mgpopolo's Blog

What We're Reading: April 26

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We’re Reading

Jon Bon Jovi to Open Pay-What-You-Can Restaurant

(Slash/Food) Rocker and philanthropist Jon Bon Jovi will open a restaurant, Soul Kitchen, in Red Bank, New Jersey this spring. The unique community eatery will offer low-cost or no-cost meals in exchange for diners services at the restaurant.

Climate Change Truffles

(Wired) Buffo, a Lagotto Romagnolo dog, sniffed out a one-pound truffle while roaming the forests of southern Germany. The fungi, a precious European delicacy,fetches around $1,800 per pound.

 

What We’re Watching

Magnum Ice Cream Short Directed by Karl Lagerfeld

(Eater) To celebrate a nationwide launch, Magnum Ice Cream premiered a three short flicks directed by fashionisto Karl Lagerfeld and starring Rachel Bilson. In this short, the only one of three currently available online, Bilson plays a 5’2” model who indulges in a ice cream bar mid-shoot.

What We’re Craving

The Matzo Elvis

(NPR) The Jews on campus still can’t have leavened bread, so try this classic Elvis sandwich on matzo. One taster says, “It looks like the food in the bottom of the trash can that's been crushed by all the other trash. Tasty, though.”

What We're Reading: April 21

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We’re Reading:

Hot dog-eating contest to welcome women this summer

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest(CNN) Nathan’s 96th annual July Fourth International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island will hold a separate competition for women this year. Scouting reports suggest you keep an eye on Sonya Thomas has scarfed 41 hot dogs in 10 minutes for her personal best.

Cooking in Code

(Elle) As the food blogging kitchen gets crowded, Elle features six innovative foodies.

The Cadbury Crème Egg’s Bad Romance

(Jezebel) They’re sticky and too sugary, but we can’t resist them. Jezebel explains why.

 

What We’re Peeping At:

2011 Denver Post Peeps Contest Entries

From "Chilean Mine Peeps Rescue” to a “Justin Peeper” scene, check out all 162 diorama entries.

 

What We’re Watching:

How much sugar are you eating?

The BBC plays hide and seek with the sneaky sugars concealed in the average diet. Not to mention, listening to the journalist say tom-ah-to is oh-so endearing. 

 

Photos courtesy of Hello Turkey Toe / Flickr.

 

What We're Reading: April 14

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We’re Reading:

Taco Bell Appears To Be Testing Nacho Doritos-Flavored Shells

(The Consumerist) Rumor has it that Taco Bell is toying with the idea of wedding the cheesy chip with a taco, hailed the Doritos Taco Loco.

Toddler Gets Tipsy at Olive Garden

(Sun Sentinel) The Olive Garden will now serve sangria individually to order, rather than pouring from a pitcher, after a toddler was accidentally served the wine punch at a Florida branch. Mother Jill VanHeest noticed her son acting odd, and after thirty minutes, the wait staff noticed they made a mistake.  

National Food Day

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has invented a new holiday on October 24: Food Day. While the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization has been celebrating World Food Day since the ‘70s, the CSPI’s Food Day will focus on American eating habits and issues, rather than global concerns. A press release suggests participants take as small of a step as cooking a mindful meal or make a larger impact by organizing a rally.

 

What We're Playing:

Breakfast Cereal Quiz 

(Delish) Before Cheerios became a household name, what where the O’s called? What creates Rice Krispie’s snap-crackle-pop effect? Take this breakfast cereal quiz to test how well you know your morning meal.

What we're reading: April 12

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We’re Reading

Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day is Today!

(Flavorly) Swing by the nearest Ben & Jerry’s for a scoop on the house this Tuesday in celebration of the 33rd annual Free Cone Day. From noon to 8 p.m. scoop shops worldwide will be serving up complimentary cones. Unfortunately for those of us stranded in Salt City, the closet scoop shop is a far-flung 95 miles up route 90 in Pittsford, NY. Are you willing to drive up your appetite?

Chicago Public School Bans Bagged Lunches

(Chicago Tribune) To encourage eating a well-balanced lunch, a Chicago public school takes matters onto its own tray. Unless they have a medical excuse, students are not allowed to brown bag lunches from home in order to protect them from their own junky choices.

New App Calculates Calories Through Photo of Food

(Reuters) Counting calories can be daunting, but with MealSnap, a new mobile app, users can snap a picture of their plates and within minutes get an accurate nutritional rundown.

The Next Chipotle

(Eater) Chipotle, the Tex-Mex rage in Syracuse, has announced plans to open a new Asian chain called ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen. The first ShopHouse will open up this summer in DC, and more will come. Following Chipotle’s fresh, customized food model, ShopHouse will offer Thai, Malaysian, and Vietnamese dishes of braised and grilled meats, fresh vegetables, and spicy sauces. 

What we're reading: April 7

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We’re Reading:

Cracking Choice

(The Telegraph) Eat up this slideshow of the twelve best chocolate Easter eggs, all the way from England. We dig the Dinosaur egg with dinosaurs and fossils and the 80s Chocolate Rock Chicks.

Consider the Menu: Your dinner is at stake

(The Denver Post) Restaurant menus can be a solace to scan, or a headache to flip through. This article investigates the science and marketing behind the menu, considering the length, the language, and more.

Eating Locally

(The Onion) America’s Finest News Source shares some tips on how to embrace the locavore movement, including “tie one end of a 100-mile rope to your house and the other end to your waist to ensure that you only eat within that radius.”

Squirrel Meat Served at Edinburgh Restaurant

(BBC) Spoon Café Bistro has added grey squirrel to the menu, and this dish has sold out every day since its debut last Friday. To protect Scotland’s native red squirrel, the grey was being killed, so the free-range animal is ending up on plates.

 

What We’re Craving:

Angry Birds Babybel

What we're reading: April 5

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We're Reading

Bienvenidos a Marshall Street, Chipotle

After months of salivating, the Chipotle on Marshall Street has finally opened! Lines are long, but surprisingly not out the door, customers tweet. Check out more of what Chipotlers are talking about on Twitter.

Genetically Modified Cows Produce Human Milk

(Slash/Food) Chinese researchers report that they have produced human-like milk from genetically modified cows. Chock full of the same nutrients as breast milk, the cow juice could help mothers that have trouble breastfeeding. How’s it taste? A bit “stronger” than regular milk, says lead researcher Ning Li.

Meet Meaty Vegetables

(The Wall Street Journal) Chefs across the country are casting new foods to star as main dishes. Vegetables, rather than meat, now take center stage on plates like cauliflower steak with quinoa, braised shelling beans with a poached egg, and fiddlehead ferns and parmesan soufflé.

Would you like a McJob with that?

(CNNMoney) McDonald’s announced that it plans to hire 50,000 new employees on April 19. The fast-food chain, which has over 14,000 locations nationwide, will hire crew and management positions. 

 

What We're Watching

Addicted to Food

Tonight at 10, "Addicted to Food," an eight episode docu-series premiers on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The show follows patients at a treatment facility that have rocky relationships with food.

 

What We're Craving: 

Chocolate Cream Peeps Pie

 

What we're reading: March 29

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We're Reading:

The Starvation Vacation

(The Wall Street Journal) Christina Binkley signed up for what she thought was a relaxing Malibu retreat, but found herself jailed in a super strict detox boot camp.

Why William and Kate's choice of cake-maker is causing a stir

(The Independent) The royal couple has settled on a multi-tiered fruit cake for their wedding breakfast, which will be designed by Fiona Cairns, whose cakes are sold in Harrods, Selfridges and Waitrose. But rival cakemakers find the choice controversial. The Independent reports: "I'm surprised they've chosen someone who designs cakes for a supermarket," said one, "and brides don't tend to go for fruit these days."

 New Karl Lagerfeld Diet Coke Bottles Will Hit Shelves June 2011

(Racked) Famous fashion designed Karl Lagerfeld has collaborated with Vitamic DC to design a new Diet Coke bottle, which will be available in select specialty stores this summer.

Bananas Could Make Cars Leaner, Greener

(Wired) Fruit fibers from bananas and pineapples could produce a plastic up to three to four times stronger and 30 percent lighter than the currently used petroleum-based plastics, Brazilian scientists have discovered. The innovation could reduce the weight of cars, increasing fuel efficiency.

 

What We're Craving:

Healthy Girl Scout Cookie Makeovers

(Lentil Breakdown) Try chocolate-covered mint leaf Thin Mint or a pineapple ring Samoa.

What we're reading: March 24

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We’re Reading: 

Five Health Reasons to Keep Drinking Coffee

(EatingWell) You could be reaping some health benefits from that can’t-cope-without-a-cup coffee.

How to Beat the Salad Bar

(New York Times) Get your greens without paying them. This column teaches shoppers to outsmart the super market with a statistical analysis of salad bar. This crafty infograph reveals that sun-dried tomatoes and almonds are among toppers that beat the system.

It's Not Your Fault You Can't Cook

(Food 52) This post blames Google for making you a bad cook. The search engine recently launched a recipe view tool but the function inadvertently favors content-rich sites, especially search-engine-optimized ones that parade “low-calorie” and “quick and easy” dishes.  “In so doing, Google unwittingly — but damagingly — promotes a cooking culture focused on speed and diets,” claims food blogger Amanda Hesser.

Cheers to Clean Water

(UNICEF) That extra dollar on your restaurant receipt this week could be for tap water, but keep your cool. Before you assault your waiter, remember that it could be for charity. UNICEF has teamed up with thousands of restaurants for World Water Week (March 20-26) to raise awareness, and money, about the lack of clean drinking water around the world. Unfortunately, no restaurants in the Syracuse area are participating; you’ll have to gas up for a trip to the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca to have a sip.

 

What We're Craving:

Breakfast for Lunch

(Baunilha e Caramelo) I don't speak Portugese, but these perfect waffles remind me of hashtags. #itsbreakfasttimesomwhere 

What we're reading: March 22

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We’re Reading:

Quinoa’s Global Success Creates Quandry at Home

(The New York Times) The mysterious superfood quinoa is rising in global popularity and as a result, the Bolivians who harvest it can no longer afford to eat it. Quinoa, related to beets and spinach, has amazing nutritional value and has long been a staple in the South American diet. But as prices have nearly tripled over the last five years, Bolivian’s consumption has dropped 34 percent, forcing them to turn to less nutritious alternatives.

Drinking Nationally: Beer Cocktails 

(Serious Eats) If you drink beer like it’s milk, you can now also down it in cocktail form. Try the Foxy Brown, featuring Bulleit bourbon, Laurelwood Tree Hugger porter, chocolate bitters, maple syrup, and a brandied cherry or the Costa Rhode Island, a salt-rimmed concoction of Lunazul white tequila, grapefruit juice, St. Germain, and Narragansett beer. 

A National Bakesale for Japan 

(Slash/Foods) As of this morning, 22,641 people have been reported dead or remain missing in Japan. One American chef is heating up ovens to help. In a cross-country initiative, bakers will unite on April 2 to sell treats for donations, with all proceeds benefiting Peace Winds Japan.

McRunner Breaks his Marathon Time after Burger Diet

(Chicago Sun Times) After 30 days of training on McDonald’s meals only, the McRunner broke her personal marathon time by 41 seconds. Not trying to make a political point, the runner simply wanted to combine his love for the fast-food chain and running. 

Diary of a Part-Time Monk

Taking a lesson from monks over 300 years ago, this blogger is sacrificing solids for Lent. Follow his quest to drink just beer and water for the 46-day period at Diary of a Part-Time Monk.

 

What We’re Craving:

(Serious Eats) Cadbury Eggs hatched into classy deviled eggs.

What we're reading: March 8

A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What We’re Reading:

Skip the Skippy

Unilever United States Inc. has recalled Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy® Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread because of possible Salmonella contamination. Tainted products were removed from the shelves in New York State, but check the UPCs and Best-If-Used-By dates on this recall site before smearing your spread.

 

Who Will Drink to 40 Years of Starbucks?

(New York Times) Starbucks turns 40 this year, and it’s planning a big bash for you. To celebrate, the company is presenting a limited edition line of Starbucks Tribute blend coffee and Petites, baked goods less than 200 calories. “It’s our anniversary, but you get the presents,” says the company’s anniversary slogan. Running from Thursday through Sunday, customers who order drinks from 2 to 5 p.m. will receive a free treat. And along with the launch of its new logo, look out for Starbucks’ television campaign starting today.

 

Anthony Bourdain Calls Eric Ripert Out Re: Gordon Ramsay, Bonds With Him Over Stoner Food

(The Feast) The Feast gives a breakdown of the top takeaways from Bourdain’s foodie talk with Ripert in Boston’s Symphony Hall last Friday. The unscripted evening, full of rants and expletives, discussed ridiculous food trends, Food Network flops, and Ripert’s go-to stoner meal.

 

New Potatoes Developed to Make Better Potato Chips

(Slash/Food) Cornell University’s potato-breeding program has developed two new types of potatoes, Waneta and Lamoka, named after twin Finger Lakes. The potatoes, which have longer storage life and are more resistant to common diseases, will bruise less and soak up less greasy oil. Hitting shelves near you soon.

 

What We’re Drinking:

(Serious Eats) Happy Mardi Gras! Turn Euclid Ave. into Bourbon Street with these nine classic New Orleans cocktails.