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Can You Identify the Hot Pepper?

partysugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:00:59 -0700

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! In honor of today being Cinco de Mayo, I thought we should heat things up a little. I've found images of chili peppers - some are hot, others are not - and want to know if you can identify them. Sound like a fun quiz? Take it now!

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Pepper Pop Quiz!

YumSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:18:33 -0800

Last week I told you about the ESPN reporter who accidentally ate the world's hottest pepper. I shared it because I thought it was a fun food tid-bit, but little did I know that November is actually National Pepper Month! We've already got the funny part of hot peppers out of the way, so now I thought I'd test your knowledge. How well do you know pepper (both black pepper and hot chile peppers)?

Source

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Hot! Hot! Hot Peppers!

YumSugar — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:18:33 -0800

There are hot peppers and then there are HOT peppers. This afternoon we were talking about the Scoville rating system and how some peppers are hotter than others. The Scoville scale measures how hot chili peppers are. The number of Scoville heat units indicate how much capsaicin is present in the pepper. Capsaicin is the chemical compound responsible for the hot sensation you feel when eating a pepper.

Recently, an ESPN reporter casually took a bite out of a Bhut Joloki pepper, not realizing how hot it would be. Not even milk could cut the heat. If you want to see how he handled it, read more

Cut Hot Peppers Without The Burn

partysugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 09:51:32 -0700

The other day I was making a marinade for flank steak that involved coarsely chopping up a few jalapenos. I know it's recommended that you cut jalapenos while wearing rubber gloves - however I never had the time or the patience to do so. I would simply wash my hands under cold water after removing the seeds of a jalapeno. This was all fine and dandy until I touched my eye after making some guacamole and it burned with pain from the leftover peppery essence. Since then, I have developed a fool proof way to seed hot peppers without any burn factor. Cut the top off and slice the pepper in half lengthwise. Slide the two sides carefully into the plastic baggy that you took the peppers home from the store in. With the pepper halves inside, carefully scrape the seeds into the baggy. The baggy will protect you from touching the seeds. Once all of the seeds have been scraped off return the pepper to your cutting board and continue with the preparation according to your recipe.

Kraft Announces Plans to Slash Sodium by 10 Percent

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:40:35 -0700

Kraft, the largest food maker in the US, has announced plans to cut sodium levels in its North American products by 10 percent over the next two years. The move, which will affect over 1,000 products, will eliminate more than 10 million pounds of salt from some of the country's most recognizable foods, like Oscar Mayer Bologna, Velveeta, and Easy Mac. Kraft's attempt to reach health-conscious consumers follows a plea that First Lady Michelle Obama gave Tuesday to corporate food giants, urging them to produce more healthful food. It's hot on the heels of other food makers, like Campbell's Soup, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper, that have pledged to slash sugar and salt. This is a timely move as Americans grow increasingly concerned about sugar and salt intake. Yet, I can't help but think about how food titans should've done this many years earlier, and by much more than 10 percent. Are you worried about your sugar and salt intake?

Source: Flickr User Clean Wal-Mart

Get Fit Challenge: Snack on Sweet Potato Fries

Fit Community — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:00:50 -0700

The tenth challenge for the Get Fit For 2010 giveaway is to share a healthy snack. FitSugar reader SnackGirl likes to munch on sweet potato fries.

The most eaten vegetable in the United States is the potato. Found in fast food venues from coast to coast the delicious French Fries are hard to avoid. BUT, it is possible to bake something that will satisfy the craving. Baked sweet potato fries have the crunchy outside, and the soft inside and they pack a nutritional wallop with 219% of your daily allowance of Vitamin A in one serving. And that is just ONE of the benefits of eating them. How do you make sweet potatoes taste amazing? Add a little sugar and there is a caramelization that takes place. Do you notice the word "caramel" here?

Anyone else like the taste of brown sugar and salt?

The key to this recipe is to hang around and flip the fries after 15 minutes, and not to crowd the pan. These are really EASY to make. If you don't have a decent vegetable peeler, you should get one. Having a working peeler makes you want to peel vegetables. Having a crappy peeler makes you want to order from Burger King.

After you make these, just pop them in your fridge. Eat them as a snack or add them to your salad. Mush them in your yogurt or eat them for breakfast After they are refrigerated, they aren't as crunchy but they still taste really good. Sweet potatoes are available all year, though their season is Fall and Winter. Choose potatoes that are hard to the touch, because the soft ones are rotten.

Check out the recipe when you read more.
Sweet Potato Fries Recipe
(serves 4)
aluminum foil for pan
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F. Half the sweet potatoes lengthwise. Place on flat slide and slice 5-6 spears (thick and long strips) of sweet potato. Place them on the aluminum foil and toss with olive oil and sugar. Spread them in one layer. It is important that they have space around them and aren't piled up on each other. Bake for 15 minutes and turn with tongs or a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.

See snack-girl for great healthy snack ideas!

Share your fave snack in the Get Fit For 2010 community group. By participating, you'll also be entered into the drawing for our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card as well as our awesome grand prize.

Come Party With Me: Half-Birthday Housewarming - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:50:35 -0700

On birthdays (and half birthdays), I like to make my favorite foods, thus for my half-birthday housewarming, I plan on serving a spread of delectable Italian bites. The party goes from 7:30-10 p.m., smack in the middle of dinner time, so I'll need to offer a substantial amount of food. I don't want to spend days in the kitchen or prepare anything that requires a plate and utensils; that's why I'll take some help from the grocery store and make four easy appetizers.

From the Italian market I'll purchase charcuterie, an assortment of cheese, marinated olives, grissini, nduja and crusty bread. A quartet of homemade dishes - stuffed marinated hot red cherry peppers, polpette in spicy tomato sauce, roasted asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, and arugula and fava-bean crostini - rounds out the menu. To check out the recipes I'll be using, read more.

Stuffed Marinated Hot Red Cherry Peppers
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

14 hot red cherry peppers, cored and seeded, tops reserved
4 ounces young pecorino or provolone cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
14 small sprigs fresh marjoram
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, for serving

Directions

Stuff each pepper with cheese and a sprig of marjoram. Transfer stuffed pepper and pepper tops to a glass loaf pan.
Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over peppers. Let marinate at room temperature 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tops on peppers. Cook until cheese has melted and peppers are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Serve with bread.

Makes 14 peppers.

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Polpette in Spicy Tomato Sauce
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

1 pound ground veal
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup whole milk
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for sprinkling
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce
Large pinch of crushed red pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a bowl, mix the veal with the sausage meat, bread crumbs, milk, garlic, chopped parsley, egg whites, tomato paste and 1/2 cup of pecorino; season with salt and pepper. Roll into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Bake the meatballs on a lightly oiled baking sheet for about 30 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
In a large saucepan, season the tomato sauce with the crushed red pepper. Add the meatballs and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with pecorino cheese and serve.

Serves 12.

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Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto
From Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus (about 19 stalks), trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 to 8 paper-thin slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Snap the dry stem ends off of each asparagus and place on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.
Wrap each asparagus with 1 piece (about 1/2 a slice) of prosciutto, exposing tips. Arrange on a platter and serve at room temperature.

Serves 6.

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Arugula and Fava-Bean Crostini
From Gourmet

Ingredients

1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (1 1/4 pounds in pods) or shelled fresh or frozen edamame (soybeans; 3/4 pounds in pods)
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus additional for drizzling
1 1/2 cups packed baby arugula (1 1/2 ounces), divided
3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Toscano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 baguette
1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
16 mint leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Cook fava beans in boiling water, uncovered, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Gently peel off skins (if using edamame, don't peel).
Pulse fava beans in a food processor until very coarsely chopped, then transfer half of mixture to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 cup arugula, cheese, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to favas in processor and purée until smooth. Add to bowl. Coarsely chop remaining cup arugula and gently fold into fava-bean mixture.
Cut 16 diagonal slices (1/3 inch thick) from baguette and put in a 4-sided sheet pan. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil. Bake until pale golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Rub with cut side of garlic.
Spoon fava-bean mixture onto baguette toasts, then drizzle with oil and top with mint.

Serves 8.

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Know Your Ingredients: Pickling Spice

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:50:40 -0800

It wasn't until St. Patrick's Day was on the horizon that I started using pickling spice. Before that, I was barely aware of its existence.

When you purchase pickling spice at the store, what you're actually buying is a blend of spices, such as cassia bar, mustard seeds, coriander, allspice, peppercorns, juniper berries, dill seeds, fennel seeds, celery seeds, bay leaves, ginger, mace, and hot red pepper.

The mixture, which may vary by spice supplier, is used for pickled, canned vegetables such as cabbage, onions, and bread-and-butter pickles; fish, like salmon and herring; and meat dishes, such as Irish corned beef and German sauerbraten.
Pickling spices are generally left whole, so as not to cloud the brine, and they're usually tied in a cheesecloth or sachet for easy removal after cooking. What do you use pickling spices for? Have you ever blended your own?

The Easiest Biscuits This Side of Pie

OnSugar Blog — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:00:15 -0800

Here, OnSugar blog Fresh Tart teaches us how to make simply delicious cream biscuits.I'm serious - I've made buttermilk biscuits a few times and while they're not difficult, they require...buttermilk...which I don't consistently have in my fridge. They also require cutting cold butter into flour, which again is not difficult, but is just fussy enough to prevent me from whipping them up on some random Sunday morning. Which is probably a good thing, given that biscuits are neither particularly nutritious nor light.

But whatever, I'm not going to make them every day, or even every week, and despite hailing from the not-South, I love biscuits, oh my goodness do I love them. Forget honey and jam, I don't need them sweet (although they're lovely that way), I crave them with eggs or sausage or bacon, oh yeah. Rib-stickin', with hot black coffee, ready to work on the ranch. Or to grab my camera, take a few pictures, sit down, and write about it all.

Learn more about her ridiculously easy Southern treat, which doesn't require buttermilk, after the jump.

Fast & Easy Dinner: Broiled Tofu and Steamed Mustard Greens

partysugar — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:50:28 -0800

When cooking quick and uncomplicated meals, don't be afraid to take some help from store-made sauces, condiments, and jams. This recipe is packed with exotic and spicy flavor thanks to a purchased hot mango chutney. The chutney is jazzed up with sautéed onions and peppers before being brushed onto triangles of tofu. Steamed mustard greens act as a bed for the tofu and veggies, but other greens like broccoli rabe or collard greens would work.

To serve this vegetarian dinner, get the recipe now.