By: Gabe Kleiber

This recipe is from http://reciperobber.com/viewrecipe.php?recipe_id=248

This is from my mom’s own personal food website, and I wanted to make this because it usually only takes her half an hour to cook, but is still one of my favorites.

It has less than 10 ingredients and only 4 steps, could easily be made by a middle schooler, but still manages to cover every base a taco should. It is easily better than many of its restaurant counterparts. If anyone is interested in learning to cook, this would probably be my number one suggestion.

Even though the recipe says to grill, a cast iron skillet does the job just fine. This is the only thing you actually have to cook, the rest is just prep and assembly. The night I made this I was in a time crunch, so I just microwaved the tortillas. In total, it took around 25-30 minutes. For an experienced cook, it is easily doable in under 20.

With all the talk about speed, I don’t mean to understate how good the taco itself is. A beautiful golden crust on well seasoned shrimp, mixed with the acidity from the lime is already a good dish on its own. But combined with the texture and freshness of avocado, and the multi-layered flavors of pico de gallo with a slight dash of hot sauce elevates it to extraordinary new heights.

This would certainly be an accepted dish at a fine dining restaurant, but it was made by a home cook in half an hour. This is truly a gem among dishes. I could eat this every week and be left with an appetite for more and plenty of time to spare. One of the best and easiest meals to make I have ever seen in all my years of eating. 10/10

By: Mia David and Emilia Moberg

The school year is about halfway done now, and we have been able to try a wide variety of lunches this year. We have seen a few new meals introduced and some classics returning.

One significant difference in lunches this year is the glaring lack of spicy chicken patties. What was once a meal that appeared almost once a week has unfortunately slowly been seen less and less in the lunch room. Further, when this meal does occur, there are many times when the school only serves the regular chicken sandwich, and not the spicy one.

To remedy this problem, we have both tried multiple types of spicy chicken sandwiches from different restaurants. Hopefully, the following reviews of these sandwiches, that we have written, will help decide where you will get your next spicy chicken patty.

First up, we have Culver’s spicy chicken sandwich. This sandwich is simple, with tomato, lettuce, and pickle. There are only specific sauces on the sandwich if asked for. The spice level is relatively low, and there isn’t a massive difference between the regular and spicy patty. Overall, the sandwich is quite similar to the school lunch sandwich, and we would rate it an 8/10.

Our next sandwich comes from Buffalo Wild Wings, which they call the saucy chicken sandwich. This sandwich only comes with pickles on it and could use some lettuce or tomato. Unlike the Culver’s and school lunch sandwiches, this chicken has a more flakey sort of breading, and instead of the breading being spicy, there is a buffalo sauce drizzled on top. This adds a strong spice level to the sandwich but makes it quite messy, and the bun gets soggy quickly. Overall, we would say this sandwich is very different from the school sandwich but is still good, and we would give it a 6/10.

Next up are the spicy chicken sandwiches from McDonalds. At McDonald’s, there are two different options when it comes to spicy chicken sandwiches – the regular sandwich and the deluxe. The regular sandwich comes with spicy sauce and pickles, whereas the deluxe sandwich includes lettuce and tomato as well. We would say that the regular sandwich gives the closest resemblance to the school chicken patty, but both are good options to try. The greatest difference between these two sandwiches and the school chicken patty is, like the sandwich from Buffalo Wild Wings, the McDonalds sandwiches are spicy because of the sauce, and school chicken patties are spicy because of the breading. Overall, the spice level is relatively low, but still noticeable. These sandwiches get a 7.5/10.

Popeyes also has a spicy chicken sandwich that is worth checking out. Similarly to the regular McDonalds sandwich, this sandwich includes spicy sauce and pickles. There is also a notably good ratio of the bun and the chicken to balance the spice from the sauce. The chicken itself, however, is much crunchier and flakier than the McDonalds sandwich and school patty. This creates a much different eating experience than the school chicken patty, but still provides much of the same flavor. Overall, the Popeyes sandwich gets an 8/10.

Hopefully, the school spicy chicken patty will soon make its way back into the lunch room. Until then though, if you are someone who has been missing the spicy chicken patty or never got the chance to try it, this list gives you a starting point to try to introduce some more spicy chicken sandwiches into your life.

By: Gabe Kleiber

Today we will be reviewing an enchilada recipe from Skinnytaste:

• https://www.skinnytaste.com/cheesy-rotisserie-chicken-enchilada-skillet/?fbclid=IwAR0Bi8owYR sD8DskV3zl-Zyqb16PqZ8B8iVsMBvOR42iVpi3pegH-b5cujE&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

This has nothing to do with the food itself, I enjoyed eating with the skillet on the table. My family doesn’t usually eat like that, but it was nice because everyone could have the exact portions they wanted. It was also right in front of you and the leftovers were extremely easy to store. Because everyone plates right on the table from the same dish, in a weird way, it makes you feel closer as a family. Anyway, onto the food.

As with a lot of homestyle meals similar to this one, not much is super vibrant flavor wise. That isn’t to say this wasn’t good though. The tortillas, chicken, beans and cheese make up a very big portion of the dish but only really shine when combined with enchilada sauce. This is the most memorable and unique part of the dish, and everything else takes a supporting role. If you want to add more depth to it, cilantro and/or jalapeños are a great way to add freshness and spice. I really recommend doing this because the little things are what make a dish complete.

This dish was not the most extravagant flavor wise. Everything was at the very least decent, but nothing really made an impact that made me dying to make it again anytime soon. However, it was pretty easy, quick, filling, and pretty tasty. It is probably best for a busy day, or a day you just don’t feel like cooking a lot, but still want to make a good meal for your family to enjoy together. 6.5/10

By: Ann McMullen

In 2001, Nathan Bentley began decorating his house in Esko, MN, for Christmas, making it more extravagant each year. This became quite an attraction in the small town, and drew enough people that it was able to move to Duluth’s Festival Park in 2009.

Since then, this display of Christmas lights has only grown. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are invested in new decorations each year.

Bentleyville’s total attendance reached 330,000 people in 2018, and has likely only increased since then. Still, it is exclusively a walking tour, so you’ll feel the cold Minnesota weather the whole time and get a true “winter wonderland” experience. If you’re lucky, it might even snow during your visit!

A tall cone lit to look like a Christmas tree, which must be at least a hundred feet tall, is Bentleyville’s most long-standing, iconic, and unchanged display. An “#OnlyinMN” sign stands at the base of it, making the tree a popular place to take fun, touristy photos.

Bentleyville remains free to visit, and even provides free cookies and hot chocolate as of last time I was there, but a $10 fee is required to use their parking lots. They also accept donations of non-perishable food and toys to give to people in need.

The attraction is open from 5-9pm on weeknights, and 5-10pm on weekends, and will close for the season on December 26th. If you can’t make it this year, Bentleyville generally opens about a week prior to Thanksgiving annually.

I do enjoy Bentleyville, and think it’s definitely worth a stop if you end up in Duluth over the holidays. That being said, I wouldn’t schedule a trip there for the sole reason of seeing the light show – but I’m sure some holiday enthusiasts might.

The official Bentleyville website can be found at:

• https://www.bentleyvilleusa.org

By: Julia Sikorski Roehsne

With the month of December comes the many winter holidays, and with the holidays comes baking—cakes, pies, breads, and cookies. Especially cookies.

Some of the most commonly consumed are sugar cookies, gingerbread, peanut butter blossoms, and jam thumbprint cookies. These are all well and good, but sometimes there might be a desire to try something new.

Therefore, I present a vegan, gluten-free twist on the classics: gingerbread snickerdoodle sandwich cookies. This recipe yields 24 cookies, or 12 sandwiches.

Gingerdoodle ingredients

• –  3⁄4 cup (1 1⁄2 sticks) vegan butter
• –  1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• –  1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• –  1 tsp vanilla extract
• –  1⁄4 cup molasses
• –  1⁄4 cup applesauce
• –  2 1⁄4 cups almond flour
• –  1 tsp baking soda
• –  2 tsp baking powder
• –  2 tsp ground ginger
• –  1 1⁄2 tsp cream of tartar
• –  1 tsp cinnamon
• –  1⁄2 tsp ground cloves
• –  1⁄2 tsp salt

Gingerdoodle sugar coating ingredients

• –  1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• –  1 tsp cinnamon

Buttercream frosting ingredients

• –  1⁄2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter
• –  2 cups powdered sugar
• –  1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
• –  2 tbsp almond milk
• –  1⁄2 tsp cinnamon

Start by making the dough for the gingerdoodle cookies. To begin, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl until the ingredients are fully combined. The butter should be soft, either at room temperature or partially melted. You can use an electric mixer or stir the ingredients by hand.

Next, add the vanilla extract, molasses, and applesauce to the same mixing bowl. These should also be electrically or manually stirred until fully combined.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients—almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, cream of tartar, cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt.

Stir the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients until fully combined. This is your gingerdoodle dough.

Cover the mixing bowl containing the dough tightly with plastic wrap or some other form of secure covering and place it in the refrigerator. The dough will need to chill for at least 30 minutes, so in the meantime, prepare the sugar coating for the cookies.

Mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Stir the two until they’re combined. Depending on exactly how much dough you have, or how many cookies you plan to bake, the amounts of sugar and cinnamon can be adjusted.

As you prepare the sugar coating, preheat the oven to 350°F. As well, line a large baking sheet (or sheets) with parchment paper, making sure that there isn’t excess paper hanging over the edges.

After the 30 minutes have passed, remove the dough from the fridge. Shape it into balls of 1 to 2 tbsp, or however large you would like the cookies to be; be aware that they can spread a great deal when baked.

Roll each dough ball thoroughly in the sugar coating mixture before placing them on the baking sheet a minimum of 2 inches apart.

When the oven is preheated, place the baking sheet with dough balls in. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are fully cooked. I would advise checking on them several minutes before you think they will be done.

While the cookies bake, or when you have a spare moment, prepare the buttercream frosting. Soften the butter without melting it completely and add it to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, slowly beat the butter on low until it’s fluffy.

Add in roughly half of the powdered sugar and continue mixing on low until combined. Add in the vanilla extract, almond milk, and cinnamon, followed by the remaining half of the powdered sugar. Continue mixing on low until all the ingredients are combined. You can add additional small amounts of almond milk or powdered sugar until the frosting reaches your preferred consistency.

Remove the cookies from the oven when they have finished baking. You’ll want to allow them to cool completely on the sheet before handling to avoid breaking them.

Once the cookies have cooled, spread the buttercream frosting on half of them at your desired level of thickness. Place the remaining unfrosted cookies on top of the frosted ones to form sandwiches. An example image is shown to the side.

Though best enjoyed fresh, these gingerdoodle sandwiches can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks. If there is leftover dough or frosting, both can be stored in the freezer for about 3 months.

Happy baking! Recipe adapted from:

• https://goodfoodbaddie.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-snickerdoodle-cookies-vegan/
• https://www.rabbitandwolves.com/vegan-gingerbread-snickerdoodles/
• https://www.cookingoncaffeine.com/easiest-vegan-buttercream-ever/

By: Manny Ochoa-Reeve

If you ask any students at the school you will most likely see that everyone likes some sort of spicy chips. The two main competitors are Hot Cheetos and Takis. Hot Cheetos are a puffy, crunchy, spicy chip. Takis are Mexican rolled tortilla chips with spicy lime powder. Personally, I love both.

If I had to pick between hot Cheetos and Takis I would definitely choose Hot Cheetos. I really like Hot Cheetos because of the texture you get through the crunchiness. I also really like the thick powder of Takis that packs a lot of flavor. For me, both are really good but Cheetos takes the win.

Something really cool about Cheetos is there’s lots of different flavor options. Around the world there are lots of different Cheetos flavors, for example: ketchup, pizza, extra hot, peanut, and a lot more. Takis have a couple flavor options like fajitas and guacamole but that’s about it. Cheetos have lots of different flavors so that it doesn’t get boring.

I asked two students here at Highland if they like Hot Cheetos or Takis better and they had different answers.

The first student said Hot Cheetos are better because Takis get bland and Hot Cheetos have more powder on them. T

he second student said they like Takis better because of the spicy, limey flavor.

If you ask everybody which one’s better, then you’ll see there will be different responses because the two chips are very different.

One of the biggest parts of evaluating these chips is the spice. I feel like Takis give you the spice right away, as soon as you take your first bite. Hot Cheetos are the opposite: they get spicier over time and as you eat them. This definitely depends on your spice tolerance.

Hot Cheetos and Takis both have a lot of similarities and differences. If you’re looking for something with more spice, and less texture, you should go for Takis. If you’re looking for something with more powder, and more texture, then Hot Cheetos are for you. Both taste really good, and I am always craving one or the other because of their differences and similarities.