Fast Food Packaging

When I was a kid, McDonald's sold their Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, Chicken McNuggets and other hot foods in Styrofoam containers. Images of garbage dumps with mountains of Styrofoam containers started popping up. People were up in arms. "The number of Styrofoam containers McDonald's uses can span the globe 100 bajillion times!" That's an exaggeration but between the massive, environmental disaster that was the Exxon Valdez oil spill in '89 and the seemingly unstoppable growth McDonald's was exhibiting, the public wasn't very happy with the amount of oil-based packaging McDonald's was producing. In 1990, McDonald's began the McRecycle USA program.

"McDonald`s plans to funnel one-quarter its yearly budget for restaurant construction, remodeling and equipment to suppliers whose products are made from recycled materials, said Ed Rensi, McDonald`s president of U.S. operations."

The McRecycle USA program also included switching from Styrofoam to paper packaging. 

Fast forward to today and Bob's, a Brazilian hamburger chain has taken the concept one step further - edible paper wrappers. That's right. Just squirt your ketchup right on the wrapper and chomp down. The slogan (I'm assuming it's printed using edible ink) basically says, no need to control yourself - you can just pick up the sandwich and eat. It's currently just a promotional campaign but it seems like an interesting option if you're eating it in the establishment. I don't know what the wrapper is made of but since you're supposed to eat it, perhaps the people in the back can use some gloves to handle it? I'm just sayin'. 

(Vintage McDonald's packaging image via RamenDays; news bite via Cassandra Daily; video still via AdWeek)

The Turkey Breast Roast: Cooked and Conquered

For years I'd see those vacuum-sealed, raw turkey breast roasts in the supermarket and just ignore them. Turkey's just for Thanksgiving, I'd mutter to myself and soldier over to another meat section. If I'm being honest, the main reason for my reluctance to cook this roast had nothing to do with Thanksgiving; I had just never cooked one before - I didn't want to screw it up! However, after my successful Thanksgiving Day turkey last year, I was emboldened to cook one of those suckers and overcome my fear ...

Click to read more ...

Make It Count

Last week, my high school classmate, Dan, posted this video on Facebook. Casey Neistat was asked by Nike to make a commercial for their FuelBand Make It Count campaign. Instead of making a traditional commercial with buff, sweating athletes doing what they do, Casey literally took the money and ran. Himself. Around the world. Sprinkled throughout the commercial are inspiring quotes and at this point in my life, I'd say the one that resonates with me the most is this one: 

Life is either daring adventure or nothing at all. - Helen Keller

Watch the video. Make your It count. 

British Invasion: Shepherd's Pie - adapted, of course

The first time I had Shepherd's Pie was when I visited my friend, Jarrod, and his wife, Susse, in London. It was also the first time I was meeting Susse. Susse was radiant Scottish sunshine. She was totally at ease and totally charming; she chatted with me while sautéing chopped onions and ground meat with one hand and sipped from a glass of red wine with the other. She tossed in some frozen veggies, stirred a packet of Colman's Shepherd's Pie seasonings in a bowl with some water and poured it into the sizzling pot of ground meat and onions. The meat mixture was poured into a casserole dish, covered with mashed potatoes, a fork-tined crosshatch pattern was drawn over the top and then popped into the oven; along with a salad, dinner was cooked and on the table in about an hour. We chatted and laughed for hours. Did I mention it was a weeknight? Even though I didn't grow up eating it, Shepherd's Pie will forevermore be comfort food to me, thanks to that completely relaxed and warmhearted meal. 

For today's musical accompaniment, here's Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds. Why? Well...

• It's a Scottish band - reference Susse
• Lead singer Jim Kerr was married to Chrissie Hynde (she's American) - Jarrod and I were interns at Smart Design in New York
• Jarrod and I started our internships on the same date, twenty years ago as of last week. If we don't cross paths (we rarely do), we always email on our Intern Start Date Anniversary, keeping tabs on what's going on in each other's lives, regardless of where we are in the world.
• And lastly, The Breakfast Club was a seminal movie. 

So, hop over to YouTube and hop back because there's a Shepherd's Pie going in the oven and you're making it! Happy Friday!

Click to read more ...

Eau de Pizza Hut - What the What?

When I first saw the above image, I thought it was a joke. Seriously? A Pizza Hut cologne? After a little digging, it seems to be real, at least as a promotional piece for their Pizza Hut Canada Facebook fans. So if you or your loved one swoons over the smell of fresh baked franchised pizza and don't want the calories, go for it. Good luck finding a fan that's willing to part with their parfum de pizza franchisé though. 

(News bite and image via Thrillist)

Mashed (Puréed) Cauliflower: A 'tato substitute

A few years back, Mr. Mari and I decided we needed to lose some weight so went hardcore Atkins. Yeah, two weeks of zero caffeine, zero alcohol and very few carbohydrates. The pounds slipped off but they didn't stay off because we (of course) reintroduced the caffeine, the alcohol and carb-y foods back into our diet like we were immune to their effects. Ah, no. One of the foods that we ate during our crash course was puréed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. Now, don't get me wrong. They are not mashed potatoes. Puréed cauliflower isn't as creamy, soft and pillowy like mashed potatoes but it is a close enough facsimile that we still eat them instead of mashed potatoes to this day. I use it instead of mashed potatoes on my Shepherd's Pie, taking a once carb-heavy dish to an extremely carb-friendly one that we don't feel guilty eating. You'll need a steam basket and Cuisinart or emersion (stick) blender for this recipe. I often add a cube of roasted garlic or chopped parsley to the purée and also make a double batch because this stuff freezes really well. And also because, well, you know what they say - two (cauliflower) heads are better than one!

Click to read more ...

Tip: paper towels & bacon grease

Instead of pouring bacon grease down the drain or in your trash - and possibly having a slickery mess if there's a hole in your garbage bag, use the paper towels you first used to drain the bacon on. The number of paper towels you first used may not be enough to soak up all the grease but it'll probably be quicker picker enough to get it done.

al di là - A Ragù Worth Travelling For

One of the things I'm doing to prepare for my journey out West is to not only see my friends but to also revisit some of my favorite eats (A splendid combo!). Originally, when I thought about the places I want to revisit, the list wasn't that long but as the moving date gets closer, I realize there are a bunch of dishes I'd like to cram into my taste memory. Two of those dishes I'd like to hold onto are the Insalata di Farro and Tagliatelle al Ragù from al di là in Park Slope.

Click to read more ...