We admit we're a li'l funny when it comes to chocolate bunnies. They're awfully cute in an Easter basket, but so often they collapse into shards upon the first munch. Or, even worse, they're chock full of mystery goo or taste just plain nasty. We lopped the ears off a few dozen hippity-hoppers so you and your kids will know just what's under the wrapping.
Follow our bunny trail from most to least expensive chocolate treats, or use the menu feature to hop all around.
We admit we're a li'l funny when it comes to chocolate bunnies. They're awfully cute in an Easter basket, but so often they collapse into shards upon the first munch. Or, even worse, they're chock full of mystery goo or taste just plain nasty. We lopped the ears off a few dozen hippity-hoppers so you and your kids will know just what's under the wrapping.
Follow our bunny trail from most to least expensive chocolate treats, or use the menu feature to hop all around.
Rachel Been, AOL
Palmer Bunny Buddy with Double Crisp Bunny Pop 27 oz
We're usually not so big on the hollow chocs, but this buddy comes bearing gifts! He may be empty inside, but the charming lolly fills the void.
Bun for the buck: Good, but only because of the extra treat Contents: Hollow, with a solid, crispy chocolate lollipop Price: $9.99
Rachel Been, AOL
Lake Champlain Milk Chocolate 4 oz
It's cartoon cute, but tastefully so, and boasts some truly delicious chocolate to boot.
Bun for the buck: A very solid bet Contents: Solid milk chocolate Price: $9.99
Rachel Been, AOL
Lake Champlain White Chocolate 4.5 oz
Not everyone's a white chocolate fan, but if you've got one on your bunny trail, this elegant, creamy cottontail is definitely the one to snare.
Bun for the buck: One really regal rabbit Contents: Solid white chocolate Price: $9.99
Rachel Been, AOL
Ferrero Rocher Plastic Box 5.7 oz
The box isn't chocolate, but it's crammed chock full of some of our favorite little nibbles. We won't quibble.
Bun for the buck: So good, it's kinda nutty Contents: 13 Hazelnut-filled chocolates Price: $7.99
Rachel Been, AOL
Palmer Diva Da' Bunny 14 oz
What's not to love about a bunny who brings her own bling? She may not be the most delicious, but she's certainly the most diva-licious.
Bun for the buck: Top of the hop, design-wise Contents: Hollow milk chocolate with candy necklace Price: $7.49
Rachel Been, AOL
Godiva Milk chocolate 2.25 oz
If you've got a Godiva freak on your must-give list, this is your cheapest way out. It's cute (oh, that bow!) and silky-smooth, to be sure, but would it have killed 'em to make him solid?
Bun for the buck: Pricey for the size - you're mostly paying for the Godiva name Contents: Hollow, foil-wrapped Price: $6.50
Rachel Been, AOL
Frankford Impressions Jackrabbit 5 oz
We held off from cutting into this one until the very end because it was sooooo cute, and even after, there were scuffles to see who'd take him home. Think of it as décor rather then dessert.
Bun for the buck: Not much choc for the dollar, but that's not why you're buying this one Contents: Hollow multi-chocolate Price: $5.99
Rachel Been, AOL
Belfine Belgian Chocolate 2.65 oz
Often when design gets this fussy, the chocolate flavor suffers. Not so for this multi-colored cottontail. Bonus points for the fancy li'l bag.
Bun for the buck: Beaucoup Contents: Hollow chocolate Price: $5.99
Rachel Been, AOL
Russell Stover Milk Chocolate 12 oz
This one's a classic for a reason. It may not be life-changing chocolate, but it'll keep 'em smiling 'til 'round about Flag Day.
Bun for the buck: Big time Contents: Solid milk chocolate Price: $5.99
Few of us want to make a complicated lasagna for solo dining -- by day six, you'll never want to see lasagna again! In this series, AOL Food intern Sarah LeTrent taste-tests simple recipes suitable for a "table for one."
No one should have to shudder at the thought of dining alone, or at the thought of an evening that ends with the scrape of a spoon against the bottom of a pint of Ben & Jerry's, with "When Harry Met Sally" playing in the background.
Who says eating alone has to be so gosh-darn depressing? Treat yourself with this delectable pistachio-crusted sea bass -- it's the perfect, elegant solo-dining venture.
Usually, the thought of goat's milk cheeses conjures up images of small, freshly ripened, creamy-to-crumbly chèvres, like the French Valençay or Brad Parker's ashed log, which come in pyramid and log shapes, respectively. Little Bloom on the Prairie, from Prairie Fruits Farm in Champaign, Ill., defies all such expectations. When ripe, its texture turns into a succulent cream that slowly oozes from its rind. (Trust us, that's tastier than it sounds).
Little Bloom on the Prairie is a goat's milk cheese with a bloomy rind similar to Mont Vivant, but with a luscious consistency that make its texture more comparable to a rich Brie. Still, even though the cheese's silky touch matches that of a bloomy rind, its flavors are distinctly herbal, floral and even grassy (tastes often associated with goat's milk cheeses). In short, based upon its texture and appearance (this bloomy rind cheese is in the format of a smaller Camembert), Little Bloom on the Prairie seems like a typical runny cow's milk cheese.
As with life, however, appearances can be deceiving: A bite of this fromage reveals an unexpected yet pleasant tang.
Like ramps and asparagus, morels are synonymous with spring, and an edible reminder of the season's brevity. It feels less like morels have a season than a quick, annual engagement: catching them at the farmers market is like catching a solar eclipse, or Tom Jones at the MGM Grand in Vegas.
Morels are wild mushrooms that grow in forested areas throughout many parts of the country, and generally begin appearing sometime in April. They're usually available until the early summer, but their season can vary by a week or two depending on the region and the amount of rainfall. They're slender, knobby things with intricately ridged and wrinkled skin, and look like they sprouted from the pages of the Brothers Grimm. Their homely appearance belies their heavenly flavor, which is expressed to spectacular effect in the company of dairy, fat and and asparagus. Scrambled eggs are thus an ideal way to enjoy morels -- think of it as less an egg dish than a vehicle for delivering the best of the season to your very happy stomach.
Read the recipe for scrambled eggs with morels, asparagus and spring onions after the jump.
Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things, most recently the owner of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.
I've been in the mood for tequila of late. Perhaps it's Cinco de Mayo still lingering in the air -- or more likely that week-long vacation in Baja -- but I've got tequila on the brain and on my lips. I love the stuff in my fizzy drinks, and especially in my Dré Fizz Affair.
Ever heard of the Dreyfus Affair? It's a bit of French history involving the wrongful conviction of an officer. The whole ordeal inspired Emile Zola to write "J'Accuse!", a letter addressed to the French President printed on the front page of the newspaper L'Aurore that caused a stir worldwide. And I've got a friend named Dré whom the ladies love almost as much as Dré loves tequila. He is a Numero Uno Tequila Fanatic.
Thus, after the jump, the Dré Fizz Affair, aka Dreyfus, aka what you'll be drinking all summer. You're welcome.
The Jewish holiday of Shavuot begins tonight at sundown. The two-day celebration commemorates God's gift of the Torah to the Jewish people. Like most Jewish holidays, Shavuot comes with a food tie-in, and this one is dairy desserts, such as the shapely cheese blintz pictured above.
Why dairy desserts? While a dairy farmer may ask "why not?", the answer lies, yet again, in the Torah: its pages contain the Kosher dietary laws, which forbid the mixing of milk and meat. So when the Jews got the Torah, they also got the news that they could no longer cook meat in their pots. Which is, when you think about it, a great excuse to make cheesecake (even if, as one rabbi likes to remind his congregants, "Shavuot is not just about cheesecake!").
Or panna cotta. Or crème brulée. Or ice cream. Or -- well, you get the picture.
The image above doesn't scream "dinner" to most -- especially those who spent childhood summers grubby-pawed and overheated, plucking them out of the cracks of walkways, driveways and wherever else they lurked.
But as this timely Wall Street Journal story reports, weeds are spreading to places other than just your garden, including the dinner table. Dandelion greens, purslane, burdock and lamb's quarters are becoming staples of both haute restaurants and homespun summer salads. They can now be procured both high-end ($9 per pound in one farmers market) and low-end (via elbow grease).
But can one waltz down a Brooklyn street and pluck a handful of dandelions from the edge of a vacant lot to pop in a pan for dinner? The short answer, says 27-year veteran forager and author "Wildman" Steve Brill, is "no." He quickly follows that it's not as hard as one would think, and that hunting for a free dinner "is like learning how to swim, dance or drive a car. Learning to recognize very tasteful, very healthful wild food is no different than any other skill."
His tips, a weedy poll and an additional "expert" opinion after the jump.
In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.
When I have access to fresh produce, cucumber season becomes one of my favorite times of the year. Although it runs from May to August, the wonderful green beauties won't reach their full flourish until later in the summer. Still, it's hard to resist the cool, summery flavor of the first cukes of the season. With that in mind, I decided to flip through my family cookbook in search of some great cucumber recipes.
My Aunt Renie's cucumber salad manages to halve the distance between sharp and smooth, sweet and sour, creamy and intense. In my adjusted version, I cut back on the onions, switched in Greek yogurt and tossed in some fresh dill.
The final version had the soothing coolness of a traditional cucumber salad, but also retained a nice vinegar tang that keeps me on my toes. This is great by itself, or as an accompaniment to barbecue or any other strongly seasoned dish.
In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.
Beets are funny: while they are among the hardiest of winter root vegetables, their gorgeous color brings to mind the energy and exuberance of early summer.
In our family cookbook, my Aunt Evie tipped her hat to this weird dual nature with her recipe for pickled beet dip. Filled with the earthy flavors of winter vegetables, the dip's brilliant pink color suggests the joy of Easter eggs, cotton candy and sunsets. Pairing the coarseness of winter with the energy of summer, it's the perfect spring food!
While most dips tend toward blandness, this one has a nice kick. It goes well with crackers, but really shines as the centerpiece on a tray of crudite. Although the ingredients may sound odd, they blend nicely and the finished product is one of those rare beet dishes that even avowed enemies of the dark red vegetables will love. One warning, though: be sure to let everyone know that it's beet dip. Given the color, some people will assume that it is a cherry or raspberry dish!
Is lamb replacing bacon as the go-to fetish object for meat lovers? Recipes for the succulent spring meat have recently popped up on Seriously Good, Bitten and Market Manila, but lamb is also making an appearance on the competitive cook-off circuit.
This weekend, lamb was the star of New York City's Taste of Tribeca food festival, featured in an "Iron Chef"-style showdown between two well-known toques, "Top Chef" Season Five alum Leah Cohen (remembered not just for her cooking skills, but also for her scandalous make-out session with winner Hosea Rosenberg) and Austrian wunderkind Kurt Gutenbrunner of New Yorks Wallsé. Read more about the heated competition after the jump.
Pressed onto a baguette, crumbled over salads, or eaten straight, we can't get enough of goat cheese in springtime.
This year, voluptuaries and gastronomes seeking a decadently rich and creamy goat's milk cheese will go wild for Rainbeau Ridge Farm's Mont Vivant. Unlike other mold-ripened goat's milk cheeses (like Selles sur Cher or Valençay), this offering from Bedford Hills, NY has an exquisite bloomy rind (unusual in goat's milk cheeses) that seems to impart a more complex and cakey texture, as if it were a cross between Valençay and Brie.
Fritattas -- those remarkable hybrids of potatoes and eggs -- are a bit like the girl with the curl in the center of her forehead: When they're good, they are very very good, and when they are bad, they are awful.
The dull, lifeless, underseasoned frittata is kept at bay by Tim at Lottie + Doof, who took advantage of the abundance of scallions and chives at his local farmers market. His creation is so vibrantly green, in fact, you might swear this is a closeup of a salad. It puts the "victory" in "victory garden." Note the ratio of greenery (there's also plenty of chard packed in here) to egg: this is one of the scant few dishes that could double as breakfast and salad.
Oh, rhubarb. While a stalk of asparagus or bunch of ramps may inspire foodies to rhapsodize about the promise and bounty of spring, it's rhubarb that so neatly captures the caprice and delicacy of the new season. Treat the green and fuchsia stalks right and they'll reward you with bright, sweet-tart benevolence. Do them wrong and risk the slings and arrows of sour mush. The line between edible and execrable is a precarious and fine one, and should be approached with caution.
They're cheesy, cheap and classic. What are talking about? Casseroles, of course! In this brand-new series food writer and blogger Emily Farris, author of "Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven" crafts tasty new casseroles exclusively for Slashfood readers. Green Eggs and Ham is her premier dish -- just in time for Easter.
As a kid, I never understood why Easter dinner was called "dinner" if it happened at noon. Luckily, one of the great things about being an adult is that we can make our own rules and name our own meals. And because I still can't bring myself to call a meal that happens that early "dinner," this year I'm hosting Easter brunch.
Am I making a 10-pound ham and scrambling three-dozen eggs while my guests drink free-flowing mimosas? Nope, this thing is happening potluck style. Like most people I know, I can't afford to host lavish brunches (not to mention dinners!), but wanted my meal to incorporate the different elements of Easter and, well, be a little brunch-y. So green eggs and ham it was, with eggs, ham, spinach, biscuits and my favorite thing in the world: cheese.
After a bit of experimentation, I wound up with a sort-of upside-down quiche with a biscuit crust, and who wouldn't go crazy for that? Although it'd be a wonderful meal for Easter brunch or supper, it's also a great way to use up that leftover Easter ham. Regardless, it's the sort of thing that would make Dr. Seuss -- or the Easter Bunny -- proud.
In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.
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