Buy your Minnesota schwarma sauce online

Mankato may not be the first city you think of when seeking out schwarma sauce — that creamy, garlicky, herbal, tangy sauce of Lebanese heritage. But it's there, and now you needn't even drive to find it. For years, chef John Massad has served his signature schwarma sauce in his restaurants, Massad's Mediterranean Grill in the River Hills Mall, Olives in the Hilton Garden Inn, and his own Najwa's Catering, all in Mankato. Now the sauce is available online, as well as at Hy-Vee and Cub Foods in Mankato. Traditionally used on lamb and chicken sandwiches, the sauce can also be used as a dip for fries or vegetables, salad dressing, on pizza or pasta; check out Massad's list of ideas at schwarmasauce.com. To place an order, visit store.massadgroup.com.

Eggland's Best is searching for the best original egg recipe, inviting entrants to submit recipes featuring EB eggs combined with their favorite local/state ingredients or dishes. Deadline is April 30 to submit your original recipes for a chance to win $10,000. You can submit up to two recipes within each meal category — breakfast/brunch, appetizer, main course and dessert. All recipes must also include at least two whole Eggland's Best eggs. For all the rules, visit americasbestrecipe.com.

According to something called the State of Home Cooking Report, slightly more than one in four Americans cook every day. Almost seven in 10 cook more than four times a week, while 6 percent say they never cook at all. Almost four in 10 use what's in their fridge, while three in 10 eat what's convenient such as prepared foods that just have to be warmed. The survey of 2,000 Americans was done by Artisola, which makes an organic non-GMO line of fresh pasta. Other findings: When asked why they don't cook as much as they'd like, almost half said they were in a rut and tired of cooking the same thing. Join the club. But here's a surprising tidbit: Based on the percentage of people who said they cook every day, Iowa has the most home cooks in the U.S., with 44 percent in that category. Close behind are Connecticut (42 percent) and Wisconsin (41 percent), with Oklahoma, Arkansas and Rhode Island tied at 38 percent. Minnesota isn't even in the top 20.

KIM ODE