HAL’S KITCHEN: The Crookie is here!

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I first told you about the Crookie last month, soon after it went viral on social media. Invented in Paris by Stéphane Louvard, the croissant mash-up quickly made its way around the world and now it’s arrived in Winnipeg. Le Croissant at 276 Tache Ave. in St. Boniface has started selling its version with brown butter and chocolate chip espresso for $7. The French original is a cross between a chocolate chip cookie and a croissant. Louvard experimented with the idea in 2022 by splitting croissants in half and adding chocolate chip cookie dough. He was selling about 100 a day until a TikToker with over a million followers spread the word about the Crookie. Louvard’s bakers are now going through at least 1,500 each day.

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MITZI’S CLOSING SOON

Mitzi’s at St. Mary and Garry will continue to sell its beloved chicken fingers until next weekend but only walk-in orders are being accepted now and you should expect longer wait times. All pre-order time slots are booked until the restaurant’s final day. I’ll miss the fingers, no doubt about it, but I’ll miss owner Shirley Eng and her smiling face even more. Enjoy retirement, Shirley…almost 50 years is a great run! And while the chicken fingers will disappear forever very soon, don’t be surprised if Mitzi’s famous honey dill sauce ends up bottled and for sale in grocery stores one day.

MCDONALD’S LAUNCHES REMIX MENU

Some McDonald’s customers like to combine their favourites at the fast food restaurant but now it’s official and everyone can do it. The Remix line at McD’s offers up three limited-time sandwiches and a reimagined McFlurry. A spokesperson says they’re tapping into what customers are already doing and just having some fun with it.

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– Chicken Cheeseburger: A crispy chicken patty & a beef patty, topped cheese, pickle, onions, ketchup & mustard.
– Surf ‘N Turf Burger: Two beef patties & a Filet-O-Fish patty, topped with cheese, pickles, onions, ketchup & mustard.
– The Sweet Chili Junior Chicken: A regular Junior Chicken with a sweet chili Thai sauce. It’s apparently the most-hacked item on the McDonald’s menu.
– The Apple Pie McFlurry: A McFlurry filled with apple pie & caramel.

MCDONALD’S PRICES HAVE DOUBLED

Once affordable, meals at McDonald’s have spiked in price significantly. In the last decade, certain items have doubled in price, while some have even tripled. Daniel Roccato, clinical finance professor at the University of San Diego, says fast food operators have increased their prices faster than the overall rate of inflation and that’s especially hard on their core consumers. Don’t expect prices to drop but he believes there will be a pause.

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SMOKEY BACON KETCHUP

It’s not available in stores here yet but it might be soon if it’s a big enough hit in Iceland and the UK. Heinz has launched Smokey Bacon-Flavored Ketchup in those countries after the recent success of Pickle-Flavored Ketchup. It sells for just over $5 Canadian.

NORWEGIANS ARE EGG-HOARDERS

Due to a shortage of eggs, Norwegians are crossing into Sweden to stock up. Nordby Supermarket had to limit the number of eggs purchased to three packs per household. Egg prices and demand are high in many parts of the world, in part, because of the lingering impact of bird flu.

— Hal has written columns for years. He’s also the host of Connecting Winnipeg weekday mornings from 10 to noon on 680 CJOB. You can email him at Hal@HalAnderson.ca.

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