YumSugar

Come Party With Me: New Year's Day Brunch - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 06:31:38 -0800

Create the look for your New Year's Day brunch with a cool, lush palette of white and silver. Keep things casual by serving the brunch buffet-style in your living room. Cover a table with a white tablecloth and festive silver runner. Plate the frittatas on silver platters. Use silver plastic plates and silver paper napkins so you don't have to worry about doing the dishes. Choose a versatile glass that works well for both Bloody Marys and flavored water. Fill vases with silver ornaments and place a beautiful white floral arrangement by the entrance. Toss icy blue pillows onto seats and couches. Don't forget to light candles for
perfect party lighting.

Source

Come Party With Me: New Year's Day Brunch - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:28:31 -0800

After a long night of New Year's Eve parties, there is only one thing that will make guests feel better: Bloody Marys. Nothing beats the classic hangover drink's power to make a headache disappear. If there is leftover champagne, mix it with orange juice for mimosas. Have lots of sparkling and still water on hand, and make a refreshing nonalcoholic water cocktail with pineapple and rosemary. For these recipes, read more.

Bloody Mary
From Ina Garten

3 large stalks celery from the heart, including leaves, plus extra for serving
36 ounces tomato juice (recommended: Sacramento)
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon grated yellow onion
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
12 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco), or to taste
1 1/2 cups vodka

Cut the celery in large dice, including the leaves, and puree in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until finely minced.
In a large pitcher, combine the rest of the ingredients except the vodka.
With the food processor running, pour 1/4 of the tomato juice mixture into the food processor through the feed tube.
Then pour the contents of the food processor into the pitcher with the remaining tomato juice mixture.
Add the vodka and chill.
Serve in tall glasses over ice with a stick of celery.

Serves 6

Print recipe with images | without images

Pineapple Rosemary Water
Modified from Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
sparkling water
Ice cubes

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil with 3 sprigs rosemary.
Remove from the heat, add the pineapple, sparkling water, and refrigerate for several hours for the flavors to meld.
Discard the rosemary sprigs and transfer the drink to a pitcher filled with ice. Garnish with the remaining fresh rosemary sprig.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images

Source

Come Party With Me: New Year's Day Brunch - Menu (Savory)

partysugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 14:19:31 -0800

This year, instead of planning a blowout bash for New Year's Eve, invite everyone over for a New Year's Day brunch. With all of the hustle and bustle from the holidays there was no time to make beautiful invitations! Luckily, we can download, print, and fill out our fabulous New Year's party invite.

As for the menu, hangovers are to be expected, so a scrumptious spread of cheesy eggs and crispy potatoes is a must.

Make and assemble two frittatas the day before the brunch. A roasted red pepper and fresh herb frittata will feed hungry vegetarians, while a bacon and cheese frittata will satiate the carnivores. Oven-roasted home fries pair perfectly with both dishes. To host your own New Year's Day brunch, you'll need the recipes so read more.

Roasted Red Pepper and Fresh Herb Frittata
From Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
Generous pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
12 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the oil into a 10-inch nonstick skillet and place over medium high heat for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the salt, pepper, parsley, chives, basil and oregano to the eggs and beat well. Pour the egg mixture into the hot skillet, reduce the heat to medium and cook about 3 minutes, occasionally pulling the egg away from the sides of the pan.
Add the red peppers and goat cheese, remove the skillet from the heat and slide it into top half of the oven.
Cook until the center of the frittata is set, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.
Slide the spatula around the edges of the pan, working underneath the frittata a bit. Shake the pan to loosen the bottom and gently slide onto a serving platter.
Slice into 12 wedges, garnish with basil leaves and serve.

Serves 12.

Print recipe with images | without images

Bacon and Cheese Frittata
From Rachael Ray

5 strips bacon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
2/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, flipping once, until cooked but not crisp. Drain on a paper towel, then chop into bite-size pieces.
Pour off the bacon fat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Let cool.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the onion, the bacon, the cheeses and the salt and pepper and stir gently.
In a 9- or 10- inch ovenproof skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil (swirl the oil to coat the bottom and sides of the skillet). Add the egg mixture and cook over medium-low heat until the sides start to set, about 3 minutes.
Bake in the oven until the frittata is firm, 20 to 25 minutes.
Gently run a rubber spatula around the sides of the skillet to loosen the frittata. Place a serving plate over the skillet and carefully flip the pan to release the frittata.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

Oven-Roasted Home Fries
From Everyday Food magazine

2 pounds red new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 large onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
3/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
On a large rimmed baking sheet, combine potatoes, onion, bell pepper, rosemary, and oil; season with salt and pepper.
Toss until vegetables are coated with oil; bake until tender, about 1 hour.
Transfer to a serving dish.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

Come Party With Me: New Year's Day Brunch - Menu (Sweet)

partysugar — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:01:31 -0800

When planning a New Year's Day brunch, don't forget to include sweet dishes on the menu. At first I thought French toast would be a bad idea - individual pieces of toast can be too much work - but than I remembered it can be baked! A lemon raspberry French toast strata puffs up into a delicious dessert-like dish. Afterwards, give guests slices of chocolate coconut banana bread to take home. Get the recipes when you read more.

Lemon-Raspberry French Toast Strata
From Gourmet magazine

1/2 cup pure maple syrup, plus additional for serving
6 cups 1-inch cubes day-old country-style white bread with crusts (about 12 ounces or 3/4 loaf)
1 pint fresh raspberries or 1 bag of frozen raspberries
6 large eggs
4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt

Arrange rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
Lightly butter 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish or 14-inch oval gratin dish. Pour in maple syrup; scatter bread cubes and raspberries in dish.
In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, lemon zest, and salt; pour over bread cubes.
Bake strata until puffed and golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool 5 minutes, then serve warm with additional maple syrup.

Serves 8 to 10.

Print recipe with images | without images

Chocolate Banana Coconut Bread
From Australian Country Style magazine

1 large ripe banana, peeled and mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 lb milk chocolate, broken into pieces

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
Mix together the mashed banana, vanilla, eggs and milk. Stir in the sugar. Sift the flour and baking powder over the wet ingredients. Add the coconut and gently fold through the mixture, using a large metal spoon.
Fold in the chocolate, being careful not to over-mix.
Spoon into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Makes 1 loaf.

Print recipe with images | without images

Indulge One Last Time With Honey Sticky Buns

YumSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:00:19 -0800

The holidays are a time for serious indulgence, and I like to end my indulgence on a sweet note before I worry about all those pesky New Year's resolutions. If you're hosting a happy New Year brunch or just want to have a few friends over for breakfast, bake up a batch of these honey-drizzled sticky buns. Made with cool-rise dough filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and pecans, these sweet treats will decadently conclude your holiday celebrations and start 2009 on a high note.

My mom whipped up the recipe, which comes from a family friend, as a Christmas morning treat, so if you can't stand to eat another bite this holiday season, just bookmark it for next year. (It would make a great edible gift.) To get the instructions, read more.

Honey Sticky Buns With Sweet Cool-Rise Dough
From Bonnie Smith

Ingredients

For buns
2 packages yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
6 cups flour
For Filling
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons cinnamon
For topping
1 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hold a bowl under running hot water until it is warm. In this warm bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
Combine warm yeast mixture with 1 cup warm milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup butter, 2 eggs, and 3 cups flour. Beat at medium speed for two minutes.
On a floured surface, combine dough mixture with remaining 3 cups of flour and knead to incorporate for 8 minutes.
Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let dough rest for 20 minutes.
Roll the dough into a 32-inch-by-8-inch rectangle, 1/4 of an inch thick. Brush with 1/4 cup melted butter.
In a bowl, combine 1 cup brown sugar, 2/3 cup raisins, 2/3 cup pecans, and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.
Butter two 8-inch-by-8-inch pans, then sprinkle 1/4 of the raisin/pecan mixture on the bottom of the pans, dividing the 1/4 cup evenly between the pans.
Sprinkle the remaining raisin/pecan mixture onto the buttered dough. Roll up the dough and slice into 1-inch pieces.
Leaving enough room in the pan for rising, arrange the rolls side-by-side in the pans, spirals facing up. Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in fridge or freezer for 15 to 30 minutes.
Bake for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, combine 1 cup of honey and 1/2 cup melted butter.
Remove sticky buns from oven and cover with honey and butter mixture. Return to oven for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and sound hollow when thumped.
Cool in pan, invert, and serve.

Makes about 18 buns.

Print recipe with images | without images

Noteworthy Nibbles - Oct. 27-Nov. 3, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:15 -0700

With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, everyone's in for a fun-filled week. Although every major city's likely to have some sort of costume-heavy celebration this weekend, leave some time (and belly room) for some serious food events. New Yorkers have their annual Chocolate Show, Bostonians can veg out on eco-friendly fare, and San Franciscans will discuss and sample the best of the city's street food.

Where will you be eating and drinking this week? Tell us in the comments below.

Washington, DC: Taste of Success - Oct. 27

San Francisco, CA: Hewitson Wine's Mad Hatter Party - Oct. 29

San Francisco, CA: The Street Food Movement: SF Hearts the Cart - Oct. 29

Grand Rapids, MI: Food, Wine & All That Jazz - Oct. 30

Decatur, GA: National BBQ Festival - Oct. 30-31

New York, NY: Chocolate Show - Oct. 30-Nov. 1

Boston, MA: Boston Vegetarian Food Festival - Oct. 31-Nov. 1

New York, NY: Day of the Dead Brunch - Nov. 1

Chicago, IL: A Tasteful Pursuit Dinner - Nov. 2

Boston, MA: StarChefs Boston Rising Stars Revue - Nov. 3

Source: Flickr User jeffreymcmanus

Casa Interview: Destination Wedding Planner Alison Hotchkiss

CasaSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Alison Hotchkiss, the creative director of Alison Events and the author of Destination Wedding Planner, took some time out of her busy wedding planning schedule to offer CasaSugar readers some words of advice on planning their weddings. If you, or a couple you know, are planning a destination wedding, I highly recommend Alison's new book to help lend a guiding hand in your planning process.

CasaSugar: Congratulations on the book! I love the tone and the fun look of this planner.

Alison Hotchkiss: Oh thank you! I thought that the imagery and the lighthearted tone would encourage people to enjoy planning their weddings.

CasaSugar: What was your experience with working with Chronicle Books [the publisher of Alison’s book]?

Alison Hotchkiss: It was fun to work with Chronicle. They were really open to all of my suggestions and it felt like a very collaborative project. It felt really good, and they treated me like family. Chronicle is very supportive. They’re very cool people over there. I feel very happy to have them as my publishing company.

CasaSugar: How did you get started as a destination wedding planner?

Alison Hotchkiss: I’ve been an avid traveler since childhood, and my initial goal was to be a meeting planner, since my understanding was that they could travel all over the world. So a couple years after doing that I fell into the right situation helping with someone doing day-of event wedding planning. I realized there was a need for destination wedding planners; there were only a small number of us. The cover of my book shows the first wedding I planned. The bride on the cover is Emily Nathan, who got married in Kauai. I gave that wedding 150 percent of my energy, and I realized how much I loved it. That was seven years ago. So now, I’ll travel pretty much anywhere, but my specialty is tropical locations or mountainous locations. I love going somewhere new and learning about the place, the culture, and making new friends. It’s a blast.

To hear about some things a couple should consider when planning a destination wedding, read more.

CasaSugar: What would you say are some of the most important points of advice for a bride who’s starting to make decisions about her destination wedding?

Alison Hotchkiss: I think it’s important to narrow it down to one specific area if possible. Often couples will come in and say, “Somewhere in the tropics.” We try to help couples to determine what they really want for their destination wedding, whether they want their weddings to be activity-based, culture-based, etc. We ask couples to sit down and make a list of what the most important things in the wedding are, and then offer help in narrowing it down even further. Oftentimes weather is a consideration; the time of year will narrow the choice by determining what month is best for the location.

If people are on a budget, that cusping month (such as in May/June in Mexico), can save hundreds of dollars on your room rates in June, and the likelihood of a tropical hurricane is much less, though the weather may be sweltering hot. You have to just be flexible.

CasaSugar: What are some of the most fun weddings you’ve planned? What would you say the elements are that are universal?

Alison Hotchkiss: I think the idea of a destination is making it about a long weekend or a holiday for people and less about it being one day. We often find that we turn it into a four-day weekend starting with a fun cocktail reception, and then plan activities for the next day. Instead of rehearsal dinners we’ve had rehearsal barbecues down on the beach, and we’ve done the wedding brunch the morning of the wedding instead of the day after the wedding.

You don’t want to overwhelm your guests and feel as if they have to do everything, but it’s great to have options and have lots of fun things to do and experience and the culture and the local community.

I would say Costa Rica was one of my favorite weddings, and we also did a wedding in Sundance, UT, and those were both really fun. One was centered around surfing, the beach, and the tropics . . . it was a really laid-back group. The other wedding, in Sundance, consisted of people skiing, drinking hot toddies after skiing, and sitting around the fire.

People also have to consider, “Who are your guests?” Be mindful of who your guests are. Are they elderly? Are there kids coming? Do you have teenagers? Have babysitters services available if you need to, and if there are teenagers, find cool teenager things to do, have a movie night. If there are elderly guests, make sure there’s always a chair for them, and have a waiter dedicated to making sure they’re comfortable. I think that people get a little caught up in the planning and forget about all of the people who are attending. You have to remember your audience.

Alison has a lot more advice for brides, so make sure to check back on Monday for the second half of this interview!

Source

Healthy Start to 2009: Hash Brown Strata

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Since having kids, my New Year's Eve celebrations have become considerably toned down. Although I do manage to stay up until midnight. Instead of partying all night, I host a New Year's Day brunch followed by a hike. You know me and fitness!

Every year I make a strata, a kind of savory bread pudding with eggs. This year, I decided to try a new, healthier recipe (read no heavy cream) in an attempt to begin 2009 on the right foot. The new recipe is more like an egg bake, since you use hash browns rather than eggs. This recipe was super easy to make and is a complete meal, with protein, carbs, and some veggies. When I can fit broccoli into a meal before noon, I feel quite accomplished.

To see the recipe, just read more.

Hash Brown Strata
Every Day Health

Ingredients

cooking spray
2 cups hash brown potatoes with peppers and onion, frozen
1 cup broccoli
3 ounce Canadian bacon, chopped into 1/4 inch squares
1/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 tablespoon flour, all-purpose
2 cups of egg substitute
1/2 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread hash brown potatoes and broccoli evenly in bottom of prepared baking dish; top with Canadian bacon. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, gradually stir milk into flour. Stir in egg product, half of the cheese, the basil, black pepper, and salt. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6
Calories: 162
Saturated Fat: 2g
Sodium: 477mg
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Total Fat: 5g
Carbs: 15g
Sugars: 1g
Cholesterol: 17mg
Protein: 15g

Print recipe with images | without images

Pair this strata with a large fruit salad, coffee, and mimosas, and your brunch will be lovely and healthy. Happy New Year!

A Vegetable by Another Name

LilSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:00:59 -0800

My brother enjoyed Spiderman pancakes and Superman eggs when we went out to brunch growing up. I've heard of parents telling their tots that broccoli florets are lil trees and carrots are the Easter bunny's candy, but have never called them by another name to my own kids. The results of a Cornell study may have you calling cucumbers "flying torpedoes" and spinach gratin "brilliant brain-food." One report said:

When 186 four-year olds were given carrots called "X-ray Vision Carrots" (they) ate nearly twice as much as they did on the lunch days when they were simply labeled as "carrots." The Robert Wood Johnson-funded study also showed the influence of these names might persist. Children continued to eat about 50% more carrots even on the days when they were no longer labeled. The new findings were presented on Monday at the annual meeting of the School Nutrition Association in Washington DC.

Apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, since an adult study also proved that descriptive menu names increased the sales of certain basic entrees. Does your family have inventive names for foods?
Source

Do You Like Runny Eggs?

partysugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:45:59 -0800

On New Year's Day, out at brunch, I ordered poached eggs - extra runny. My friend asked for fried eggs, over hard. They messed up our orders: I got the hard eggs and he got the runny eggs. We were both incredibly disappointed, but when he saw the egg ooze golden yolk all over his plate, he totally gagged! He finds runny eggs disgusting, but I happen to love them. Where do you stand?