Suffice it to say we've been obsessed with everything eggs, as evidenced by everything from breakfast tarts to our search for stylish Easter egg cups. The eggcellent endeavor has yet to end: I flipped for this eggy, cheesy vegetable quiche that staff member Garrick made over the weekend. I love quiche to begin with — but it's the baked-til-crisp potato hash crust that I've completely fallen for. To see how the quiche got its unique crust, read more
From Mississippi catfish cookoffs to Louisiana strawberry celebrations, this week is full of can't-miss Spring food festivities in the South. What delectable diversions will you be hitting up this week? Be sure to chime in below!
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Although FitSugar would not approve, some days I don't eat breakfast. How about you? Do you always start off your day with a meal?
Last night — only two months after a colossal peanut scare that led to a recall of more than 3,800 peanut products — the FDA recalled two million pounds of pistachios that have been distributed nationwide due to risk of a salmonella outbreak.
The new contamination concerns, which are not tied to the peanut products, were traced to pistachios grown by Setton Farms of Terra Bella, CA. One of Setton Farms' customers, Kraft Foods, alerted the FDA of its findings on March 24 after it discovered several strains of salmonella during routine analysis of its pistachio products. Packaged foods containing traces of the pistachios — from ice cream to boxed cakes to trail mix — have been pulled from shelves.
Although so far there have been no reported illnesses and only a couple of consumer complaints, the FDA is advising customers to avoid eating pistachios until it confirms more details of the outbreak. Pistachio growers are not happy: "We hope the FDA comes out with a more refined statement about which pistachios to avoid. The vast majority of pistachios are not tainted," said Richard Matoian, executive director of California's Western Pistachio Association.
Considering President Obama just vowed to strengthen America's food safety system, I hope this issue gets addressed immediately. Until then, I plan to avoid nuts for the time being. What about you? Are you surprised to hear about another nut recall so soon?
Everything is not coming up roses for French producers of rosé wine. Winemakers have been up in arms over proposed EU Commission legislation that would allow rosé wine to be made from the mixing of red and white wines.
Rosé is traditionally produced by leaving the skins of red-wine grapes in along with the white juice for several hours, a method that tints the wine to a blush color. The European Commission, however, believes that relaxing its rosé guidelines will allow France, Italy, and Spain to increase exports to burgeoning markets like China. To producers of classic blush wine, allowing red wine mixed with white wine to be called rosé could be considered heresy.
Classic rosé makers have won the right to carry a special designation indicating their wines are made by "traditional" methods but see the concession as insufficient. Said Anjou wine growers association president Olivier Lecomte:
We have worked very hard to improve the quality of our wines and to prove that a genuine rosé is not just a mongrel or hybrid, but a different and excellent wine in its own right. In recent years, our sales have been rising rapidly. It is not surprising that others want to jump on the bandwagon. Now, abruptly, we are told that rosé wine can be concocted any old way, to an industrial formula, a money-driven formula.
Judgment day comes on April 27, when the commission will vote on the proposed legislation. In my opinion, the new law chooses commercial interests over deeply rooted, venerable quality standards. How do you feel about this debate: should mixed wine be allowed to be called rosé?
After the ceremonious reading of the Haggadah, invite your loved ones to join you for a hearty Seder dinner that is both traditional and modern. Start things off with a reinterpretation of the classic gefilte fish: pan-fried matzo-crusted trout. Serve with a crisp green salad. Next move on to rich bowls of piping hot matzo ball soup. Instead of offering the expected brisket, select another tough cut of meat — beef short ribs — and slow-cook in Kosher red wine. A tzimmes, a time-honored Passover stew made from sweet potatoes and dried fruit, is delicious on the side.
For these festive recipes, read more
Since the majority of you are looking forward to asparagus season, I thought it would be appropriate to feature a quick, effortless meal that incorporates the tender green spears. This recipe takes an Asian spin on the vegetable and combines it with seared beef sirloin.
Chili oil, sherry, and hoisin sauce come together in a fragrant, spicy sauce that coats both the asparagus and beef. Serve over steamed rice for a meal that is filling, yet healthy. Get the recipe when you read more
With the onset of microblogging phenomenon Twitter comes the twecipe, an ultra-condensed recipe on Twitter that tells followers how to make a drink or a dish. Users such as cookbook, tinyrecipes, twixologist, and, of course, twecipe offer up suggestions for your next meal using 140 characters or less. 
Although I love the brevity and simplicity of the twecipe, there's also something to be said for recipes that list detailed instructions with exacting specificity, sparing no detail that might affect your outcome. Still, I could see myself following a twecipe in a pinch. What are your thoughts about twecipes?
