Halo burger creates the ultimate Midwest sandwich
Flint-based Halo Burger has teamed up with social media influencer Taylor Dustin, known as the Wandering Michigander, to create "the ultimate Midwest sandwich. It features Wisconsin cheese curds, cheddar cheese, bacon, pickles and ranch on top of a 100% fresh quarter-pound patty. Called the Wandering Michigander Burger, it’s available now through year-end at all Halo Burger restaurants.
Dustin travels the state and posts on social media about her travels.
“Halo Burger and The Wandering Michigander have one strong quality in common, they are both driven by their love for Michigan and continue to look for ways to help it grow,” Domenique Annoni, Halo Burger’s marketing manager, said in a statement.
Established in 1923, Halo Burger is known as one of the oldest fast-food chains. Halo Burger is also known for sourcing local ingredients and featuring Michigan brands, such as Vernors, Sanders Bumpy Cake and Koegel’s hot dogs.More recently, Halo Burger was featured on Food & Wine’s magazine list of the “Best Fast Food in Every State” featuring “50 quick-service, locally loved restaurants across America” which is also deemed the “future of fast food.”Food & Wine described Halo Burgers as “burgers generously topped with green olives, Boston coolers made with Vernor's ginger ale and vanilla ice cream, bumpy chocolate cake from Sanders — this century-old Flint institution is essentially an exhibit of foods Michiganders like, except it's not a museum.”
Starting Nov. 11, Halo Burger will be giving away free Mossy Oak hats to hunters who show their Michigan hunting license and purchase a premium combo, while supplies last. Halo Burger has seven locations in the Flint area. For information, go to haloburger.com.
More:Walmart joins Aldi, rolls back prices on Thanksgiving foods
Help for Thanksgiving cooks
Thanksgiving is mere weeks away and 90% of Americans of planning to celebrate, according to a recent Butterball survey. If you're in need of help with cooking a turkey, the main star of the meal, the famed butterball turkey talk line is there to help. Butterball's Turkey Talk-Line, now in its 41st year is now open until Dec. 24 including Thanksgiving Day from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., and staffed with turkey experts to answer questions from holiday cooks.
The Turkey Talk-Line is staffed:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through Nov. 18
7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 19 and 20, Nov. 25 through Dec. 22
6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 21, 22 and 23
5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving Day)
7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 17, 18 and 24.
Each year, according to Butterball, more than 4 million inquiries are fielded from its talk line and social media outlets. You can call 800-288-8372 or visit butterball.com for live chats, recipes, ideas and how-to videos.
Thanksgiving make-ahead
The biggest food holiday of the year, Thanksgiving, is a few weeks away. It's time to start planning. Knowing what your menu is and for how many people is the first step. Next, make a list of dishes planned and which ones can be made well in advance and tucked away in the freezer. Think of items such as pie crusts, bread doughs and even some casseroles. And even mashed potatoes and gravy can be made ahead and frozen. Here's how.
Freezing mashed potatoes: Make mashed potatoes as you usually would. Cool them completely. Once cool, place in a freezer-safe bag. Flatten the mashed potatoes, squeeze out the air in the bag and seal.
Freezing gravy: You can freeze any gravy but our favorite recipe for make-ahead gravy is made with roasted turkey wings. You can make the gravy days or weeks ahead and freeze it. It's an easy recipe and doesn't require a lot of active time. Once you roast the turkey on Thanksgiving you can add more pan drippings to the gravy for added flavor.
Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy
Makes: About 8 cups / Prep time: 10 minutes / Total time: 3 hours (not all active time)
Make this gravy, adapted from several recipes, up to 3 days in advance. It can also be frozen. The consistency is almost like gelatin but will thin when you add turkey drippings.
4 turkey wings (about 3 to 4 pounds)
2 medium sweet onions, peeled, cut up
1 cup water
8 cups less-sodium, fat-free chicken broth, divided
1 large carrot, chopped
½ teaspoon dried thyme, optional
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the turkey wings in a roasting pan; scatter onions on top. Roast 1¼ hours or until wings are golden brown.
Put wings and onions in a large stockpot. Add water to the roasting pan; stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom and add all to the pot. Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate the remaining 2 cups), the carrot, and thyme if desired.
Simmer, uncovered, for 1½ hours.
Remove the wings and cool. Once cool, remove and discard skin; reserve meat for another use. Strain broth into fat separator or into a bowl. Let sit 10-15 minutes until the fat rises to the top. Pour de-fatted broth into a saucepan. You also can put the bowl in the freezer. The fat will rise to the top and become solid. What's left underneath will be jelled, which is what you want.
Whisk flour into the remaining 2 cups broth until well blended and smooth. Bring broth in a saucepan to a gentle boil. Whisk in the flour mixture and cook for 5 minutes to thicken the gravy and cook out the raw flour taste. Stir in butter and season with pepper.
Cook's note: Freeze the gravy for up to 1 month. Thaw and reheat, adding fat-skimmed pan drippings from a roasted turkey.
A few quick bites ...
Dine out for a cause
On Wednesday Bowman Chevrolet in Clarkston is hosting its annual "Dine Out " to support the community and local high school graduates.
When you dine out on Wednesday at one of six Clarkston restaurants, Bowman Chevrolet will donate 35% of the total in-person dinner sales to programs for Clarkston High School graduates and help fund Clarkston community initiatives. Participating restaurants include Bunkhouse Burgers, Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen, Crispelli’s Bakery & Pizzeria, The Fed, Honcho, and the Union Woodshop.
Since 2017, Bowman has donated nearly $32,000 to community programs through this annual “Dine Out” program, according to a news release.
Beverly Hills Grill changes hands
Upscale neighborhood favorite and longstanding Beverly Hills Grill is under new ownership.
Raphael Michael is the new owner buying the restaurant from Roberts Restaurant Group, led by noted restaurateur Bill Roberts. The 80-seat restaurant, operated by Roberts for nearly 35 years, opened in 1988 and is known for its evolving and creative menu.
In 2007, the Beverly Hills Grill was named the Detroit Free Press Restaurant of the Year.
Roberts said he was contacted by a broker acquaintance about Raphael Michael wanting to buy the restaurant.
“I said it’s not for sale and it wasn’t on the market,” Roberts said.
But Roberts said they got to talking and that he liked Michael and finally decided to sell it.
“We thought we had a good quality person to take it to the next step and next journey,” Roberts said. “He wanted it to stay the grill, keep the staff and run with it. I think it’s great.”
Michael grew up in West Bloomfield and always remembered the restaurant and its noted brunch. For more than a decade Michael operated a Happy's pizzeria franchise in Kalamazoo. He sold Happy's in April and was looking for another opportunity. Michael's dream, he said, was to own a breakfast place with liquor.
His biggest plan for the future is to bring brunch back to Beverly Hills Grill and more. The sale took place in October.Roberts Restaurant Group still owns Streetside Seafood in Birmingham, Bills and Cafe ML in Bloomfield, and Roadside B&G in Bloomfield Township.
Beverly Hills Grill, 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, is open 3-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 3-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Chocolate-covered potato chips are back
Salty and chocolatey with a crunch. That sums up the wavy-style Better Made chips with a coating of milk or dark chocolate. The chips, offered in a 7-ounce package inside a Better Made tin, are $12.99. Detroit's Better Made Snack Foods, now in its 92nd year, brings back the chips on a seasonal basis. You can buy the tins at many retail stores or order at bettermade.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Halo burger creates the ultimate Midwest sandwich
