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Yummy Links: From Gail Simmons to Team Rainbow

partysugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:15:12 -0800

Ever wonder what Top Chef Gail Simmons cooks at home? Here's 10 of her favorite recipes. — Food and Wine
Foodies show off their food tattoos. — Chow
Six supermarket turkeys are put to the test. — Epicurious
How to handle annoying party guests. — Lemondrop
Which roasting pan is the best for holiday cooking? — The Kitchn
Beautiful inspiration for a modern Thanksgiving dinner. — Hostess With the Mostess
Get the official Top Chef Team Rainbow shirt. — Serious Eats

What Would You Do?

partysugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:20:11 -0700

We've all been in crazy situations, and I want to know how you handle entertaining fiascoes and bad restaurant behavior. I'll present a situation and you tell me what you would do. Here's this week's scenario:

To get to know your best friend's new boyfriend, you decide to host a dinner party with them and some other couples. You serve the food buffet-style to keep the atmosphere relaxed and promote conversation. When the new guy gets in the buffet line, he takes his plate, walks over to the sink, and starts rinsing it with water. Your friends behind him in line stop and stare. What would you do?

To see what I would do in this situation — true story, it happened to a friend! —

Cupcake of the Week: 'Wich Cupcakes

YumSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:40:13 -0800

The other day I ended up at the San Francisco outpost of Tom Colicchio's 'Wichcraft. While there were plenty of delicious-looking sandwiches on the menu, my eyes gravitated to their cupcakes. They're similar to the old-school Hostess cupcakes: rich chocolate with a white creamy filling, chocolate ganache, and a bit of white frosting drizzled on top. They clock in at $2.75, and they have nothing to do with sandwiches, but don't they look tasty?

Five Questions About the Sno Ball

YumSugar — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:38:39 -0800

The bright pink signature Hostess Sno Balls is turning 60 this year. It was introduced in 1947 and has become an icon of American pop culture. You may know what it looks like, but do you know anything about it? Test your knowledge with our quiz. Source

Host/Hostess Gifts: What To Bring To A Dinner Party

partysugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:01:38 -0700

So you've been invited to a dinner party and the inevitable question looms: Gift for the host, yes or no? You may be thinking, it's only a dinner party, so why should I bother to bring something for the hostess? Well, simply put, you should because it's common courtesy! If a friend or relative has taken the time to invite you into their dining room for a homemade meal, you must return their efforts and express your thanks. For an informal dinner party, an extravagant gift is not necessary, don't spend more than $20. An interesting bottle of wine, a fragrant jarred candle, or a fun salt and pepper serving plate are exceptional gifts that will delight and please any hostess. For close friends, splurge on an animal print serving tray. Baked goods, like a coffee cake that the hostess can enjoy the morning after the dinner, or a small bag of crisp and delicious cookies show your host that you appreciate the invitation to dine. Lastly, my all time favorite gift is a large, beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers from a friend's garden. Likewise if you have ripe fruit trees or an abundance of fresh mint, give the home grown produce to your hostess. Do you have any great host/hostess gift ideas? Share them with us in the comments!

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Will You Eat Banana Creme Twinkies?

YumSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:57:31 -0700

As a kid I was crazy for processed treats like Twinkies and Ho-Hos. However, once I got to college, I made a vow to eat as few as I possibly could. So tell me, why am I so intrigued by the new Banana flavored Twinkies? Does it have something to do with banana being the original Twinkie flavor and how it's the first time since WWII that Hostess has featured it as a "regular" flavor? I'm not really sure, but I strangely want to try them. How about you, will you hunt down Banana Twinkies?Note: It has actually been a limited edition flavor several times since WWII, most recently for the release of the King Kong DVD.Source: PR Newswire

Will You Eat Banana Creme Twinkies?

Heck Yeah!

No Way.

I Might Give It a Try.

Undecided.

Other - Let us know in the comments!

Do You Make Cocktails At Home?

partysugar — Mon, 21 May 2007 06:00:08 -0700

Do You Make Cocktails At Home?

All the time! I have a full bar and consider myself a mixologist.

Sometimes for a special occasion.

I only have the ingredients to mix myself up my favorite cocktail.

No, I prefer getting cocktails out at bars.

I only have beer & wine at home.

I don't drink.

What Not To Party: Showing Up Early

partysugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 10:58:31 -0700

An important part of being a great hostess is understanding what it's like to be a great guest. The first step towards becoming an excellent guest is knowing when to arrive at the party. When hosting a dinner or an event, there is nothing I hate more than people whom show up early unannounced. Invitations are sent with a specific starting time for a reason and if your hostess is anything like myself she is running around adding finishing touches to her sauces, plating bite sized appetizers, polishing wine glasses, and lighting candles. (My aunt came 30 minutes early for a dinner once and the appetizers were still in the oven, I wasn't dressed and had curlers in my hair-you can imagine my complete and total mortification). Coming before the space and hostess is transformed into party ready is a complete and total no-no. Just don't do it. Unless personally asked by the hostess, do not come early and if for some crazy reason you end up getting off the freeway twenty minutes before the specified time call her to let her know there was no traffic and you will be arriving early so she can at least put on her party outfit and set out a bowl of olives.

Hostess Wedding Cakes

YumSugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:27:19 -0700

So you've decided that you don't really want a traditional wedding cake, but you're not so sure about cupcake wedding cakes either. Well how about one made from Hostess creations? That's right, I'm talking about a cake made from Twinkies, Ding-Dongs, Ho Hos, Suzy Q's, Sno Balls and more. Last year, Readymade magazine's editor Shosana Berger featured a ding dong cake at her wedding.

However, chef Phil Delaplane took his to the next level and incorporated a ton of different
Hostess creations into his wedding cake.

If that one is too over the top for you, then be sure to check out these surprisingly elegant wedding cakes and favors made from Twinkies. You have to admit, those bride and groom Twinkie favors are pretty damn cute.

If you're interested in making them for your wedding, Hostess even has instructions on how to achieve the look.

Hostess Etiquette: Offer Your Edible Gifts

partysugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:01:16 -0800

Recently geeksugar told me a story I found rather traumatizing. Apparently a friend of hers had taken the day off of work early to make a labor intensive dessert - cream puffs - to bring to a party she was attending that night. The party was a potluck in which everyone was asked to bring a dish. Unfortunately someone else brought ice cream and her dessert was shown up. The host failed to offer the cream puffs as an alternative to the ice cream and the poor girl who made them never even got to taste one! Her attempts to motivate the host into serving them went unnoticed and being a respectful guest, she wouldn't even think of asking for the cream puffs at the end of the night. We can all learn an important lesson from this example of a bad host. If guests bring a homemade dish into your house that they have made specifically for the occasion (not just for you) be sure to thank your guest by serving it to your crowd. Another moral of the story is to assign each guest a category when planning a potluck to avoid multiple dessert dishes. Lastly, when showing up at an event armed with fresh goods from your kitchen be sure to let the host/hostess know if they are for the party or for him/her to enjoy at his or her own convenience.