Snack Chat

Celebrate the Chefs Behind Our Snacks as National Culinary Arts Month Wraps

July is quite the month for celebrating food! Last week, I blogged about National Hot Dog Month, sharing some fun ways to incorporate our snacks with your preferred way to dig into the mighty hot dog. Did you know July is also National Culinary Arts Month?

This month-long celebration promotes awareness of professional cooks and chefs and their contributions to new culinary trends. Through Fritos Pie Remix and the Flavor Kitchen, you’ve had a chance to "meet" our Executive Chef Stephen Kalil, but we actually have a whole team of talented chefs that works with us at Frito-Lay. I recently had a chance to sit down with PepsiCo Chef Consultant Tara Anderson to find out a little more about her work here at Frito-Lay and her career in food. Have a listen, and tell us how you'll celebrate National Culinary Arts Month as it comes to a close this weekend.

- Joe

Back-to-School Supply Drive Benefits Local Students

It’s hard to believe we’re just a few short weeks away from the start of a new school year. To help students get off to the best start possible, the Frito-Lay variety pack team, Aquafina bottled water and Dollar General stores are teaming up for a special back-to-school supply drive, and we’re hoping you can help.

From now until Wednesday, Aug. 31, specially marked collection bins will be located in Dollar General stores nationwide. Shoppers are invited to help fill the bins with everything from pens and pencils to erasers and notebooks – any supplies that can help kids do well in the classroom. 

At the end of the program, all of the donated supplies will be distributed to local schools for children who need them most. For more information and a list of suggested items to donate, please visit your local Dollar General store.

- Alexia

Let's Be 'Frank' About National Hot Dog Month

When I was six, my big sister gave me one of my first cooking lessons: poke a couple holes in a hot dog with a fork and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Since then my cooking skills have improved, but that doesn’t mean I love hot dogs any less. That’s why I’m happy to write this blog post about the almighty frankfurter for National Hot Dog Month. 

Few foods are as versatile as hot dogs, but whether you like them grilled, baked, nuked or chopped; you can find a perfect pairing with one of our great Frito-Lay snacks!

Below are a few ideas I’ve come up with or found online to help celebrate the mighty hot dog this month: 

• Living in Texas, it’s hard to not love tacos. For a southwest spin, wrap your hot dog in a tortilla before topping it with salsa or guacamole. Serve with a side of Tostitos Bite Size Rounds tortilla chips or Tostitos Restaurant Style with a Hint of Lime tortilla chips.
• I also can't deny my love for anything grilled. Backyard BBQ fans, try grilling an all-beef hot dog brushed with your favorite BBQ sauce before placing it in a toasted bun with a little coleslaw. Serve with a side of Lay’s Barbecue potato chips or Lay's Salt & Vinegar potato chips.
• Looking for a lighter option? Slice a couple grilled hot dogs into pieces and toss with lettuce, carrots, onion, tomatoes and a light vinaigrette for a summer salad. Dress it with some crumbled Lay’s Garden Tomato & Basil potato chips instead of croutons for an extra crunch.
• Prefer to cook hot dogs in an air-conditioned kitchen? Try adding some sliced hot dog to this recipe for mini pizzas for a meal you can make indoors -- goes great with Doritos Nacho Cheese tortilla chips.
• Feel like really mixing it up? This Fritos Pie Remix for Cheesy Macaroni Fritos Pie from our own Chef Stephen adds hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and Fritos Chili Cheese Flavored Corn Chips -- all in one tasty dish!

The sky’s the limit when it comes to the different ways you can enjoy your hot dogs – what’s your favorite?

- Joe

Everything Old is New Again with Special Throwback Packaging for Cheetos and Ruffles

"Everything old is new again" is one of those things I've always heard people say, but it's only over the past six months or so that I've really come to believe it. At the end of last year, Frito-Lay brought back Doritos Taco with its original seasoning blend and packaged in a retro bag, for a limited time only. However, we received such an overwhelmingly positive response -- both through Snack Chat and our Consumer Relations team -- that Frito-Lay decided to keep Doritos Taco on store shelves for good.

Now, we're taking the next step... backward. Frito-Lay recently rolled out special throwback packaging for several of our most popular snacks, including Ruffles, Cheetos Crunchy and Cheetos Puffs. The new packaging is now available in stores nationwide, and makes a great way to share the fun this summer by bringing back memories of these classic snacks.

These Frito-Lay snacks aren't the only retro items that people are talking about these days. Companies are highlighting how retro design and retro product recipes have become incredibly popular in the packaging industry, and consumers are saying how much they love retro branding -- and how "yummy" Doritos Taco tastes!

Plus, let's not forget about Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback, made with real sugar. These drinks were also brought back for a limited time, but are now here for the long term after consumers let us know how much they loved them! To celebrate their permanent return, you can check out the Pepsi Throwback Facebook page (complete with old-school Atari Arcade), the Mountain Dew Throwback Shack (home of "Willy," the 1960s animated Moutain Dew pitchman) and a new line of retro T-shirts featuring the memorable Diet Pepsi and Ray Charles’ "You Got the Right One Baby, Uh-Huh!” ads.

What do you think will be the next big retro craze?

- Michael

Keep Your Cool This Summer with Fritos Pie Layered Salad

This morning I saw an ugly sight. The picture on the left is the weather forecast for Dallas. If you ask me, there's nothing right about waking up to temps above 80 degrees -- especially with no relief in sight.

That's why I was so excited to check out Frito-Lay executive chef Stephen Kalil's latest Fritos Pie Remix -- a Fritos Pie Layered Salad that will help keep your get-togethers cool while the temperature is on the rise.

In this episode, Chef Stephen uses the extreme ingredient Sierra Mist to make a light and refreshing dressing for a layered salad that includes sweet corn, Tostitos salsa, coleslaw mix and, of course, Fritos. The end result is a salad that's refreshing, delicious and, most importantly, simple to make. 

Check out the video below, and then download the Fritos Pie Layered Salad recipe and view other great recipes on the Fritos Pie Remix website. 

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What do you think? Will you surprise friends and family by making Fritos Pie Layered Salad for any of your get-togethers this summer?

- Joe