Sriracha Vodka

I think flavored vodka has gone too far!  UV Vodka has introduced Sriracha vodka (they also have other crazy vodkas like salty watermelon, candy bar and sweet green tea).  On their website, they suggest using it in Bloody Mary's or drinking it on the rocks.  Here's the LA Times article if you want to read more.

Would you try it?  I'd taste it but would much rather use a good regular vodka and real sriracha sauce.

Pop-Tarts Ice Cream

 

Why didn't anyone think of this before? 

Carl's Jr. is rolling out a new Hand-Scooped Strawberry Pop-Tarts Ice Cream Sandwich to all of its 1,391 restaurants as a limited time offer starting today.

For a limited time, the dessert will be FREE with the purchase of a Super Bacon Cheeseburger combination meal at participating restaurants. The ice cream sandwich will be sold for a recommended $1.49 if purchased separately.  (That sounds like a 3,000 calorie meal.)

I'm not a huge fan of Strawberry Pop-Tarts, but I can imagine Frosted Blueberry or S'mores being pretty good.

Chipotle testing a new vegetarian menu item "Sofritas"

Chiptole plans to test a new vegetarian menu item called "Sofritas" in seven San Francisco Bay Area restaurants starting today:

• 525 Market in San Francisco
• 121 Fourth St. in San Francisco
• 126 New Montgomery in San Francisco
• 2019 Chess Drive in San Mateo
• 251 East 3^rd Ave. in San Mateo
• 180 El Camino Real in Palo Alto
• 135 El Camino Real in Millbrae.

What are Sofritas?  They're shredded tofu braised with chipotle chilis, roasted poblanos and a blend of aromatic spices made with organic, non-GMO tofu from Oakland's Hodo Soy.

Sofritas will be available in burritos, tacos, burrito bowls and salads and can be combined with other signature ingredients, including white or brown cilantro-lime rice, pinto beans or vegetarian black beans, house-made salsas and guacamole, and cheese or sour cream.

The test may be expanded to additional markets in the future.

I'm curious to taste these so-called Sofritas.

Send your loved one a chocolate heart for V-Day. . . or maybe not

This is just weird and a little creepy.

Dude, Sweet Chocolate, a chocolatier in Dallas is taking orders for a chocolate (anatomically correct?) heart.

2 lbs. of South American Chocolate Love... Studded with Cocoa Puff Marshmallows, Crack in The Box & Crumbled Waffle Cone.
$45.00

They are taking pre-orders now if this floats your (or your significant other's) boat.

http://dudesweetchocolate.com/main.sc

Floaties

 

 

I think that if we bought these pool floats (each $18 at Urban Outfitters), I'd be hungry all the time in the pool. 

The Anti-Loneliness Ramen Bowl

This is really funny. . . until you accidentally knock your phone into your bowl.  It's actually ingenious.  Designed by Miso Soup Design, the bowl will be available by May.  For more info on the bowl and how to pre-order it, here is the PCMag.com commentary.

The Turducken of Desserts

I learned about the turducken of desserts while reading American Way Magazine (on an American Airlines flight back the other day). 

It's called the Pumpecapple Piecake -- an 11 inch, 24 pound dessert consisting of 3 distinct layers of 6 desserts.  It's a pumpkin pie baked inside of a spice cake, a pecan pie inside a chocolate cake, and an apple pie inside a spice cake, all layered together with a cream-cheese icing and filling and topped with a caramel drizzle and a sprinkle of pecans.  A single slice is 2,000 calories.  Cost is $175.

Check out the 3 minute video on how they make it.  The next time we're in Houston, I'm going to call and see if we can get a slice to go.
http://www.3brothersbakery.com/

Eau de Pizza Hut

To celebrate reaching 100,000 Facebook fans, Pizza Hut Canada launched a perfume ~ Eau de Pizza Hut.  Thank goodness only 110 bottles were produced and that there are no plans to retail the product.  (The bottles were given to the first Facebook fans asking for the perfume.)

Here's the news story if you want to read more.

Starbucks Limited Edition $450 Steel Gift Card

Can I get this for Christmas?  I'm ok with being part of the 1% (see link to article below).  I'd also probably try the $7 cup of coffee.

Meanwhile, Starbucks is rolling out the limited edition $450 steel gift card, the latest addition to the super premium gift card category. Each specially etched card, loaded with $400, costs $50 to make; Starbucks will make only 5,000 of them. The card comes with gold-level Starbucks card membership benefits, such as gifts and freebie refills on brewed coffee and tea, reported USA Today.

Trick or Treat!

Check out Refinery 29's slideshow of Gorgeous, Gruesome Treats for Halloween.  Not your typical candy assortment.

Happy Halloween!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Blackberry Passion Fruit Tart and Apple Cinnamon Crisp Ice Cream

Yogurtland has introduced 2 new flavors:  White Chocolate Macadamia Nut and Blackberry Passion Fruit Tart.

From their press release:
For the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut yogurt, Yogurtland uses hand-picked macadamia nuts that are double roasted to bring out the flavor, then ground into a smooth butter and gently folded into the yogurt. The macadamia nuts add additional protein, potassium and various vitamins.
  
For the Blackberry Passion Fruit Tart yogurt, Yogurtland sourced passion fruit from South America and blackberries from Oregon that are known as the “American super fruit.” Both of these fruits are packed with Vitamin C, high levels of antioxidants, beta-carotene and potassium. An 8-ounce serving of this yogurt flavor provides a full day’s requirement of Vitamin C.
  
Combining authentic flavors with real milk gives Yogurtland yogurt its creamy, smooth taste that’s also good for you. Naturally occurring calcium and Vitamin D make Yogurtland yogurt a healthful, refreshing treat. Fruit flavors are also fortified with Vitamin C. Yogurtland yogurt also has six probiotics and the live and active yogurt cultures your body needs for a healthy balance.

Makes me feel good about eating the stuff. 

Baskin-Robbins has introduced its September flavor of the month:  Apple Cinnamon Crisp.

From their press release:

Featuring cinnamon-flavored ice cream with apple and oat chunks, plus a buttery brown sugar cinnamon swirl-flavored ribbon, Apple Cinnamon Crisp combines classic autumn flavors into one delicious frozen treat.

 

For a more decadent treat, guests can enjoy the new Apple Cinnamon Crisp Waffle Bowl Sundae. The sundae features two scoops of Apple Cinnamon Crisp ice cream in a waffle bowl, topped with warm caramel praline topping, whipped cream, almonds and is finished with a cherry on top. Baskin-Robbins' new Apple Cinnamon Crisp is available by the scoop in a cup or cone at participating Baskin-Robbins shops nationwide in September. The flavor is also available in fresh-packed pints and quarts, so ice cream lovers can bring the flavor home to enjoy with family and friends.

 

Sounds delicious but probably not so healthy.

Hatch Chile Festival

Dallasites, it is Hatch Chile Festival time at Central Market until August 21st!

Now, I've never cooked hatch chiles before and am not exactly sure how I would cook them; however, Central Market has recipe upon recipe of really interesting dishes.  Check it out here.  I'm going to try Tash's Hatch Chile Chicken Enchiladas recipe this week. . .

I did purchase some Hatch Chile tortillas (delicious) and also a Hatch Chile Chocolate bar just for kicks today.   (I was in the chocolate aisle looking for some interesting dark chocolate since I was reminded recently how chocolate has been linked to lower BMI.  The greatest news ever!)  I had really low expectations of the chocolate bar, thinking I wouldn't be able to taste the chiles, but wow - it was spicy and flavorful.  Really nice, rich chocolate -- and only $2!  Give it a try and let me know if you have any great hatch chile recipes I should try.

Choco Tacos

I was roaming around the grocery store and down the ice cream aisle and came across Klondike's Choco Tacos.  Ah, memories.  I remember going on a family road trip in high school and stopping at a gas station where my sister and I got one as a snack.  Apparently, this Choco Taco type is new -- having chocolate ice cream on the inside and dipped in a Nestle-bar-crunch-magic-shell-like topping.  )The original has vanilla ice cream and is dipped in a chocolate with peanuts.) 

In any case, it was fun to try it again and was just as I remembered it.  The 'taco' (waffle part) was chewy.  After all these years, I'm surprised they haven't figured out how to keep the shell crispy?!

Wine Perfume: You Can Have Your Wine and Wear It Too

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From Refinery29

Wine Perfume: Now You Can Have Your Vino &...Wear It, Too

By Megan McIntyre

If your first reaction to that headline was "ew," then clearly you need a proper introduction to the wonders of wine perfume. The Kelly & Jones Wine Notes Collection features five perfumes inspired by different varietals of vino: Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Creator Kelly Jones was inspired to create the scents after attending a wine tasting and noticing how her vanilla perfume intermingled with the notes of the wine she was savoring. Jones headed back to her fragrance studio with bottles of her favorite wines and went about mixing up scents that played off the undertones of each wine.

The end result is a collection of fragrances that features notes like honeydew, rhubarb, and toasted oak. When you stop to think about it, the concept makes sense: Sommeliers often instruct you to sniff the wine before you drink it, so that you can get a better understanding of a wine's complex flavor profile. Fragrance and scent are intertwined, so a wine fragrance is just a natural progression of this link.

When you look at it that way, it doesn't seem so odd after all. It also helps that the scents themselves are stunning — our favorite is the fruity Riesling, which has notes of white peach, anjou pear, bergamot, and raspberry leaf. We have eternal love for our vino, so we fully support anything that helps us celebrate our obsession without feeling like total lushes.

$84 each, available at www.kellyandjones.com

Penfolds Launching Top Wines

Article: Penfolds set to launch top wines

Penfolds is set to launch their 2012 Penfolds Icon and Luxury Collection on Thursday, May 3rd.  There are 8 wines ranging over 4 vintages.

According to the article, "most interest will be directed at the release of the 2007 Penfolds Grange, which chief winemaker, Peter Gago, has unsurprisingly singled out as the standout of the collection." 

• 2007 Penfolds Grange from $625
• 2009 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay $130
• 2010 Penfolds Reserve Bin A Adelaide Hills Chardonnay $95
• 2008 Penfolds St Henri Shiraz $95
• 2009 Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon $250
• 2008 Penfolds Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon $250 (inaugural re-release; modeled on the 1973 release of Bin 169)
• 2009 Penfolds RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz $175
• 2009 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz $130

Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos

Update 4/25/2012

I promised I'd report back on Doritos Locos Tacos after I tried them.  Well, I tried one and it was mediocre.  The taco shell was regular nacho cheese radioactive orange and had the powdered cheese dust taste. . . I mean, it's Doritos!  It didn't, however, add anything to the taco except saltiness.  Even without using the 3 packets of hot sauce that I usually use per taco, I couldn't taste the nacho cheese from the shell.  I just tasted salt.

Apparently, this new innovation has been "enormously successful" according to the company's CFO, and sales rose 6% in the first quarter.

I think I'll stick with my emergency lunch of Taco Bell 150 calorie Fresca Tacos.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

It's the day we've all been waiting for.  Just kidding.

Tomorrow, March 8th, Taco Bell is debuting their Doritos Locos Tacos nationwide.  The company has partnered with Frito-Lay in reinventing the taco (the taco shell is made of Nacho Cheese Doritos) and believe this will boost their "lingering sales."

I'll try it and will report back. . . .

http://www.tacobell.com/doritoslocostacos

10 Crazy Vodka Flavors

1. Bacon (Bakon Vodka)
2. Frosting (Cupcake Vodka)
3. Smoked Salmon (Alaska Distillery)
4. Chili Peppers (Absolut Vodka)
5. Fluffed Marshmallow (Smirnoff Vodka)
6. Scorpion (Skorppio Vodka)
7. Cucumber (Square One Organic Spirits)
8. Cookie Dough (Pinnacle Vodka)
9. Peanut Butter & Jelly (Van Gogh Vodka)
10. Rose (Sputnik Vodka)

See the slideshow on CNBC:  http://www.cnbc.com/id/47075311/

The scorpion one grosses me out.  Some other interesting vodkas I've tasted are tomato, bubble gum and root beer.  The only interesting vodkas we have in our house is Pinnacle's Whipped Cream Vodka which is pretty delicious as well as Three Olives' Espresso Vodka.  Maybe I should try mixing them.

Yogurtland New Flavor; Soft-Serve Beer

We haven't been cooking anything too interesting this week, but stay tuned . . . because I want to cook up a storm this weekend!

In the meantime, here is more new product news:

In celebration of Yogurtland's 6th birthday, they are celebrating by introducing a new flavor this weekend -- Birthday Cupcake Batter.  I love Yogurtland so much.  25 calories per ounce, non-fat, yummy goodness that has calcium and live & active cultures.  (Note:  I don't work for the company.)

http://www.yogurt-land.com/flavors/?f=1302

I heard about this on the radio the other day.  Sounds intriguing.  Inventors at Kirin have created a frozen foam that is dispensed on top of beer like soft-serve ice cream.  The foam actually serves a purpose, insulating the beer (keeping it cold longer)!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/soft-serve-beer_n_1416464.html



Happy Easter!

Check out this Easter candy slideshow of candy that's too cute, fun or beautiful to eat! 
http://www.refinery29.com/beautiful-easter-candy/slideshow#slide-1

Can I get the Sea Salt Caramel Easter Egg ($47.92) that's on slide 7?

In the news: Domino's and Red Mango

Domino's in Japan is offering $50 pizzas with toppings like snow crab and shrimp gratin, heirloom breed pork with Bordeaux sauce, beef stew, shrimp with bechamel sauce and even foie gras.  Apparently, sales are up and diners are buying these pizzas. . .  (Time Moneyland 4/5/12)

Red Mango is rolling out a new 'Classics' line that includes the following flavors:  Cake Batter, Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Vanilla Bean, Vanilla Cookie Cream, Strawberry Milkshake and Sugarcane Cola.  The Sugarcane Cola flavor sounds intriguing.  (Fast Casual 4/5/12)