Mainly for press releases and other things that are sent to me that don't fit the topic of my Mexican food blog.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Red Velvet Oreos
Just stumbled across a post at The Verge about Red Velvet Oreos and why they are probably fake. I had actually suggest Red Velvet Oreos to Nabisco through Twitter as early as September 2012, and maybe even earlier than that via e-mail to them.
I have to say that I'm not too sure about the reasoning The Verge uses to claim these are fake items. For one, they say they couldn't be real because Oreos only use chocolate or golden cookies. But there used to be a time when they only used chocolate and then later the golden vanilla ones came along. So there's precedent for new cookies flavors getting introduced. Of course, there was also a time when there was only one Oreo product, period. And Double Stuf was the first innovation.
The Verge also says that Red Velvet Oreos are fake because a Facebook group claims it was just for a school project. But none of the pictures shown at that Facebook group match the image shown in the Verge article. Odd...
And as far as the package size goes, I wouldn't say that's a deal-breaker by any means. If someone was purposely faking it it seems like they would go to extra lengths to match existing package sizes.
Now, none of these things mean Red Velvet Oreos are real. I'm just saying that The Verge's reasoning that they are definitely fake is not totally impeccable. I will also conclude this post by pointing to this Tweet.
UPDATE: The Verge has updated their piece to say it might not be fake.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Elbows Mac n' Cheese Teams Up With Breast Cancer Angels
- Housing – Breast Cancer Angels assists with emergency housing costs, up to $500 per month.
- Clothing – throughout the year, Breast Cancer Angels provides gift cards to local stores for the children of those undergoing treatment.
- Medical costs – understanding the extreme burden of mounting medical bills, Breast Cancer Angels, works to ensure that those undergoing treatment can continue treatment regardless of their ability to pay.
- Transportation – Breast Cancer Angels provides gas cards or bus passes to ensure that those undergoing treatment can get to scheduled doctors’ appointments.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Quest Nutrition Bites Into New Snack Category
WITH INTRODUCTION OF QUEST PROTEIN CHIPS!
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Santa Ana Farmers’ Market Debuts March 27
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The New Southwest Cookbook
Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist
Was recently sent a copy of The New Southwest: Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist cookbook by Meagan Micozzi, who runs the Scarletta Bakes blog, and published by Hippocrene Books. Meagan moved from the East Coast to Arizona where she encountered and was intrigued by Southwestern cuisine, a style that blends Mexican, Native American and American cuisines. She dove right in to learning all about the Southwestern style, including its flavors for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and more. Her immersion in the topic led her to start her popular blog, which eventually led to the creation of this cookbook. The recipes in the cookbook are all new so they can't be found on the blog, which is fine, because with as much time as I spend on the Internet sometimes I have to take my eyes off of the computer monitor and just read some traditional print.
I've gone through my review copy and left little Post-It flags on all the recipes I wanted to try. I ended up lots of flags sticking out of the book. The book strikes a good balance between traditional and contemporary. There's recipes for Navajo Fry Bread and Chorizo but there's also Vegan Puffy Tacos and Peanut Butter & Jelly Empanadas. And then there's Fancified Frito Pie. Oh, and Avocado Doughnuts. So, with this cookbook you can be traditional without being boring. Right now I'm headed out to pick up some of the ingredients. The first recipe I'll be trying is the Caramel-soaked Mexican Chocolate Pancakes… and then the Skillet-baked Corn Pudding… and then the Hatch Chile Cheeseburgers…
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Valentine's or Singles Awareness Day?
Was recently sent a press release about new "Halo Top ice cream, the first ever, low calorie ice cream that’s non-gmo, 100% natural, high in protein and fiber, and sweetened with organic stevia to lower the sugar content!" That makes it good whether this February 14th you will be celebrating Valentine's or Singles Awareness Day. The press release goes on to say:
Made with cage-free egg whites and skim milk, 1 pint of Halo Top Vanilla Bean contains 280 calories, 28g protein and 16g net carbs. Compare that to the 1,080 calories, 16g of protein and 96g net carbs in a pint of Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean Ice Cream! In addition to containing no cheap corn syrup, no artificial sweeteners, and no synthetic growth hormones and being completely free of gluten, trans fat and gelatin (making it vegetarian friendly), Halo Top is lovingly crafted with premium ingredients like authentic Belgian chocolate, pure Madagascar vanilla, and real California lemons and strawberries (move over fake “strawberry swirl!”) to make the taste heavenly.
I had actually tried the Vanilla kind last August and made a dark chocolate Kit Kat, vanilla, peanut butter, and cinnamon shake with it.
And last night I got some of the Strawberry kind, so tonight I am making a Halo Top Strawberry & Cap'n Crunch Malt. Purely experimental:
Friday, January 31, 2014
Middle Keys' Largest Seafood Festival Returns March 8-9
More than 20,000 revelers are expected to descend on Marathon Community Park, mile marker 49 oceanside, to munch on mahi-mahi, crackers piled high with creamy smoked fish dip and conch served four ways: as ceviche, chowder, fried golden fritters and bun-hugging "conchwurst" sausage.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Decades of experience and help from scores of fishing families committed to serving their community keep local fishermen and their wives involved in the event each year, along with scores of volunteers.
Keys Fisheries, which processes fishermen's catches for its busy market and restaurant, has space large enough to prepare the festival's feast: a whopping 2,750 pounds of whole lobster, 1,400 pounds of mahi-mahi (dolphin), 1,000 pounds of stone crab claws, 750 pounds of Key West pink shrimp, 200 pounds of fish dip, 80 gallons of conch chowder and 50 gallons of conch ceviche. From the west coast of Florida come 75 bushels of oysters and 75 bags of clams.
Local chefs offer up their talents to prepare the foods according to Keys-based recipes. Save room for the sweets booth, an extravaganza of fresh Key lime pies, baked goods and cakes, cool smoothies and icy treats -- all crafted locally.
The family-friendly event also features a Keys artists' village and art show, raffle giveaways and prizes including a cooler stocked with fresh Keys seafood awaiting one lucky attendee. Children's games and more than 200 vendor and information booths are to dot the park, offering a variety of wares, nautical items, tropical apparel and accessories, plants, flowers, boats and material about watersports and organizations.
Live music performances are slated all weekend. The lineup includes favorite Keys entertainers as well as South Florida's country music favorite Amber Leigh, scheduled to perform Sunday.
The springtime weekend celebrates the area's commercial fishing heritage and raises funds for local scholarship programs. To date, nearly $75,000 has been awarded to Marathon High School students through the Marathon chapter of the Organized Fishermen of Florida, a statewide group that represents the interests and well-being of the commercial fishing industries.
Admission is $5 per adult. Children age 10 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.
The festival is co-sponsored by the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce.
Event information: www.marathonseafoodfestival.
Marathon visitor information: www.fla-keys.com/marathon or 1-800-262-7284
Social: facebook.com/
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Beverage-Air® Celebrates 70 Years of American Innovation
Beverage-Air, founded in 1944 by John Buffington in Punxsutawney, PA, became the leader in the foodservice industry by inventing the first horizontal, forced-air cooler in the Deep Well Series. The company was then known as The Punxsutawney Company with a trade name of “Beverage-Air.”
As the business steadily grew and the demand for commercial refrigeration products increased, John brought his brother Herman Buffington on board to help continue to grow the business. This venture would help to make Beverage-Air a nationwide commercial brand by the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.
By 1950, Beverage-Air further developed the “air cooled beverage system” for horizontal coolers and expanded the product line to include shallow wells, club bars, dairy models, cube makers and direct draw systems.
With business booming in 1958, the decision was made to build a new manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, SC. This facility became the corporate headquarters and the company was renamed Beverage-Air. The industry’s first glass door merchandisers and reach-in coolers were produced at this facility beginning in 1966.
To accommodate continued growth in 1969, a second facility was built in Brookville, PA. The original Punxsutawney Company closed its doors and all operations were moved to Brookville and Spartanburg. These facilities would see numerous expansions between 1972 and 1990. To meet customer demands and manufacturing requirements, Beverage-Air constructed a third facility in Honea Path, SC in 1995.
Throughout the years, the company changed ownership by way of several acquisitions. In 1972, Buffington sold the company to Tannetics, Inc., and was operated by Clinton G. Gerlach. Tannetics was sold to Gerlach Industries, Inc. in 1983. Gerlach Industries, Inc. made the decision to sell the company to Specialty Equipment Companies, Inc. in 1986. Beverage-Air remained a part of Specialty Equipment until it was sold to Carrier Corporation, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation in the year 2000.
Finally in 2008, the Ali Group acquired Beverage-Air. The Ali Group is the largest and most diversified global leader in the foodservice equipment industry, consisting of 76 brands worldwide.
In 2010, the corporate headquarters was relocated to a newly constructed, LEED® certified facility in Winston-Salem, NC where it remains today as part of the Ali Group North America Campus.
In commemoration of its 70th anniversary, Beverage-Air has published a collectible 2014 Calendar that illustrates old/new model innovations with product benefits and features throughout the years. To receive a copy of the limited edition calendar, please contact Beverage-Air at sales@bevair.com.
For 70 years, Beverage-Air has been dedicated to being the leader in innovative refrigeration equipment solutions. The goal of the company is to blend its heritage of leadership, exceptional product quality, and solution based engineering to provide customers with a comprehensive range of refrigeration equipment and unmatched aftermarket service. Beverage-Air is a global leader and preferred manufacturer for commercial refrigeration products in the foodservice industry.
About Beverage-Air
Beverage-Air is a division of the Ali Group based in Winston-Salem, NC. Founded in 1944 by John Buffington, Beverage-Air is a leading manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment to the foodservice industry.
Beverage-Air provides the best value, most diverse product offering, and unmatched quality in the commercial refrigeration equipment industry. Products include reach-in refrigerators and freezers, worktop and undercounters, sandwich and pizza food preparation units, chef bases, blast chillers, glass door merchandisers, school milk coolers,open-air merchandisers, bar equipment including: backbar, deep well, and direct draw models. With 70 years of experience in designing and building commercial refrigeration products, Beverage-Air and its employees are dedicated to excellence in engineering, manufacturing and customer service. Beverage-Air products are manufactured in Brookville, PA, with corporate headquarters located in Winston-Salem, NC.
For more information on Beverage-Air products and services, please visit www.beverage-air.com.
Langham Huntington, Pasadena Reveals 100th Anniversary Plans
"Food as a Lifestyle" Brings Maximum Flavor as a New Chef Reality Show
with New Chef Reality Show
MIAMI, December 23, 2013 - Foodable WebTV Network is excited to announce a new partnership with Miami celebrity chef Adrianne Calvo, who will be the first featured chef in the Network’s new chef reality show, "Food as a Lifestyle". Filming for the show began October.
The show shadows Chef Adrianne, Owner of Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar, to give viewers real insight into the life of a chef and what it takes to make food your life.
"Food as a Lifestyle" is the Network’s first franchise-model show and will eventually feature different chefs in each major food city. The first episode focuses on showcasing the passion and teamwork it takes to make it in the restaurant business. To check out episode one, search YouTube channel foodaslifetv's "Food as a Lifestyle: Orchestrated Chaos".Interested viewers may want to be on the lookout for more episodes, coming soon on FoodableTV.com.
“We’re attempting something that’s never been done before, creating a real reality show as it affects the life of a restaurant chef, industry operator, and how this actually affects the consumers they serve,” said Foodable founder and executive producer Paul Barron.
Aside from being a restaurateur, Calvo has two cookbooks under her belt, a recurring television segment on NBC Miami, and her own foundation "Make It Count", which she started in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Known for bringing 'dark dining' to the local scene, she has also made several TV appearances, in the local community and nationwide.
Foodable founder, and executive producer Paul Barron merges his background in social, publishing and producing to bring the new concept to life. He began building Foodable WebTV Network over three years ago, as the first media platform that merges content not only for the pro-foodie crowd, but industry leaders, restaurateurs and chefs, as well.
ABOUT FOODABLE WEBTV NETWORK (www.foodabletv.com)
Founded by DigitalCoCo and led by Paul Barron, the Foodable WebTV Network is a content platform for the restaurant and hospitality industry, covering trade and prosumer content. With six city blogs, a national blog, 10 WebTV shows, on-location and in-studio, and a social media audience of over 400,000, Foodable Network is a go-to content provider for restaurant and hospitality professionals. Foodable is currently on track to hit more than 250 million impressions in the first year of the network.
Asian Pickles
Monday, January 13, 2014
Memphis at the Santora and Detroit Bar Plan to Change Ownership
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Marukan Rice Vinegar: The Secret Ingredient of the World’s Greatest Chefs
Bring Foods and Flavors to Life with One of the Most Revered Artisan Items in the Culinary Arsenal
Treasured for its versatility and ability to transform and enhance even the simplest foods, Marukan (Mar-oo-Kahn) rice vinegars are the new go-to dressing of home gourmets and health-conscious families wanting to add flavor while not masking foods or adding fat, gluten or calories.
Chefs the world over know that, like a genie in the bottle, time-honored Marukan Rice Vinegar has a magical ability to enhance anything it touches. Indeed, chefs have long considered these light-colored or colorless rice vinegars the secret ingredient of their finest sauces, dressings and marinades in their famed signature dishes. The slow-brewed Japanese artisan process, the same today as it was in 1649, provides superior flavor that has made Marukan the ultimate food enhancer for centuries. It is Zen-like in its delicate power—a unique culinary marvel.
“A tablespoon of Marukan Rice Vinegar is my secret weapon to boost the flavor of sauces, soups and gravies. It adds a freshness, a zest, that is like a note in a piece of music – with it there is harmony but without it there is something missing. With Marukan Rice Vinegar every dish is perfection,” says Chef Walter Staib, proprietor of The City Tavern in Philadelphia, who garnered four Emmy Awards for his PBS cooking show, “A Taste of History.”
Today, Marukan Rice Vinegars are no longer the private domain of the world’s greatest chefs. They are available at specialty and grocery retailers across the country to match the desires of health-conscious and gourmet-savvy consumers. From Seattle and San Diego to the Eastern Seaboard, Americans are now wise to the negative and addictive qualities of sugar, salt and fats that were the mainstay of many pantries, especially since such unhealthy additives mask a food’s true taste rather than enhance it. As a result, butter, oils and heavy flavorings are at long last being cast aside in response to a new cleansed and sophisticated palette, with consumers desiring a food’s true essence—the ultimate culinary enjoyment.
350 Years of Blending Quality and Tradition
Marukan Rice Vinegar was originally developed to create the perfect sushi rice and the world’s finest sushi chefs (dare we say all!) keep Marukan Rice Vinegar close at hand to this day. There's a reason chefs repeatedly turn to Marukan: its rice vinegar is made by the cultivation of a slow and delicate process including natural fermentation and aging – a special technique handed down for more than three and a-half centuries. Every bottle of Marukan is rich with premium-quality "jun-mai” (pure non-GMO rice) vinegar, brewed from only the finest selection of short-grained rice grown and naturally gluten free. As Marukan’s artisans have known from the beginning: there are no short cuts to brewing gourmet-quality rice vinegar.
The care and attention to detail is evident in every single bottle – just as it has been since the company’s founding in 1649. Today, the company is in fact proudly headed by the 11th generation of the Okada/Sasada family!
In addition to its obvious appeal as a universal flavor enhancer, the health benefits of high amino acid rice vinegar have been well known since Hippocrates first treated patients with vinegar centuries ago. Today, this special blend of natural ingredients and human ingenuity is used to reduce high blood pressure and replace salt in low-sodium diets. An added benefit for today’s health and weight-conscious consumers is vinegar’s ability to help the body more efficiently break down and digest food and reduce fat by minimizing the strain on the liver caused by processing all the fats in the typical American diet. This enables the liver to focus on its important functions of cleaning the blood and raising the body’s defenses against disease.
Flavorful Versatility Adds Unparalleled Zest and Freshness
Marukan’s gourmet rice vinegars are among the world’s most versatile culinary accents – adding enticingly delicate flavors to most any dish from an elegant yet simple three-ingredient chicken breast and garlic entrée to a healthy serving of exquisitely marinated fish. Of course, just a dash of any of Marukan’s Rice Vinegars will also add zest and freshness to any salad, sauce, gravy, or soup – as gourmet chefs have been showcasing for years.
Using the same time-honored, slow-brewed gourmet process that befits royalty, Marukan Rice Vinegar artisans today craft eight styles of rice vinegar and ponzu dressings. With an MSRP range of $2.69 to $3.99, varieties include the original best-selling Genuine Brewed and Seasoned Gourmet, as well as Seasoned Gourmet Lite, Organic and Organic Seasoned. Marukan also manufactures a gourmet line of artisan soy dressings with delicate citrus finishes: Yuzu Ponzu Premium with Yuzu Citrus, Ponzu Premium with Sudachi Citrus and Ponzu Premium Sudachi Citrus Marinade.
About Marukan Vinegar
Makers of the world’s finest authentic rice vinegar, Marukan Vinegar was founded in 1649 and has been adding a delicate boost of flavor to the essence of myriad foods from many cultures ever since. All Marukan products use the time-honored slow-brewing Japanese process that creates the most flavorful rice vinegar and ponzu sauces in the world.
In the Tokugawa Era (1603–1867) there was a saying that ”Masamune means Sake and Marukan means vinegar,” and as a guarantee of the unfailing quality of Marukan vinegar, the name of the company’s founder, Suya Kanzaburo (Yasuhisa) was written on every barrel of vinegar produced. Later the first character of that name was designed into the present trademark , which has continued to stand as a guarantee of Marukan’s traditional skill and constant high quality that chefs in the finest restaurants and everyday homes alike use to bring out the very best culinary flavor.
Please visit www.marukan-usa.com for information.