Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

Highlights from the San Francisco chocolate salon: bacon chocolate, a drink called "choffy," apple pie truffles.

Fashionable tips for the perfect party (think lots of glitter) from MTV's House of Style.

Celebu-chef Jean-George Vongerichten has plans for a worldwide empire of restaurants, with plans to open 50 in the next five years. Will they be the "Applebee's of haute cuisine"?

Are we in the middle of a food revolution? Examining the claims for the recent New York Times story.

What spring vegetable are you looking forward to most -- a quiz. Choices are artichokes, asparagus, carrots, peas and fennel.

How do you feel about mandatory coat checks? Apparently, Yumsugar readers do not like them so much.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• If you're one of those folks who is curious about homemade cheese, make sure to follow along as PartySugar whips up a batch of quick ricotta.
• Widmer Brothers is getting ready for spring and summer with their Drifter Pale Ale (we got a taste of it here at Slashfood and found that it had a refreshing bite).
• Just in time for Pancake Day (this past Tuesday), a group of chefs in Scotland created the tallest stack of pancakes ever.
• The recipe calls for buttermilk, but you're all out. No need to abandon the recipe, simply try this easy substitute.
• Snapple is redesigning, in order to refresh their image and rid the brand of High Fructose Corn Syrup.
• You're trying to cook dinner at home more often, but you're starting to lose steam and inspiration. Try this Honey Glazed Pork with Wilted Greens.
• For those Hershey's Special Dark fans in the crowd, a taste test of the new Extra Dark variety.

• Brooklyn is the epi-center of a food revolution, where anyone with passion, dedication and a little know-how can become an artisanal producer.
• Harold McGee challenges the long-held belief that you need to boil 6 quarts of water for every pound of pasta you're cooking.
• The newest thing in California cuisine - the mobile Korean taco truck.
• Eric Asimov encourages ethnic restaurants to tend more carefully to their wine lists.
• Buttermilk Channel is one of the hottest restaurants in Brooklyn at the moment and Frank Bruni finds that it has much to recommend it.
• Julia Moskin makes new restaurant Seasonal sound homey and appealing.
• The struggles over the coat check, poor tipping and the general resistance people have towards checking their coats.
• There's little that's better than a soup made with long simmered stock from the bones.
  
• The Minimalist is enamored of a starter made from sliced oranges and black olive paste.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• Can you freeze meat that's been defrosted? YumSugar (and the USDA) both say yes, but with some caveats.
• There's a new food-based reality show coming to NBC on March 11th called Chopping Block. British chef Marco Pierre White will be hosting and he's sat down to talk with the Sugar team.
• Today's produce may not be as good for you as the produce of the past.
• PartySugar reviews the new cookbook, It's About Time by Boston chef Michael Schlow. The clever thing about this tome is that it groups recipes by how long they take to prepare.
• Learning that Kate Winslet's mother is an award-winning pickler makes me love the actress and her family even more.
• Peanut Corporation of America, the company that put tainted peanuts into circulation, files for bankruptcy.
• The James Beard Foundation announces the semi-finalists for the 2009 awards.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

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• In need of a quick, portable and impressive amuse bouche, PartySugar settled on making a batch of Spanish Cream Cheese Toasts and says they're a real winner.
• Did you hear that Burger King is adding mini breakfast burgers to its morning menu? Called breakfast "shots," they hope to capitalize on the cute factor.
• Northern California is having something of a dry spell, which means that the region's wine production will be affected.
• Nothing like a good veggie stew to lighten up after some heavy eating. Check out this recipe for Indian Cauliflower Stew.
• Maybe you're in need of even more vegetables! What about this Greeniest Salad.
• Disneyland is going green, by reusing the oil from the park's fryers to power the trains that circle the park.
• Inquiring minds want to know, do you prefer to cook alone or with friends and family?

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• Try these Sloppy Joes, perfect for your game day meal.
• Are Mario Batali and Gordon Ramsay locked in a blood feud?
• We all know that it's better for our health and our wallet to cook at home. However the ease of takeout often wins out. How often do you order in?
• How to tell if that bottle of red someone brought to your housewarming (three years ago!) is still good.
• Check out this slideshow of things that PartySugar loved at the recent San Francisco Fancy Food Show.
• Hosea apologizes for the kiss he shared with Leah on Top Chef.
• In need of a good Chinese New Year dish? Try these Garlic Soy Shrimp!
• Former President Bush enacted a tariff on Roquefort cheese just before leaving office and it's got the French up in arms.

Each Most (I had a memory lapse last week and forgot to do a round-up. My apologies.) Thursdays, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• The FDA announces that genetically engineered meat won't require additional labeling.
• Bravo TV announces that the Top Chef finale will be held in New Orleans and that Emeril Lagasse will be the guest judge for the episode.
• It used to be easy to make a restaurant reservation, all you had to do was call the restaurant and give your name. YumSugar wants to know how you feel about the growing trend of online reservation services requiring a credit card number to book a table.
• Bobby Flay's in hot water over reports that some of his restaurant employees were stiffed on their wages.
• Looking for a decadent birthday dessert? How about this Sticky Toffee Pudding from Sheila Lutkin's Ten!
• Get dinner on the table in a jiffy with these Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa.
• Tampa, FL was recently named the most caffeinated city in the country. Check out the rest of the list of jittery cities here.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• Tired of the high price of grocery store veggie burgers? Make your own!
• In both the U.S. and the United Kingdom, organic farmers are having a very tough time making a go of it, despite increasing interest in organic products.
• Looking to be satisfied and comforted by your meal? Check out this slideshow of seven very comforting foods.
• How do you feel about the growing trend of restaurants charging for bread?
• In search of an easy dinner? How about Shrimp and Scallops en Papillote!
• When you get a party invitation that says "Significant Other Welcome," do you assume that to mean that children are also invited?
• Iron Chef Wine - yay or nae?
• YumSugar takes a look at plastic wrap and foil, trying to determine which will keep her food fresher.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• YumSugar wants to know if you're making edible gifts to distribute this year.
• Get dinner on the table quickly with this recipe for Gemelli with Broccoli Rabe and Anchovies.
• Hanukkah is nearly here, so bone up on your latke skills with these recipes.
• Need a last minute gift for the gourmet in your life? Look no further!
• Starbucks is teaming up with Subway to sell coffee along side the sandwiches.
• When you're prepping bread for a party, make sure to save the bag for easy transport and leftover storage.
• Change up your standard holiday punch with this Sparkling Shiraz Punch.
• A Manhattan buffet is now charging patrons for the food they leave behind, in order to prevent waste.

It's Friday afternoon, which means it's time for another assortment of links that have been catching my attention. This week, I'm grooving on booze and baking. The holidays are near!

1. I've adored Pecan Tassies since the very first time I tasted one, but I'm wondering if Hazelnut Tassies might just be even better.
2. How about Overnight French Toast with Bacon for a holiday morning meal?
3. Your liquid smoke questions answered.
4. Lance J. Mayhew posts The Best Hot Buttered Rum Recipe.
5. Love No-Knead Bread but wish you could make it totally out of whole grains? The Seattle P-I has a recipe from Mark Bittman that gets it down with the good stuff.
6. Marie has made homemade chocolate dipped candy canes, which are perfect for stirring hot chocolate or coffee. Give them as gifts or add them to your holiday buffet.
   
7. Design*Sponge has posted instructions on how to make your own chinese papercut spice jars. Think of it as a non-edible holiday gift for the kitchen.
8. Looking for a good recipe for Gingerbread Men? How about Thomas Keller's!

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• We're always on the lookout for fast and easy dinnertime dishes. This Sesame Tofu Stir Fry sounds like it would fit the bill perfectly.
• One of this year's big headlines? Cookies that have been killed and then resuscitated.
• Should Starbucks (and other coffee shops) put an end to the drink loopholes?
• Looking for an easy appetizer? How about these Prosciutto Wrapped Mozarella Skewers!
• YumSugar is in the midst of 12 days homemade holiday gifts (much like our month-long feature) and they've cooked up some eye-catching Peppermint Bark. Yum!
• Remember the 12 year old who wants to be a restaurant critic? Paramount has acquired his story and may turn it into a movie.

Each Thursday or Friday (oops!), we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• Competitive eating isn't for amateurs - an Indian man died after choking on a pastry at his company's eating contest.
• Who doesn't love a good holiday puree! Check this slide show for five varieties.
• Looking for a retro nibble for your Thanksgiving relish dish? Try these Chicken Salad Stuffed Celery Bits.
• An interview with Dale DeGroff, King of Cocktails.
• YumSugar wants to know - How are you cooking your turkey this year?
• Former Next Food Network Star cheftestant Kelsey Nixon is getting her own Food Network show.
• Still need help with your Thanksgiving plan? Download this dinner planner.
• An interview with Lauren, the first chef kicked off Top Chef.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• Start your dinner party with a mushroom crostata.
• Enter to win a Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving prize pack.
• YumSugar takes Baconnaise out for a test drive and discovers it goes great with potato chips.
• Is it kosher to bring outside food in with you to other restaurants?
• Make your macaroni & cheese a little healthier with the addition of butternut squash.
• Get into autumn with a pomegranate-studded salad.
• The Food Network magazine seems to be here to stay.
• Need some help picking out a turkey? Here are some good tips to getting the best one.

Want to look back on some of the top news, trends and other food related goings-on of the last year? After a jam-packed year of posting, there are some topics that keep coming up again and again. From A to Z, here are our top picks from 2006:

Ad mascots made a comeback and even got spinoff merchandise of their own.

Bacon was just about everywhere

Premium and gourmet coffee is everywhere, and there is an increased appreciation for it.

Dark chocolate is more popular than ever

Energy drinks are a big hit with teens. Caffeinated vodkas are taking the trend even further.

Fois gras is banned in Chicago, although you wouldn't know it to eat there.

Gelato is nearing the top spot on the list of cold, sweet treats that people love to indulge in.

High fructose corn syrup is being looked on with a more critical eye by consumers and removed from some drinks.