WebProNews

Tag: Food

  • Good Eats Hits Netflix Alongside Other Food/Travel Shows

    Good Eats Hits Netflix Alongside Other Food/Travel Shows

    Here’s some good news as you head into the weekend.

    Alton Brown’s instant-classic cooking/science show Good Eats is now on Netflix. For years, fans of the show have pestered Food Network, as well as Brown himself, to make this happen. It joins other Food Network shows like Cutthroat Kitchen (also an Alton Brown affair), Cupcake Wars, and Chopped – which are also new additions to the Netflix catalog.

    There are new episodes of some Travel Channel shows as well, including Man v. Food and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

    Good news, right?

    So here’s the bad news – the selection is limited, to say the least.

    You won’t find full seasons of Good Eats, Chopped, or No Reservations. Instead, you’ll find “collections” consisting of 25 hand-picked episodes. These collections are not season-specific.

    Long story short – yes, there are now Good Eats episodes on Netflix, but not many.

    The reason for all of this is a recent licensing deal that Netflix inked with Scripps Networks, whose umbrella shields Food Network, HGTV, and Travel Channel. According to the Wall Street Journal, “the deal appears to be limited in scope, with one person familiar with the matter saying the life of it is ‘relatively short.’ The deal only covers the U.S., not other territories, the person said…”

    You may recall that Food Network shows like Chopped used to be available on Amazon Prime Instant Video – but were dropped in March. that’s because Scripps’ and Amazon let their licensing deal expire.

    Point being, these deals have a history of being brief. What does this mean for the future of shows like Good Eats and Chopped on Netflix? Simply put – enjoy it while you can. And while you can remain hopeful that more episodes could be added at some point, don’t count on it.

    Plus, if you’re really needing your Good Eats fix, the whole show’s on YouTube. And remember, it’s all the Good Eats you’re ever going to have…

    Image via Food Network, YouTube screenshot

  • Best Pizza Recipes To Make At Home

    Best Pizza Recipes To Make At Home

    Who doesn’t love pizza? Everyone has their favorite pizza restaurant or their number one delivery option, but how often do you make your own pizzas at home?

    Making your own pizza gives you more control over the ingredients and toppings and can even be fun.

    Just because you are making your own pizza doesn’t mean you can’t be creative. Here are some fun pizza recipes that are great to make at home.

    Taco Pizza
    Taco pizza is a great way to combine two tasty foods, tacos and pizza. Of course, you can choose whatever toppings you want to add to your taco pizza, but the most common include onions, beef or chicken cooked with taco seasoning, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream. You can add a traditional tomato based sauce, salsa, taco sauce or skip the sauce all together. The best thing about taco pizza is that it contains healthy and yummy ingredients.

    Macaroni And Cheese Pizza
    If you love pizza but are also looking to try something new, why not combine a popular pasta dish with the pizza you also love. Simply cook macaroni and cheese and use it as a topping for your pizza. You can used boxed or frozen macaroni and cheese or make your favorite recipe from scratch. You can make the pizza without a sauce, use your favorite pizza sauce recipe or get creative and come up with a new sauce. Kids will love this recipe, but it’s also the perfect comfort food for adults.

    Hawaiian Pizza
    Hawaiian pizza is a popular choice among pizza lovers because it is both savory and sweet. It is also an easy recipe and can be tweaked to fit your tastes. Simply add cooked bacon, ham and/or chicken to your favorite pizza crust and add pineapple and barbeque sauce. If you are in a hurry you can used canned or bottled ingredients or make your own barbecue sauce. Add your favorite cheese and you have a perfect pizza.

    Try one of these great pizza recipes for yourself and decide if you had more fun making the pizza or eating it.

  • Woman Beaten by Angry Taco Bell Breakfast Seekers

    Much to the delight of people who hear ‘waffle taco’ and think ‘perfect start to my day’, Taco Bell began offering breakfast back in March. Thanks, in part, to a social media blitz and marijuana, probably, Taco Bell breakfast got off to a fast start. In the past couple of weeks, the company has even expanded its breakfast menu to include more items, like the biscuit taco – which is exactly what you think it is. McDonald’s isn’t in danger of losing its fast food breakfast crown or anything, but it’s clear that people love their Taco Bell.

    Now, police in Tucson are saying that Taco Bell breakfast – or rather the lack of it – is at the center of a brutal attack this past Sunday.

    A woman (called ‘Jane’ for anonymity) stopped at Taco Bell around 10:30ish on Sunday, hoping to get some lunch. After completing her order and pulling away, a nightmare began.

    I’ll let KGUN9 in Tucson pick up the story from here.

    “And within seconds I hear someone laying on the horn,” she said.

    It was the SUV and the couple behind her in line. Soon they were alongside her.

    “And there’s a black male hanging out the window and he yells, ‘You f*cking bitch,’” she said

    As Jane dialed 9-1-1 she lost sight of the SUV and pulled onto a side street, where they were waiting. With a rock the man broke Jane’s driver side window.

    “He then used that rock and hit me on the left side of my head by my ear and punched me in my mouth and nose,” she said.

    The beating left jane with a broken nose and broken teeth.

    According to KGUN, detectives believe that the motivation for the seemingly random crime is Taco Bell breakfast and timing. Apparently, while Jane was completing her order, Taco Bell switched from their breakfast to lunch menu – preventing the people in the SUV from getting the waffle tacos they so desired.

    Police have yet to find the attackers. On a related note, I think I’m going to go back to bed.

    Image via Taco Bell, Facebook

  • Charlie Sheen Stands Up For Stiffed Waiter

    Since his infamous meltdown in 2011 actor Charlie Sheen has continued to set his own rules. After leaving Two and a Half Men Sheen starred in the FX series Anger Management. Off-screen Sheen has remained unapologetic about his wild lifestyle, dating porn stars and making late-night drunken appearances in public.

    Despite his infamy and the criticism it has caused one positive trait Sheen must be identified with is generosity. The actor recently donated $10,000 to the ALS Association rather than douse himself with ice water. Now Sheen is stepping in to help a waiter who was stiffed by another multimillionaire.

    The incident began on September 8 when the PYT restaurant in Philadelphia shared a recipt from Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy. McCoy had left a 20-cent tip for a bill of over $60. Along with the receipt the owner of PYT issued a lengthy explanation, saying that McCoy and his fellow diners were “verbally abusive to our staff in the most insulting ways.”

    Post by PYT.

    The post became a small scandal on sports blogs. A Philadelphia sports reporter later learned that McCoy had been dissatisfied with his service and had meant the tip to be “a statement.”

    Sheen got involved on September 10 with a tweet. The actor stated that he will be giving $1,000 to the waiter involved in the McCoy incident.

    Reaction on Twitter was immediate, with sports fans simultaneously praising Sheen and shaming McCoy:

  • Hershey’s New Logo Accompanies Corporate Rebranding

    For over 100 years The Hershey Company has been associated with American chocolate. Now the company has announced a significant corporate rebranding that includes a new logo design.

    According to Hershey’s announcement, the rebranding is bringing a “refreshed” corporate brand that it hopes will position the company well for the coming decades. Hershey also believes that the new branding has created a “new, modern look and feel” for the company.

    New Hershey Logo

    The idea behind the new logo, according to Hershey, is to emphasize that the company now makes much more than just chocolate bars. The new look is supposed to convey Hershey’s “openness and transparency” while presenting the company as a “global confection and snack company.”

    “Today we are much more than the ‘Great American Chocolate Bar,’” said Mike Wege, chief growth and marketing officer at Hershey. “We have an amazing portfolio of iconic brands in confectionery and snacking, a great workplace filled with remarkable people and a longstanding commitment to giving back to our communities. Our updated company brand and refreshed visual identity is an expression of our progression to a modern, innovative company that positively impacts our local communities as we continue to grow globally.”

    In addition to the new corporate logo, Hershey is also rolling out a “disciplined visual identity system” that incorporates a variety of its brands. The system, which includes recognizable Hershey brands such as Reese’s and Jolly Rancher, will be used by the company to bring a “more colorful and consistent look” to its marketing materials.

    Hershey

    While The Hershey Company is obviously proud of its new branding, the internet has (of course) found a way to create some drama over it. The new Hershey logo includes the outline of the company’s popular Kisses candy. Some Twitter users with questionable things on their mind have pointed out that the candy vaguely resembles the poo emoji used for text messaging.

    Images via Hershey/Business Wire

  • Truffles: Oprah Loves Them, You Will Too

    Truffles: Oprah Loves Them, You Will Too

    Truffles may seem like a strange and unique food to some people, but to those who have tried them, they are a delicacy.

    Many truffle lovers will admit that they are addicted to the texture and taste of truffles, and Oprah recently admitted that she keeps her truffles close to her at all times.

    “I’m a truffle freak,” she said of her fungus obsession.

    “I walk around with truffle salt. That’s on my rider for the hotels — truffle salt, truffle oil. I want to go to Alba [in Italy] and do the truffle hunt with the pigs.”

    If Oprah likes them that much, they can’t be too bad right?

    Oprah said that she likes to use truffles to make pasta, but there are plenty of other recipes that call for them as well. Here are a few to try.

    Truffles are not easy to find and may not be available in some areas. If you can’t find truffles at your local supermarket or specialty foods store, you can try ordering them online.

    Oprah has admitted to taking truffles with her almost everywhere she goes. Once you try them you might not be able to resist doing so as well.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Square Is Apparently About To Buy Caviar For About $90 Million [Updated]

    Update: Square just made the announcement:

    We are excited to share the news that we’ve acquired Caviar.

    The Caviar team has built a seamless delivery experience that instantly connects buyers with top-rated, popular restaurants that do not otherwise offer delivery on their own. For restaurants, Caviar is an affordable, convenient alternative to an in-house delivery solution and drives additional revenue.

    More than 50,000 restaurants already use Square’s complete register service. With Caviar, we’re deepening our commitment to providing these sellers with services that make it easier for them to grow their business.

    The price was not disclosed.

    Original article: Square is reportedly set to announce its acquisition of Caviar, a food delivery service based in San Francisco.

    Several weeks ago, TechCrunch reported that the two companies were in talks, indicating that the price could be “at least $100 million,” citing “several sources”. As recently as this past Friday, The New York Times also reported that the two were “said to be in talks”. Its sources put the price at “around $90 million in an all-stock transaction”.

    Caviar was founded a couple years ago. Its official mission is to ” provide access to the city’s best restaurants in the comfort of your home or office, enabled by technology. Browse a picture menu, customize your meal, and get delivery straight to your door. No minimums and no compromises. Only premium food and premium delivery.”

    Neither company has been officially commenting, but Re/code reported Monday morning that Square will announce the deal this week.

    In case you’re wondering why Square might acquire a food delivery service, it’s worth noting that the company recently replaced its Square Wallet app with Square Order, which is designed to let customers order food, and pick it up.

    Square announced last week that it is preparing to launch a new version of Square Reader for small businesses to accept chip cards.

    Earlier this year, Square acquired appointment-booking service BookFresh, after acquiring expense-sharing service Evenly in December.

    Image via Square

  • Paula Deen Makes Online Transition After Being Dropped By Food Network

    Last year, Food Network dropped cooking show host and celebrity chef Paula Deen after learning that she used racial slurs in the past. On Friday, the television network said that Deen’s contract will expire at the end of this month and they are not interested in renewing it.

    The Southern cook made guest appearances on several Food Network shows in 1999. By 2002, she was able to secure her own show Paula’s Home Cooking and later had other shows, such as Paula’s Best Dishes.

    Deen was the center of attention when she admitted that she used the n-word in the past. Lisa Jackson, a former manager at Deen’s restaurant, filed a complaint that exposed Deen.

    Deen took to YouTube to apologize for her racist comments. She said, “I want people to understand that my family and I are not the kind of people that the press is wanting to say we are. Your color of your skin, your religion, your sexual preference does not matter to me. But it’s what’s in the heart, and my family and I try to live by that. I am here to say I am so sorry. I was wrong, yes, I have worked hard and I made mistakes, but that is no excuse.”

    A few weeks ago, the Food Network also dropped Deen’s son Jamie Deen. His show, Home for Dinner With Jamie Deen, has not been in production since 2013.

    Despite being dropped by the Food Network, Deen is not losing hope and is gearing to come back with the launch of her digital network in September. “Guess who’s going digital, y’all! I’m so excited about my new online network and can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been working on,” Deen said in a statement.

    The Paula Deen Network, which is backed by a $100 million investment from private-equity firm Najafi Cos., is a subscriber-based network that will be broadcasting cooking videos of Deen in front of an audience. Subscription fees have not been finalized.

    In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Deen said that going digital is the next step for her, as she wants her fans to be able to reach her anytime and anywhere. “iPads are so much lighter to tote around than a TV. In a network program, you only have 22 minutes. The fans are going to see things they have never seen before,” she said.

    Deen has a strong brand name that should serve her well in her new endeavor. She has 1.25 million Twitter followers and 4.25 million likes on her Facebook page.

    Image via YouTube

  • Sbarro Out of Bankruptcy, Moving its Headquarters

    Pizza restaurant chain Sbarro this week announced that it has officially exited bankruptcy. According to a New York Times report, the company’s reorganization plan was approved all the way back on May 19. That plan took effect for the company starting Monday, July 2.

    In addition to the bankruptcy update, Sbarro also this week announced that it will be moving its national headquarters. The company’s current New York City-based headquarters will soon be relocated to Columbus, Ohio. The company estimates that the move should be complete by sometime in October.

    Sbarro stated that it expects the move to reduce operation expenses. Around 40 employees who work in the company’s New York headquarters will be laid off, but the company emphasized that its other employees across the U.S. shouldn’t be affected. According to the Times, Sbarro currently has around 2,700 employees in U.S. restaurants.

    Sbarro’s Columbus move also puts company leadership closer to its new Pizza Cucinova restaurant business. With two locations in Columbus and one soon to open in Cincinnati, Pizza Cucinova serves pizza with more of a specialty flair than Sbarro’s pizza. Pizza Cucinova is also being expanded through stand alone locations, rather than mall locations.

    Sbarro filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, the company’s second bankruptcy filing in just three years. This latest bankruptcy filing came just as the restaurant announced plans to close 155 of its restaurants in North America – nearly 40% of the company’s total number of restaurants, not including franchise locations.

    At the time of the filing, Sbarro’s CFO commented that reduced mall traffic could be to blame for the company’s falling revenue, along with an inflated budget. As with many businesses that use malls as primary retail locations, Sbarro has been hit by Americans’ quickly-waning interest in mall shopping. As internet retailers have begun competing with physical retailers, smaller malls across the country built during the mall boom of the 80s and 90s have begun to shut down.

    Image via Facebook/Sbarro

  • Orange Is The New Black Gets Its Own Cookbook of Prison Food

    Usually, if your dinner guest told you that your cooking tasted like prison food, you’d probably throw a glass of toilet wine in their face and kick them the hell out of your house. But maybe prison food doesn’t have to be all that bad, you know, as long as it’s marketed correctly.

    Which leads me to the new Orange Is the New Black cookbook–yep, the Netflix show. Publisher Abrams says the cookbook will include “three square meals a day, plus snack/sides, desserts, and drinks.” If Red would serve it, it’s in there. If Red would serve it to Piper, let’s hope it’s not in there.

    Here’s Abrams’ full description of the book:

    Staffed and run by a band of misfit inmates, the kitchen at Litchfield is in many ways the center of the popular show Orange Is the New Black—a setting for camaraderie, drug smuggling, power struggles, and plot twists. And then there is the food. With 65 recipes, 12 sidebars that expand upon the fiction of the show, and 60 photographs from the show featuring favorite characters and memorable moments, Orange Is the New Black: The Cookbook adds new dimensions to any fan’s obsession.

    The recipes cover three square meals a day, plus snacks/sides, desserts, and drinks. They include Red’s Chicken Kiev, Miss Claudette’s Coconut Cake, and Prison Punch. The sidebars include Taystee’s sug­gested prison reading list, the recipe for Red’s Homemade Homeopathic Remedies, and a prison glossary.

    Chock full of in-depth information about the show, including recipe headnotes by the characters, DIY projects that emulate notable props, and prison factoids that help bring the show to life, this cookbook will bring a little piece of Litchfield right into your very own kitchen.

    Last year when the show premiered on Netflix, Orange Is the New Black‘s social media accounts posted some prison recipes, some based on items seen in the show. Maybe the cookbook will feature stuff like this–elevated a bit and expanded upon? Hopefully? Salon says that the recipes in the cookbook won’t be so “sparse.”

    Whatever the final product looks like, it’ll hit store shelves on October 14th. Orange Is the New Black season 2 lands on Netflix on June 6th.

    Just remember this simple rule when your significant other cooks you prison pad thai for dinner:

    Image via Orange Is The New Black, Twitter

  • McDonald’s Creepy Ass New Mascot Unveiled on Twitter

    McDonald’s Creepy Ass New Mascot Unveiled on Twitter

    Despite the fresh, new, hipster look that Ronald McDonald unveiled last month–he’s still a creepy-ass clown. There’s really no getting around that. Has there every been a time when Ronald McDonald didn’t give off a probable-sex-dungeon vibe?

    Well, move over Ronald. Happy’s here to take most of the attention away. McDonald’s recently unveiled their new Happy Meals mascot Happy, and it’s one of the more terrifying things a fast food chain has ever come up with, just behind KFC’s Double Down and Burger King’s commercials about The King watching you sleep.

    And now, a smattering of replies from astonished Twitter users…

    What the fuck is that creature?

    THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT

    Why is he in pain?

    Oh FUCK no…

    What the fuck…

    I didn’t want to sleep tonight, that’s cool

    Hey McDonald’s, is that Gary Busey?

    Goodbye…

    Yikes. That ain’t good.

    According to McDonald’s, that creature is the new “ambassador for balanced and wholesome eating.” Officialy hitting Happy Meals everywhere on May 23rd, whatever the hell that thing is “will encourage kids to enjoy fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and wholesome beverages such as water or juice.”

    Here’s the craziest thing about this: Happy has been around for half a decade. It’s been used in France since 2009, and spread across Europe and Latin America over the past few years. They’re just now introducing that thing in the States, meaning it has to have been at least remotely successful in other parts of the world.

    The social media backlash to McDonald’s newest mascot is fierce, but I’m sure they can handle it. I mean, we’re talking about the company who had to get past the #McDStories and #Shamrocking fiascos.

    Image via McDonald’s, Twitter

  • Mike Ditka is Now the Spokesperson For Al’s Beef

    Football legend Mike Ditka is best known as the longtime coach of the Chicago Bears, but younger NFL fans may soon know him for more for Italian beef and pizza.

    Two Chicago restaurants this week announced that Mike Ditka will now be their spokesperson. Ditka will be the face of Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza in the Second City and beyond. Both reseaurants are owned by Chicago Franchise Systems.

    “Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza are Chicago legends in a city so close to my heart after being here for many years, and I couldn’t be more excited to support their growth and expansion,” said Ditka. “There is nothing quite like Al’s original authentic dipped Italian Beef sandwich or the original stuffed pizza filled with cheese and every topping imaginable from Nancy’s. Are you hungry yet?”

    As the new spokesperson, Ditka will be integrated heavily into marketing for the restaurants. This includes PR campaigns, branding, and store-level advertising.

    Along with the announcement of Ditka as spokesperson, Al’s Beef and Nacy’s Pizza have also announced plans to expand their operations well beyond Chicago. The restaurants will both soon increase their franchise expansions and revamp their existing locations. Chicago Franchise Systems is now searching for potential expansion locations across the U.S.

    Al’s Beef, which began in Chicago in 1938, currently has 17 locations in the U.S. including restaurants in California and Nevada. New franchise locations are already planned for Dallas and Chicago. Expansion locations for Nancy’s Pizza have also been announced for Texas, California, and Georgia.

    “We are thrilled to bring Mike Ditka into the Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza family as he truly embodies Chicago where our brands were born,” said Dave Howey, president of Chicago Franchise Systems. “This partnership marks the beginning of some very exciting changes and initiatives that we’ll be rolling out over the coming months to support the continued growth of Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza.”

    Image via Facebook

  • WhatsApplebee’s Is Your New, Exclusive Chat App for Brewtus Lovers

    The problem with most social networks is that they aren’t exclusive enough, and they don’t center on specific interests. Same goes for some messaging apps. What if you only want to talk, anonymously, to people that share your love for, let’s say, Fiesta Lime Chicken and a Brewtus? What if you only want to talk to someone sharing your love for the Brewtus right now?

    We’re living in a golden age, kids. Right this second, if you’re so inclined, you can download the most exclusive messaging app around. It’s called WhatsApplebee’s, and it’s a networking app that caters to Applebee’s diners. Current Applebee’s diners.

    You see, WhatsApplebee’s only works if you’re actually inside an Applebee’s restaurant (or very, very close to one). If you attempt to enter the chat from your house, for instance, the app will let you know that “You’re not at Applebee’s!” and prompt you to find the nearest location.

    “WhatsApplebee’s uses iPhone location services to limit access to those currently inside an Applebee’s. We enforce this strictly, unlike other chain restaurant-based messaging services such as T.G.I. Friendster or Olive Grindr,” says the app’s homepage.

    WhatsApplebee’s, much like its obvious inspiration WhatsApp, is a messaging service. It’s bare bones, only allowing for totally anonymous communications with simple text and timestamps–no usernames or anything. Unlike WhatsApp, however, WhatsApplebee’s doesn’t support multimedia messaging. Bummer, I know.

    The app was created by developer Mike Lazer-Walker (real name), who tells Engadget that he built the app as a joke. Basically, he says that app culture is already a parody of itself, so he thought he’d make something so ridiculous that it might just come out the other side.

    Lazer-Walker is also the creator of the “Literally” browser plugin, which turns improper uses of the word “literally” into the grammatically correct “figuratively.” As he says, it’s literally all it does. So one could say he’s killing the game right now.

    His WhatsApplebee’s app is currently rocking a perfect five-star rating in the App Store.

    “Finally!” says one reviewer. “As an avid Applebee’s fan, I have been looking for a way to meet like minded people at my local bees. It’s ease of use and ability to connect with people that care about nothing else than the glorious establishment, Applebee’s, are all I’ve ever looked for in an app. I’m always looking for someone to share a 2 for $20 deal! So hop on the app when you are over at the bees and lets get an appetizer sampler and enjoy the atmosphere of our neighborhood bar and grill!”

    So, if you’re struggling to finish that Bourbon Street Steak and need someone to help you out, you can snag WhatsApplebee’s from the App Store today. You know, until Applebee’s, WhatsApp, or soon, Facebook puts an end to it all.

    We’ll always have Brewtus.

    Images via WhatsApplebee’s, iTunes, and Wikimedia Commons

  • Hillshire Farm Buys Pinnacle Foods For $6.6 Billion

    Hillshire Brands, the food company behind Jimmy Dean Sausages, Ball Park hot dogs, and Sara Lee frozen pies, today announced that it will be acquiring food company Pinnacle Foods. Hillshire will acquire all outstanding shares of Pinnacle stock for approximately $4.3 billion. Including Pinnacle’s debt, the deal is valued at around $6.6 billion.

    Pinnacle foods is best known for its Duncan Hines cake mixes, Vlasic pickles, Mrs. Butterworth’s flavored syrups, Birds Eye frozen vegetables, and Hungry-Man frozen dinners. The company also produces a wide variety of food products under the Wish-Bone, Western, Armour, Van de Kamp’s, and Husman’s brands.

    The purchase will be financed in both cash and stock transactions. Hillshire has agreed to purchase each share of Pinnacle for $18 and half a share of Hillshire Brands common stock. The full estimated value of $6.6 billion matches Hillshire’s projection of the companies’ combined 2014 sales.

    The acquisition is awaiting shareholder approval, which is certain due to an agreement with Blackstone Group, an investment group that collectively owns 51% of Pinnacle and has agreed to vote for the merger. Hillshire’s board of directors has already approved the purchase and the transaction is expected to be finalized by September.

    “The combination of Hillshire Brands and Pinnacle Foods brings together two highly complementary organizations with strong brands, skilled employees and lean cost structures,” said Sean Connolly, CEO of Hillshire. “The acquisition creates a leading branded food company with enhanced scale, reach, and capabilities while providing margin expansion and strong EPS accretion. The new Hillshire Brands will have a strengthened position in frozen foods, new opportunities in the center store for our brands and in refrigerated for Pinnacle Foods’ brands. We believe our increased scale combined with a more diversified portfolio will deliver strong, consistent cash flows. This will enable us to continue to invest in our brands, enhance our portfolio, pursue value accretive M&A and deliver significant long-term value to our shareholders.”

    Hillshire is already looking forward to the product expansion the acquisition will bring. As part of its announcement the company declared that its frozen food and refrigerated product lines will see a major expansion. Hillshire also predicts that the purchase will steady the company’s cash flow with a wider array of products.

    Image via Facebook

  • Brominated Vegetable Oil Eliminated From Powerade

    Coca-Cola has now eliminated a controversial ingredient from its line of popular Powerade sports drinks.

    According to an Associated Press report, some Powerade flavors sold in at least three states and Washington, D.C. no longer list brominated vegetable oil as an ingredient. A Coca-Cola spokesperson told the AP that Powerade is “BVO-free,” but provided no further details of the change. Bottles of Powerade can still be found on store shelves containing brominated vegetable oil, suggesting that the switch has occurred only recently.

    Brominated vegetable oil is an emulsifier commonly used in soft drinks, particularly those with citrus flavoring. In addition to Powerade, Fanta Orange, Fresca, Mountain Dew, and other sodas include the ingredient.

    Brominated vegetable oil was generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration until 1970. Since that time, the use of the ingredient has been heavily restricted in the U.S. Use of the ingredient as a food additive is limited to just 15 parts per million. The ingredient is banned for use in food in the European Union and in Japan, where brominated vegetable oil use was banned in 2010.

    The news of Coca-Cola dropping brominated vegetable oil from Powerade comes just over one year after the company’s main competitor did the same for its sports drink. In January 2013 PepsiCo announced that it was eliminating brominated vegetable oil from its citrus-flavored Gatorade sports drinks. PepsiCo still includes the ingredient in its Mountain Dew soft drink.

    The move for companies to voluntarily eliminate brominated vegetable oil from their sugary drinks is a relatively new one. Attention was brought to the issue through a popular Change.org petition started by a young woman from Mississippi. The petition points out that brominated vegetable oil has been patented as a flame retardant by some chemical companies and questions why the ingredient is still used in U.S. sports drinks when other countries obviously receive versions of the same drinks without it.

    Image via Coca-Cola

  • Pinterest Gets Better At Vertical Search, Launches ‘Guided Search’

    Pinterest Gets Better At Vertical Search, Launches ‘Guided Search’

    Pinterest is positioning itself as more than just a place to pin cool pictures. It also wants to help you find ideas for things. It’s not as though people haven’t already been using it for that purpose (especially for recipes), but now the company trying to make it easier.

    Pinterest announced the launch of Guided Search to help people find good ideas for things like where to plan vacations, what to have for dinner, etc.

    “It’s made for exploring, whether you know exactly what you want, or you’re just starting to look around,” explains Hui Xu, head of the discovery team at Pinterest. “There are more than 750 million boards with 30 billion Pins hand-picked by travelers, foodies, and other Pinners, so the right idea is just a few taps away.”

    “Now when you search for something (road trips, running, summer BBQ), descriptive guides will help you sift through all the good ideas from other Pinners,” Xu adds. “Scroll through the guides and tap any that look interesting to steer your search in the right direction. Say you’re looking for plants to green up your apartment, guides help you get more specific—indoors, shade, succulents—so you can hone in on the ones that suit your space. Or when it’s time for your next haircut, search by specific styles—for redheads, curly hair, layers—to find your next look.”

    As we noted in January, Pinterest is getting more serious about search. That was when it launched an improved recipe search experience, enabling users to search for ingredients (like whatever is in their refrigerators), to find collections of relevant recipes. It also includes filters like vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, etc.

    The company considered that feature part of its “more useful Pins” initiative, which uses structured data (like ingredients, cook time, and servings) to display more info right on the pin.

    As Pinterest continues to make its search features more useful, it’s going to be even more of a go-to search destination for specific verticals. It will be interesting to see how many verticals it can make as useful as its recipe search.

    Guided Search is rolling out in English on iPhone and Android, and will hit the web and everywhere else “soon,” according to the company.

    Image via Pinterest

  • Ronald McDonald Gets New Look For Social Media

    Ronald McDonald Gets New Look For Social Media

    The image of Ronald McDonald is iconic throughout the world. The McDonald’s mascot has been selling happy meals in nearly every country in the world for decades. Now, with the internet bringing companies closer than ever to consumers, Ronald McDonald is receiving a significant makeover and hopping into social media.

    McDonald’s this week officially unveiled the new image of Ronald McDonald, showing off the clown’s new look. The company’s “brand ambassador” had shed his baggy jumpsuit for a more modern-looking red blazer over a red-and-white striped rugby shirt. The clown also now wears a (normal-sized) bowtie. His pants have remained yellow and big red shoes are still a part of the costume.

    A video released this week by McDonald’s shows off Ronald’s transformation over the course of one photo shoot:

    “It’s wonderful to see what Ronald means to people around the world,” said Marlena Peleo-Lazar, chief creative officer at McDonald’s USA. “We couldn’t be more excited to give him a new look and send him off to visit his fans everywhere.”

    In addition to the makeover, Ronald will become part of McDonald’s social media marketing. McDonald’s is touting the clown’s transformation through the Twitter hashtag #RonaldMcDonald. Unsurprisingly, people have been using Twitter instead to make fun of the announcement and project their fear of clowns:

    The Ronald makeover comes just weeks after Taco Bell launched a new ad campaign aimed directly at McDonald’s. The ad has several real men (that aren’t clowns) named Ronald McDonald praising Taco Bell’s new breakfast menu.

    Image via McDonald’s

  • Powdered Alcohol Coming To Stores In Fall

    Powdered Alcohol Coming To Stores In Fall

    In fall of this year you’re going to be strolling through the booze section of a Safeway and notice a little black package labeled “Palcohol” – powdered alcohol you can mix with water, liquids, and food. Yes, food.

    This week, The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau signed off seven flavors of Pacohol: V (vodka), R (rum), Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita (Margarita) and Lemon Drop. Add 5 ounces of water to the mix and you’ll wind up with a standard cocktail – with the same strength of one as well.

    Post by Palcohol.
    According to Palcohol’s website, the product is a solution to the rising cost of liquid alcohol: What’s worse than going to a concert, sporting event, etc. and having to pay $10, $15, $20 for a mixed drink with tax and tip. Are you kidding me?! Aside from mixing Palcohol with liquids, the website also recommended that it can be enjoyed with food: …we have found adding Palcohol to food is so much fun. Sprinkle Palcohol on almost any dish and give it an extra kick. Some of our favorites are the Kamikaze in guacamole, Rum on a BBQ sandwich, Cosmo on a salad and Vodka on eggs in the morning to start your day off right. Experiment. Palcohol is great on so many foods. Remember, you have to add Palcohol AFTER a dish is cooked as the alcohol will burn off if you cook with it…and that defeats the whole purpose. For you vegans out there, the adult Kool-Aid is gluten free, you can pretty much get drunk off salad. The website does warn to apply Palcohol responsibly: As Palcohol is a new product, we have yet to explore its potential of being added to food. As always, please use it responsibly. Because it adds alcohol to the dish, do not serve the dish to minors. The internet has reacted; some people are disgusted with the announcement of the US legalizing powdered alcohol: Some fear: Some imagine worst case scenarios: Besides passing red tape and becoming marketable, powdered alcohol isn’t something fairly new; Dutch students came up with some powdered alcoholic concoction back in 2010: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGRahYQ8EAU Palcohol hits stores this fall and will also be available for purchase online. Image via Facebook

  • Powdered Alcohol Legalized in the U.S.

    Powdered Alcohol Legalized in the U.S.

    Powdered alcohol, or Palcohol, has just been approved by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Palcohol can be mixed with water to create an intoxicated beverage, and can also be sprinkled on food after it’s cooked.

    The company that is producing Palcohol is aptly called Palcohol, and calls their solution a quick fix to the rising costs of liquid beverages. The creator of “Pal,” Mark Phillips, asks, “What’s worse than going to a concert, sporting event, etc. and having to pay $10, $15, $20 for a mixed drink with tax and tip. Are you kidding me?! Take Palcohol into the venue and enjoy a mixed drink for a fraction of the cost.”

    Phillips had been attempting to keep his invention under the radar, though was recently prompted to adjust some of the wording on his website. “We are excited by the approval of our powdered alcohol product, Palcohol. However, we were caught off guard with the release of some of our labels by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). As a result, people visited this website that we thought was under the radar because we had not made a formal announcement of Palcohol.”

    Twitter intrigue concerning Pal:

    Palcohol already has its own haters’ Facebook page.

    Palcohol’s site offers some fast facts – When the Pal substance is added to roughly 5 ounces of water, it makes a standard cocktail. Flavors include V (vodka), R (rum), Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita (tastes like a Margarita) and Lemon Drop. Palcohol is owned by a privately held company called Lipsmark, has no plans of going public any time soon, and is not seeking any new employees. Interestingly, Palcohol claims that its product will be sold online, as well as in liquor stores. Palcohol reminds culinary enthusiasts to not serve Pal-laced dishes to children.

    Perhaps Palcohol can be used by astronauts to compliment their MRE’s while on deep-space missions. Surely the powder can be snorted or laced with other snortables to add an extra “umph” to ones leisure activities. Fraternity brothers everywhere can rejoice in having an advanced means of butt chugging, with a potential time-release functionality. Palcohol is expected to launch some time in the fall.

    Image via Facebook

  • Honey Maid Doesn’t Give a Damn About Appeasing Anti-Gay Trolls

    Back in March, Nabisco’s Honey Maid graham cracker brand decided to celebrate love and family in all its various forms with an ad entitled “This is Wholesome.” The tagline was “everyday wholesome snacks for every wholesome family,” and the 30-second spot featured couples and families from all walks of life–including an interracial family and gasp, a gay couple.

    Outrage ensued. Not from everyone, of course, but from the type of people who are usually outraged by this sort of thing. You know, bigots. It was as predictable as the uncovering of an anti-gay Republican’s gay sex scandal. Like clockwork, the comments started pouring in on YouTube and “family values” blogs across the country.

    Professional outrage machine One Million Moms joined various other outraged groups to protest the ads. They urged Nabisco to “pull this liberal commercial immediately and remain neutral in the culture war.” Grrr, love and family. Simply disgusting.

    “We recognize change is happening every day, from the way in which a family looks today to how a family interacts to the way it is portrayed in media,” said Gary Osifchin, senior marketing director for Honey Maid parent company Mondelez, at the time of the initial backlash. “We at Honey Maid continue to evolve and expand our varieties to provide delicious, wholesome products so they can be a part of everyday moments of connection in a world with changing, evolving family dynamics.”

    From that statement, it was clear that Honey Maid and their parent company were going to stand by their ad. But now, they’ve decided to give a nice, large, slightly curved middle finger to all the haters. It comes in the form of a new ad, entitled “Love”:

    Yep, looks like they printed out all of those negative YouTube comments and turned them into an art installation of the word “love,” thus rendering them completely inert. Honey Maid DGAF.

    Yes, I am aware that all of this, in the end, is about selling graham crackers and these are, at their basic form, advertisements. But you do have a company with a bottom line holding firm to their message, and in our culture of bullshit outrage and even bullshittier instant apologies, the importance of having a backbone should never be under-emphasized.

    Image via YouTube

  • Bill Yosses, Pastry Chef, Leaving White House In June For New York City

    William “Bill” Yosses has been the Executive Pastry Chef in the White House since 2007. He was hired by Laura Bush, the former first lady. After serving delectable desserts for the White House for seven years, the 60-year-old pastry chef is ready to hang up his apron.

    The announcement came when Yosses was interviewed for The New York Times. After his resignation, which will be effective in June, Yosses will be moving to New York and will be focusing on teaching culinary arts to adults and children. He is going to focus on sharing his knowledge on eating healthier.

    “It’s a bittersweet decision,” said the pastry chef. Despite leaving a job that he is passionate about, Yosses is looking forward to moving to New York, as he will be with his husband. His husband is a teacher and they have been living apart for 11 years.

    When the Obamas came to the White House, first lady Michelle Obama asked him to create healthier desserts in small portions. Yosses described Obama as, “an inspiring boss, a combination of spontaneity and seriousness.” Although he has been creating healthier options for the first family, Yosses said that he has not given up on his former way of making desserts.

    According to sources from the White House, they still do not know what direction the first lady will take when hiring Yosses’ successor.

    Although Yosses has shifted towards healthy desserts, he is still known in the White House for serving the best pies and has been nicknamed “The Crustmaster” by the president. Yosses also said that the White House still creates traditional desserts about 20% of the time for special occasions.

    In a statement, the first lady said that she is sad about Yosses’ departure, but she is grateful for his outstanding work and she wishes him the best in his future undertakings.

    Bill Yosses at TEDx

    Image via YouTube