Food & Drink

Attention shoppers: check your freezer, as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency lists many food recalls, including an expansion of the recall on frozen beef.

After issuing a recall last week, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has widened its recall of frozen beef to include over 135 products that may contain e.coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The products were manufactured between July 1, 2011 and February 15, 2012 and were distributed to restaurants, retail stores and institutional kitchens across Canada by Establishment 761.

The extensive list of items include brands such as Country Morning, Best Value, Grillhouse, Keg, PC Blue Menu, Simply Food, Western Family and Zabiha Halal, and are a variety of burgers and steakettes.

Consumers should check their products carefully and if they have any questions should contact their retailer for further information.

If you've read our first article on food trucks, you probably learned what it took to launch this new wave phenomenon of gourmet food on four wheels and why lower overhead made so much sense to so many recently laid-off skilled chefs with aspirations, but no money to open their own restaurant. Sure it was an interesting article, but we all realize it was missing the most important element...

The Food.

With all these food trucks across Canada now, one has to wonder, which ones are the best of the best? Who are the best in the game?

It's our mission to answer those questions here. We want to honour good food and originality along with the entreprenurial spirit and enthusiasum for the open road of so many culinary masters. It's not enough to simply make your truck the carbon copy of an existing successful brick and mortar restaurant. You have to bring fresh ingredients and something innovative the country has never seen, whether it's your food combinations, your truck concept and the pizazz you bring to your service.

So who are those select few going to be with so many vibrant food truck scenes sprouting across Canada?

Find out, after the jump...

Related Links:

• What the Truck? The Financials of the Food Truck Phenomenon
• Man vs. Food, Eh? Canada's Greatest Eating Challenges Part 1
• Man vs. Food, Eh? Canada's Greatest Eating Challenges Part 2

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Don't call it a comeback, they've been here for years.

Yes, food trucks have been serving treats on the streets in North America ever since westward expansion following the American Civil War saw Texas cattlemen travel to New Mexico and through the Canadian prairies supplying meat to the pioneers. But while cattleman were traveling day and night across the continent to feed the settlers, no one was feeding them -- that is, until a man named Charles Goodnight came along in 1866 and invented the first food truck, the chuckwagon.

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You've been entrusted with an important life event -- throwing a bridal shower -- for a friend/sister/cousin. The pressure's on. Now don't blow it. Here are some mistakes to avoid if you don't want to look back on the event with regret and an empty pocket.


PHOTO GALLERY: Click image below for top 10 bridal shower mistakes





1. You forget to consult the most important person -- the bride.
This is a mistake that could actually effect the bride financially. A bridal shower is, in essence, to celebrate the bride but also to help her on her way and gifts often play an important role. Ask the bride if she wants a theme for the party -- does she need kitchen appliances, or a washer/dryer that everyone could go in on?

2. Your invites lack clarity.
If you're not clear in your invites what the cost of entry is to the shower (whether guests are expected to give money towards an afternoon at a spa for the bride or buy from her gift registry), then guests will give what they think is appropriate which might not be appropriate.

As if Roll Up the Rim to Win wasn't enough! From now until March 4, 2012, Tim Hortons' hot breakfast sandwiches are available for $1.99 plus tax.

The fine print does say that the BELT sandwiches aren't included.

By Rick Aristotle Muniz, Motley Fool

The convenience of single-cup coffeemakers is undeniable -- the sheer simplicity of popping a pod into a brewer that dishes out premium brew in a minute or two. There's no mess. There's no old coffee going bad.

It's no wonder more and more java sippers are tossing out their coffee pots for single-serve machines.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) shipped a whopping 4.2 million Keurig brewers through its partners during the holiday quarter. Revenue more than doubled to $1.16 billion as earlier buyers loaded up on the K-Cup portion packs that provide the bean-based caffeinated kicks.

Keurig isn't the only single-serve specialist. Tassimo, Nespresso, Senseo, CBTL, and now even Green Mountain's brand new Vue system are just some of the one-cup platforms vying for your morning swig.

Slick, But Not Cheap

Single-serve coffee is certainly easier on the pocketbook than hitting up the Starbucks (SBUX) barista every time you need a caffeine fix. But you may be surprised at how much you're actually paying for the ground coffee that shakes in the proprietary pods like maracas.

The New York Times' Oliver Strand did the math earlier this month. He looked at Nespresso Arpeggio pods that retail at $5.70 for 10 espresso capsules. Since each capsule contains just five grams of coffee, we're looking at about $51 a pound. Ouch!

He also priced the Folgers Black Silk blend available for Keurig machines at $10.69 for a dozen K-Cups. Since each of those pods contains eight grams of coffee, it would take nearly 57 K-Cups -- setting a fan of joe back close to $50.50 -- for a pound of the stuff.

Thankfully for Strand and others with single-serve machines, there are ways to avoid paying $50 a pound for coffee. Here are tips on ways to save. Though specifically for Keurig's K-Cups, many of these suggestions apply to rival makers as well.

There are some things in life that take priority such as grocery shopping. Whether you like it or not for most people it's a basic weekly responsibility.

I for one don't mind grocery shopping by myself but when I've got my two sons under four with me it's usually a bit of a circus show. I end up losing my scribbled To-Buy list within about ten minutes of pushing the cart around, meaning multiple trips to the grocery store, time wasted and frustrations high. Enter the world of apps, where there are now tools available to help you organize your life and save money without the fuss and... paper. These free apps are quite basic, but really who needs something with a lot of bells and whistles when it comes to a to-do list or a financial summary?

Here are five free apps that will save you time and money when it comes to organizing your finances and your life.

For those outdoor enthusiasts that are outside no matter what the weather, be aware of these two recalls:

Health Canada has issued a recall for the Redhead Hubstyle Promo Hunting Blind, as the tent fabric does not meet the flammability requirements under Canadian law.

The tent is made from polyester fabric, with SKU #1795687 and model number RB-1003.

The hunting blind was sold at Bass Pro Shops across Canada between August and October 2011. Consumers can return the hunting blind for a full refund or store credit.

For more information, contact Bass Pro Shops 1-888-287-2347.

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Money can't buy you love but strategic spending can greatly increase the chances that you'll be on the receiving end of a few more "come-hither" looks from your partner this Valentines Day. And you don't have to be rich to get them to, ahem, appreciate your assets.

Start a Modest Savings Plan for a Vacation Together
Central bankers are telling you to save a little more but when what you've socked away disappears into the car repair fund, all those pennies seem for naught.
You're more likely to be disciplined about putting cash aside if it's for a specific reason like a surprise few days in Paris or the Caribbean for you and your partner. It doesn't have to be much. Set aside $150 a month and you can get away in October or November when low season deals make airfare and accommodation very reasonable for most sun-kissed destinations and European capitals.

Although there are package deals to be had geared towards
getting away for a romantic night, not all of us are in the
position to jet off to Chicago with our mate on February 14th
for a night of good eating, theatre and a posh hotel.

Who really has the cash right now to pay for the airfare for two, a sitter for the kids and tipping a doorman several times all in recognition of one night?

But that's not to say Valentine's Day shouldn't be recognized -- I've always been a big believer in doing something special for your significant other on the 14th. Even if it is an appreciation that is somewhat forced, it does remind us not to take our partners for granted (at least for one day).

Here are a few ideas on how to treat your sweetheart without getting walloped with a big bill at the end of the night.

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