What would you do with a chocolate fried egg?

Serve it for breakfast, with a cup of hot chocolate?

Give it as stocking stuffer or Mother’s Day party favor?

Enjoy it all by yourself?

Whatever your choice, this little treat from Maggie Louise Confections is sure to please.

The chocolatier notes:

“The Cordelia is a chocolate dream dish. A fried egg in a pan has turned into a chocolate skillet made with El Rey 58.5% dark chocolate, filled with hand-crafted vanilla rice crispy treats and salted caramel, then topped with an El Rey Icoa white chocolate egg.”

(At second thought, at $14 each, we’ll take two.)
  

For Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, spring and summer entertaining, parties, showers and Valentine’s Day: Make your drinks stand out with flower ice cubes.

It couldn’t be easier: Just place edible blossoms in an ice cube tray, fill and freeze.

To get the flowers perfectly centered in the cube, wait until the ice is halfway frozen and then place them in the center (we use a tweezers).

You can also use blueberries, raspberries, mint leaves, etc. Use the floral ice cubes in cocktails or soft drinks—even ice water.
 
 
PICK THE RIGHT FLOWERS

Not all flowers are edible; many will upset your stomach (or worse). But there are quite a few to choose from. Here’s a list of edible flowers.

Flowers have been eaten since before Egyptian times. Here’s more about edible flowers.

Want to grow your own? Sure, but be sure to grow the flowers with no chemical pesticides. More about growing edible flowers.

According to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), nearly 14 million grills and smokers were shipped in 2013. This year’s industry expo, held in March, displayed more innovative grills, smokers and outdoor living products to tempt gung-ho grillers.

Here are the 2014 barbecue trends:

Grilled flank steak quesadillas. Photo courtesy Kingsford Charcoal. Here’s the recipe.

 
THINGS TO BARBECUE

Beyond proteins and veggies, have you grilled bread, desserts, pizza and quesadillas?

Get yourself a barbecue recipe book, like The Barbecue! Bible, which has more than 500 recipes.

Or, check out blogs like 100 Things To Barbecue.

According to the International Bottled Water Association, the U.S. bottled water per capita was up 5.3% in 2012, the last year for which statistics are available.

The data comes with enormous consequences:

 
Plus:

 
 
HOW CAN YOU HELP? DRINK FROM THE TAP

You can add a water purifier device to the tap or install one under the sink.

There are also whole-house filters.

If you don’t want to install a filter, Aquasana makes a variety of counter-top models with small footprint.

Water bottle or household filter: Celebrate Earth Day by picking one up.

Here’s a water filter guide from the Environmental Working Group.

[1] Plastic waters are ubiquitous in the landfill: 75% of them are not recycled (photo © Steve Johnson | Pexels).

[2] Get yourself a reusable water bottle and carry it in your bag, backpack, briefcase, etc (photo © Julia Sakelli | Pexels).

These two recipes were sent to us from Red Rock Press, from their book, A White House Garden Cookbook by Clara Silverstein.

Both are lettuce wraps, but you can also use tortilla wraps.

The first recipe, Daniel and Annie’s Salad Wraps, originated in the children’s section of the New York Botanical Garden and contains the surprise—and optional—ingredient of an edible wildflower.

You can serve these wraps with a dip, or spread mustard or Nasoya’s Nayonaise (excellent vegan mayonnaise) on the lettuce leaves before filling.
 
 
RECIPE: DANIEL & ANNIE’S SALAD WRAPS

Ingredients For 6 Servings

Thus wrap is packed with arugula, carrots, cucumber, lettuce and red cabbage (photo © Online Vegetarian Deli).

 
Preparation

1. WASH and dry the lettuce leaves. Peel and slice the kohlrabi. Wash and dice the radishes. Wash the scallions, and cut off and discard the root ends.

2. LAY out 6 lettuce leaves on the counter top or a large plate. If using a spread, place atop leaves.

3. CUT cut the remaining 6 leaves into ribbons with scissors. Into each lettuce leaf, lay some kohlrabi and radishes, 1 scallion (cut it in half if it’s too long), and 1 mint or basil leaf. Roll it up and pin closed with a toothpick as needed. Garnish the top with edible flowers.

4. SERVE with your favorite dressing as a dip.

The second recipe, Lettuce Wrap Treats, is almost a dessert, folding dried fruits and nuts and a dab of vanilla yogurt into the lettuce leaf.

And, it couldn’t be easier to make!

If you want to present the ingredients as a “build your own,” each person can choose his or her own mix of ingredients.
 
 
RECIPE: LETTUCE LEAF WRAPS

Ingredients Per Wrap

1. RINSE the lettuce in cold water and pat dry between sheets of paper towels.

2. ADD the fillings to the center of the leaf. Top with a dollop of vanilla yogurt.

3. FOLD the lettuce lengthwise over the toppings and then fold up the ends, like a burrito or a little package. Use a toothpick to secure as needed. Pick up and eat!
 
 
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*Pick the largest, most pliable lettuce leaves that you can find. Leaf lettuces work really well for this.