Food

After a year of voting, Lays Potato Chip fans have officially named Cheesy Garlic Bread as the winner of the “Do Us a Flavor” promotion, in which real Lays customers submitted their very best flavor ideas. According to ABC News, nearly 3.8 million fan flavor ideas were submitted, generating over a million votes on Facebook and Twitter. The Cheesy Garlic Bread flavor faced steep competition from Chicken & Waffles, which fans said tasted like maple syrup, and Sriracha, modeled after the hot sauce often found in Thai food, before ultimately taking top prize. “I have three kids and they’re always hungry,” said Wisconsin children’s librarian Karen Weber-Mendham, who submitted the winning flavor.  “I figured if they love it [cheesy garlic bread] that much, then everyone else will too.” Cheesy Garlic Bread chips will remain on store shelves at least until the end of the year, if not longer, and Weber-Mendham will receive a prize of either $1 million or one percent of the sales of Cheesy Garlic Bread chips, whichever is higher.

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

Sad news for fans of Caribou Coffee. The brand announced that they would be closing 80 locations this month. Another 88 stores in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin will be converted to Peet’s Coffee & Tea locations over the next 12 to 18 months. In a statement, the company said, “While the decisions we’ve made have been difficult for our team in Minneapolis, as well as our team members across the country and our guests and fans everywhere, we are working to make this transition as seamless as possible for the Caribou community. We look forward to continuing to deliver extraordinary experiences to our guests and fans, and thank everyone for their passion and commitment to Caribou.”

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

Your McDonald’s breakfast is going to get a little bit healthier next month when the fast food giant officially rolls out its Egg White Delight. The breakfast sandwich, a 250-calorie yolk-free version of the classic Egg McMuffin, was tested in Austin and Atlanta locations last November before making its national debut on April 22. The Egg White Delight features egg whites, Canadian bacon and a slice of white cheddar cheese on a whole-grain English muffin. The egg whites will be cooked on the griddle instead of in the microwave and, according to McDonald’s external communications manager Tyler Litchenberger, you’ll be able to swap them in on any McDonald’s breakfast sandwich you want to be just a little bit better for you. “We’ve been listening to our customers and they want premium options,” Litchenberger told The Daily Meal. “We can’t just limit egg whites to one menu item. We want to provide variety, and the ability to customize anything.” Looks like McDonald’s is trying to give Burger King a run for their money when it comes to “having it your way.”

Article by:
Michelle Loeb

After dining out and ordering Chicken Marsala for the first time, I couldn’t resist trying out this fast and easy recipe at home. Delicious classic chicken breasts coated in Marsala wine and mushrooms.

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry
Directions
1. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear

Article by:
Maria Irizarry

Longhorn Steakhouse has definitely put a creative spin on a traditional surf & turf dish this holiday season. The new lobster stuffed filet topped with a garlic crusted half-lobster tail and an aged white cheddar and bacon stuffed filet have got the food industry buzzing into the new year. Now, I’ve had surf & turf before but I have never seen it on this scale. When this dish was put on a plate in front of me, I was immediately intimidated by its size. I mean it’s the megatron of surf & turfs!
However, the size wasn’t the only major thing about this dish. The flavor of this dish is why food fanatics are continuously praising this item. The lobster is seasoned just right with garlic and cooked to perfection while the filet is cooked just the way you like it, stuffed with savory cheese and bacon, and served with a side of vegetables. I dare you to try to put down your fork! Longhorn took the best of both worlds and made an iconic dish that you just have to try for yourself.

article by:
Tim K. Burns

The holidays are all about family, celebration, giving and thankfulness; but let’s be real, the unifying factor around all of this is food! Whether you’re preparing a new dish on the Christmas dinner table is going to be, revamping a traditional dish or deciding what to surprise your coworkers with at the potluck dinner, check out some creative holiday meal ideas.

• Easy, Holiday Glazed Ham

o 1 spiral-sliced half ham
o 1 20-oz can pineapple slices, juice reserved
o 15 to 20 whole cloves (optional)
o 1 small jar maraschino cherries
o 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
o 2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1. The first thing you want to do is preheat the oven, then follow the cooking instructions for the ham that are located on the package.
2. After 30 minutes of cooking time take the ham out of the oven.
3. Decorate the ham with pineapples and secure them onto the ham with toothpicks or whole cloves.
4. Follow this up by placing a cherry in the center of each pineapple and securing it in the same way.
5. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, mustard and a reasonable amount of pineapple juice, just enough to make a thick glaze to cover the ham.
6. Once the glaze has been heated, spread it over the ham and bake it for another 30 minutes.

• Roasted Kabocha Squash, Haricots Verts, Mushrooms and Pepitas

o 4 cups 1/2-inch-diced kabocha squash
o Extra-virgin olive oil
o 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
o Crushed red pepper
o Kosher salt
o 1 pound haricots verts, stem end removed
o 1 pound oyster mushrooms, pulled into bite-size pieces
o 1/2 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), for garnish
o 1 bunch fresh chives, finely diced, for garnish
1. The oven should be preheated at 375F
2. The squash should be tossed with olive oil, cinnamon, crushed red pepper and salt.
3. From here, the squash should be placed on a sheet tray and put in the oven for 30 minutes/ until soft.
4. The haricots verts should also be tossed with olive oil, crushed red pepper and salt (no cinnamon).
5. Place this on foil and roast it for about 16 minutes.
6. The same should be done to the mushrooms for 14 minutes.
7. Roast pepitas in foil for no more than 8 minutes.
8. When each set is done, combine all of the vegetables and enjoy the healthy combination with your roasted ham!

Article By:
Naa-Shorme Aidoo

Article By:
Hector Valesquez

McDonald’s Corp is famously known for their McBurgers, Big Mac and Mc Café, but now the world famous fast food chain is now serving only vegetarian food due to customer preferences on the region. Already McDonald doesn’t not served any beef nor pork, so they have menu catering to the local taste such as Maharaja Mac (which is a Big Mac with chicken patties instead of beef) and a McAloo Tikki, a burger made with spicy breaded potato patty, red onions, tomatoes and a “special vegetable sauce.”

The opening of the vegetarian-only restaurants “further speaks to McDonald’s efforts to cater to local tastes,” spoken by the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company. As for religious reasons, beef is not eaten by Hindus, who make up the majority of India’s population of about 1.3 billion people with only about 250 establishments. McDonald’s new restaurant is the only one that will only served vegetarian meals only unlike other local area that still cater to a meaty menu.

Article by:
Bryan Vallejo

Taco bell tacos have just gotten better!! They normal Taco Bell taco is primarily cheese, lettuce, tomato, and beef/chicken.  But now they have added a new option of stuffing all these taste ingredients into a taco shell made of Doritos.  This new taco is a rush of mouth watering flavor. The Doritos shell compliments the taco ingredients leaving you wanting more and more.

Article by:
Gregorio Polanco

Walnuts have been known for being a super food. Studies have shown that men who add walnuts to their diet, receive a huge boost to their cardiovascular system.  The gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E in walnuts has been found to provide significant protection from heart problems.

And now a new study found that it can boost the quality of the man’s sperm.  Over 100 men were brought into a UCLA study where they gave a sperm sample, then half the group ate 2.5 ounces of walnuts every day for 12 weeks and the other half to continue with their normal diet.  When both groups came back and got tested again, the walnut group experienced improvement in sperm vitality, motility, and morphology – key components in male fertility.

Article by:
Gregorio Polanco