Something to Warm You Up.

Baby it’s cold outside! Well, it’s trying to get cold outside here in Michigan! Slowly, but soon, we hope to see some more snow flying around! The weather here is erratic at best, from windy rain storms, to some bursts of random snow, to warm temperatures reminding us of spring time. Just give it five minutes and the weather will change! The expected high temperature today is 57° F on this November day! Say whaaaat?!

To keep us warm and toasty (or at least to get us in the mindset of a wintery scene), I found this cranberry-orange punch from Gerstacker. You simply warm it up and enjoy! Perfect for enjoying some nice gingerbread, pastries, stollen and other treats this holiday season and it comes alcohol-free! Best when served at 58-62° C (or 136-143° F), this fruity punch will warm you and your guests up in a jiffy!

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When you first open the bottle, you get that cranberry scent followed by what smells like fresh orange juice. Carefully warm up the punch on the stove top, keep mind that you don’t want to cook it, you just want to warm it up. If you’re in a hurry, I suppose quickly putting it in the microwave would be okay, just don’t let it go too long. Preferably, you want to gently warm this on the stove. There is a lot of flavor in this punch – from the cranberry to the orange for its fruity base, there are spices that are blended in that soothe the taste buds as you enjoy a sip! It has a hint of sweetness and then at times there is an underlying hint of herbal tea. It sounds weird, but it tastes great!

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If you have a winter get-together or holiday party, be sure to have this handy. Your guests will enjoy this beverage, and best of all, even the youngsters can enjoy this as it is non-alcoholic. Seriously, grab a warm cup of this Gerstacker punch and get some gingerbread! Or maybe stollen. Or maybe both. Yeah, both. Your taste buds will thank you! Well, they should thank me, since I gave you the idea! Eh…! I know, I’m lame. Nibble, nibble!

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It’s Game Day! What Are YOU Snacking On?

Well, today is the official day! It’s the big showdown between the Michigan State Spartans and the University of Michigan Wolverines! It’s on at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight, a late start for a game! But most likely, many of us in the state of Michigan will be up and wide awake watching the game until the brutal end!

So the question is, what are YOU snacking on today for the game, if you are watching? Or if you don’t watch football, what do you snack on while watching your favorite sport? Okay, maybe you don’t watch sports. What do you snack on?

Normally, I’d be sitting with a bowl of potato chips, my favorite local flavor beer, maybe a spread of cheese and crackers and whatever else I can find in the cupboards or fridge. But today, we are trying something new! Lorenz Snack-World has a whole variety of munchies to choose from: pretzels, chips, nuts and more! Today’s new treat of flavor to try today are Lorenz Curly Peanut Classic and Lorenz NicNac’s snacks.

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These are not your traditional snacks, but that’s okay! Who wants to be traditional? The Curly snacks are really neat – they are puffy and made from ground peanuts. It’s far better than your regular traditional choice of cheese curls! And cheese curls these are not! These puffy treats are light, nutty in flavor and will go well with the rest of your snacking treats.

The NicNac’s are not your traditional peanuts! They are crunchy on the outside and crunchy with peanut on the inside! The outer shell does have a flavor profile to it – it is hard to describe, but it’s tasty! Reading from the ingredients off the package, it mentions onion powder and “smoke flavouring”, which is what I am tasting. They are yummy! Different than your regular plain dry roasted peanuts or other nut mix you would normally have on hand when entertaining.

If you are looking for something new to have on hand while entertaining, tailgating or just to snack on, these Lorenz Snack-World products are right up your alley! You will be pleasantly surprised at how addicting they can be! I keep finding myself getting up from the desk and keyboard to grab a handful of both in the kitchen as I type this up! I’ll have to go sit at the ice rink this evening for my oldest son’s hockey practice, I will be brining some of these along with me to share with some of the other hockey parents! Practice goes into the start of tonight’s big football game, but luckily we will only miss the first half hour or so of the game! And… this Gourmet Guru is going to say NIBBLE, NIBBLE and…

GO GREEN!! (Michigan State is *MY* alma mater!)

The Great Michigan Football Rivalry!

If you live in the state of Michigan, this weekend is the big football rivalry between Michigan State University and the University of Michigan! This weekend’s football game will take place in “The Big House” (Michigan Stadium) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of the U of M Wolverines. Game starts at 7:30 p.m. EST.

You’re either a Spartan or a Wolverine, in very few instances you are a house divided and go for both! Either way, this weekend is prime for football watching and along with that – TAILGATING! And if you can’t tailgate at the actual game, you can still have a good time at home with your own party! Today we have some ideas and inspiration for you as you prepare your menu for the big game!

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Today we had some munchies in the office to prepare for our tailgating tomorrow! We had Hengstenberg BBQ Kraut in the house! It is best served warm! It is a unique twist of sauerkraut with a mix of BBQ flavor. Our friends over at GermanDeli.com did a tasting with they had shared with us the following review:

“We tried it together with German Bratwurst, Brötchen and Löwensenf mustard. WOW!! It’s that good. The first time all of our German staff and all of our American staff unanimously loved the same product. No exceptions. It has a definite spicy kick too! Staff are already coming up with serving suggestions.” – GermanDeli.com

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And not only do we have inspiration in the form of food, we have some of our own employees showing off their true colors today! It truly is a warehouse divided here today!

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