The Angus burgers are available in three variations: the Deluxe, with American cheese, lettuce and tomatoes; Bacon & Cheddar; and Mushroom & Swiss. In addition to the premium beef, McDonald’s is using other high-end ingredients, including the Swiss cheese and an artisan-style roll. The tab will be about $3.99, depending on location. They will not be a core menu item, but “will continue to have a role on the menu,” according to a McDonald’s spokesperson.

McDonald’s Angus Third Pounder Burgers. Do they look this good in person?

America loves its burgers; they rank as our favorite food (pizza is second). This is unfortunate, given how un-green the raising of beef cattle is (animal waste contributes more greenhouse gas than automobile exhaust, and beef cattle contribute much more than other animal crops). And certainly, doctors and nutritionists will tell you that you should cut down on your beef consumption—all that cholesterol isn’t good for you, no matter how young you are. So, tempting as these burger offerings are, treat them as you would a hot fudge sundae—a treat to be enjoyed once in a while rather than a daily diet staple. Save the planet, save yourself. We know our words don’t hold much weight, but we just had to say them.

• Keep cool with these iced coffee tips and recipes.

This week’s prize: A healthy gift basket
from Smucker’s. Denise Austin workout video
included but not shown in photo. Retail value $80.00.

Tearful letters were received last winter when we suspended the Gourmet Giveaway because the company that sponsored the prizes was sold. But it’s back now in a new and simpler form that will please some folks, because there’s no weekly trivia quiz to take before you enter. All you have to do is go to a page on TheNibble.com related to the contest (this week it’s a reduced-calorie recipe made with Smucker’s Fruit Spread), click the link on the bottom of the page and enter your email address. It’s that simple. To those of you who loved those food trivia quizzes: they’re still available to take, over and over again, and we promise to have some new ones down the road.

And rest assured, there’s no spamming. If you aren’t selected as the winner, your address will be discarded.

If you like to take quizzes and polls, you can take a weekly poll on our new Facebook Fan Page—just a quickie, one-question poll. And, there will be special Gourmet Giveaway prizes for Facebook Fans only. These blog posts are also streamed to the Facebook Fan page, along with our Tweets, so consider it a major stop for NIBBLE social media channels.

• Check out this week’s Gourmet Giveaway, a healthy food picnic basket and Denise Austin workout video, sponsored by Smucker’s.
• Join THE NIBBLE Facebook Fan Page for extra opportunities to win food prizes—we’re saving some of the choicest morsels for our BFFs (best Facebook Fans).