Three of the 12 flavor finalists. Vote early,
vote often.

Dunkin’ Donuts has announced the 12 finalists in the second annual “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest from among 90,000 entries. The winner will receive a $12,000 grand prize and have his or her donut creation sold in participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide.

You can vote for your favorite flavor online through May 3rd at DunkinDonuts.com.

O.K.—our entry did not make the finals, but when we see how creative these entrants are, there are no sour grapes. So pick your favorite and vote:

• “Cop Cake,” a cake donut with chocolate icing, topped with white sprinkles and chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Chris Schinnerer, Clackamas, OR)
• “Full Moon,” a cheesecake kreme-filled donut with white icing, topped with shredded coconut and Hershey’s Vanilla shavings (Pat Cooper, Ponte Verde Beach, FL)
• “I Like You a Latte,” a chocolate cake donut with maple icing, topped with white and chocolate sprinkles (Rosemary Burian, Joliet, IL)
• “Let Freedom ‘Ring’,” a blueberry cake donut with white icing, topped with red and blue sprinkles (Jack Turchetta, Cranston, RI)
• “Mango Fandango,” a berry mango-filled glazed donut, topped with pink and orange sprinkles (Rachel Llanes, Miami, FL)
• “Monkey-See Monkey-Donut,” a bananas foster-filled donut with chocolate icing, topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shavings (Rachel Davis, Sharon, MA)
• “Mornin’ Paper,” a chocolate butter kreme-filled donut with white icing, topped with chocolate sprinkles (Catherine Kunkle, Pittsburgh, PA)

Learn the history of the donut in our Pastry Glossary.

• “Much A Do About Nut Things,” a chocolate cake donut with peanut butter icing, topped with shredded coconut and chopped roasted almonds (Stefanie Schwalb, New York, NY)
• “Nut N’ Fancy,” a peanut butter-filled donut with chocolate icing, topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shavings and whole Reese’s Pieces candies (Lisa Burns, Medford, NJ)
• “Pumpkin to Pie-n For,” a pumpkin cake donut with maple icing, topped with Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips shavings and graham cracker crunch (Kelly Rice, Orlando, FL)
• “S’morgasbord,” a marshmallow-filled donut with chocolate icing, topped with graham cracker crunch (Chris Wiley, Medford, MA)
• “Snack-o-Lantern,” a pumpkin cake donut with maple icing, topped with Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips shavings (Jennifer Hayes, Hardwick, MA)

You can see the current leaders when you vote. So get that vote in!

Check out the history of the donut in our Pastry Glossary.

1. Do you buy a new bottle of water every time you’re thirsty? Uh oh—lots of landfill. For some consciousness-raising, read this article from Fast Company.

2. Do you refill the bottle a few times before you buy a new bottle of water? Better, but still landfill.

3. Do you have a reusable, BPA-free water bottle that you use instead of purchasing water? And better yet, does your water bottle have an internal filter that turns tap water into top water?

If not, let us introduce you to the Body Glove.

Get one for yourself and one for a friend.
Photo courtesy Body Glove.

The “glove” part of the body glove is comfortable, stretch fabric that makes holding the bottle feel good, too.

Tested by the EPA, the Body Glove portable filter bottle by Water, Inc. meets or exceeds protocols. The patented Ionic-Adsorption Micro-Filtration System reduces up to 99.99% of the following zones of contamination: aesthetics (unpleasant taste, odor, etc.), harmful pathogens, chemicals and dissolved solids (heavy metals including lead and mercury).

Get your Body Glove(s) at BodyGlove.WaterInc.com.

• Learn more about the different types of water in our Water Glossary.

We’re just as happy with sorbet. Photo
courtesy Wine Cellar Sorbets, a NIBBLE Top
Pick Of The Week.

If your family loves ice cream and consumes a reasonable amount of it, switch to sorbet.

Sorbet has no milk or cream, which means it’s dairy-free. Why is that important for Earth Day (and every day)? Cows and other livestock create more greenhouse gas than all motor vehicles and trains combined.*

Dairy-free means sorbet is also cholesterol-free. It’s also fat-free, and has fewer calories than ice cream.

And, the pretty colors look like jewels served in a martini glass or wine goblet (with an optional sprinkling of berries). If a local shop sells handmade ice cream, you may find special sorbet flavors bursting with vitamin-rich, seasonal fresh fruit.

• Find our favorite sorbets plus recipes in our Ice Cream & Sorbet section.