YumSugar

Here Comes the Neighborhood! (Part 2)

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:13:31 -0800

When we asked for your own gingerbread-house creations, I was surprised by the number of entries. There were 30 of them, and each one is fantastic! If you missed it, we posted the first fifteen entries this morning, but now it's time for the next fifteen! This set covers everything from a beach hut to a concert stage, including a replica Snoopy dog house! To check out the neighborhood, read more.

Entry #16
Tracy in Rochester, N.Y. sends this seemingly normal gingerbread house. However, if you look closer you'll see the dog relieving itself and the snowmen beating each other up!

Entry #17
Stacy and her crew in Janesville, Wis. sent us this delightful home complete with flags and a pinwheel garden.

Entry #18
In our second train entry, Erin in Mass. takes us for a ride on The Jolly Express.

Entry #19
TeamSugar member kgiuffre sends us this cute mini gingerbread house from Md.

Entry #20
Noelle from Luvit took a stab at a two-story house. Love it and the trees!

Entry #21
Blair from the Blair Necessities sends us an entire gingerbread village, including a train to visit other villages!

Entry #22
Out of Pleasanton, Calif. comes Grant's gingerbread stage, complete with performers. Nice concept!

Entry #23
Baking Soda sends us this tall, snow-capped house all the way from The Netherlands!

Entry #24
This untraditional beach hut comes from Tammy in Ariz. I love the SOS-styled message!

Entry #25
TeamSugar member biochemlovely sent us her rendition of a gingerbread White House. I love the jelly-candy grass!

Entry #26
This nice, little modern bungalow comes from Cicely in LA. I like the coffee bean landscaping.

Entry #27
Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen sends us this marshmallow-world gingerbread house complete with a tiny, cookie shack.

Entry #28
TeamSugar majikiss sends us this adorable gingerbread version of Snoopy's doghouse. Be sure to check out the other photos or you'll miss out on Charlie Brown.

Entry #29
Heather from I Love Tongs sends us her version of a modern gingerbread house. You guys know I love modern houses!

Entry #30
Jessica from Princess in the Kitchen sends us this adorable cottage all the way from Australia. I love the way the chimney turned out!

Entry #31
Finally, our very own dannysf sent us his giant gingerbread creation! Okay, just kidding! He spied this one in Las Vegas, but it was so beautiful and too funny I had to share!

Thanks again to everyone who participated, don't miss out on the first fifteen entries! All the details are on the other page, but you can always check out the gallery below!

View 29 Photos ›

Here Comes the Neighborhood! (Part 1)

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:32:19 -0800

This month we challenged you to create your own gingerbread house. I thought that a few of you might take me up on it, but I didn't think 30 of you would! Our neighborhood ranges from Hello Kitty to toy trains, and they were so beautiful and creative, you put our houses to shame. There were so many creations I've split the list up into two parts. Part one is below, and part two will be posted later today. Be sure to look through them all!

Start with entries one through fifteen, just read more

Entry #1 and 2
These Hello Kitty and Keroppi graham cracker houses come from Erica and Nicole J in San Diego. Great job ladies, these houses are absolutely adorable!

Entry #3
Boston based TeamSugar members Wendy and Alyssa posted an album of their traditional gingerbread hut. I love the striped roof!

Entry #4
TeamSugar member Mamaseacat's daughter Miranda sent this adorable creation! It's a cute house, but I think the creator outshines her creation!

Entry #5 and 6
Music_jewel321, a TeamSugar member based in Arizona, blew us away with not one, but two amazingly creative houses. Her first one is a beautiful house made for her mother, while her second house is modeled after an actual house in the Mt. Hood ski resort. I can't figure out which one I like better!

Entry #7
Suzanne in Oregon creates gingerbread houses with her neighborhood each year. She says they weren't all pretty but they sure were tasty! I think they look just great!

Entry #8
TeamSugar member brownafroduck sends us this split level house. I think it's fab for her first time!

Entry #9
Craig from Ithaca, NY pulled together his "Team Xtremely Awesome" and they created this cute snowman. There were a few other teams creating houses as well. Sounds like a fun event!

Entry #10
Kim and Rachel sent this fun version of the traditional house. I particularly love all the marshmallow snow!

Entry #11
New Zealand based Marama sends us not one, but three beautiful houses. I especially love these A-frame houses.

Entry #12
Another New Zealander, Arfi of HomeMades, sends this rather large home. This looks like a fun project for everyone involved!

Entry #13
Carrie shares her cooking adventures with a lovely store-bought kit. I'm totally jealous of the built in supports!

Entry #14
Kyle from Baltimore shares her very first gingerbread house. It is wonderfully fab, I love the sun!

Entry #15
RobinFabulous built a gingerbread train so that her daughter Hannah could decorate it all on her own!

Thanks to all of these wonderful decorators! These are only half of the fantastic creations, check out the other fifteen entries. All the details are on the other page, but you can always check out the gallery below!

View 29 Photos ›

Which Gingerbread House Do You Prefer?

YumSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:13:39 -0800

CasaSugar recently asked which Sugar HQ gingerbread house you preferred. It's been a back and forth struggle between PartySugar's Snowy Log Cabin and BuzzSugar's Dr. Gingerbread House. However - mostly because we've got a healthy sibling-like competitive spirit - we want to know which of ours do you prefer? Party's Traditional Cabin or my Mid-Century Modern? Be honest, we're tough skinned!

And, if you want to get in on the gingerbread making fun, we're still accepting gingerbread house submissions. Get them in by tomorrow to be included in the Friday "neighborhood" roundup!

Gingerbread House Challenge - Submissions Due Dec. 18

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:50:21 -0800

If you've been inspired by all of our gingerbread action, then why don't you get cooking and create something too?! There's still time to enter our gingerbread house challenge. Read below to find out how.

I hereby challenge you to create your very own gingerbread house. You could make it with homemade gingerbread, or store-bought; you could even use graham crackers or a kit! So use your imagination, set aside an afternoon and get decorating!

Here's how to get your submission included in our roundup:

On TeamSugar, or on your own blog or photostream elsewhere, upload photos of your gingerbread house creation (be sure to include a link to this post).
Notify me via email (yumsugar@gmail.com) or PM by Tuesday, Dec. 18 with the following information:
- Name you want me to use & city (so I can give credit)
- Your blog name or TeamSugar name
- Link to your post
- A photo of your gingerbread house - preferably 200px wide

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with! The full "neighborhood" roundup will be posted on Dec. 21.

Source

Reader Challenge: Deep Fried Elvis Cupcakes

YumSugar — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:57:31 -0700

TeamSugar member sarahkushner inspired us all with her root beer float cupcake and now she's hoping to do it again. This time around she's proposing an Elvis cupcake challenge. Actually make that the deep fried Elvis cupcake challenge. That's right, she's provided a recipe for a poundcake cupcake that is filled with bananas and peanut butter and then deep fried, and she wants you to make it!

If you're interested in making this creation (she says she's going to do it eventually, but maybe you can beat her to it!) then check out what she has to say.

For The Love Of Ice Cream Roundup Part 2

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:03:11 -0700

A few weeks ago, I shared 26 entries for our love of ice cream challenge. All 26 of these were wonderful, but apparently it wasn't the end. I was going through my junk mailbox and somehow not one, not two, not three or four, but FIVE entries had been marked as spam! I knew I wouldn't feel right until these five entries were shared with you guys, so I've decided to do a follow-up roundup. Here are the five missing entries, making it a total of 31 folks who love ice cream. Thanks again to everyone who participated! To check out the missing entries (you know the mint chocolate chunk is screaming your name!), read more

Entry #27
Hilda writes in from Paris to bring us a beautiful Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream. She wants to remind us that mint ice cream doesn't have to be green to be amazing.

Entry #28
Brilynn of Jumbo Empanadas has decided to take an internet favorite and adapt it to her liking. Her result is a lovely Super Matcha Jumbo Raspberry White Chocolate Ice Cream.

Entry #29
Speaking of raspberries, Nic from the Uk sends us a recipe for a simply divine Raspberry Ice Cream. Served with slivered almonds and fresh berries, this sounds like a great summer treat!

Entry #30
Danille from Habeas Brulee sends us her new favorite ice cream: Hazelnut Cookie Sherry Vinegar Swirl. I love the creativity behind the sherry vinegar!

Entry #31
Finally we have an entry from TeamSugar member llendril. She provided a drool-worthy ice cream waffle sandwich. Unfortunately the post was deleted, so we'll all have to drool over this itty-bitty pic instead!

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the challenge. If you loved these, be sure to check out the other 26 entries!

For The Love Of Ice Cream Roundup

YumSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:01:38 -0700

Well everyone, it looks like we do indeed all scream for ice scream! I am so impressed, when I asked you all to submit your own ice cream post, I was not expecting such a great turnout - there were 26 entries! They ranged from adult ice cream sodas to watermelon bombs and everything in between. One of my personal favorites even has a video to accompany it.

Entries #1 & #2
Our first two entries come from TeamSugar members beamer1 and crispet1. For this challenge they've put their minds together and have come up with a mango frappe and a scoop of mango ice cream with sticky rice. They both sound amazing, I'm not sure which one I would choose!

Entries #3 & 4
TeamSugar member sumnboutme wants to make sure we know about Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream with flavors like Thai Chili, Salty Caramel and Goat Cheese with Balsamic Cherries, how can you go wrong?! Sumnboutme also wants to make sure we check out her recipe for a Lemon Fog Martini - vodka, triple sec, lemon sorbet, sign me up!

Entry #5
The next entry comes from Curious Alice. She has a whole batch of ice cream tips including, great definitions, how to make your own ice cream, and a review of several machines.

Entry #6
Pam of Project Foodie reminds us all that no matter where you are in life, ice cream is always a first love.

Entry #7
J in Walnut Creek has a great story about how when she was a child, she and her pal stole ice cream, dropped it on the floor and ate it anyway. Loved it!

Entry #8
It's as if TS member luvbriere is trying to melt my heart. What could be better than an orange custard ice cream? How about and orange custard that is mixed with chocolate chips and caramel & chocolate swirls.

Entry #9
All the way from Turkey we have Cenk at Cafe Fernando with amazing sounding Gianduja Gelato. Oh and did I mention it was an ice cream sandwich too?

To check out the rest of the spectacular ice cream roundup (and believe me, it's worth it, you guys were awesome), read more

Entry #10
Paula wanted to let us know about the best ginger ice cream ever. It's so good she suggests you eat it naked, as in plain!

Entry #11
Kat from Berkeley based KungFoodie, wrote in to tell us about her Honey Sweet Frozen Peach Yogurt. Anytime yogurt can be described as XXX sounds fab to me!

Entry #12
PartySugar's gonna drool when she sees this dulce de leche & nougat ice cream that Rachel dreamed up.

Entry #13
Mercedes in New York sends us two classic Italian deserts in one with a tiramisu ice cream. Plus, she's got an ice cream project up her sleeve for the month of August!

Entry #14
Anne sends this Irish Coffee Ice Cream Cake all the way from Sweden! The best part? You don't even need an ice cream maker!

Entry #15
My French is a little rusty, but Edith sent in this lovely white chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate chunks proving that great food transcends languages.

Entry #16
Jason of YuzuMura sends this intriguing recip for pistachio saffron kulfi. I can't wait to try it!

Entry #17
My pal Meeta at What's For Lunch, Honey? brings us this show-stopping, beautiful, don't settle for second best cherry semifreddo cake.

Entry #18
Ulrike writes in all the way from Nothern Germany just to share choclate ice cream. If you're not a fan of chocolate, there's always marzipan, honey lavender, tarragon and more!

Entry #19
TeamSugar member mellafe would love to share her favorite drink Cafe Helado. Coffee powder, milk, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream? Yum!

Entry #20
Gabi from The Feast Within has graced us with a spiced Ibarra Mexican chocolate ice cream. Delish!

Entry #21
TeamSugar member radarkitty sends us this great tale about ice cream, baseball and a famous old man.

Entry #22
WildHeavenFarm tempts our palates with something she calls Dirty Monkey Ice Cream. There isn't a photo to accompany it because it was devoured before one could be taken!

Entry #23
Who says ice cream soda has to be for kids? Not davie_k, she suggests adding a shot of vodka to an ice cream soda for a nice grown-up twist.

Entry #24
Why stop at vodka? Our own SweetPeasMom continues the adult ice cream trend with her Pina Colada Smoothie. Ice cream and rum!!! Seriously do I need to say anything else?!

Entry #25
And finally our last entry comes from lickety split who decided to make the beautiful watermelon bombe. Check out the video below:

Entry #26
Update: This one went missing in my inbox, but you guys can not miss out on it. Brooke from Colorado sends us a simple recipe for an amazingly simple, extremly sniful fabulous ice cream cake. I'm going to have to make this one sometime!

Thanks again to everyone who sent in their submissions! If you still haven't had your fill of ice cream, don't forget that we're still creating new ice cream sandwiches each week!

Image Source

For The Love Of Ice Cream Challenge!

YumSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:29:12 -0700

Don't forget to get your submissions in by today!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! This month I thought it would be fun if we all got together to share our favorite ice cream related posts. Last month's candy challenge proved to be so much fun, that I'm positive this will be a blast as well. So set aside a few minutes and pull together a post that talks about your favorite ice cream. It can be ice cream recipes (either actual ice cream recipes, or recipes that use ice cream as an ingredient - root beer float anyone?!), stories about ice cream, odes to ice cream, a photo of a shirt with an ice cream cone on it, anything!

Here's how to get your post included in our roundup:

On TeamSugar, or on your own blog elsewhere, write about your favorite ice cream flavor, ice cream recipe, a recipe using ice cream or just a great ice cream story (be sure to include a link to this post).
Notify me via email (yumsugar@gmail.com) or PM by July 27 with the following information:
- Name & city (so I can give credit)
- Your blog name or TeamSugar name
- Permalink to your post
- A 100x100 pixel image that goes with your post (optional)

I can't wait for the roundup! Yay for ice cream!

I Heart Candy Roundup

YumSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 13:28:39 -0700

I was so excited to open up my inbox and see it stuffed with I Heart Candy submissions. You guys are really amazing and totally impress me, from cookies to truffles and everything in between, you guys really love your candy! There are 20 entries total, so let's just get this candy-loving party started!

Oh and if you sent one in and it didn't appear here, use the contact form above to drop me a line and I'll get it added!

Entry #1
Our first entry comes from TeamSugar member calibabi who wrote in to share her recipes for Rolo Cookies and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. I think I know what I'll be baking this weekend!

Entry #2
Kate from A Way To Eat took her home state Vermont into consideration when she made maple walnut pepper crunch. This looks fantastic over ice cream, but I bet I could eat handfuls on its own!

Entry #3
Amy from Seattle's Nook & Pantry melted my heart with green tea truffles. I've had these once before and have always wanted to make my own. Thanks for submitting these!

Entry #4
Utah-based Heather from dustbunnies wrote in to tell about her favorite new candy: Bertie Botts Every Flavored Jelly Bean. As someone who's a big Harry Potter fan, I was excited to hear that she and her family love to play Bertie Botts russian roulette. Hope you don't end up with the vomit flavored one!

For SIXTEEN more sweet entries, read more

Entry #5
Manila-based SweetPleasures got inspired by the film Chocolat and made us some lovely homemade chocolates. I gotta make my own someday too!

Entry #6
Bon Vivant's own Colorado-based Chelsea decided to make an English Toffee Inspiration Sundae. Is it bad that I am craving this so early in the morning?!

Entry #7
Candied blood orange peels end up being the secret weapon for Nina of Sweet Napa. Her orange creamsicle birthday cake will surely beat the Los Angeles heat!

Entry #8
Based in the Philippines, Chef KC wrote in to say that it's fun to play with your food, especially if it's candy!

Entry #9
Minko of Couture Cupcakes sent these vodka soaked Red Skins cupcakes all the way from Australia. I've never even heard of Red Skins (a raspberry "flavoured" hard candy), but I really want to try these!

Entry #10
TeamSugar member Karla Sugar wrote in to say that although it sounds odd, she thinks water with lemon tastes just like candy! Especially if it's room-temp or cool (not ice cold). What do you guys think?!

Entry #11
Maryland based TeamSugar members crispet1 and beamer1, did three entries! First they created a selection of adorable candy filled phyllo purses and then they created cute cupcakes and a drink they call "Gummy Worm" - can't wait to try them all!

Entry #12
Our very own GeikoSera has decided to list her favorite candy. Mallo Cups... mmm....

Entry #13
Molly was able to capture a pic of the elusive Knut the polar gummi bear!

Entry #14
Canada-based Sweetheart_450 sent her recipe for Peanut Butter Buckeyes. She says they're the most delicious sweets she's ever tasted and a must try for everyone!

Entry #15
Team member Bonne sent us a recipe for rock candy and then wrote in to tell us how she used to eat all the fundraiser candy! Shhh.. don't tell!

Entry #16
SU3 of TeamSugar treated us with two delights: M&M's Kisses pretzels and Butterfinger popcorn balls. I can't decide which treat I want to try first!

Entry #17
TeamSugar member poetess treated us to a quick poem about candy.

Entry #18
The office went wild for the Heath Bar Cake that PartySugar made. So delicious!

Entry #19
Our pal TeamSugar shared her weakness for Milk Duds and Dots (just not at the same time)!

Entry #20
And finally, I started the whole shebang by creating Reese's PB Cup Cookies.

Not enough candy? Be sure to check out some more candy related posts. There's still some time left in June, so it's not over yet!

I Heart Candy Submissions Due Tomorrow!

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:01:31 -0700

I hope you've been enjoying National Candy Month as much as we have - in addition to eating our candy, we've been baking with it and drooling over it too! If you need an excuse to celebrate, don't forget our I Heart Candy challenge. All you have to do is write a blog post about candy (and let us know about it)! In your post you can talk about your favorite candy, come up with a recipe using your fave candy, make a drink that tastes like candy, whatever strikes your fancy! We've received some great submissions, but if you haven't turned yours in yet, there's still time! Be sure to check out all the submission details and come back this Friday, June 22, for a full candy roundup!