Food roundup for march 16

Here’s what’s being written about today in food and dining news:

The Hot Dish gives us a St. Patrick’s Day drink recipe. The Emerald Fir is an Irish-style cocktail you can easily whip up if you want to provide an alternative for your non-beer drinking friends. Though you might be met with nothing but a blank stare if you try to walk up to the bar and order one for yourself.

“Whiskey makes this drink forceful, fresh mint and orange sweeten the deal.”

In energy drink / iced coffee news, here’s a review of 24:7 Coffee Energy. Similar to a Frappuccino but with a “hint of earthiness,” this drink offers a decent alternative to your morning coffee if you’re trying to get all the pick me ups of a coffee but with about 400 to 500 percent more calories.

Speaking of calories, it sounds like some of the nutrition information being posted by major chains might not be telling the whole truth. A few items at Starbucks were cited as being over twice as high in calories as the menus reported. However, the big question is whether diners should really need a sign to tell them their donut order is bad for them in the first place.

Lastly, if you’re getting tired of cooking with boring old extra virgin olive oil you can spice things up by making the switch to avocado oil. Not only does it have the highest smoke point of any vegetable oil, it’s a great way to feel like you’re a gourmet chef when you’re really just using it to cook up a couple chicken breasts and throw them on top of a Caesar salad.