccoli?

partysugar — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 01:28:51 -0700

Source

Would You Rather Eat Asparagus or Broccoli?

Asparagus, I love the little spears.

Broccoli, it's versatile and delicious.

Neither, I prefer ______ (fill in the blank below).

Ewww, I hate both of these vegetables.

Killer Apps: Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:28:51 -0700

Growing up, I hated asparagus. I thought it tasted weird, had an odd texture and was downright lousy. These days my opinion has completely changed and I think it's one of the tastiest veggies out there. Naturally it took a piece of cured meat to change all of that. That's right, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus was how I took the plunge from asparagus hater, to asparagus lover. And while I've learned to love asparagus in most any form, there's nothing quite as tasty as when it's wrapped in pork.

The traditional recipe for prosciutto-wrapped asparagus calls for you to blanch them first. However our pals at Slashfood claim you can skip the blanching step and roast them directly. Not wanting to dirty another pan, I decided to take their advice. It came out perfectly, and made for a wonderfully quick, delicious appetizer. If you want to see how to do it — with or without blanching — just

'Wich of the Week: Truffled Grilled Cheese With Asparagus

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:13:58 -0700

I'm always looking for unexpected things to put between two slices of bread, so when GiggleSugar let me taste her asparagus panini the other day, I couldn't wait to create a similar concoction. The secret, she said, was truffle-infused Parmesan cheese she got at Bristol Farms, so I picked some up and put together my own version of the sammie.

Asparagus is both in season right now and good for you, and today's 'Wich of the Week combines the yummy Spring vegetable with equally bold cheese. The strong flavor combination is balanced out by cold-cut roasted chicken, wheat bread, and balsamic reduction sauce. For the recipe and step-by-step instructions,

Asparagus Tart Two Ways — Beginner and Expert

partysugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:01:31 -0700

One way to take advantage of Spring's glorious bounty of asparagus is to make a tart. A savory tart that highlights the pure flavor of asparagus is welcome on any Easter menu. Both scrumptious and versatile, an asparagus tart can be served as a side, a dinner, or as a part of a brunch buffet.

Since we all have different levels of culinary confidence, I've found two delicious recipes. One takes advantage of frozen puff pastry and the other makes it from scratch. Choose which one suits your cookery needs or get inspired and make your own variation. For the recipes,

Spring Forward Side: Slow-Sautéed Asparagus with Pancetta

YumSugar — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:03:31 -0800

Spring is starting to peek its little head out from the blanket of Winter. Spring vegetables — like asparagus — are starting to show up at markets, and tonight we spring the clocks forward. To get ready for all this springing about, I dug up a recipe for slow-sautéed asparagus with pancetta. The Spring veggie lightens up the meal, but the pancetta makes it rather comforting — a plus for those of you not ready to give up Winter. To check out the recipe for a simple but delicious dish,

What's in Season: Asparagus

partysugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:01:31 -0800

Last week I had my first asparagus of the season! I was surprised to see it in the local supermarket and couldn't resist serving it at an impromptu dinner party. In my opinion, asparagus is best roasted or grilled rather than steamed or blanched. To see my tips for enjoying Spring's asparagus to the fullest,

Monday's Leftovers: Quinoa Primavera With Chicken

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:13:33 -0700

I personally love leftover chicken drumsticks straight from the fridge. However, I understand that cold chicken on a bone isn't exactly the most appetizing meal to serve. Luckily the meat is still delicious when used in salads, sandwiches, or — in this case — with hearty quinoa. To get the recipe for a simple Monday dinner,

Monday's Leftovers: Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad

YumSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:03:13 -0700

If you have any leftover jerk chicken wings — although I'm not sure why you would — go ahead and try this simple monday leftover tip. Pull the meat from the bones and toss with a few simple ingredients to create a fantastic hearty salad. If you don't have any left, don't fret, I've got another easy recipe to help you turn a weekday meal into a weekday feast. To get the recipe,

Light, Green Veggie Pasta: Perfect For Tonight's Dinner

partysugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 08:59:31 -0700

On busy weeknights, pasta is an excellent go to dish, especially if you are feeding hungry husbands or cranky kids. Before I found this recipe, the thought of putting avocado into a pasta dish had never crossed my mind. Avocado is one of my favorite vegetables and I love it so much, why not toss it with pasta? Add in spring's most beloved vegetable, asparagus, and a little grated cheese and you'll have dinner on the table in the amount of time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. I can't wait to try this tonight and you can too. For the simple recipe,

Yummy Link: Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan

YumSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 08:28:19 -0700

I can't seem to get enough asparagus this year. Right now I'm drooling over oven-roasted green asparagus with parmesan. - Nami-Nami

Shock Vegetables Green In The Freezer

partysugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 01:08:19 -0700

When cooking vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli and green beans, a recipe will often have you quickly cook the veggies in boiling water, remove them, and shock them in a bowl filled with ice water. This can be a tedious process if you don't have unlimited access to ice. So how do you shock green vegetables without having to use a big bowl of ice water? After blanching them in the boiling salted water use a mesh skimmer to remove the vegetables. Transfer to a small tray or baking dish, and pop them in the freezer to rapidly cool and retain their vibrant green color. This works wonderfully well and cuts down on bowls of ice water sloshing all over the kitchen.

Yummy Link: Asparagus with Mustard Seeds and Ginger

YumSugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 06:28:19 -0700

I've become obsessed with asparagus lately. This is the first season it's happened, I'm not sure why. At any rate, I enjoy discovering new recipes for the delectable spears and am glad to have come across this one for Asparagus with mustard seeds and ginger. - Cookthink

Springtime Side: Sauteed Asparagus

partysugar — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 00:13:28 -0700

I know it's still a few weekends away, but I'm a planner and not a procrastinator, and I've already got Easter dinner on my mind. Asparagus is an excellent, seasonal option to pair with grilled lamb, roast duck or any meat option. It works well as an appetizer, but I like to chop it up, lightly sauté it and serve it as a vegetable component to round out a meat and potatoes menu. The best thing about a side like this is that it can be ready in ten minutes with minimal chopping and cooking. If it's still not in season in your area, hold on to this recipe. When you find it at your local farmer's market, pack it up in a disposal plastic container for an alternative side to potato salad for a picnic. A good quality olive oil, lemon zest, and a tiny bit of Parmesan cheese highlight the vegetable's delectable flavor. For the recipe,

What Vegetables Are You Most Looking Forward To Eating This Spring?

partysugar — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:57:32 -0700

What Vegetables Are You Most Looking Forward To Eating This Spring?

Asparagus

Green Garlic

Artichokes

Arugula

Fresh herbs from the garden (mint, oregano, chives, etc)

All of the above

Other I'll tell you below

What's In Season: Asparagus

YumSugar — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 03:08:47 -0700

I know that most of the country is still going thru winter conditions, but here on the west coast, we've had a pretty good run of spring-like weather. There are several things that say spring: breezy nice weather, girl scout cookies and fresh new produce. One of the joys of spring is the lovely asparagus. The season begins now and peaks in April/May in the west and May/July in the rest of the US. So now that you know it's in season, how do you go about bringing home the best stalks?

Look for straight, firm stalks that do not have a strong odor.
Choose stalks with smooth, tender skin, and that have compact (closed) deep-green or purple tips. Make sure there are no fernlike stalks growing out of the top.
Narrower stalks tend to be (but are not always) more tender than thick stalks (which can be woody).
Choose stalks of similar size so that they will cook evenly.
Once you get it home, keep refrigerated or standing upright in cold water. If there's no room for this, wrap the base of the asparagus with a damp towel. It's best used the same day, but should keep for 3-4 days, longer if bought from a farmer's market.