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Halloween is this weekend and what better way to honor all things gory and dead than by stocking your fridge with bags of blood? Whether your preference is human or zombie, the folks at Harcos Laboratories developed Blood and Zombie Blood; two energy potions that will satisfy every blood-thirsty craving.

It all started with lack of sleep and an obsession with vampires and zombies, says Aaron Rasmussen, VP of Marketing and a robotics expert. Along with partner, Elijah Szaz, VP of Biz Dev,, Rasmussen wanted to create a new kind of energy drink..&

The Californians applied for a trademark for "blood" and set out to produce a drink that looks like blood, has similar nutritional content and comes in an iv-bag. The flavor is best described as fruit punch with a metallic aftertaste and viscous consistency.

Thanks to the vampire craze, Blood became a hot novelty item to True Blood and Twilight fans. So now they've launched Zombie Blood, a green liquid with lots of iron, protein and electrolytes. Neither Aaron nor Elijah have ever tried real zombie blood, so their version is flavored with lime.
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Snickers has had some nutty commercials in recent months. There was the Betty White/Abe Vigoda football spot, then the Aretha Franklin road trip bit, and now the creepy Halloween campaign:


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Frito-Lay/AP

A little over a year ago, Frito Lay went green, announcing it would package SunChips in 100 percent compostable bags. But there was a problem. When kids ate -- in class, at libraries and in other assorted public places -- the sound from hands entering the eco-friendly bags reportedly reached an uncomfortably loud decibel level of 95, according to the Wall Street Journal. That's louder than some small dogs bark and weed whackers whack. As a result, sales for the multi-grain snack dropped 11 percent.

So Frito-Lay announced last week that, by the end of October, five of the six SunChips flavors will be sold in more traditional, environmentally damaging plastic bags. Only "original" flavored chips will be available in the compostable bags.

"We need to listen to our consumer," says Frito-Lay spokeswoman Aura Gonzalez. "We clearly hear their feedback."

This all inspired Short Order to gather three hefty dudes, stock up on Harvest Cheddar SunChips, and plant ourselves in crowded places. Then we'd eat. Our mission: to get kicked out for being loud.

Ritz Carlton; 1 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach:
To avoid astronomically high hotel parking fees at this ungodly expensive oceanfront inn, we opted for a metered spot about six blocks away. We packed a reusable Publix bag with the SunChips and threw towels over our shoulders to look like we'd been at the beach.

We walked past the bellman and into the elegant lobby, sat down and opened the bag of chips. It took nine minutes for the stout trio to eat every last multi-grain crumb. Not once were we asked to quiet down. Conclusion: Rich people don't care.
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Do you need that little extra "pick me up" once the afternoon comes around? Instead of grabbing for your third cup of coffee, there are snacks infused with caffeine to give you that much needed boost.

A Snack in the Face

​A Snack in the Face: A brownie with a kick.That sugar high is only the start. These brownies are not only crammed with chocolate, but they are infused with  "pharmaceutical-grade caffeine," according to the website. For $17 you can have a half a dozen brownies that will surely give you a jolt.

BioFUEL

​BioFUEL-Caffeine Infused Popcorn: Pure genius. A new take on everybody's favorite afternoon snack. Or maybe you want to stay awake during a late night movie? Try popcorn that pops your corns! Choose from regular infused or super charged for $3.49 or $3.99 respectively. Or check out the decaf for the kids at $2.49 a .... pop. Get it?More >>

Carissa Chesanek

​Laying around on the beach can make us hungry and parched. What better way to fight this than an afternoon snack? If you are lounging on South Beach, walk on over to 157 Collins Avenue and order some guacamole and chips, $6.95 at the Big Pink.

"The Big Pink is in a great location, steps away from the beach," says vacation goer Gina Salomoni from Connecticut. "The food is fresh and plentiful. You certainly get the bang for your buck!"

Don't forget to quench that thirst with a tall glass of Big Pink lemonade for only $3.95. What better way to fill the hunger pains of doing absolutely nothing at the beach?

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​Forget all about world hunger, poverty, genocide, war, torture, natural disasters, evil regimes, oil, terrorism, the environment, animal rights, and all that other stupid hippy crap, and let's focus for just a minute on what's really important: discontinued junk foods we wanna see back on the market. Here are our top five.
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​Every year, the world turrón consortium battles Baby Jesus for Christmas supremacy. The nutty nougat bars always lose to the son of God, but major Christmas inroads have been made by the sometimes chewy, sometimes crunchy sweet of 15th century Spanish origin.

Turrón is celebrated at Christmastime around the world through internationally available Spanish exports of the product. Turrón, is also known as torrone in Italy, and exists in a Pili nut version in the Phillippines.

Turrón is usually made with honey, sugar, egg whites, and nuts, though there are many variations on toppings or fillings, which include chocolate and dried fruits.

The two rough classifications for Spanish turrón are alicante and jijona. Alicante is hard and crunchy. It is made with whole almonds suspended in a block of honey, sugar and egg whites. Jijona, on the other hand, is soft, and made with almond paste, and added oil.

Turrón is found all over Miami, in many tasty varieties, especially at Christmas time.

Photo by Riki Altman

Where my Oreos at?

​Last night, the monster magnet lodged at the end of my shopping cart dragged me, yet again, directly to the cookie aisle. I gazed in awe at the vast selection that lined the shelves, wondering where my favorite cookie jar filler could be found. Panic overrode the incessant drooling when I realized the ugly truth: Oreos have morphed into so many incarnations that I could hardly recognize the original.

Isn't it fair to say a brand can only stray so far away from its roots if it wants to keep its audience loyal?

It was then I started to question what exactly an Oreo is. One envisions a small, round, triple-tiered treat: two crisp, dark-colored chocolate cookies with a layer of cream inside. This center layer should be visible from the side and should match the cookie's circumference.
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Jacob Katel

"Red Dot" Jamaican patty, that means spicy beef.

​Plastic cube, metal tongs, yellow pies with colored dots. Gas station patties are a South Florida staple. We picked this one up at an Amoco on 34th and Biscayne. It is a Patty King meat pie. Their product is pretty much everywhere and we trust and enjoy it.  Sometimes we stop to consider what the pattie's gone through since it hit the market place, then we get one anyway. Those tongs are there for a reason, and if we're buying from a shop that we know then we'll use them. But if there's one thing you've gotta watch out for it's that soggy bottom patty. Terrible. You gotta check your patty, no way around it, gotta do quality control. If you stop to consider how many people probably don't use the tongs to pull a meat pie, how many paws a day reach around searching for that perfect crust, dodge a sketch, check for temps, do the flip, then you're probably not gonna eat one, so don't stop to think about it. Gas station patties are what they are. Delicious. Here's what the inside of one looks like...
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