BuzzSugar

Buzz Gift Guide: Mommy Dearest

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:30:44 -0800

What to get the woman who raised you? She may not be as hard to shop for as grandma or dad, but I still have a few ideas. Mine is a Dancing With the Stars fanatic, so I'm snatching up their new workout DVD. Also on the list: Valerie Bertinelli's memoir and a cute Liz Lemon tote to take to the grocery store. I'm considering a TiVo, too - that way, she doesn't have to decide between The Amazing Race and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on Sunday nights anymore. (Really, it's like Sophie's Choice.)

But if my suggestions don't strike your fancy, check out all of the gift guides across the Sugar network. You're sure to find something!

Yummy Links: From German Beer to Pabst Blue Ribbon

partysugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:50:51 -0700

What you should know about German beer. - Chow
On Chez Pim's cookbook: What really is a foodie? - Eat Me Daily
Meet the revuelto, Spain's answer to scrambled eggs, but with more veggies and less eggs.- The Atlantic
The movie Julie & Julia doesn't translate well with the French.- The New York Times
There's nothing more simply delicious than spaghetti alla carbonara. - Serious Eats
Soul Food Farm recently experienced a crippling fire. Here's how you can help. - Eater SF
Reusable produce bags get rid of the need for plastic. - The Epi-Log
More and more hipsters are drinking PBR. - Grub Street

Source: Flickr User soylentgreen23

Get the Look: Julie and Julia

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:00:21 -0700

Aside from a desire to get cookin', Julie and Julia has left me with a reinvigorated appreciation for traditional design. I always ooh and ahh over movies and television showcasing modern design, but it really doesn't get any better than an elegantly set dinner table dressed with a classic candelabra, or a set of truly charming gingham panels. Let's take a look at how we can get the look of Julie and Julia in our own homes - and kitchens.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

View Slideshow ›

Will You See or Skip These September Movies?

PopSugarUK — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:00:00 -0700

September sees the release of romantic comedies, thrillers, dramas and action films. I'd love to know which films you're planning on seeing, and which films you'd rather skip, so check out what's heading to our cinema screens and vote to let me know what you think!

View Slideshow ›

Do You Own a Julia Child Cookbook?

partysugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:15:51 -0700

Currently Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking is on top of the New York Times best seller list. But that's not the only book she wrote, Child has authored more than 10 other cookbooks. Is one of her works on your bookshelf?

Sole Inspired by Julia

partysugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:30:30 -0700

Whenever I chat with someone about the film Julie & Julia, it seems the famous recipe for beef Borgignonne enters the conversation. However, when I watched the movie it wasn't this dish that stood out in my mind. It was the sole meuniere - the life-changing fish that Julia enjoyed upon her arrival in France - that I long to taste. Since I have a copy of my grandmother's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I went home and looked for Julia's recipe.Unfortunately it's not in the book, so I hit the Internet in search of a buttery white-fish recipe. Although it's not necessarily a classic sole meuniere, I experimented with this sole and herbed white wine lemon sauce. The final result wasn't a culinary revelation, but it was decidedly delicious. If you're looking for a light, filling meal with fresh flavors, why not channel Child? For the recipe, keep reading.

Does Julie Powell Deserve All the Backlash?

YumSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:45:56 -0700

In an article published last week entitled "Stop Hating Julie Powell, Please," Newsweek's Jennie Yabroff writes that the food blogosphere has misdirected its anger at Julie Powell. She traces the food writer's rise to fame, from relatable home cook and newfangled blogger to published culinary authority, and believes that all the criticism boils down to one complaint: that Julie Powell isn't a legitimate cook. She never claimed to be, Yabroff argues (something that Powell also reiterated when she spoke with us).

Whether you find Powell engaging and humorous or annoying and self-absorbed is a matter of taste, but it is her voice, not her cooking, that she should be judged by. Like it or not, her breezy, chatty, "let me tell you about my dog and my husband and what I did this weekend and oh yeah here's a recipe for fried squash blossoms" approach set the tone for most of the food blogs today, of which there are thousands . . . All owe her a debt of gratitude.

While I do think that there's a lot of resentment in the online world about Julie Powell's success, I can also see how her writing might be perceived as whiny and self-involved. How do you feel about it: should Julie Powell be criticized?

Caption It: Which Caption Should Win?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:30:32 -0700

When Ms. Julia Child gets cooking, y'all start talking.

For this week's Caption It challenge, I chose a picture from Julie and Julia. There are a lot of hilarious captions, but here's what the finalists have to say:

"Just 3 easy payments of $19.99 for your very own 'Lean Turkey' exercise DVD guarantees you won't gain a pound this Thanksgiving!"
"Julia Child gives new meaning to the 'chicken dance.'"
"It is a little known fact that Julia Child briefly considered writing a Kama Sutra for poultry book."
"I love cooking THIS much!"
"Y-M-C-A!"

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Do You Have Open Shelving in Your Kitchen?

CasaSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:00:18 -0700

Open shelving can make ingredients or kitchen tools easy to reach for busy home chefs, but it also requires an extra degree of organization. What's the shelving situation in your kitchen?

G.I. Joe: A Real American (Box Office) Hero

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:00:58 -0700

Did you know that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra posted the highest opening for an August non-sequel on Friday? Well, now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Over the weekend, the movie grossed an estimated $56.2 million domestically, and, combined with overseas numbers, took in an estimated $100.3 million worldwide. As Variety points out, Paramount is having a stellar Summer this year: "Not only has the studio launched another franchise in G.I. Joe, it has reenergized the Star Trek franchise and continued successfully mining the Transformers property."

Julie and Julia also opened over the weekend and grossed just over $20 million, coming in second place. The animated guinea pigs in G-Force pulled in about half that but still came in at No. 3 at the box office. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince followed closely behind at No. 4 while Judd Apatow's Funny People "fell a steep 65 percent" in its second week, rounding out the top five with an estimated $7.9 million.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures