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Enchanted Woods iPod Dock: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:05:19 -0800

I've posted about wooden gadgets and accessories before, but this product is a little more rustic than most. The Enchanted Woods iPod Dock ($98) is made from authentic hickory and branches and is a docking station only - no speakers.

It's sold at Anthropologie, a store better known for its pretty dresses than gadgets. While I'm not a huge fan of this dock, I suppose it could look at home in a rustic ski lodge or cabin in the woods. What do you think?

Tips For Using a Smoker

partysugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:50:24 -0700

For Father's Day, my dad got a shiny new smoker. While he's enjoyed experimenting with it so far, he's run into some technical difficulties. When I asked him what the instruction booklet said, I was shocked to hear that it does not include any smoking directions! Well listen up dad - and anyone else out there who is using a smoker this Summer - here are some important tips on how to properly use a smoker

Come Party With Me: Father's Day - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:30:53 -0700

Father's Day is this Sunday and naturally I'm planning a manly meal that celebrates my dad. He enjoys simple classic American cuisine, so this menu features his backyard favorites. We'll start with oysters on the half shell with a shrimp-butter-Parmesan topping. The recipe broils them, but for an added smoky depth, we'll cook the oysters on the grill. Dad and I will bond over the preparation of hickory-smoked beef ribs. First the meat is coated in an easy spice rub, then after it's slow-cooked on the grill, it's topped with a homemade barbecue sauce.

Grilled corn with chili and cilantro plus new potatoes stuffed with sour cream and blue cheese round out the meal. For these recipes that will please any man's palate, read more.

Oysters Gilhooley
From Saveur

Ingredients

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp. worcestershire
1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 1⁄2 tsp. Tabasco
12 oysters, shucked, on half shell
12 small shrimp, cooked and peeled
1⁄3 cup finely grated parmesan
Lemon slices, for serving

Directions

Heat oven to broil; place a rack 3" from heating element.
In a food processor, pulse butter, worcestershire, garlic, and Tabasco until smooth.
Arrange oysters on a foil-lined baking sheet. Top each oyster with a shrimp and some of the butter mixture; sprinkle with parmesan.
Broil until oysters just curl, about 5 minutes. Serve with lemon slices.

Makes 12 oysters.

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Hickory-Smoked Beef and Pork Ribs
From The Neelys

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups paprika
3/4 cup sugar
3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder
2 (about 4 pounds each) slabs beef spareribs
2 (about 3 pounds each) slabs pork spareribs
BBQ Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Make the rub: Place the paprika, sugar, and onion powder in a bowl and stir until combined. Keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Make the ribs: Rinse and dry ribs. Place on a clean cutting board and pull off the membrane, the thin fatty skin that lines the underside of the ribs. Trim the ribs of excess fat and meat.
Liberally season both sides of the ribs with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the rub. Wrap ribs and refrigerate for at least 8 hours so flavors can permeate.
Preheat grill to 250 degrees F. using hickory and charcoal. Use indirect heat and cook with the cover down. Place ribs, meatier side down, on the grill away from the coals. Cook beef 2 hours, adding more coals as needed.
Turn and cook for 45 minutes more, or until the ribs "bend" and the meat easily separates from the bone using a fork. Cook the pork ribs 3 hours. Turn and cook another hour, or until ribs bend. Remove from grill.
Coat ribs with BBQ sauce, cut and serve.

Serves 4-6.

BBQ Sauce:
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cooked uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Makes 3 1/2 cups.

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Grilled Corn on the Cob With Chile and Lime
From Bon Appétit

Ingredients

6 tablespoons crema mexicana, créme fraîche, or sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder or ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
8 ears of corn with husks
2 limes, halved or quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Mix crema mexicana, fresh lime juice, chile powder, and coarse kosher salt in small bowl to blend. Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Remove outer husks from corn, leaving inner pale green husks attached. Fold back inner husks; remove corn silk. Sprinkle corn with salt and pepper. Rewrap inner husks around corn.
Grill corn until husks are charred and beginning to pull away and corn is tender, turning frequently, about 10 minutes. Grill lime quarters until lightly charred, about 5 minutes.
Pull husks away from corn to expose kernels. Place corn and lime on platter. Brush corn with crema-lime mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Serves 8.

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Sky Blue Potatoes
From Everyday With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

24 new red potatoes, halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
1/4 red onion, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until the skins are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes; let cool.
Scoop out the center of each potato half and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the sour cream, blue cheese, bacon, parsley and onion. Fill each potato skin with the sour cream mixture and top with more crumbled bacon and parsley.

Serves 12.

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Know Your Ingredients: Liquid Smoke

YumSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:00:46 -0700

With Summer grilling in full force and smoke-tinged cocktails taking the helm at bars nationwide, the food world has been singing the virtues of liquid smoke. But what is this mysterious substance, and how does it obtain its trademark taste?

A concentrated flavoring used to duplicate the essence of smoked wood, liquid smoke is literally the flavor of smoke captured in water. Wood chips or sawdust are burned in a controlled environment, producing tiny smoke particles held in water vapor. Chilled air is introduced, causing the particles to condense into liquid. The liquid is then aged in oak barrels.

Liquid smoke is usually made from smoked hickory, mesquite, pecan, or apple wood, and can be applied to a gas grill to add a charcoal flavor, added to a meat marinade or curing solution, or used on soft cheeses and meatless proteins such as tempeh.

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Spring SuperModelquin Spring Style-Off Contest Winners Announced!

Sponsor — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 05:45:00 -0700

Congratulations to our SuperModelquin Spring Style-Off contest winners! Who knows where the SuperModelquins would be today without the savvy stylista skills of these Sugar network readers!

Ashley Henley from Hickory, MS
“Beach Babe-quin Amy steps out for the season in her short shorts.”

Kate Westad from Minneapolis, MN
“Mama-quin Eva and lil’ Rita like to mix-match with their Bermudas.”

Dana Eufrasio from Villa Park, IL
“Social-quin Kelly cruises the beach club circuit in her midis.”

All winners received a gift certificate for their Spring style essentials from Old Navy!

Taste Test: Kettle Baked Chips

YumSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:01:51 -0800

In my larder, Kettle Chips are a regularly stocked item. My guy and I eat so many of the thick-cut, ultracrunchy, gourmet-flavored Death Valley Chipotle and Backyard Barbecue bags that I've tried, several times, to put a moratorium on any Kettle Chips in the house. You can probably guess how successful I was.

Then, right after the ultraheavy holidays, I received a package of Kettle's new baked chips. In my attempt to lighten up my diet, I thought the timing couldn't be better. To see what my sweetheart and I thought of them, read more.

Kettle's baked chips come in four different flavors that mimic the regular potato chip flavors: Lightly Salted, Sea Salt and Vinegar, Hickory Honey Barbecue, and Aged White Cheddar; I tried the first two. My initial thought was that of disappointment: the baked chips aren't nearly as thick as their deep-fried counterparts, which means they have less of the signature Kettle crunch to them. And, like most baked chips, they lack that weightless, melt-in-your-mouth quality. Nevertheless, the chips are thicker than the average bag of potato chips, which gives them a crunchiness advantage. Each chip has just the right amount of seasoning, with flavors that prove consistent when compared to their deep-fried cousins.

My guy said he'll stick to the original, but I would say that when I'm looking to lighten up, I'll turn to these chips to hold me over. Have you tasted them yet?

This Just In: Nic Cage Lists a Historic Rhode Island Estate

CasaSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:30:52 -0700

Real estate hobbyist Nicolas Cage is at it again. The actor has listed a historic 24,664-square-foot, 12-bedroom, 10-full-and-3-half-bath estate in Newport, RI, for $15.9 million, according to Real Estalker. Cage purchased the monumental English manor-style estate just last year for $15.7 million. It's unclear whether he purchased the property furnished, but it seems furnishing the sprawling home alone would cost much more than the $200,000 raise in price. To see dozens of gorgeous interior and exterior photos, and read the property description, read more.

The property description reads:

Built in the tradition of the great English country manors, Gray Craig is an example of a sprawling estate in perfect proportion to its natural surroundings. The setting for this remarkable home is stunning, 26+acres of lush landscape, dramatically extending to Nelson Pond and continuing with outstanding views of the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

Of the finest structural design, built of textured brick and stone, it spreads between its flanking wings a towering slope of roof. Proportion is the good breeding of architecture, and this expanse of space and unity with the land express the power of design.

The grand hallway with sweeping staircase and the charming effects of hand painted murals are an example of repose and distinction. The library is perhaps the most impressive single room with its soaring barrel-vaulted ceiling. The sense of living space and the feeling of welcome and comfort in an elaborate manner also invites one into other richly detailed rooms including 12 bedrooms, 10 full and 3 half baths, a spacious formal living room with sweeping water views, vintage conservatory, billiard room, and a gourmet kitchen with stone fireplace, custom hickory cabinetry, and antique terra cotta floor tiles.

A perfect setting for lavish entertainment and a quiet country retreat for peaceful reflections. Set in the charming coastal community of Newport County, a haven of solace and privacy just two miles from the bustling Newport Harbor waterfront.

Are you a fan of this style of architecture? Or is it too traditional for your tastes? Take a look at the gallery and let me know. To read a detailed history of the historic home, go here.

View 65 Photos ›

Source

Whose Current/Elliott Jeans Are Most Fab?

FabSugar — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:32:22 -0700

If denim brand Current/Elliott is not yet familiar to you, get to know it pronto. A handful of celebrities are already big fans of the boyfriend style and destroyed skinny jeans. Sarah Jessica Parker has the hickory stripe version; Rachel Bilson owns the destroyed boyfriend jean; and Kate Beckinsale recently wore the destroyed skinnies. They all have a ruggedly nonchalant quality, but whose Current/Elliott jeans are most Fab?

Flynet and Source

Food Review: Popchips

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:10:00 -0700

If potato chips are your weakness, indulging in grease, salt, and high amounts of fat might make you feel a little guilty, not to mention sick to your stomach. I just came upon an alternative marketed as a healthier chip, Popchips. They are never baked or fried. Popchips are made by applying heat and pressure (and according to their website "a little snack magic") to corn and potatoes, and presto chango a new kind of chip is formed.

As you can see they come in a wide variety of flavors, but how do they stack up against other potato chips? To find out, read more.

Here's the nutritional info for one ounce of chips (about 19 chips).

Serving Size
Calories	100	150	150
Total Fat	4 g	10 g	9 g
Saturated Fat	0g	1g	1g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg	0mg
Sodium	250mg	200mg	170mg
Carbs	20g	15g	15g
Fiber	1g	1g	2g
Sugar	2g	2g	1g
Protein	1g	2g	2g
Ingredients	Natural potato ingredients (potato flour, potato starch), Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Barbecue Seasoning (Sugar, Whey, Onion and Garlic Powders, Salt, Torula Yeast, Brown Sugar, Tomato Powder, Yeast Extract, Spices, Natural Flavors, Natural Smoke Flavor, Citric Acid, Paprika Extract, Paprika, Rice Flour, Salt, Soy Lecithin.	Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Barbecue Seasoning (Sugar, less than (2%) of the Following: Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Natural Flavor, Molasses, Onion Powder, Monosodium Glutamate, Autolyzed Yeast [Torula], Salt, Spices, Paprika and Extractives of Paprika, Garlic Powder, Tomato Powder, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Canola Oil, Yeast, Citric Acid, and Mesquite Smoke Flavor), and Salt.	Select Potatoes, Safflower and/or Sunflower oil, Honey Powder (Cane Syrup, Honey), Salt, Rice Flour, Onion Powder, Tomato Powder, Paprika, Torula Yeast, Yeast Extract, Garlic Powder, Chili Pepper, Natural Hickory Smoke Flavor, Citric Acid, Paprika Extract, and Cayenne Pepper.

These chips have a wonderful light and crispy texture, and I loved that they weren't greasy like regular potato chips usually are. They sort of melt in your mouth after you crunch on them, and were surprisingly satisfying, even though they're full of air. The barbecue flavor was a little weird, almost a little too strong or burnt tasting.

As for nutrition, yes these chips have less calories, total fat, and saturated fat as compared to the Lay's and Kettle chips, but they also have more carbs and sodium and less protein. Comparing ingredients just makes me cringe. These chips aren't even made with real potatoes - no, "potato ingredients" doesn't count. If I had a hankering for BBQ chips again, I'd go for the Kettle chips. They're made with actual potatoes, have a lot less sodium than the Popchips, less sugar, and more fiber and protein. So what if they have more calories and fat? I'm not eating BBQ potato chips for health reasons here. They're a splurge, so they should taste like it.

Wendy's Baconator: Just How Bad Is It?

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0700

The Baconator is not a new villain for Batman to battle, but simply: six strips of hickory smoked bacon piled high atop two quarter pound beef patties, topped with two slices of American cheese, mayo, and ketchup. This super burger is a creation of Wendy's, who claims to make "waaaay better fast food."

I know fast food can't always be avoided, but should you go out of your healthy way to avoid Wendy's Baconator? Take this quiz to find out.

Source

Take the quiz