Snack Chat

Give a Warm Welcome to our Fan of the Week: Ellen Christian!

Each week, we’re featuring a new Frito-Lay Fan of the Week – a great way to highlight and reward our most passionate fans! If you would like to be part of our fan program, sign up here, and you just might be featured as a Fan of the Week in the future!

We’d like to introduce you to Ellen Christian – this week’s Fan of the Week (pictured below)! Ellen is a die-hard Fritos Scoops! fan who does her part, along with her family, to be environmentally conscious – just like us!  Find out even more about our Fan of the Week in Ellen’s Frito-Lay Q&A: 

• Favorite Frito-Lay snack: It’s so hard to choose just one.  My absolute favorite would be Fritos Scoops! corn chips. I just love them and have to really stop myself from eating the whole bag. 

• Favorite dip recipe or way to enjoy your chips: I love them right out of the bag. Of course, they are also fantastic in a Fritos Pie but then I have to share them with the rest of the family! 

• If you could be a Frito-Lay chip, which would you be and why? I’d definitely be a SunChip.  I have a multi-faceted personality and great taste! 

• What extreme ingredient would you like to see our chef use in a Fritos Pie Remix recipe? I’d love to see it mixed with a maple glazed chicken.  I think the sweet/salty combination would be amazing. 

• Which chips would you pair together to make a new snack mix? I would love to see the Cheetos Puffs cheese flavored snacks mixed with Rold Gold Pretzels. Yummy! 

• What are some tips you can share for snacking smarter or living healthier? Definitely practice portion control.  I have a really hard time stopping at one serving of your delicious chips.  I package individual serving sized portions in small plastic bags so when I want them, I just grab one serving.  They stay fresh. They’re always ready for me and it helps cut down on over snacking. 

• If you got to work at Frito-Lay for a day, what role would you want to be in and why? I’d want to be the new product tester. You’ve got to have one of those, right? I can just imagine a whole office filled with brand new snacks to try. I don’t think a job could get much better than that. 

• Give us 3 fun facts about yourself:
  • We raise our own ducks and chickens.
  • We cook dinner in a solar oven during the summer.
  • I’m terrified of moths and will run from the room when I see one. 

• Most memorable Frito-Lay snacking moment: Frito-Lay products are in all of my great snacking memories from each of the kids’ birthdays to our 4th of July picnics. I can’t imagine a get-together that doesn’t have Frito-Lay products at it. 

• Tell us why you are a Frito-Lay Fan: I love your options. You have something for everyone in our family.  My husband is a huge fan of Cheetos.  My son loves your Lay’s potato chips. My daughter is gluten intolerant and goes for the Fritos, just like me. 

Congratulations, Ellen, and thanks again for being our Fan of the Week! It’s always great to hear about the ways our fans are doing their part for the environment. Learn more about Ellen on her blog and by followig her on Twitter.

Check back next week to meet our next Frito-Lay Fan of the Week right here on Snack Chat. 

- Kristin 

'Wow' Your Friends and Family with Tasty Snacks this Weekend!

Just in time for weekend get-togethers, I'm happy to share two tasty and innovative recipes from our Flavor Kitchen chefs: Jalapeño Poppers (featuring SunChips snacks -- pictured below) and Red Pepper Pesto Bruschetta. The poppers are sure to please your hungry friends who like a spicy kick with their snacks, and the bruschetta puts a crunchy spin on the traditional tomato appetizer by incorporating Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips.

Both recipes are posted on the Frito-Lay website. They seem pretty easy to follow, but if you're like me, a cooking demo is always helpful. You can watch our executive Chef Stephen Kalil and guest chef Laura McIntosh, host of Bringing it Home web-cooking show, prepare both recipes in our Flavor Kitchen cooking webisodes.

Give them a try this weekend, and make sure to let us know what you and your friends and family think!

Recipes:

• Jalapeño Poppers (webisode)
• Red Pepper Pesto Bruschetta (webisode)

- Kristin

Hip Hip Hooray for Our Frito-Lay Fan of the Week: Michelle Atwood!

Each week, we’re featuring a new Frito-Lay Fan of the Week – a great way to highlight and reward our most passionate fans! If you would like to be part of our fan program, sign up here, and you just might be featured as a Fan of the Week in the future! 

We’re excited to announce this week’s Frito-Lay Fan of the Week, Michelle Atwood (pictured below)! Michelle is a southern girl who loves snacks with a spicy kick almost as much as she loves her ever-growing purse collection! Check out our Q&A with Michelle to find out more about what makes her our fan of the week: 

• Favorite Frito-Lay snack: Tostitos Restaurant Style with a Hint of Lime tortilla chips

• Favorite dip recipe or way to enjoy your chips: I love to make homemade guacamole. There is nothing better than a fresh bowl of guac with Tostitos! 

• If you could be a Frito-Lay chip, which would you be and why? I think I would be a Lay’s Kettle Cooked Jalapeño potato chip. It’s not your average chip, and the little kick makes them memorable. The flavor is like no other. 

• What extreme ingredient would you like to see our chef use in a Fritos Pie Remix recipe?  How about stuffing the classic Fritos Chili Pie into roasted poblano peppers -- YUM! 

• Which chips would you pair together to make a new snack mix? I’d combine Lay’s Tangy Carolina BBQ flavored potato chips with Lay’s Flamin’ Hot flavored potato chips. The hot and tangy mix would be perfect. 

• What are some tips you can share for snacking smarter or living healthier? I try to make eating smart fun for my kids by allowing them to help create their snacks. Usually, if kids have the opportunity to make choices, they’re more likely to eat the food presented. 

• If you could work at Frito-Lay for a day, what role would you want to be in and why? I think I would like to be an executive chef. I would love to play around with the different flavor combinations. It would be fun to taste test all the flavor attempts! 

• Give us 3 fun facts about yourself:
  • I have a purse addiction -- my dream is to get the opportunity to go on a purse shopping spree.
  • For the last 15+ years, I have painted my toe nails red … never any other color.
  • I love flowers -- any type or color! 

• Most memorable Frito-Lay snacking moment: There is nothing better than a picnic on a beautiful southern summer day with the great taste of Frito-Lay! 

• Tell us why you are a Frito-Lay Fan: I want my guys to have the best products, and for that reason, Frito-Lay snacks are a staple in my house. As a mom, I like knowing my boys are getting snacks from a brand I trust and love myself! 

Congratulations, Michelle, on being our Fan of the Week! Thank you for choosing our snacks and making Frito-Lay a part of your family. You can learn more about Michelle from her blog and by following her on Twitter. 

Check back next week to meet our next Frito-Lay Fan of the Week right here on Snack Chat. 

- Kristin

Check Out Chicken & Shrimp Curry Fritos Pie, Inspired by a Fritos Fan!

Earlier this year, we launched a contest inviting snack fans to submit their "extreme" ingredient ideas for the chance to win a year’s supply of Fritos and see Frito-Lay Chef Stephen Kalil use their suggestion in an upcoming Fritos Pie Remix episode. We received a ton of great ingredient suggestions, and Chef Stephen then picked the one he was most excited to transform into a delicious new recipe.

So I'm thrilled today to introduce Chicken & Shrimp Curry Fritos Pie, featuring the "extreme" ingredient of curry, as submitted by Matthew from Croydon, Pa. Inspired by Matthew's suggestion to remix the traditional Fritos Pie using curry, Chef Stephen has created a delicious recipe that features chicken, shrimp, coconut milk, ginger, peanuts and more. And, of course, Fritos Original corn chips!

Thanks, Matthew, for this great suggestion! Watch the Chicken & Shrimp Curry Fritos Pie video below and then check out all the videos on the Fritos Pie Remix website. Plus, make sure to submit your own "extreme" ingredient idea through the website -- you might just see it in a future episode!

- Michael

Calling All Country Music Fans...Chance to Win a Trip to the CMA Music Festival!

The Lay’s brand, Dollar General and the Country Music Association are teaming up to give you the chance to be there in person as some of your favorite country music stars rock the stage at this year’s CMA Music Festival. From now through 11:59 p.m. CT on May 22, 2011, visit www.dollargeneral.com to enter the Lay’s/Dollar General CMA Music Festival sweepstakes for your chance to win an exclusive trip to this one-of-a-kind music celebration.

The CMA Music Festival runs from June 9 through June 12, 2011 in Nashville, Tenn., and features a whole host of country music superstars, including Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Reba, and more, plus an exciting roster of up-and-coming artists. In addition to the live performances, fans will be able to take part in a number of family activities, autograph signings and more. 

Ten sweepstakes winners will be selected and will receive air transportation, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, festival tickets and $500 in spending money. Keep in mind, the sweepstakes is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia, 18 and older. You can get more details by visiting www.dollargeneral.com. Now hurry up and enter – this is one event you just won’t want to miss!

- Alexia