Take a moment to think of your favorite snack. Now, imagine that mixed in with your favorite meal. If you thought of Cheetos and Mac & Cheese like I did, your dream just became a reality. PepsiCo has partnered with Food Network Star, Chef Anne Burrell, to bring your family a plethora of recipes that incorporate your favorite snacks. Cheetos officially launched their exclusive cookbook, BON-APPE-CHEETOS: A Holiday Cookbook by Chester & Friends, just in time for the holidays. Fans can claim their own copy by donating $35 to World Central Kitchen.
“It’s a great cookbook for a great cause,” said Chef Anne Burrell. “Yes, you are getting a cookbook full of great recipes for snack foods but you are also doing something that is good for everyone.”
That holiday spirit keeps on giving, because PepsiCo also launched an online hub, MoreSmilesWithEveryBite.com, with recipes featuring your favorite Frito-Lay snacks and Quaker foods. With recipes like the Smartfood Popcorn Holiday Wreath Cake, Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Mac-n-Cheese Balls, and Ruffles Jalapeno Ranch Grilled Jalapeño Poppers, you cannot go wrong this winter.
“The website is a whole hub of recipes that incorporate Cheetos, lots of snacks foods, and all sorts of recipes that can be used for holidays or just dinner on a Tuesday,” said Anne.
This is not the first time that Chef Burrell has partnered with PepsiCo, as she was behind the success of the Cheetos first ever pop-up restaurant in 2017 named, The Spotted Cheetah. According to Anne, her favorite dishes on the site include: the Dangerously Cheesy Mac’n Cheetos and the Cheetos Crusted Fried Green Tomatoes with a Spot of Salad (a charred corn salad with cherry tomatoes, arugula, cucumbers and an arugula and Cheetos pesto). I don’t know about you, but I am about to take a much needed snack break.
“I love anything that pushes my creativity and helps me think outside the box,” Anne exclaimed. “When I started writing recipes for Cheetos it was amazing how it just kind of came out of me; I had a blast.”
Thinking outside of the box is what a lot of families will do this year with the holidays looking different. Chef Burrell explained that with everyone home more often, cooking has become a form of entertainment. When students and young kids get in the kitchen, that is a skill they will have for life. To all of the contestants on Worst Cooks In America: I believe there is still hope for you.
“Food is the universal language,” Anne says. “Every living thing has to eat, but as humans we get to eat for pleasure. With incorporating snacks into regular food it creates a little bit more excitement.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I would definitely recommend checking out these new recipes or heading to the Cheetos website to grab their buzz-worthy products. This might sound cheesy, but nothing is better than food and family around this time of year.