Jelly Belly gets ready for Easter

Easter is a candy lover's dream, and Jelly Belly has certainly risen to the occasion. Cybele, the candy goddess at Candy Blog, just reviewed the "Deluxe Easter Mix" which contains an assortment of pastel Jelly Bellys, bunny corn, mellocremes, gummi eggs and malted chocolate eggs. Retail price is $4.99 for a 9oz. bag, and though she managed to source a package for much less, she rated the item at 6/10 on her infamous candy scale.

If you are looking for a mixture of gifts, Jelly Belly offers pre-made Easter baskets including "The Ideal Easter Basket" ($50) which contains almost three pounds of assorted candy, as well as "The Cute Little Easter Bundle" ($34.99) which is about half the size but has a lot of variety. (Though for $35, I would really hope so.)

By ordering either of those on their website, you can expect to get some freebies along with your baskets - which may help to ease the pain of spending that much money on candy in the first place. In addition, the "Fruit Fantasy Basket", as pictured above, sells for $39.99, but comes free with any order of $250 or more.

Tara Reid to open fast food restaurant

I'll skip over the obvious "American Fry" jokes and get right to it. Tara Reid, probably best known to the world for both her role in the American Pie movie franchise as well as her (former) globe-trotting, hard-partying lifestyle, has announced her plans to open a fast food establishment in Los Angeles.

The new restaurant, set to open on March 31st, will be named Ketchup - and though the menu has not been released as yet, Tara herself plans to spend time in the kitchen "making sure everything is done properly."

Though it may seem like a strange move to some, the restaurant business is in her blood. Growing up in New Jersey, Tara's parents owned a bar, and she currently has shares in three other restaurants - Bella, The Shore and Geisha House.

Gourmet Marshmallows

When I think of marshmallows, two images immediately come to mind. Steaming cups of hot cocoa adorned with tiny little marshmallows, or the roasted variety - the ones we placed on sticks and set over a campfire as kids. I don't think I've ever considered the idea of marshmallows being gourmet, but that is exactly what Plush Puffs are offering.

They come in a variety of flavors including Caramel Swirl, Chocolate Chipetta, Maple Pecan, Sydney's Cinnamon, Peppi-Mint, Orange Honey, Toasted Coconut, Vanilla Bean, Kona Coffee Crunch, and Pumpkin Praline. Though they sound pretty amazing on their own, Plush Puffs has a variety of recipes on their website as well. They sell for $7.99 per package of 6, or two packs for $14.99.

Next Epicurean Masters event planned for Egypt

Last month, Epicurean Masters of the World held an opulent feast in Bangkok for the extraordinary price of $25,000 per person. Their next location has been unveiled as Egypt, and though it is lower in price - "just" $10,000 a head - this gourmet adventure is scheduled to be much larger than the last event. With the ancient Pyramids of Giza as a backdrop, apparently thirty 3-star Michelin chefs will be preparing some of their most exquisite and culturally diverse creations for a planned crowd of 500 attendees.

Though admittedly the price tag associated with these events sounds extremely excessive, proceeds from the dinners are donated to charities local to the chosen locations. This event is scheduled for December of 2008.