Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Moe's Video Contest Lets Fans Express Their Love for Queso

/PRNewswire/ -- Moe's Southwest Grill is encouraging their fans to express themselves and their love for Moe's hot, flavorful, melted white cheese sauce, by entering the I Love Queso Video Contest at www.ilovequeso.com.

Moe's is accepting videos no longer than one minute in length and 50 MB in file size from today until August 1. A panel of Moe's judges will consider originality, quality, humor and sincerity - yes, the genuine expression of love for Moe's queso is part of the criteria - and will award one winner $1,000 and free Queso for a year and five finalists free Queso for a year.

"We created ilovequeso.com not only to host a video contest, but also to create a permanent home for one of our best-loved products," says Joel Bulger, vice president of marketing for Moe's. "The site is intended to live beyond this promotion and serve as a place for Queso fanatics to engage with the brand, express themselves, share content and hopefully, have some fun."

Remember the obsessive, all-consuming, can't-stop-doodling-his-name-on-everything-in-sight feeling of middle school love? The I Love Queso campaign was designed with that feeling in mind with the hopes of sparking nostalgia, a smile and some inspiration for the next great online video. For more information including the official rules, please visit www.ilovequeso.com.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Thursday, June 17, 2010

A Winning Recipe: A Decadent, Easy Dessert Bar

(NAPSI)-Baking a mouthwatering dessert bar doesn't have to be difficult. This dessert, using brownie mix as an easy base for a delicious treat, was one of 100 recipes that vied for the $1 million grand prize in the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest.

Peanut Butter-Toffee Cheesecake Brownies

1 box (19.5 oz) Pillsbury® Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix

½ cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil

¼ cup water

2 Eggland's Best eggs

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 oz) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk

½ cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter

1 bag (8 oz) Heath® milk chocolate toffee bits

1 cup Hershey's® milk chocolate baking chips

3 tablespoons whipping cream

Heat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray 13x9-inch pan with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.

In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water and eggs 50 strokes. Spread in pan; set aside.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add milk and peanut butter; beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits. Spread evenly over batter.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until cheesecake layer is set and edges are light golden brown. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate 40 minutes.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and cream uncovered on High 40 to 60 seconds or until melted; stir until smooth. Spread over cheesecake layer. Sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Cool completely. Store covered in refrigerator. Makes 36 brownies.

See all 100 winning Bake-Off recipes at www.pillsbury.com.

Bake-Off is a registered trademark of General Mills; Jif, Crisco and Eagle Brand are trademarks of The J.M. Smucker Company, Elsie trademark used under license; Eggland's Best is a registered trademark of Eggland's Best, Inc.; Hershey's, Heath and Heath Bits 'o Brickle are registered trademarks of The Hershey Company, Hershey, PA, 17033.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Tips for Preserving and Canning Summer Fruits

(StatePoint)  When faced with an abundance of local fruits and vegetables at the peak of their seasonal freshness, there's only one thing to do: preserve them!

Preserving allows you to keep eating your family's favorite fruits and flavors long after the season has passed. But preserves aren't just for your morning toast. You can use preserved fruits and vegetables in baking and cooking -- in everything from muffins and breads to glazes and chutneys for meat and poultry, and even for your own relish and barbecue sauces.

"Almost everyone has a memory about preserving. Maybe your family put up dill pickles every summer, using cucumbers harvested from the backyard garden. Or you remember picking plump berries in the hot afternoon sun, then helping your mother turn them, magically, into jams and jellies," says Rick Field, co-author with Rebecca Courchesne of the new book "Williams-Sonoma The Art of Preserving."

Nowadays, preserving no longer is a household necessity, but bottling up a season's bounty to carry you through the year still evokes a welcome nostalgia for the past. 

Here are some tips from Field and Courchesne for aspiring and experienced preservers:

* Go to the source: Unless you have fruit trees in your backyard, a farmer's market is usually the best place to select ripe, unwaxed fruit during peak season. Remember, preserves are only as good as the fruit you put in them!

* Avoid overripe fruit and overcooking: Pectin is the natural carbohydrate found in fruit skins and seeds that allows preserves to jell. However, fruit loses its pectin as it matures or when it's cooked too long. For preserves with a balance of sweetness and consistency, gently cook slightly under-ripe and just-ripe fruit.

* Essential ingredients: A balance of acid and sugar in fruit spreads ensures not only a good set but a pleasing flavor. Lemon juice and refined white sugar are most commonly used, but you also can use organic sugar or evaporated cane juice. Don't use honey, maple syrup, or artificial sweeteners, which are too strong.

* Flavorings: Fresh, flavorful herbs and spices -- from rosemary to rosehips -- can add layers of nuanced depth to your fruit spreads.

* The right equipment: Home-canning kits, found in most supermarkets or kitchen-supply stores, should be paired with a wide, shallow nonreactive pan when cooking preserves. The wider surface area ensures excess liquid will evaporate quickly.

* Storage: Exposure to sunlight or too much heat can cause fruit spreads to lose color, flavor, and texture. Store jars for no more than a year in a cool, dark place.

For more preserving tips and more than 130 recipes for cooking and baking with preserved produce, read "The Art of Preserving."

Preserving can make for fun family time in the kitchen this season and year-round enjoyment at the kitchen table. So start bottling up those favorite flavors!

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Cooking Light Launches Nationwide Search for the Chef with the Healthiest Cooking Approach

/PRNewswire/ -- Cooking Light launches a nationwide search to find the chef with the healthiest and most innovative cooking approach. The contest, searching for a self-taught or professionally-trained chef, launches today at CookingLight.com/castingcall. It runs through August 14, 2010.

Entrants must submit a three-minute prep-to-plate video of a healthy, original recipe on which they will be judged. Four finalists will be chosen from the entries to compete in a live cook-off event at The Taste of Atlanta, a two-day outdoor food festival in Atlanta, GA, on October 23 and 24, 2010. The Cooking Light judges will select the winner, who will be named the "Healthy Chef of the Year." The winner will receive a $10,000 prize package including a kitchen makeover, a year's worth of free groceries, and the opportunity to become a contributor to Cooking Light magazine and CookingLight.com in 2011.

Any and all skill levels are welcome to enter, from home cooks to culinary school graduates. Entrants must be legal residents of the United States and 21 years or older at the time of entry. Anyone who is paid to cook for a living is not eligible to enter.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

NOAA, FDA Continue Ramping Up Efforts to Ensure Safety of Gulf of Mexico Seafood

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are taking additional steps to enhance inspection measures designed to ensure that seafood from the Gulf of Mexico reaching America’s tables is safe to eat.

The federal government, in conjunction with Gulf States’ regulatory agencies, is playing an active role in ensuring the safety of seafood harvested from federal and state waters. The federal government, led by FDA and NOAA, is taking a multi-pronged approach to ensure that seafood from Gulf waters is not contaminated by oil. The strategy includes precautionary closures, increased seafood testing inspections and a re-opening protocol.

“Closing harvest waters that could be exposed to oil protects the public from potentially contaminated seafood because it keeps the product from entering the food supply,” said Dr. Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “Combining the expertise of NOAA and FDA is the best way to use our scientific abilities to help the American people in this emergency.”

The first line of defense is NOAA’s fishery area closures, which began May 2 and are adjusted as the spill trajectory changes. FDA has concurred with this approach. The current federal closure of 32 percent of federal waters encompasses areas known to be affected by oil, either on the surface or below the surface, as well as areas projected to be affected by oil in the next 48 - 72 hours. The closed area also includes a five-nautical-mile buffer as a precaution around the known location of oil.

“FDA and NOAA are working together to ensure that seafood from the Gulf is not contaminated with oil,” said Margaret Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs. “It is important to coordinate seafood surveillance efforts on the water, at the docks and at seafood processors to ensure seafood in the market is safe to eat.”

To help prevent tainted seafood from reaching the market, NOAA created a seafood sampling and inspection plan. Just after the beginning of the spill, it collected and tested seafood of commercial and recreational fish and shellfish species from areas where oil from the spill had not yet reached. NOAA is using ongoing surveillance to evaluate new seafood samples to determine whether contamination is present outside the closed area. If fish samples have elevated levels of oil compounds, NOAA will consider whether to expand closed areas.

The federal effort to ensure seafood is not contaminated with oil will also include NOAA’s dockside sampling of fish products in the Gulf. NOAA will verify that catch was caught outside the closed area using information from vessel monitoring systems that track the location of a vessel or information from on-board observers. If tainted fish are found in dockside sampling, NOAA will notify FDA and state health officials for further action.

FDA operates a mandatory safety program for all fish and fishery products under the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Public Health Service Act and related federal regulations.

FDA will first target oysters, crab, and shrimp, which due to their biology retain contaminants longer than finfish, for additional sampling. Finfish rapidly metabolize the oil so the risk of exposure is far less than the other seafood species previously mentioned. The sample collection will target primarily seafood processors who buy seafood directly from the harvester. Monitoring this first step in the distribution chain will help to keep any potentially contaminated seafood from consumers.

FDA has also created a focused inspection assignment designed to help seafood processors review their individual source controls to ensure proper documentation and exclusion of any seafood obtained from unknown sources from entering commerce.

The two agencies are also establishing a re-opening protocol. NOAA will reopen closed areas only if it is assured, based on consultation with FDA, that fish products within the closed area meet FDA standards for public health and wholesomeness.

“We recognize that the effects of the oil spill continue to grow as oil continues to flow,” said Dr. Lubchenco. “As remediation efforts continue, it may be possible to alleviate some of the economic harm caused by the oil spill by reopening previously closed areas. NOAA will reopen areas only if assured that fish products taken from these areas meet FDA standards for public health.”

Before the BP oil spill, NOAA operated seafood inspection services in the Gulf – consisting of a handful of personnel – on a fee-for-service basis for the seafood industry.

Today, samples collected as part of NOAA’s efforts are sent to the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory in Pascagoula, Miss., where federal and state sensory testing analysts trained to detect certain thresholds of chemicals, which are not normal background odors in seafood, evaluate the catch. Samples are also sent to NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle for chemical testing.

According to the most recent data available, seafood samples had been collected during 18 sampling missions by NOAA and contracted fishing vessels in areas inside and outside the closed fishery area.

From those 18 sampling missions, 640 fish and shrimp samples were processed for either sensory or chemical testing. Of the 640 samples, 118 fish samples were presented to the team of 10 expert assessors for sensory testing in the Pascagoula Laboratory. Four hundred sixteen fish and shrimp samples were sent to NOAA’s Seattle testing laboratory for chemical analysis.

“FDA has set up a hotline for reporting seafood safety issues,” said Commissioner Hamburg. “We encourage fisherman and consumers to report potential contamination to 1-888-INFO-FDA.”

FDA is responsible for ensuring the safety and quality of more than a trillion dollars worth of products that are critical for the survival and well-being of all Americans.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit NOAA at http://www.noaa.gov or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Friday, June 4, 2010

Trendsetting Desserts

(NAPSI)-Perfectly portioned, colorful and delicious, cupcakes are everywhere. You can find them in bakeries and coffeehouses, on dessert menus and at weddings.

It's not just professional bakers who are getting into the cupcake movement. Home cooks are whipping up tasty creations for their family that look as good as they taste.

One easy way to add pizzazz to your baked treats is with baking cups. For example, fashion-inspired Reynolds® Baked for You® StayBrite™ Baking Cups are unlike other paper baking cups--the patterns won't fade during baking. Their brilliant colors and designs are still visible even on chocolate cake after baking.

Here's a fun idea using a monkey-and-banana theme to help make your next party a jungle of delight.

CHOCOLATE BANANA CUPCAKES

Makes: 24 cupcakes

24 Reynolds® Baked for You® StayBrite™ Baking Cups

1 package (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

¾ cup milk

½ cup oil

3 teaspoons banana extract, divided

1 cup mashed ripe banana

1 container (16 oz.) chocolate frosting

Banana-shaped candies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place Reynolds Baked for You StayBrite Baking Cups in muffin pans.

Place cake mix, eggs, milk, oil and 2 teaspoons banana extract in a large bowl. Beat with mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in banana. Spoon batter into baking cups, filling about ⅔ full.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes.

Stir 1 teaspoon banana extract into chocolate frosting. Spread on cupcakes. Top with banana-shaped candies.

Reynolds Kitchens Tip: For extra flavor, add banana extract ¼ teaspoon at a time to frosting until desired flavor is reached.

Learn More

For more information, recipes and inspiring ideas for making your own personalized cupcakes, visit www.ReynoldsCupcakeCentral.com.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

First Lady Invites Bertucci's Chef Stefano Cordova to Kick-Off 'Chefs Move To Schools' Program for Solving Childhood Obesity

/PRNewswire/ -- Northborough, MA-based Bertucci's Corporation announced today that it's own Chef Stefano Cordova has been chosen by First Lady Michelle Obama to participate in her "Chefs Move To Schools" program that calls on the nation's chefs to adopt a school, work with teachers, parents, school nutritionists and administrators to help educate kids about food and nutrition. Chef Stefano, along with 299 other national chefs, has traveled to the White House for today's official kick-off. "Chefs Move To Schools" is part of Mrs. Obama's larger initiative of 'Let's Move!' to solve the childhood obesity epidemic.

"I am honored to participate and represent the Bertucci's kitchen in the First Lady's 'Let's Move!' campaign along with others in my field from across the country. I have always been an advocate for healthy, fresh and smarter ingredients in preparing dishes for our guests - especially children," said Chef Stefano Cordova, Vice President and Executive Chef for Bertucci's Italian Restaurants. "We are excited to adopt a local school where we'll put the First Lady's plan in motion to create healthy dishes incorporating tastes children love. Our whole wheat pizza and multigrain pasta are popular with families in our restaurants."

The "Chefs Move to Schools" program, run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will pair chefs with interested schools in their communities so together they can create healthy meals that meet the schools' dietary guidelines and budgets, while teaching young people about nutrition and making balanced and healthy choices. With more than 31 million children participating in the National School Lunch Program and more than 11 million participating in the National School Breakfast Program, good nutrition at school is more important than ever.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage