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YumTV: Maple Manhattan Is Perfect Winter Cocktail

partysugar — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:00:28 -0800

When the weather is frightfully cold, there's nothing quite like a potent and flavorful cocktail to warm the soul. Here, Jason Schiffer, the owner of 320 Main in Seal Beach, shows us how to make the Maple Manhattan, a combination of whiskey, maple syrup, and punt e mes.

Noteworthy Nibbles - Mar. 17-23, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:30:16 -0700

This week, the country's gone crazy for wine, cheese, and chocolate. If you're in Northern California, you may find yourself faced with the tough decision of choosing between three of life's greatest indulgences. We'll be getting cocoa butter and sugar high at the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, and saying cheese at California's Artisan Cheese Festival. Maybe we'll see you there! Let us know what events you're attending this weekend - and feel free to add any other food events below.

Del Mar, CA: Family Winemakers of California Tasting 2009 - Mar. 17
Green Bay, WI: US Championship Cheese Contest - Mar. 17-19
New York, NY: NYC Restaurant Week - Mar. 17-20
Tallahassee, FL: Florida Wine Festival - Mar. 20-21
Paso Robles, CA: Zinfandel Festival - Mar. 20-22

To see the rest, read more.

Petaluma, CA: California's Artisan Cheese Festival - Mar. 20-23
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International Chocolate Salon - Mar. 21
Yountville, CA: Taste of Yountville - Mar. 21
Monterey, VA: Highland Maple Festival - Mar. 21-22

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Fall Garden: Scarlet Jewell Maple

CasaSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:30:00 -0700

If, like me, one of your favorite parts of Fall is taking in the gorgeous colors of leaves, you might want to consider purchasing trees for your yard that are known for their Fall colors. For instance, if you love brilliant, fiery red tones, you might want to check out the Scarlet Jewell, a variety of maple tree that gives you bright red color typically two weeks ahead of other maple trees. Growing to a height of 70 feet and a width of 30 feet, its leaves are dark green in the Summer, and it grows in zones 3-7, preferring moist, slightly acidic soil.

To find out more about this maple, read more.

And as an added bonus, the Scarlet Jewell also showcases tiny, bright red flowers each Spring. This gorgeous tree was selected in northern Minnesota by Terry Schwartz of Bailey Nurseries, and is grown exclusively by that nursery as well. It's only available at independent garden centers across the country, so check mom and pop operations in your neighborhood for this tree. If you have garden catalog lust, you can also check out the Bailey Nurseries catalog here, and save a tree!

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Cupcake of the Week: My Edible Neighbor Totoro

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:28:33 -0700

This week's cupcake comes from A Cat In the Kitchen. Her adorable Totoro topped cupcakes are wonderfully cute and made me squeal out loud. The cupcakes are actually maple, pecan and apple - perfect for the fall - and are topped with a sugar fondant/paste and decorated with a food pen. I love all the detail in them. They're really almost too cute to eat! Well, almost...

Yummy Link: Maple Baked Apples

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:10:08 -0700

One of the best things about fall are ripe apples off of the tree. What would be even better is if they were baked in maple syrup. - The Wednesday Chef

Love Maple Syrup?

partysugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:01:31 -0800

Happy National Maple Syrup Day! Let's celebrate the classic waffle accompaniment by taking a quick quiz. Find out how much you know about everything maple syrup! Once you get your results, tell us how you did.

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Take the quiz

Maple Flakes by Equinox

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Sometimes I see a new product and I think "What a great idea! Why didn't I think of that. I can't wait to try it." Other products I just question and wonder if there really is a need for it. When I saw the Maple Flakes made by Equinox, my reaction was mixed. It seemed like a cool concept - dehydrated maple syrup, but was there a sweetener void in my life?

Then I sprinkled them on top of the yogurt I had and spread on my favorite toaster waffle, and I was delighted by the concept and the taste, not to mention a serious decrease in the sticky factor. Not only are these little flakes tidier than liquid maple syrup, one teaspoon of flakes has only 7.5 calories compared to maple syrup's 17 calories
per teaspoon. Plus they are organic.

These flakes are also great sprinkled on plain oatmeal, so you can skip the already flavored and sweetened maple, brown sugar flavors. Use it on plain yogurt so you can skip the added sugar in flavored yogurt, which i find excessive. You can use the flakes the next time you make a teriyaki dish.

Buy them from igourmet.com for $5.99 for a 4 ounce package, and that package will last you a long time since the flavor is so concentrated a little pinch packs a tasty punch of maple flavor.

The Card Shop: Maple Leaf/Thanksgiving Boxed Notes

CasaSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:00:04 -0800

No, it's not tradition to send cards at Thanksgiving. But, take one look at the Dingbat Press Maple Leaf/Thanksgiving Boxed Notes ($24), and you'll be convinced. This gorgeous boxed set of six notes features soft-red maple leaves in varying sizes falling from a vivid-orange maple tree. The notes arrive tied with a ruby-red ribbon, and enclosed in a sturdy chocolate box. So, whether you'll be sending these autumnal notes or just gifting them, you'll be sure to impress.

Healthy Recipe: Sesame Maple Roasted Tofu

FitSugar — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Spring weather not only encourages us to exercise outdoors, but it also brings new foods to our plates. One of my favorites is fresh maple syrup (a friend from Vermont sends me a bottle every year). Pouring it on pancakes and French toast is always a favorite weekend treat in my house, but I also like to cook with it. This vegetarian dish is flavored with mother nature's sweetener, so it tastes savory yet sweet, and because it's made with tofu and quinoa, it's full of protein and fiber.

To see my recipe read more.

Healthy Recipe: Sesame Maple Roasted Tofu
Inspired by recipe from Eating Well

Ingredients

1 8-ounce block of tofu, cubed
1 red pepper, sliced
2 tsp canola oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tbsp tahini (or use ginger salad dressing)
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 clove fresh garlic, minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss tofu, red peppers, canola oil, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast until the tofu is lightly golden on top and the red peppers are browning in spots, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the tofu and peppers are roasting, make the quinoa. Put one cup of quinoa and two cups of water in a covered pot. Cook on high, and once it starts boiling, lower the heat to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Then stir in the carrots and cook for another five to 10 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.
Whisk tahini, soy sauce, maple syrup, and vinegar in a small dish until combined.
Remove the tofu from the oven, drizzle with the maple sauce, and stir to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Return to the oven and continue roasting 8 to 12 minutes more.
Add the fresh ginger and garlic to the quinoa and stir completely.
Remove the tofu and peppers from the oven. Scoop out quinoa onto a plate and top with the maple sesame tofu and peppers. Enjoy!

Makes 3 servings.

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Reader Recipe: Maple-Balsamic Dressing

YumSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:27:19 -0700

I was checking out all the great recipes everyone's been posting, when I came across this dressing from TeamSugar member FinnLover. She's based in Québec, and finally caved in to the local maple syrup frenzy. Lucky for us, it's resulted in a yummy looking maple-balsamic dressing. To get her recipe and try it for yourself, read more.

Submitted by TeamSugar member FinnLover

Yummy Maple - Balsamic Dressing
Tyler Florence's Fall Salad, Tyler's Ultimate

The Province of Québec is the world's largest producer of maple syrup and every year, during the months of March and April when the production takes place, happens some kind of maple frenzy. Wherever you go, restaurants have maple dishes on their menus (pie, cake, pork, salmon...). So last week, I decided to make this sweet and simple dressing. It was fast, easy and tasted great. Tyler's recipe called for candied pecans and pears, but since I had none of that on hand I made a simple green salad.

Ingredients

- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Mix together the shallot, Dijon mustard and Balsamic vinegar.

2. Slowly add the olive oil while you whisk to emulsify.

3. Add the maple syrup, mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve with the greens of your choice. I used Romaine because that's all I had, but endives, radicchio or baby spinach would have been great too.

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