I believe that I mentioned one of my favorite things - although I had quite a lot of "favorites" to be perfectly honest - from the Fancy Foods Show were the meat pies that I had at the Vili's Gourmet booth. Meat pies are a favorite Australian snack food, the sort of thing that you'll find at pubs, random takeaways and - of course - at any major sporting event. They exactly what they sound like, too: small pastries that are filled with a thick mixture of meat and gravy. It's important that the filling be thick enough not to run out all over the eater, since the pies are usually eaten by hand and they are best when topped of with a bit of tomato sauce (ketchup).

October 30th is National Candy Corn Day and while we've talked a little bit about what it tastes like, we haven't talked at all about its history at all.

Candy corn was created in the 1880s by the Wunderlee Candy Company and, by 1900, was being produced by the Goelitz Candy Company (now Jelly Belly), which has continuously produced it for more than a century. Candy corns get their name from the fact that they are shaped like a kernel of corn. Although they are often shown point-up, the yellow end is really the "top" of the corn. The design apparently made it popular with farmers when it first came out, but it was the fact that it had three colors - a really innovative idea - that catapulted it to popularity.

Originally, candy corn was made of sugar, corn syrup (not HFCS), fondant and marshmallow, among other things, and the hot mixture was poured into cornstarch molds, where it set up. This original mixture is probably where the name of the candy corn-like Mellocreme Pumpkins comes from. The recipe changed slightly over time and there are probably a few variations in recipes between candy companies, but the use of a mixture of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin and vanilla (as well as honey, in some brands) is the standard.

A serving of candy corn has about 22 pieces and contains 140 calories, no fat. While it is just about all sugar, the sweet can still be a better choice than a couple of mini candy bars or other Halloween treats that are high in both calories and in fat. Additionally, 22 pieces of candy corn will last a lot longer than one mini candy bar will.

Homemade marshmallows are definitely one of my favorite candies. Unlike store-bought marshmallows, they are like little clouds of sweetness that are soft, tender and melt in your mouth. They are easy to eat, go perfectly with coffee, flavored coffee drinks and hot chocolate, and are ideal for making s'mores. They are also surprisingly easy to make, and very impressive when you bring them out to serve to friends or family. The only real drawback is that you really need a stand mixer to make them, as it allows you to keep your hands free while you're working and has a very large whisk (as opposed to the beaters of a hand-held mixer) that does the job quickly and efficiently.

I really recommend using vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean crush instead of plain vanilla extract because the tiny bean specks really look fantastic in the finished candy. Read on for the recipe, which I have made and enjoyed countless times:

American Inventor Spot did a taste test of several types of non-name brand sodas, not comparing them to the major brand equivalents, but just to see how they stood on their own. After all, you can get quite a deal when you buy the store-brand soda instead of a national brand. With brands from Albertsons and Wal-Mart, they rated each soda on flavor, aftertaste, scent, consistency and design before giving it an overall score. Their favorite was Dr. Bold, a Dr. Pepper facsimile from Albertsons.

The problem with generic sodas is that because they vary from place to place, it's hard to know when you're going to get a good one. Fortunately, they're usually inexpensive enough that even if the soda isn't that great, you're only out about a quarter, but I still like to know where I can get a good one. For example, Safeway Select sodas are always on sale and are very good, not to mention that they seem to come in an almost endless number of flavors (though you might want to think twice before buying the diet orange). It's worth picking up a six pack or four when you have a chance.

Do you buy store brand sodas, and if so, tell us where in the comments.

While the vegan lifestyle might not be entirely appealing to everyone, that doesn't make vegan food blogs any less appealing. In fact, the novelty of veganism to someone unfamiliar with it is precisely what makes a food blog about it worth reading - it gives the reader a taste of a different way of eating.

Some blogs just talk about food, but others go into great detail with recipes and general issues they encounter. I'm not talking about politics here (even though I won't deny it that it can come up from time to time), but about issues with food and eating that anyone can relate to. For example, Jennifer, of Vegan Lunchbox, is in a position that many parents find easy to relate to, as she prepares different (and hopefully both appealing and reasonably healthy) meals for her son's school lunches. Some bloggers mention struggling with weight loss and some just want to bake more cookies.

These are all great reads with great photography and, if you're interested, offer up some recipes that are worth trying - whether you're a vegan or not.

1. Vegan lunchbox: As I mentioned above, this chronicles the daily lunchboxes - as healthy, balanced, tasty and creative - as Jennifer can come up with for her son. She's also working on a cookbook and shares some good recipes.
2. Vegan Feast Kitchen: This site is a particular favorite of mine, since Bryanna Clark Grogan is a very talented chef who has shared many, many recipes over the years in her newsletter and in her cookbooks. Does vegan cooking sound easy enough to make "talented" sound like an understatement? Think again. She recently devised a vegan angel food cake.

If people would only look to the cookie all our problems would be solved." - Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld (The Dinner Party)

Black and White cookies are one of the best things to ever come out of New York City, where they are so popular that they could be the city’s food mascot, with thin crust pizza running a close second. At first glance, the cookie looks relatively simple, but achieving Black and White perfection isn’t, well, black and white.

A real Black and White cookie has a thick, cakelike base. It is softer than a cookie and lacks the chew that a sugar cookie – which many bakers unfortunately choose to use as their base – would have. It also is not nearly as sweet as a sugar cookie, an important element because the cookie has to stand up to the sweetness of the icing on top without overwhelming the taste buds. The icing on the top of the cookie is a key element in the Black and White, not just because it creates the color pairing that gives the cookie its name. The icing – not frosting – is a relatively thin layer of chocolate or vanilla that is poured smoothly onto the cake-like cookie. A thick glob of overly buttery or sugary frosting would upset the balance of flavors – not to mention that it just wouldn’t taste that great on a cookie.  

Meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food. It is hearty, flavorful and can be subject to nearly infinite variations. Some meatloaves are all beef, while some are made with turkey or even faux meat, which preserves the spirit of the dish, if not the meat. Meatloaves have been around as long as ground meat and are larger versions of meatballs.  Due to their size, they can easily be served as a main course and the leftovers sliced for sandwiches. Flavorings and some "filler," in the form of vegetables, egg, breadcrumbs or rice, are added to help the loaf maintain its shape. The practice of "stretching the meat" with filler was popular and widely practiced during the lean war years of the early 20th century.

After a decline in popularity, due in part to many years of inclusion in frost-bitten, over-processed, microwaveable meals, meatloaf is working its way back onto the plates and into the hearts of diners everywhere. It is on upscale restaurant menus, where it is recognized as classic American fare, as well as being a staple at diners and neighborhood restaurants across the country.