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Let's Dish: What's Your Favorite Salty-Sweet Combo?

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:50:49 -0700

I have a serious weakness for sweet-salty foods. One of my favorite ice cream treats as a kid involved saltine crackers, and the salted caramel ice cream at local sweet shop Bi-Rite Creamery is to die for. The sweet-savory deliciousness extends far beyond desserts to everything from fig pizza to watermelon and feta salad. What's your favorite dish that combines savory and sweet tastes?

Do You Enjoy Salty Sweets?

YumSugar — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:18:31 -0800

Earlier I mentioned how much I like it when sweet things are a little bit salty, and it got me wondering if I was alone. I know some of my friends enjoy salty sweets, while others think it's repulsive. How about you, what's your opinion of the salty sweet?

Source

Swap it Out: Snacking Tips

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 08:45:00 -0700

I guess you could say I am pro snacking, but it has got to be healthy snacking - no cheesy puffs, please.

Sometimes when we need a snack we are either too hungry or have too strong of a hankering to make a healthy choice. So here are some ideas for healthy swaps.

Sweet
Raisins or dried cherries mixed with dark chocolate chips
Sliced peaches
Maple flavored yogurt
Chocolate ice cubes

Salty
Almonds or pistachios,
Whole-grain crackers like Kashi TLC crackers
Dill pickles

Crunchy
Celery or carrot sticks
A handful of high-fiber cereal
Apple slices
Popcorn

Creamy
Low-fat pudding
Nonfat plain yogurt with fresh fruit
Flavored oatmeal
Nonfat cottage cheese (add some fruit)
Avocado wedges

If you have a healthy snack idea? Share it in the Snack Attack: Healthy Snack Ideas Group. I am always on the lookout for a great snack.

Delicious Delicata Squash

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:45:00 -0800

If a zucchini and a zebra had a baby, you might get something that looks like a delicata squash, also called Bohemian, Peanut, or Sweet Potato Squash. It's slender in shape, about 5-10 inches long, is smooth, and has yellow or cream colored skin with green stripes.

There is nothing like eating squash in the winter time. It's warm and soft and very comforting on a cold day. The thing that sets delicata squash apart from its sister squashes is its surprisingly sweet and tender yellow flesh, similar to sweet potato. Plus it's smaller, so it cooks faster.

It's so creamy and yummy, and the best part? You can even eat the skin because it's so thin. It's a great source of potassium, iron, and vitamins A and C.

Here's a simple way to enjoy some delicata.

Wash the entire squash and then cut in in half.
Scoop out the seeds and place it in an 8-inch square pan that's greased with some olive oil. Some people like to bake it with a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of brown sugar on each half, but I think it's sweet enough.
Bake it for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Fit's Tips: Uncooked Delicata squash can be stored up to 3 weeks at room temperature, so you can buy a few to have on hand when you need them.

Reader's Recipe: Dark Chocolate Puds

YumSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:13:42 -0800

At first glance, reader mandiesoh's recipe for Dark Chocolate Puds looks like a big gooey cookie (which is definitely what caught my attention). However, when you read through it and view all of her awesome step-by-step pictures, you'll see that it's actually a type of muffin/cake with a gooey chocolate center. Talk about tasty! To check out mandiesoh's recipe, read more

Recipe from mandiesoh

Another recipe from GoodFood Magazine: 101 Tempting Desserts. Slightly modified, here's my version of Dark Chocolate Puds! (pssst. its really yummy!)

drool-worthy

INGREDIENTS

100g/4oz butter, chopped and extra for greasing
50g/2oz plain plour, plus extra for dusting
100g bar dark chocolate, broken
8 cubes of dark choc (for middle)
3 eggs
85g/3oz caster sugar

Serves 8

METHOD

1. Preheat oven at 200C/Gas 6. Butter and lightly flour muffin tray

2. Melt dark chocolate and butter in microwave, roughly 2 mins

3. Whisk eggs and sugar until mixture leaves a trial on top when whisk blades are lifted.

4. Stir in flour, then chocolate mixture.
Pud mix

5. Pour into muffin tray.
Nice and gooey!

6. Push in a cube of dark chocolate into centre of each.
Cabury Gold Dark Choc

Nice and deep people!

7. Place on baking tray and bake 16-20mins.
poofy!

8. Cool for 5 mins, and turn out onto plates.
cakey on the outside.....

moist and chocolatey on the inside!

Serve warm or at room temp.

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Come Party With Me: Almost Meatless Thanksgiving - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:15:21 -0800

Finish your almost meatless Thanksgiving with a decadent sweet potato pie. This pie is a dessert traditional to the South, but with its smooth creamy filling and rich sweet flavor, sweet potato pie is welcome on Thanksgiving tables all across America. The dough calls for shortening, however, if you prefer to bake with butter, use that instead. Although the ingredient list includes a whiskey-spiked whipped cream, you can omit the alcohol and employ vanilla extract. To get the recipe which should be made in advance, read more.

Sweet Potato Pie
From Food Network

Ingredients

Filling:
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced (1 stick)
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon cider or white wine vinegar
Topping:
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon whiskey, rye or bourbon
Candied Pecans, homemade or store bought, recipe follows

Directions

Filling: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the sweet potatoes on a small roasting pan and bake until easily pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile make the dough:Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor with the metal blade until combined. Add the shortening and pulse about 10 times. Add the butter and continue to pulse until it resembles cornmeal mixed with bean-size bits of butter. Beat the egg yolk and vinegar together, add and pulse 3 to 4 times, but don't let the dough form a ball in the machine.
Remove the blade, and gather the dough together by hand. If dough does not come together, sprinkle up to 1 tablespoon of ice cold water over the dough and bring together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and shape into disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Peel the cooked sweet potatoes and mash lightly with a fork; you should have about 2 cups puree. Mix the sweet potatoes and butter in the food processor until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Set aside.
Lightly dust the counter with flour. Roll the dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle and transfer to the pie pan. Trim the dough so that the edges hang about 1/2 inch over the pan; fold edges under and flute as desired. Pierce the crust all over with a fork, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or up to a day.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven of the 425 degree F oven. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and pie weights or dried beans and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the crust sets and begins to brown around edges, about 25 minutes. Lift foil and weights out of crust, lower oven temperature to 375 degrees F. and continue to bake until crust begins to brown on the bottom, about 10 to 12 minutes more.
Pour filling into the warm crust and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on rack.
When ready to serve, whip the cream with the whiskey until it holds soft peaks. Top pie with whipped cream and candied pecans. Serve.

Serves 8.

Make ahead: Crust can be made, rolled, and transferred to the pan, then tightly wrapped and frozen for up to a month. Candied pecans can be made and stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Candied Pecans

1 large egg white
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pecan pieces

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly beat the egg white until frothy. Whisk in the sugar and cinnamon, and then toss pecans in the mixture.
Evenly spread nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until dry and toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

Makes about 1 cup.

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Buzz-Worthy Video of the Day: My Super Psycho Sweet 16

BuzzSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:30:58 -0700

Has watching an episode of My Super Sweet 16 ever left you filled with rage? If so, you're about to get your payoff in the form of MTV's made-for-TV horror/satire of its reality series, My Super Psycho Sweet 16.

The trailer promises a plot and deaths that will be delightfully cheesy . . . and somewhat gratifying. Come on, you know you always wanted to see one of those brats get her head lopped off.

To see the show's trailer, just read more.

Which Treats Would You Rather Give Up: Sweet or Salty?

FitSugar — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:30:30 -0800

There's a time and place for both salty snacks and sweet treats. I have cravings for both, but if I had to give one up, it'd have to be the salty ones. My sweet tooth is way to strong. What about you?

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth With These 200 Calorie Snacks

FitSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 03:30:32 -0700

Some days I crave salty snacks and some days I want a little something sweet. The problem with sweet treats is that they tend to be high in calories, so here are five snacks under 200 calories that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

View Slideshow ›

Would You Rather Eat Mashed or Sweet Potatoes?

partysugar — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:30:30 -0700

It's Nov. 1, and I'm happy to say our Thanksgiving coverage starts now! Turkey day is my favorite holiday, and you can rest assured that over the next 26 days we will be providing the best Thanksgiving recipes, tips, how tos, and ideas to make your meal a memorable one. To kick things off I want to know what starchy side - mashed or sweet potatoes - you prefer on Thanksgiving.

Source: Flickr Users bionicteaching and David Boyle