"bunnies" news and stories

• Kim Honey learns about all the edible food out there to eat in the wild, and the particulars of slaughtering bunnies.
• More reasons to love summer: urban farming and rare beets.
• Delight in the inner flesh of a dragon fruit.
• Forget that typical round stuff. Here's a recipe for square sushi!
• Mouth-watering chef delicacies in Quebec City.
• Cheap and tasty reds: Mezzomondo 2007 Sangiovese Merlot, Pascual Toso 2005 Merlot, and Concha y Toro Trio 2006 Merlot-Carmenère-Cabernet Sauvignon.
• The ins and outs of ceviche, and where to taste it in Toronto.
• Summertime white wines: Cantina di Gambellara Prime Brume 2006 Soave Classico, Flat Rock Cellars 2007 Riesling, Omaka Springs 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Novas Winemaker's Selection 2006 Chardonnay/Marsanne/ Viognier, and Tawes Sketches of Niagara 2006 Chardonnay.

 Peeps and grocery-store chocolate candies are all well and good, but the end of Lent calls for something of a splurge. Fortunately, the purveyors of fine chocolate and other goodies are more than happy to oblige the impulse to celebrate the season. Here at Slashfood, we are happy to indulge whenever the opportunity arises, but these luxury Easter chocolates are really ideal for a special occasion.

1. Harry and David may not be the "go-to" chocolatier for some, but their Chocolate Praline Eggs are somehow shaped inside a colorful, real eggshell and need to be broken out before eating. A half dozen eggs are $29.99.
2. Robert L. Strohecker's Assorted Rabbits are chocolate bunnies designed to have three different flavors of filling inside different parts of the rabbit: toasted almond ears, an almond butter crunch head, and a caramel pecan body. Available in both milk and dark chocolate, this is one bunny you won’t get bored with. They are $30.95 a pair.
3. Neiman Marcus' Chocolate Easter Bunny is hand poured, hand decorated and hand wrapped. At nearly 5-pounds, it is one very big, but festive, bunny. Use it as a centerpiece, then serve it for dessert. Each bunny is $99.

If the sugary coating on Peeps is too much for you, the Bunnymallows made by Kraft may be the perfect solution. Smaller and more colorful than their large Jet-Puffed cousins, the Bunnymallows are seasonally shaped into miniature bunnies. They seemed to be lighter and less dense than regular Jet Puffs, but it is possible that, because they are a seasonal item, the package was simply much fresher than the bags of marshmallows I usually encounter in stores. Whatever the reason for their wonderfully light texture, they were delicious.

 PeepBlog is a blog that keeps up with all things in the world of those tasty marshmallow critters. Some people, as it turns out, use them when showing off their car decorating skills, but Peeps are meant to be eaten. PeepBlog has a whole recipe section dedicated to cooking with Peeps. Beginning with how to select the appropriate Peep for your purposes, the cooking section covers basic techniques, including baking, frying, grilling and poaching. Once the basics have been mastered, PeepBlog suggests that you move on to more complex recipes, like Peep Salad and Peep and Sour Sauce, which - apparently - is perfect for kicking up a stir fry.

Is there any end to the usefulness of the Peep?

As the season for Peeps is upon us once more, people begin to look to Peeps for more than just a sweet snack. The fluffy marshmallow critters, chicks and bunnies alike, can provide hours of entertainment when properly utilized. Strangely, it is not only children who play with their food in this instance, but adults. Since they inspire far more fascination than your average marshmallow, one can only attribute their entertainment value to the fact that the chicks and bunnies look so much more realistic - "realistic" in the sense that they do have an actual form, unlike a more traditional marshmallow. Alternatively, it could be the bright colors that people find so appealing.

PeepResearch.org is a wealth of information, detailing the outcome of nearly every likely situation a Peep  is likely to be in, including extreme heat and extreme cold, as well as chronicling the effects of smoking and alcohol on Peeps who have given in to temptation.

Bunny Survival Tests is slightly more disturbing than PeepResearch.org because there seems to be a degree of enjoyment from the creators of the site in seeing what happens to the sweet little Peep Bunnies when exposed to a variety of hazardous situations.

Other, less scientific examples of Peep amusements include how to joust Peeps and Peep-henge, in addition to the very cool PeepsShow.

[Photo by PeepResearch.org]