"spring" news and stories

April Food Festivals

by Jose Ralat Maldonado, Posted Mar 31st 2010 @ 1:00PM

Spring has arrived! With it, come scads of crawfish festivals along the Gulf Coast, beer and wine festivals nationwide and the heralding of spring harvests. April is so chock-full of culinary merrymaking we can only wish you luck getting through the month without lapsing into a life-threatening -- though joyous -- food coma.

Breckenridge Beer Festival, April 3, Breckenridge, Colo.: American craft beer continues to attract followers and chip away at commercial leviathans. In few places is this more evident than in Colorado, one of the country's beer meccas. Unlimited tasting tickets will set you back $25, but serious beer geeks will want to shell out $55 for VIP passes, which include early entry to the festival, a commemorative glass mug, unlimited tastings, a private VIP room, lunch and a buffet. Raise a pint glass to local and national breweries, among them Oskar Blues, Great Divide and the town's own, Breckenridge Brewing Company.

Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Boston, April 8, Boston, Mass.: What's a month without a fine-dining fete? The Share Our Strength series' event in Boston will feature more than 70 area restaurants and 40 wineries, including the Little Pearl, Rialto and Eastern Standard. All ticket sales will benefit Share Our Strength's effort to end child hunger.

Filed under: Events

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Sep 1st 2009 @ 4:31PM

We lopped the ears off a few dozen hippity-hoppers so you and your kids will know just what's under the wrapping.

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Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Getty Images North America

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

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

Easter Bunnies Unwrapped

Filed under: Edible Gifts, Taste Test, Holidays

Spring Veggies ID Quiz

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Sep 1st 2009 @ 1:34PM

Can you identify spring vegetables? Take this spring vegetable identification quiz on Slashfood to find out.

Spring Veggies ID Quiz

This spicy, nutty green is also known as

Filed under: Quizzes, Ingredients

Table for One - A Pistachio Pampering

COMMENTS 1

by Sarah LeTrent, Posted Aug 12th 2009 @ 11:00AM

Pistachio-Crusted Sea Bass. Photo: Sarah LeTrent

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.

Read more after the jump.

Filed under: Ingredients

Little Bloom on the Prairie - Cheese Course

COMMENTS 0

by Max Shrem, Posted Jun 9th 2009 @ 4:00PM

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.

Filed under: Cheese Course, Food Politics, Ingredients