Oreo Pancakes?! Cracker Barrel's New Spring Menu Is a Must-Try!
What's for breakfast? According to Cracker Barrel, dessert! Its indulgent new Oreo Stuffed Cheesecake Pancakes layers buttery pancakes with rich cheesecake filling. We can't say no to this stack topped with crushed Oreo cookies, whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate. But if you prefer a fruity twist, the returning Strawberry Cheesecake Pancakes offer a classic alternative with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar.
And that's not all for pancake lovers! The restaurant is also debuting Signature Pancake Platters in six delicious flavors—Blueberry, Pecan, Chocolate Chip, Fresh Strawberry, Cinnamon Spiced Apples and Country Peach. Each platter comes with a side of eggs and your choice of thick-cut bacon or smoked sausage.
Savory fans aren't left out this spring. Cracker Barrel is introducing two new shrimp-forward dishes, each bringing a taste of the South to the menu. The Louisiana-Style Shrimp Skillet features grilled shrimp smothered in a zesty Creole sauce, served over seasoned rice with grilled Parmesan bread on the side. Meanwhile, the Shrimp n' Grits offers a comforting combination of shrimp simmered in Creole sauce with Andouille sausage, onions, celery and red peppers. It's all served over rich, creamy grits with grilled Parmesan sourdough bread.
'Our spring menu lineup is just as bold and savory as it is sweet and indulgent,' said Sarah Moore, Chief Marketing Officer for Cracker Barrel, in a press release. 'Our new Creole Shrimp skillets appease guests with an appetite for fresh flavors and zest this season; for those wanting something a bit more indulgent, our new Oreo Stuffed Cheesecake Pancakes, a new twist on our staple Strawberry Stuffed Cheesecake Pancakes, are sure to delight.'
The Cracker Barrel spring menu also introduces crave-worthy appetizers and drinks perfect for enjoying with others. Order the Onion Petals with Country Comeback Sauce for the table. These lightly battered, crispy-fried onion petals come sprinkled with garlic salt and served with a zesty dipping sauce. Looking for a sweet treat? The Strawberry Icebox Pie offers a creamy, refreshingly tart dessert topped with fresh sliced strawberries and whipped topping.
For a fun beverage option, Cracker Barrel's new Pancake Latte infuses espresso with sweet maple flavor, steamed milk and a drizzle of 100 percent pure syrup. Guests can also sip on a Strawberry Peach Lemonade or Spritzer, blending old-fashioned lemonade with strawberry and peach puree for a perfect spring drink. Psst: for an adult twist, the spritzer version swaps lemonade for Moscato wine.
So far, these new menu items have received serious heart eyes online. Cracker Barrel announced its Oreo Stuffed Cheesecake Pancakes on Instagram—and fans were impressed. 'Okay I'm going immediately,' wrote one excited commenter. 'Oh my yummy goodness,' another added.
With all these fresh new flavors, the Cracker Barrel spring menu is one to take a Sunday drive for. But don't wait too long—these seasonal delights won't be around forever!
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USA Today
21 hours ago
- USA Today
Trump White House ballroom: A look back at Grand Ballroom Trump built at Mar-a-Lago
Twenty years after the opening of the Grand Ballroom at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Trump announced another new ballroom on a grand scale — this time at the White House. The Trump Administration on July 31 said construction on a $200 million, roughly 90,000-square-foot White House State Ballroom will begin in September. The project will be paid for by donors including Trump and have a seating capacity of 650 people, the White House said. The U.S. Secret Service will oversee security features of the new structure, officials said. "President Trump is a builder at heart and has an extraordinary eye for detail," Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said in a White House news release. "The President and the Trump White House are fully committed to working with the appropriate organizations to preserving the special history of the White House while building a beautiful ballroom that can be enjoyed by future Administrations and generations of Americans to come." The style and architecture of the exterior of the new ballroom will be "almost identical" to the rest of the White House, Trump officials said. The work will include major renovations to the White House's East Wing, where presidents have historically held large receptions. Trump has frequently complained the White House lacks a proper large-scale ballroom for entertaining. While the outside of the new ballroom at what is known as the people's house will feature the same iconic styling as the rest of the property, renderings released by the White House show that the interior style is undoubtedly reminiscent of the Versailles-inspired Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom that was completed at Mar-a-Lago in late 2004 and had its grand opening in 2005. Here's what to know about Mar-a-Lago's large ballroom and its history. When was Mar-a-Lago completed, and what are some of its features? Construction on Mar-a-Lago began in 1922. The house was designed for cereal heiress Marjorie Meriweather Post in the Spanish-Moorish style by architect Joseph Urban, who also designed the nearby Bath & Tennis Club and the Paramount Theatre farther north in Palm Beach. When completed in 1927 on its 17-acres, the crescent-shaped main house had 115 rooms, with 58 bedrooms and 25 bathrooms. Urban drew on classical designs, looking to the Thousand Winged Ceiling at the Accademia in Venice as inspiration for the 34-foot ceiling in Mar-a-Lago's living room, and the Palazzo Chigi in Rome as inspiration for the hand-painted ceiling in the dining room, according to a 2002 Daily News report about Mar-a-Lago's history. After a major redecoration in 1956, Post added Mar-a-Lago's White and Gold Ballroom as a venue to host to her popular charity events and the square dances for which she was so well-known, according to the 2002 profile. She also added three bomb shelters during the Korean War. What has Trump added to Mar-a-Lago? Trump paid a reported $10 million for Mar-a-Lago in 1985: $5 million for the property itself, an additional $3 million for the furnishings, plus $2 million for the beachfront stretch that years prior was sold to a neighbor. When Mar-a-Lago's club opened in 1995, it had amenities such as a spa, tennis courts and nine-hole golf course. In 2000, construction began on the $3 million beachfront project at Mar-a-Lago that added a new swimming pool, a pair of two-story buildings with cabanas and a snack bar, a spa, fountains, and ramps and stairs down to the beach, the Daily News reported in 2002. In 2004, Trump received approval from Palm Beach to tear down an aging slat house on Mar-a-Lago's property to build a kitchen to help serve the estate's new ballroom, which opened in 2005. Over the years, some of Trump's plans for Mar-a-Lago have been shot down by state and town officials, including a proposal for a 120-slip marina and, before opening the club, a concept that would have subdivided Mar-a-Lago's acreage to build estate homes. What about Mar-a-Lago's Grand Ballroom? The Daily News first reported in 1996 that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was reviewing plans for a new ballroom or expansion of the dance pavilion at Mar-a-Lago. Because Mar-a-Lago is a national landmark, all major changes must be reviewed and approved by the trust. "We're just looking art different concepts, different ideas. It's very preliminary," Trump told the Daily News in 1996. "We need a ballroom because of the success of Mar-a-Lago. It has been so successful that the crowds are potentially hazardous to the facility, and the ballroom could remedy this problem." Mar-a-Lago's team "did a lot of shuttle diplomacy with the National Trust for Historic Preservation," said Wes Blackman, who was Mar-a-Lago's project manager for the ballroom. The trust has easements at Mar-a-Lago, including two to protect the views to the east and west, and one to protect the tree line along the south property line, he said. After Mar-a-Lago opened as a club in 1995, the events coordinator at the time brought Blackman and Trump to the ballroom built by Post and said it would not be able to meet the demand for large events . "There isn't room to put them that is weatherproof," Blackman recalled the coordinator saying. When the ballroom was officially pitched to the town in 1999, it was set to replace a large white tent that Mar-a-Lago had temporarily erected to host large events on the property, Blackman said. 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The project received final approval from Palm Beach's landmarks board in April of 2002, and construction began the next year, with the building permit issued in August of 2003, Blackman said. While his 10-year tenure with Mar-a-Lago ended soon after receiving the permit, Blackman returned to work on other projects at Mar-a-Lago, including the ballroom's kitchen and the massive flag pole that led to a legal battle between Trump and Palm Beach. What does the Grand Ballroom look like? The exterior of the ballroom building, which is on the property's south side between the main house and Southern Boulevard, was designed by Gonzalez to mimic the Spanish-Moorish style of the rest of the estate, the Daily News reported at the time. But the ballroom's interior was designed with France in mind. The decor drew on Versailles, with shining marble floors, intricate gold leaf designs, crystal chandeliers and soaring 40-foot coffered ceilings. 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a day ago
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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
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