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Photo from Ritz Carlton & Four Seasons Club Resorts website

Next Thursday, many families will gather together for turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing and rolls.  But not all.

According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), 30 million Americans will be headed out to a restaurant instead.

To break it down, based on a recent survey, NRA estimates 14 million will eat at a restaurant and 16 million will use takeout of some sort.

In a quote from this NRA article, Senior Vice President of NRA’s Research and Knowledge Group, Hudson Riehle, said:

“Our research clearly shows that the convenience of restaurant meals—not having to shop, cook and clean up—drives consumer behavior and will lead millions of Americans to patronize restaurants this Thanksgiving.”

Convenience seems to be the leading factor for diners choosing to eat out instead of at home.  In fact, 63 percent of those the NRA surveyed said convenience was their main reason to dine out instead of in.

Riehle also mentioned 20 percent plan to shop on Black Friday with almost seven out of 10 planning to eat out during their shopping adventure.

Speaking of Black Friday….

This year’s Black Friday may make restaurant sales more interesting than in years passed with some of the heavy-hitting Black Friday stores such as Walmart, Target and ToysRUs opening their doors at midnight on Black Friday or even 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

“Savvy diners can also do some holiday shopping while enjoying their restaurant meal by purchasing restaurant gift cards. Our research also shows that restaurant gift certificates top the list of gifts consumers want to receive on special occasions,” Riehle said.

Either way, Executive Vice President of the Indiana Restaurant Association Debbie Scott agrees convenience will probably be a driving force.

“Whether people shop earlier or not, a significant number will still be looking for the convenience of restaurants to help lighten their busy schedules,” she said.

For more information, check out NRA’s press release about restaurants this Thanksgiving.

Graph from the National Restaurant Association

Photo from tasteofhome.com

                           Get the recipe and try this Curried Acorn Squash Soup!

Photo from profruit.com

August is National Peach Month, but how did this come to be?  Back in 1982, the United States Congress and Ronald Reagan approved this as Proclamation 4947.  According to the Atlanta Examiner, “Reagan called upon US citizens to ‘incorporate this nutritious fruit into their diets.’”  In honor of this declaration and to encourage you to celebrate with and educate your patrons, Central is providing 10 peach related facts, tips, recipes and tools to get National Peach Month off to a great start.

1)    FACT - Peaches are Nutritious

Peaches contain 3 grams of fiber* and no fat***.   They are also a good source of vitamins A, B and C** and provide fewer than 70 calories*.

Photo from supplementsdigest.com

2)    RECIPE & TOOLS
Summer Peach Pie with Vanilla Cardamom from Epicurious  can be made using
Pie Pans, Pie Servers and Mixing Bowls from Central.

Photo from epicurious.com

3)    FACT – Don’t eat Peach Pits
The peach pit contains hydrocyanic acid** which is highly toxic to humans.

Photo from ehowcdn.com

4)    TIP – When are peaches in season?
Peaches are in season in the U.S. from June to the end of August* and in China�
 from July to August ****.

Photo from rubbahslippahsinitaly.blogspot.com

5)    RECIPE & TOOLS
Peach Salsa from Simply Recipes can be made and served using Cutting Boards,
Paring Knives, Hamilton Beach Food Blender and Salsa Dishes from Central.

Photo from Tasteofhome.com

6)    TIP – Ripening Tricks
Ripen the fruit by placing it in a brown paper bag for two to three days**.  To�
prevent peaches from ripening, place it in the refrigerator*** and to keep it from browning sprinkle the flesh with lemon or lime juice***.

Photo from earth911.com

7)    RECIPE & TOOLS
Georgia Peach Barbecue Sauce from Fine Cooking can be used with Basting Brushes from Central.

Photo from kitchenconfidante.com

8)    FACT – Where is the origin of the peach?
Originated in China where they symbolized immortality and longevity***.  They are still the world’s largest producers of the fruit***. 

Photo from zcache.com

9)    RECIPE & TOOLS
Fresh Peach-Pecan Muffins from Ingredients Inc. can be made with Muffin Pans from Central.

Photo from ingredientsinc.net

10) FACT – World’s Largest Peach Items
The World Largest Peach Cobbler was made in Georgia and measured 11 feet by 5  feet*.  The World’s Largest (individual) Peach was grown in South Carolina and weighed 10,000 pounds*****.

Photo from dashrecipes.com

With all of this information, we hope you’ll take advantage of this great fresh fruit and maybe even try out a new recipe or two.  If you do try one of our recipes or if you have a recipe you’d like to share with our other readers, please leave a comment below.

All facts and tips were found on the following sites:
*WebMD  **The Nibble ***Peach-Facts�
**** Wall Street Journal *****Fill Your Plate

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today is May 5, which is usually rephrased to its Spanish translation—Cinco de Mayo. Sometimes the meaning of this date is misunderstood for Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually September 16. The History Channel gives a perfect brief explanation of Cinco de Mayo.

On this day in 1862, Mexico defeated France in the Battle of Puebla in the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). The History Channel points out Cinco de Mayo is a minor day in Mexico but over time it has evolved into a widely recognized date on the U.S. calendar. Either way, there are celebrations in both Mexico and the United States.

Moving on from today’s history lesson and onto the celebration, below are links for restaurants and recipes to look into for your Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Events at Restaurants

Image: Beverly Barrett / Epicurious

Many restaurants, from local to chain, are doing something for Cinco de Mayo whether it’s food and drink specials or full-blown celebrations. Just through searching, we found Cheeseburger in Paradise, Hard Rock Cafe, Dave and Busters and Applebees are a few of many hosting parties. For many specials and parties, it’s particular to the area. So take a second and do a quick Google or Facebook search to see if your favorite restaurant has anything going on. Some restaurants on Facebook even have sweepstakes similar to this one for Qdoba in Indiana.  Here are a few places all across the country with something going on:

• TGI Friday’s
• Chili’s
• Del Taco
• On the Border
• IHOP

Recipes

If you’re planning on staying home for the evening, we found these Mexican food and drink recipes for your own Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Anchor Hocking Margarita Glass

Simple Guacamole (Chelsie Kenyon, About.com)

Corn Salsa (Fiona Haynes, About.com)

Mexican Rice (All Recipes)

Chicken Tortilla Soup II (Eddie Shipman, Food.com)

Soft Beef Tortillas (Family Fun Magazines, Disney)

Grilled Mexican Steak (All Recipes)

San Diego Style Fish Tacos (Recipe Girl)

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa (Tyler Florence, Food Network)

Authentic Mexican Margaritas (Food.com)

Mojito (Drinks Mixer)

Sangria (Taste of Home)

Countries all over the world are declaring April 16 as FourSquare Day, including Central’s hometown in Indianapolis, which is ranked at 44 on Mashable’s Top 100 Socially Networked Cities. City Mayor Greg Ballard has even proclaimed April 16 as FourSquare Day—so it’s official!

Places all over the country will be having different events; Indianapolis is hosting a conference for all FourSquare users, business owners, etc., which will include speakers from restaurants and businesses.  (For those in Indy interested in attending, click here for all of the information).

Events such as Indy’s are a great way for businesses and users to network—as FourSquare has truly made an impact on the restaurant industry.  In fact, in upcoming week’s we’ll get in touch with some of the speakers from Indy’s FourSquare day and dig in deep to learn how this part of social media is taking over, what different restaurants are doing and so much more.

Until then, we’re new to FourSquare (but hope you check-in to our showroom if you’re in the area!) What do you enjoy about it? Especially restaurant owners, how has it helped your business?

Image from Global Child Nutrition Foundation website

While many of us live comfortably and the idea of being unsure where our next meal will come seems non-existent, according to Save the Children, at least 400 million children suffer from hunger.

“The goals and ideals of Global Child Nutrition Month are to acknowledge that global hunger can be overcome by combining the will and resources of individuals and organizations. “

GCNF also said putting an end to childhood hunger enables the world’s children to become self-supporting and contributing citizens—which leads toward a more stable and peaceful world.

In a recent article from Cincinnati.com, they remind us fighting childhood hunger is no recent news in the U.S.  It dates all the way back to World War II when initiatives began to fight childhood hunger and President Harry Truman initiated plans for better school nutrition—an issue still heavily combated today and is being conquered through many organizations and initiatives such as First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” or the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” which was signed late last year.

In Cincinnati.com’s research, they found from the Enquirer that one of five children in the U.S. alone is unsure of their next meal.   And while there are many hungry children in the U.S., initiatives should (and do) expand passed our borders.

Image from Save the Children Website (click photo for website)

“Fighting child hunger should extend overseas as well.  With our international partners, we can work toward universal school feeding in Haiti, Afghanistan, Benin, Iraq and other countries facing major reconstruction and development challenges,” the article says.

There are several organizations like GCNF that work towards ending child hunger for children all over the world.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, is one of those organizations.  By 2015, UNICEF hopes to have reduced the amount of people who suffer from hunger in half and combat malnutrition.  They also work in educating caregivers on providing adequate child nutrition.

GCNF and other global organizations are fighting to end childhood hunger, but even you can make a difference.  For this year’s Global Child Nutrition Month, make a goal for yourself to get involved.  Below are links to ways you can make a difference—and if your school, employer, organization, etc. is working towards this cause, please share your initiatives or ideas with us and other blog readers to get us all involved.

• World Food Programme
• UNICEF Unite for Children
• Feed the Children
• Save the Children
• Global Child Nutrition Foundation

As gallons of guacamole and pallets worth of pizza are being consumed the SFA and NPPB can rest assured they are doing their part to create awareness.  However, just in case you’re looking for another snack food to add to your cabinet, below are seven that are commonplace in countries around the world.  Take a look and maybe next year, you can serve your fellow sports fans an exotic treat.

1)    Acaçá

Picture from maisculinaria.wordpress.com

 

AKA:  rice-flour mush, rice-flour polenta

Where can you find it? Brazil

What is it? Steamed pudding wrapped in banana leaves and steamed

Variations and toppings: Can be made of rice-flour or cornmeal.  Sweetened with coconut milk.

2)    Balut

Picture from philippinesfoodrecipes.blogspot.com

AKA:  Treat with Feet, Egg with Legs

Where can you find it?  The Philippines

What is it?  Soft-boiled duck eggs containing a partially formed duck fetus

Variations and toppings: salt, chili, vinegar, lemon juice, coriander,

Interesting fact:  The perfect time to eat a Balut is usually considered to be before the fetus has formed bones, beak and feathers. 

3)    Biltong

Picture from designerdiscountclothes.net

AKA:  Droewors, Biltong Sticks, Biltong Chips,

Where can you find it? South Africa

What is it? beef or game jerky that has been air-dried

Variations and toppings: Spiced with salt, pepper, brown sugar, coriander, vinegar, salpetre

Interesting fact:  Although biltong is most commonly eaten by itself, it’s also sometimes used in items like oatmeal, salads, spreads and even on a sandwich with bread and butter.

4)    Currywurst

Picture from kitchenproject.com

AKA:  Curried sausage

Where can you find it? Germany

What is it? Fried Pork sausage covered in a tomato curry sauce

Variations and toppings: Vegetarian Currywurst, Chicken/Turkey Currywurst.  Toppings include hot chili, mustard powder.

Interesting fact:  There is a museum dedicated to the currywurst in Berlin and a song was recorded about it.

5)    Lassi

Picture from ifood.tv

AKA:  Indian yogurt smoothie

Where can you find it? Northern India, Pakistan

What is it? A drink made of Indian yogurt, water and different flavorings

Variations and toppings: Spiced with salt, toasted cumin seeds, saffron, mint etc.  Sweetened with Mango or other fruits and sugar.

Interesting fact:  The drink is used as a digestion aid due to the high probiotic content.

6)    Pig’s Blood Cake

Picture from seriouseats.com

AKA: zhū xiě gāo, Taiwanese blood pudding, blood cake

Where can you find it? Taiwan

What is it? Steamed pig blood and sticky rice that can be flavored with peanuts, cilantro.

Variations and toppings: chili sauce

7)      Raw Herring Sandwich

Picture from seriouseats.com

AKA:  broodje haring, Hollandse Nieuwe, Zoute Haring

Where can you find it? The Netherlands

What is it? raw salted herring, onions and pickles

Variations and toppings: Usually either eaten in a soft bun or by itself on a plate.  Can be served with or without the tail.

Now that you’ve taken a look at what people snack on around the world, are you thinking about trying any of them?  What does/doesn’t look appetizing and why?