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Off to Market Recap: Appetizer Plates

partysugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:45:23 -0700

When you entertain as much as I do, it's important to have a selection of stylish appetizer plates. From small plates to decorative trays, these serving platters are essential to displaying delicious dishes. I'm always looking for interesting pieces and I invited you to help me add to my collection. You headed off to market in search of appetizer servingware. You saved your finds in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Appetizer Plates.

How fabulous are these giraffe print plates? Sofi discovered these stylish, modern plates that will look lovely displaying balls of goat cheese. High five sofi! To check out the entire collection, browse below.

Learn how to bookmark by reading geeksugar's directions.

Off to Market: Appetizer Plates

partysugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:45:23 -0700

When you entertain as much as I do, it's important to have a selection of stylish appetizer plates. From small plates to decorative trays, these serving platters are essential to displaying delicious dishes. I'm always looking for interesting pieces - like these portable, three-part servers by NapaStyle ($78.00) - to add to my collection, so let's head off to market in search of appetizer servingware. Save your finds in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Appetizer Plates. I'm excited to see what you discover!

Learn how to bookmark by reading geeksugar's directions.

Find out where I like to shop online for food and entertaining accessories when you read more.

Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Cooking.com
Crate & Barrel
Ikea
Linens and Things
NapaStyle
Pier 1
Plum Party
Pottery Barn
Sur La Table
Target
Restoration Hardware
Williams Sonoma
Wishing Fish
World Market

Cylindrical Appetizer Holder: Love It or Hate It?

partysugar — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:18:31 -0800

On Thursday night I went to a swanky little launch party at the sleek Zephyr Showroom. The highlight of the evening - hosted by San Francisco's Junior League - wasn't the drinks or the decor, but the cylindrical appetizer holder! Heads turned as the caterers walked by holding the long skinny pole with skewered salmon sticking out of it. I loved it and immediately wanted one. My only concern is whether or not it has a stand. I normally don't have caterers and passed appetizers at home events, so a stand that could sit on the table is essential. What do you think?

Wine Glass Top Appetizer Plate: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:50:44 -0700

When we recently posed the question of whether you'd be willing to wear a wine necklace to free your hands at a food event, most of you responded with a resounding no. Here's another multitasking solution for your next food fête: an appetizer plate sized to fit a wine glass, so you can carry both in one hand. While it's more spill-proof and less risqué than a wine necklace, it does cover the glass entirely, making it harder to throw back a few drinks. How do you feel about it?

Source

Wine Appetizer Tray: Love It Or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:18:47 -0700

Last week I asked you guys what you thought of a set of white cocktail party plates that allow you to hold your wine glass on the side. I love the concept and liked their modern look. However, a bunch of you thought they looked too cheap. Well, TeamSugar member corkie bookmarked these similar wine and dine appetizer trays. This time they're wooden and are a bit more rustic looking. I still prefer the modern ones, but what do you think?

Off to Market: Serving Ware

partysugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:50:32 -0800

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I like to take inventory of my serving ware. I plan on doing a lot of entertaining between now and New Year's, and whether I'm plating up bite-sized appetizers or slicing pieces of roast chicken, I'm going to need a lot of serving trays and bowls.

I want to invest in a couple of new ones, can you help me find them? To share your favorite serving ware, bookmark the items in the Off to Market group in the YumSugar Community. Don't forget to tag the bookmarks with the keywords Serving Ware. Happy hunting!

Interested in learning more about bookmarking? Check out the complete instructions here. Need some shopping inspiration? See a list of my favorite online stores when you read more.

Bed Bath & Beyond
CB2
Cooking.com
Crate & Barrel
Ikea
Linens and Things
NapaStyle
Pier 1
Plum Party
Pottery Barn
Sur La Table
Target
Restoration Hardware
Williams Sonoma
Wishing Fish
World Market

Killer App: Blue Cheese and Arugula Crostini

YumSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:50:47 -0700

Sometimes a cheese plate is too predictable, and a salad seems boring. In those moments, I like to fix up a platter of these arugula-adorned crostini, which deliver both the richness of blue cheese and some greenery to get your meal going. To balance out the bitter greens and pungent cheese, I slice up a loaf of sweet cranberry-walnut bread, though any fruity and nutty dough will do. This appetizer is super easy to make, so it's perfect for a spontaneous dinner party or a dish that needs to travel. I recommend choosing a very strong cheese that's creamy and easy to spread. Get the other details and check out the recipe.

Come Party With Me: Bastille Day Lunch - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:15:36 -0700

Use the casual elegance of the French countryside as the inspiration for a Bastille Day lunch. Set up a pretty table in the patio. Use cloth napkins with a Provencal print. White plates and bowls ensure that the food is the focal point.

Place rounded old-fashioned glasses on a side table. Line white wine glasses on the other side of the cocktails. Serve the goat cheese appetizer in a glass hurricane and arrange an informal bouquet of just-picked wild flowers.

When the party is over, put a platter of petits fours near the door. Guests can grab one as they leave.

Say Cheese! Parmesan Fricos

partysugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:15:08 -0700

Parmesan cheese is quite possibly Italy's most popular cheese. The hard, dry cheese has clearly won its way into the hearts of America. It's made from skimmed (or partially skimmed) cow's milk and has a pale golden rind and light-straw interior. Although Parmesan is made in the US, Argentina, and Australia, for it to be authentically Italian it must be called Parmigiano-Reggiano. On average Parmesan is aged for two years. It has a granular texture that's sometimes characterized by crystals.

The flavor of Parmesan is salty, complex, and nutty. Parmesan is insanely versatile: it's obviously delicious in pasta, makes a wonderful addition to any cheese plate, is great shaved on salads or crisped on pizzas, and makes an exceptional frico. What exactly is a frico? Find out when you read more.

Frico, quite simply a crispy disk made of grated cheese, are native to Italy's Friuli region. Traditionally fricos consist of montasio cheese, but authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano is a nice substitute. Fricos can be used in salads, but paired with a glass of Prosecco, they make a light, luxurious appetizer.

Parmesan Fricos
Modified from Food & Wine

Ingredients

4 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, coarsely grated

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. In the corner of a large nonstick baking sheet, sprinkle 1/4 cup of the grated cheese in a 4-inch round. Repeat to make 3 more rounds on the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the rounds.
Bake the frico in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly melted and golden brown. Let the frico cool on the sheet for 2 minutes to firm up.
Using a metal spatula, transfer the frico to a platter to cool completely; they’ll crisp as they cool. Repeat with the remaining cheese. Arrange the frico on a platter and serve.

Serves 8.

Print recipe with images | without images

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Learn to Love Figs

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Eating many colors of the rainbow is easy, but dark purple can be hard to come by. And that is just one reason you should learn to love Black Mission Figs.

While dried figs are available all year round, fresh figs are in season June through September, which means you should start seeing them in the grocery store soon and they should be affordable. Four ounces of fresh figs provides about four grams of fiber. Figs are also a good source for potassium. Most importantly they are a sweet low-calorie food - four ounces is only 84 calories. They make a juicy dessert on a hot night. You can add figs to salads; they pair wonderfully with arugula. I like to eat them as an appetizer. To see how I prepare figs for a pre-meal snack, read more.

After washing the figs, I cut off the top stem and slice the fruit in half. I spread the fig halves with a layer of mild, soft goat cheese that I mixed with freshly ground pepper. I sprinkle the plate with freshly chopped chives. This quick finger food is surprisingly tidy and is great to eat while preparing dinner.

As you can see I was a little heavy handed with the cheese for this round, but obviously the more thinly spread the cheese is the fewer calories. Tell me, do you like figs? If so, how do you eat them?