"Raisins" news and stories

Happy National Chocolate-Covered Raisins Day!

Confesses photographer Kenzilicious of their tantalizing chocolate subject, "Like all great obsessions, I feel compelled to create great art in celebration of my muse, my cruel yet delicious mistress." Their object of affection? Dark-chocolate-covered raisins from Trader Joe's.

If you'd like to try making some chocolate-covered raisin clusters yourself, simply combine one 6-ounce package of your preferred chocolate morsels with 1/4 cup dark corn syrup (for the protective glaze) in a double boiler. Bring water to a boil then lower heat to a simmer, stirring the chocolate mixture constantly until melted and smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and two cups of raisins. Drop onto waxed paper by half tablespoons. Chill until hardened and store in your refrigerator -- though we can't imagine they'll last very long.

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The Sun-Maid raisin girl is back in the spotlight after some people noticed the logo has changed a bit since her 1916 debut.

The girl underwent a makeover a few years back. What do you think of her look? Let us know in the comments below.

Spotted Dick. Photo: Slashfood.

A Welsh municipality has renamed a British pudding because workers tired of the snickers caused from its double-entendre name.

Spotted Dick is now Spotted Richard on the menu in the government cafeteria in the North Wales town of Flintshire, the Daily Mail reports.

"It just seemed political correctness gone mad," Klaus Armstrong-Braun, a local politician told the Daily Mail. "There was a sign in the dining room for things like rice pudding and then this Spotted Richard -- I had to ask what it was. Whoever has changed it needs to be told they are being silly."

But it's just a humble cheeseball, you say, why call it "the ball of shame?" Well, because shame is what you feel when, in mid-manufacture, you say you'll just take one swipe with a cracker to see how it tastes and wind up scarfing down a half-dozen. Shame is what you feel when you find yourself standing in front of the refrigerator at night, licking off the Saran wrap. However, pride is what you'll feel when you bring it to a party and watch people fall on it like starved hyenas.

Imagine for a moment that you went to a local bakery and got a loaf of your favorite raisin bread. When you get it home you find small rocks are in the mix. Would you accept five bucks as compensation from the bakery?

That's what one customer in Somerville, Massachusetts did. As reported by The Consumerist, Michael Snyder originally asked for five more loaves of the raisin bread, but the bakery offered $5 and he took that. Apparently the raisins were from Chile and used an older production method that makes it easier for debris to get into the raisin supply. The bakery sent back the rest of the raisins.

There has been no talk about any injuries from the rocks, so I assume everyone is fine. I also suppose that things happen and you just need to be able to take things in stride, but five dollars? What would you do in a similar situation?