Blog Posts by YumSugar

YumSugarSource: Everything You Need For Teatime (Except the Queen)

It's time to switch up your normal party routine with a tea party - yes, a tea party! We're not talking the stuffy, proper, pinkie-raising party; what we have in mind is a modern (ahem, American) twist on a classic British favorite. After you've assembled homemade jams, fun takes on finger sandwiches, and even an easy-peasy scone recipe, CasaSugar will help you gather everything you need for a contemporary tea party - photo booth and crown confetti included. So fire up the oven and start brewing a pot of Earl Grey . . . it's teatime.

• Traditional Teas: For a traditional British take, serve Darjeeling black tea - an Indian tea with a floral, astringent flavor - or Earl Grey, whose zesty citrus flavor comes courtesy of bergamot. Alternatively (or additionally), brew a pot of your favorite blend, whether green, white, rooibos, or herbal.
• Honey Varietals : Drizzle honey on scones, or stir it into your tea. For extra

Source: Quick Tip: Salt Your Grapefruit

Grapefruit, in season September through April, can be extremely bitter, even when it's at the peak of its season and at its juiciest. Some people douse grapefruit in sugar or an artificial sweetener to cut through the tart acidity; however, a sprinkle of salt, although it seems strange, is an effective way to neutralize any acrid flavor. Try it out at home by cutting the grapefruit into bite-sized wedges, and then sprinkle it with salt (I used fleur de sel). Keep your salted hand at about a two-foot distance, so the salt disperses evenly. As you eat the grapefruit, you'll be amazed that it tastes like grapefruit but without the bitter aftertaste.


Related Content:
5 Ways to Enjoy Grapefruit to Its Fullest
Change Up Morning Brunch With Grapefruit Mimosas


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Source: Quick Tip: Try Small Containers of Stock to Avoid Discarding Leftovers

In an ideal world, one would rely exclusively on homemade stock, but let's face it, unless you're an expert planner with a well-stocked freezer, store-bought stock is often the way to go. The problem is that most stock is sold in large four-cup packages, which perishes in less than five days. Recently, I noticed that my local supermarket started stocking a one-cup package from Kitchen Basics (my go-to store-bought stock brand). At the discovery, I had an excited (although embarrassing) vocal outburst while standing in the aisle. A simple but life-changing solution, I'll be stocking up on these mini-packs as well as their chubbier four-cup containers from now on. I urge you to do the same and avoid dumping out unused stock.


Related Content:
Learn How to Decorate Holiday Sugar Cookies With Love
How to Construct Cinnamon Rolls, in Pictures


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Source: 3 Tricks For Easier Candy-Making

I recently learned that making homemade hard candy isn't as easy as it looks. It's all about timing and temperature to make sure the candy reaches the proper consistency. To complicate matters further, it's stretched and pulled while still hundreds of degrees hot. Keep these three tips in mind for a smoother candy-making experience.

• Use a probe thermometer instead of a candy thermometer. The digital reading allows you to monitor the current temperature as well as set a desired temperature, so the thermometer will beep when the candy has reached the set temperature. Scorched pans, begone!
• Wear rubber welding gloves. It seems silly, but candy has the potential to seriously singe your fingertips. Since candy hardens so quickly, you really need to work with it while it's molten lava hot. Wearing thick gloves is the only way to make that happen safely.
• Keep the candy warm with a heating lamp or an electric stove. In my

YumSugarSource: Quick Tips For a Breezy Cleanup When Baking

If you love baking and absolutely loathe dishes, then there's only one thing you can do: avoid washing extra dishes by dirtying the least amount of kitchen equipment. Here are a few tips to keep the dishes at bay and the actual dishwashing part easier, so you can spend more time getting down to the fun part of the job - the taste test.

• Set out a large plate. Place all the equipment you will need on the plate like measuring cups, spoons, a knife, and a spatula. It will keep your counters clean and clutter-free.
• Measure all dry ingredients, then wet. So the dry ingredients don't stick inside the spoons or cups, measure the dry ingredients first before measuring the wet ingredients.
• Don't put a single dish in the sink while prepping the batter. Avoid putting bowls, whisks, knives, and other equipment in the sink. Chances are you will need it again, so stash it on the large plate for easy grabs.

YumSugarSource: Quick Tip: Sub Ginger Juice For Grated Ginger

If you've ever had the misfortune to slice into a fresh knob of ginger only to find a bland, unappealing, and fibrous gray ring within, you may have surmised that ginger (like most produce) has a defined season. From August till November (and through February, thanks to cold storage), fresh may be the way to go; the rest of the year, try substituting store-bought ginger juice 1:1 for grated or minced ginger for the tastiest results.

While its texture isn't quite the same as minced ginger, ginger juice is literally just juiced and strained gingerroot, so it serves as a near-exact analogue in beverages, anything pureed, or as part of a sauce or marinade. I also like to keep a bottle in my fridge even when ginger is in season for when I only need a small quantity of ginger and don't feel like busting out my Microplane.


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Source: Cool Idea: Spicy Statement Art

Those of you with small kitchens most likely have a spice rack situation - you either devote an entire cabinet to stashing them (which still doesn't grant easy access) or sacrifice precious counter space. Either way, you lose.

Allow us to introduce you to another, more artful option. Create a hive-like wall installation that frees both your cabinets and counter space with Gneiss Spice. The honeycomb-shaped glass jars are topped with gold plastisol lids with strong magnets and can be adhered to a wall plate in rusted metal or sleek stainless steel. If wall space is also limited, no problem. Just stick them on your refrigerator!


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Quick Tip: How to Clean Your Spice Grinder
A Spice Expert's Steps For Making Homemade Spice Blends


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Source: Bill Yosses Reveals This Year's Gingerbread White House

If the idea of building a basic gingerbread house sounds daunting to you, try building a 300-pound gingerbread replica of the White House. That's exactly what presidential pastry chef Bill Yosses has been busy doing for the past several weeks, as we discovered when we had a chance to tour holiday decorations at the White House. The 300-pound replica of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - which features reindeer on the roof, an edible vegetable garden, and Bo Obama playing outside the front lawn - was one of the highlights of our tour of the White House and its holiday festivities. Although a similar house is re-created annually, each house varies from year to year, so we spoke to Chef Yosses about how the creative process works, and why this house was different.

YumSugar: When do you begin designing and creating the White House gingerbread house?
Bill Yosses: Mrs. Obama meets with her staff in July and they begin to talk about