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What Can Replace Heavy Cream?

YumSugar — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:11:22 -0800

So you took the recipe for Penne with Parmesan Cream and Prosciutto home only to realize you didn't have any heavy cream. You probably thought, great I'll just make this some other time. But wait! You can use a simple culinary substitution to ensure that your dish will still turn out.

To substitute 1 cup of heavy cream, mix 3/4 cup of milk and 1/3 cup of butter/margarine (melted and cooled). Just don't try to whip this, it won't work. Many people insist that it can only be substituted with whole milk (as opposed to skim or non-fat), however I say in a pinch, give it a try and see what you end up with - but if it's for an important feast, you may just want to run to the store.

Scary Recipe Ingredients to Look Out for

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Butter has a bad reputation in the cooking world but the truth is that there are many other cooking ingredients that are just as unhealthy for us as butter. It's scary that many of us don't even bat an eye at when tossing them into our recipes.

To see the scariest recipe ingredients to watch for, just read more

WebMD has compiled a list of the scariest ingredients, healthwise, for your recipes that you should keep an eye out for when you're cooking this holiday season (and beyond):

Ingredient	Common Serving	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)
Mayonnaise	1/4 cup	396	44	6.5
Bacon grease	2 T	250	28	13
Heavy whipping cream (liquid)	1/4 cup	205	22	14
Puff pastry	2 ounces	312	22	3
Cheese (like cheddar)	2 ounces	228	19	12
Light whipping cream (liquid)	1/4 cup	174	18.5	11.5
Sausage, cooked	2 ounces	209	18	6.1
Bacon	4 strips	150	13	4
Butter	1 T	102	12	7.2
Sour cream	1/4 cup	123	12	7.5
Cheddar cheese, 1 oz	1/4 cup	115	9.4	6
Pie crust, 9-inch deep dish	1/8 slice	115	8	2
Half-and-half	1/4 cup	79	7	4.3

Me, I always scan a recipe for any of these ingredients and if it has 'em, I typically skip it. If I am feeling creative, I'll work with the recipe figuring out ways to cut out the unhealthy stuff. For example, I'll use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. What do you do? Share the ways you cut out the unhealthy stuff in the comments section below.

Source

Southern Side: Creamed Collard Greens

YumSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:50:11 -0800

I'm a little sick of the traditional Thanksgiving meal. That's why this year I plan on serving slightly different versions of old favorites - like a turkey roulade instead of a whole roasted turkey, for instance.

Rather than the usual green bean casserole, I'm reaching for a neo-Southern riff on the creamed spinach standby, and plan on impressing guests with creamed collard greens. Unlike creamed spinach, this vegetable side isn't swimming in heavy cream; the cream adds subtle body, while smoky bacon rounds out the collards' bitter character.

But the pièce de résistance is really the crispy, cheesy crumb topping. Be sure to make a generous amount, because the more, the better. Add a new tradition to your meal when you keep reading

Doing Drugstore: Aveeno Positively Ageless Warming Scrub

BellaSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

I had one severe case of dry, peeling skin, and I had it bad. My chin and mouth area were flakier than both Heidi and Spencer Pratt combined. I needed one mighty fine exfoliator, and I needed it stat. I turned to Aveeno's Warming Scrub ($9) from the brand's Positively Ageless line. Thermal beauty products are nothing new, but I'm still fascinated by the sensation of warmed-up skin care, which to me - whether it really does anything or not - enhances the experience. To find out what I thought about this water-activated, self-heating scrub, just keep reading.

The Basics: Mashed Potatoes

partysugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:00:54 -0800

My mother can hardly be described as a home cook, but there are a few dishes she makes and excels at. Basic mashed potatoes are one of her specialties. When it comes to mashed potatoes, she prefers them as pure and simple as possible.

"I don't understand why people stir in garlic, herbs, and other things that make mashed potatoes taste like something other than potatoes. This recipe is for when you want mashed potatoes that taste like potatoes," she explained when teaching me the technique.

Her method is easy, but she employs a hand mixer to give the potatoes a light, pillowy, and incredibly smooth texture. Half and half is her liquid of choice, although heavy cream or milk make good substitutes. To look at the recipe, read more.

Mom's Mashed Potatoes
From Ellen Sweeney

Ingredients

4 medium-sized russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup half and half
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Fill a large pot with cold water. Add the potatoes and season the water with salt.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, boiling at medium high heat, until potatoes are fork tender, 15-20 minutes.
Drain potatoes in a colander and return to the hot pot.
Add the butter. Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and potatoes to combine about 30 seconds.
Add the half and half and beat until potatoes are whipped and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

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Do you have an amazing Thanksgiving recipe? Please participate in our Thanksgiving recipe challenge. All you have to do is upload your recipe, an image, and a brief description to the Kitchen Goddess group. If you're lucky, we might just feature your recipe here on YumSugar!

5 Tips For Getting Kristen Stewart's New Moon Shine

BellaSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:07 -0800

At the New Moon cast tour event this weekend, Kristen Stewart showed off a newly sleek version of her short haircut. It was dazzling in its shininess without looking gelled or greasy. Glossy hair like that doesn't just happen on its own, so I though I'd hunt up some tips to help all of us get similarly healthy, reflective tresses. I put together five of the best, so to find out how to get Kristen's shine, just read more.

Reader Review of the Day: L'Occitane Immortelle Very Precious Cream

BellaSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:00:25 -0700

With cooler weather on the way, dry skin is about to become a problem for a substantial number of us, and that means one thing: a darn good moisturizer. I'm on the hunt for something new and great myself, so I liked this review of L'Occitane Immortelle Very Precious Cream ($75). Reader ejfish provides a helpful breakdown of the product's pros and cons:

"Likes: Leaves a velvety soft film on my skin every morning (not an oily slick shine). It doesn't cause breakouts/congestion. Once absorbs into the skin, it doesn't feel heavy at all. After three weeks of use, my skin feels visibly softer and smoother. Dislikes: Certainly isn't one you'd buy without thinking twice. It's worth it for me since the last 50mL jar of cream I had lasted me a year (of course, that's with me straying to different brands in the meanwhile). Tip: The cream is thick and solid because of winter (I think). I usually warm it up between my fingertips and pat it all over my face before I massage it in. Note: My skin is very dry-to the point that it peels. This moisturizer stopped that from happening while I was using it"

Found something else pricey but precious? Looking for a new moisturizer, too? Take a pleasant jaunt over to the Product Reviews pages, then. Other readers (and me, too) have reviewed over 50,000 products, and awesome community members write new ones daily. They're fun to write, informative to read, and they make the pursuit of beauty a little easier for all of us.

Come Party With Me: Fall Lunch - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:50:45 -0700

Since Fall is a time when the weather is often warm in the day, but cooler at night, for my Autumnal lunch, I plan on serving a dessert that is both hot and cold in temperature. A semifreddo is an Italian dessert that is partially frozen.

While there are many variations, the one I'll offer guests is a luxurious mixture of almonds and heavy cream. What about the hot? - you wonder, that comes in the form of syrupy caramelized apples that are drizzled onto the semifreddo. The dessert is delicious without being overly rich or sweet making it the perfect conclusion to a late lunch. To get the recipe keep reading.

2009 Primetime Emmy Awards: Christina Applegate

BellaSugar — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:17:28 -0700

At last year's awards, Christina Applegate went for bold, red lips and va-voom hair, but this year, it's all about the soft touches. Instead of a tight, pulled-back bun, Christina's hair is styled in a loose, low-slung chignon, and her makeup, while heavy-handed for the camera's flashes, is peaches-and-cream all the way. She's up for an Emmy tonight for her work on the now defunct Samantha Who?, but when it comes to her beauty choices this evening, are you thinking, "Who's that girl?" or is it not her best look?

Vote on all of my Primetime Emmy Awards polls here!

Reader Review of the Day: Korres Thyme Honey 24-Hour Moisturizing Cream

BellaSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:00:18 -0700

Korres Thyme Honey 24-Hour Moisturizing Cream ($32.50) sounds more like a delicious barbecue glaze than a product to me, but reader gooz1231 can't get enough of it. She says:

I love this moisturizer, although I find it can be a bit heavy. It would probably be better for normal-dry skin (I have combination skin), but it smells amazing and I crave honey with marscarpone cheese after using this. I'm probably going to use this more as a night cream, but i still love it. It hasn't caused any breakouts or anything, and a little goes a long way, so i can see it lasting me quite a while.

New moisturizer got you feeling gorgeous-or acnefied? Want to see what other readers think about all the newest beauty booty? Come on over to our Product Reviews pages, where you can tell everybody about it and find out what you need to know.