It looks like the good people at Reese's have been inspired by the King - Elvis Presley. The new limited edition Reese's have a two-layered filling of peanut butter and banana creme, in a candy rendition of Elvis's favorite peanut butter sandwich. Even if you don't really think too much of Elvis, any combination of peanut butter, bananas and chocolate is bound to be a good one because the elements work well individually, as well as when put together. Junk Food Blog says that they are now available in the US, but gives no indication of where they might have been sold before. The Reese's website doesn't mention them at all. I have yet to see any in my local stores. Were they first released near Graceland? If anyone has had the chance to taste this creation, let us know how they turned out in the comments.

Circus Animal cookies were one of my favorite types of cookie when I was in school. Not only were they sweetly addictive, but they were covered in frosting, decorated with sprinkles and shaped like animals. When combined, those traits make up a combination that is irresistible to kids. The fact that the "animals" were next-to-impossible to identify was not an issue, since my primary objective when faced with the cookies was to find the white ones with the most sprinkles and eat them first.

Adults rarely seem to buy these cookies for themselves, which is unfortunate because they're still fun to eat. Instead of going out and buying a bag, try making them at home, as Peabody from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody did. They look just as good as the originals and, since they're homemade, they probably taste even better. They'd be a great thing to take to a party because they're something that no one would expect you to be able to make at home, not to mention that they're just hard to resist in general.

Alphabet soup is a favorite for many kids, despite the fact that it always seems to look much better than it tastes. And if you taste it after the age of 8? Well, let's just say that the pasta-and-sauce concoction is not meant for adult taste buds. With this alphabet soup cutting board, you can still enjoy the nostalgic look of the soup-like concoction, without having to taste it. It is made of glass, textured on top, and is both stain and odor resistant. It's dishwasher safe, so it is a multipurpose board that can be used for anything.

For a different way to enjoy alphabet spaghetti/soup, check out the giant version at Pimp That Snack!

After I made my Jello pie, I wanted to do more Jello desserts - by which I mean that I had an extra package of Jello left over. I decided that I would try my hand at making a layered dessert because some of them just look too interesting to pass up and I've never actually attempted one before.

As it turns out, they're very easy to make. Gelatin doesn't set up at room temperature, so the layers-to-be can sit out while you wait for things to set up. The initial time involved is about 2 minutes, after which you can do household things (or blog) while you wait to pour on the next layer. 

With Father's Day only one week away, I'm going to aim to pick out cookbooks that would make good gifts for Dads - by which I mean that they will often have words such as "manly", "man" or "dad" in them. Case in point, today's cookbook is Patio Daddy-O: '50's recipes with a Modern Twist. "Daddy-o," if you're not familiar with the term, was a word that originated in about 1950 that hip guys (i.e. not "squares") used to refer to each other. The recipes in the book have adorable names that evoke truly retro cookbooks, but are updated in their ingredient lists and methodology to make dishes much more appealing than Perfection Salad. For example, how do "Slab o' Fun Barbecued Meat Loaf", "Uncle Bob's Peanut Butter Sandwiches with Texas Sweets" and "Rock 'n' Rollin BBQ Baby Back Ribs" sound? Nostalgic? Fun? Delicious? They are all the recipes that you wish your family made but never actually did. Pour a martini or an "Atomic Cocktail," fire up the Weber grill and enjoy.

I also want to point out that Amazon has a used price listed for the book of 1¢. It's hard to go wrong at that price, even if you still have to pay for shipping.

It's hard not to love a root beer float and even harder when it comes in an old fashioned soda fountain glass. These pastel-colored glasses will have you seeing the world through rose colored glasses as you sip a delicious, refreshing, old-fashioned treat in the comfort of your own home. A great way to show these off is to invite a few friends over and set up a grown-up ice cream sundae bar that will let you relive your childhood. The designer also offers banana split boats and appetizer plates in the same collection.

In case it's been a while since you had one, to make a root beer float all you need to do is scoop some of your favorite vanilla ice cream into a large glass and, carefully, pour over a can of root beer. If you pour down the side of the glass, instead of directly on top of the ice cream, you'll be able to reduce the amount of foam you create slightly. Drink it through a straw, but don't forget to keep a long-handled spoon nearby to scoop out all the ice cream!

Retro Desserts, by Wayne Harley Brachman, is one of my favorite cookbooks. I love Brachman's easy writing style and the illustrations of the desserts are fantastic. He dots the book with bits of trivia about the names and origins of dishes. I only wish that the book was even longer! This is not Brachman's newest cookbook, but it is an excellent one. The recipes are all his versions of favorites from the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s, and include everything from Grasshopper Pie to Diner-Style Strawberry Shortcake.

We've featured one of the recipes from this book here at Slashfood recently, homemade Oreo cookies. It's hard for me to say what my favorite recipe is, though. Belgian waffles? Cream-filled chocolate cupcakes? Homemade graham crackers? The strawberry chiffon pie that is featured on the cover of the book is excellent, too. By and large, the recipes are easy to follow and clearly written. As with most baking books, it's important to be precise to ensure that you get the best result - and you probably won't be disappointed.

It doesn't seem like you can get a whole lot for 54¢, but at Barney Greengrass, on the 5th floor of Barney's in Beverly Hills, you can get a taste of nostalgia. They serve up egg creams at the shockingly low price - making them the best buy in they whole store. According to LA Ritz, who found the drink while waiting for some friends to finish shopping, they did use Hershey's syrup instead of U-Bet (the horror!), but it still could be the starting place for a new trend. Of course, if it catches on, I doubt that the price will remain so low!

[Image from LA Ritz, via The Food Section]

Technically, this is not a cookbook, but it does have recipes. Whether you actually want to attempt (or consume) them is an entirely different question. The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan: Classic Diet Recipe Cards from the 1970s is a book that features over 100 different, full-color, diet recipe cards. Each recipe card comes with hilarious commentary from author and complier Wendy McClure, who blogs at Pound and runs candyboots, where you can see some more recipe cards from the 1970s. This is the same sort of thing that you might see at the gallery of regrettable food, only better.

How much better can a book with a recipe for "Mackerelly" (I don't know what that is, nor do I care to) get?

It actually has a Flickr pool where you can see user submitted photos of some of the recipes, including the fluffy mackerel pudding. As a sample, you can see a picture of the Frankfurter Crown Roast after the jump.

[via Everything and Nothing]

Cereality is a popular breakfast food chain based on the premise that people like cereal because it's a good breakfast food. The Surreal Bowl is a cafe based on the concept that people like cereal because it's sugary. They sell cereal two scoops at a time - so you can mix your Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles - with one topping and milk. Along with the prospect of combining any two cereals, the range of toppings available amounts to the every 7-year-old's dream Saturday morning breakfast since they include Oreos, peanut butter cups and even gummy bears. Not to worry, there are healthier cereal and topping options, too, but in a room that's full of 50's, 60's and 70's kitsch, including plastic furniture and Felix the Cat cartoons playing on TV sets in the corners, why not indulge and relive your childhood. At least, relive the childhood you would have liked to have if your Mom never had a say in what you ate.

Surreal Bowl
611 Central Ave.
St. Petersburg, Florida
phone: 727-452-1761

[Image Weekly Planet]

 Lunchables are an easy target to go after; a miracle of modern packaging and convenience wherein a whole smorgasbord of luncheon goodness is combined in a handy, stay-fresh plastic see-thru carton, each ingredient separated for maximum freshness and so the flavors do not mix. There's an array of flavors and styles out there now, all aimed squarely at kid's lunchboxes.

Curiously, the ads on the Kraft website boast that lunchables allow your kids to "Make fun of lunch!" Is Kraft really so determined to create a generation of Rick Moodys?

They say that fruitcakes improve with age, but that may just be an excuse that non-fruitcake lovers have come up with to avoid eating them. Lance Nesta, a man in Wisconsin, found a 44-year old fruitcake in his mother's attic while cleaning out the house. The cake was shipped to him as a taste of home by his mother and aunt in 1962 while he was in the military and stationed in Alaska. He didn't want the cake (and neither did his military buddies), so he brought it home with him.

It seems like he just should have thrown it away, rather than carrying it all the way back home, if he wasn't going to eat it. Waste not, want not, I guess.... but if you don't want the cake when it's fresh, are you really going to want it after 44 years?

Nosheteria was craving some Oreo cookies and happened to stumble upon Wayne Harley Brachman's cookbook Retro Desserts, which contains a recipe for homemade Oreo cookies. I happen to love my copy of his cookbook and have made homemade graham crackers and other goodies on many occasions. I have not tried these chocolate sandwich cookies, but I definitely will now. Nosheteria says that the cookies taste surprisingly similar to - if not better than - the original Oreos. They are crisp, with just the right amount of delicious vanilla cream filling. I recommend picking up a copy of the book, but the recipe is posted online, too.