chocolate gourmet louis st

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cost Plus World Market (NASDAQ:CPWM), a leading retailer of casual home living and entertaining products, announced today that the company intends to revitalize the traditional Fortune Cookie as a unique treat for Easter lovers. To kick off the new face of Easter, Cost Plus World Market will be giving away 100 pastel colored Fortune Cookies in each of the company's stores for three consecutive days beginning March 29th. Each cookie will contain a surprise instant savings coupon ranging from $5 to $100 off their purchase that day in store.

Presented in pastel colors, this new breed of an almost 100 year tradition will be available at Cost Plus World Market stores March 29, 30 and 31.

Safety warning, recall issued for Easter eggs, baskets

Parents purchasing or preparing Easter baskets for their young children should beware of a couple of products, consumer watchdogs warned this week.

Consumers Union has issued a warning about Kinder Surprise Eggs, hollow chocolate eggs that contain small toys. The products, made in Italy by the Ferrero Group, have been banned in this country since 1997 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission but sometimes still make it to store shelves.

The chocolate eggs are sometimes available from gourmet food stores, candy merchants and ethnic importers, according to Consumers Union. Until recently, the eggs were being sold on Amazon.com by a Greek importer through the Web site's Marketplace feature.

The commission also has announced a voluntary recall of about 8,500 Disney plush Easter baskets sold at Wal-Mart stores between February and the end of March because they have beads and ribbons that could pose a choking hazard for young children.

Want a bite?

A1: PIZZA JOINT: 1245 Broad St., (706) 774-0037; 11 a.m. to midnight Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday; noon to 2 a.m. Saturday; noon to midnight Sunday; pizza, stromboli, calzones, sandwiches, salads, beer and wine.

A2: WICKED WASABI: 1048 Broad St., (706) 823-0555; 11:30 a.m.

So You Can't Cook

The other day I received a very interesting personal message from sandra in which she politely reminded me that not everyone is like YumSugar and myself. There are some people, my mom and geeksugar included, who do not cook and there is nothing wrong with that. It's simply that they have no interest in getting down and dirty in the kitchen. geeksugar even confessed that when she follows the recipe exactly as stated on the back of the tollhouse chocolate chip bag, her cookies come out flat and inedible. Well what happens when the geeksugars, sandras, and souschefs (my mom) of the world want to host a party? They order in. Virtually every major supermarket has a pre-cooked, readymade section of gourmet dishes and appetizers, cheese plates and pasta salads. And if you are one of those people who despises grocery shopping as much as you do cooking, check out the appetizer store an online market where you pick the hors d'oeurves and they are delivered to your door.

Enjoy a taste of summer at the NEC

A brand new event for 2007, Music & Gardens for a Summer Evening, is debuting at The NEC and is running alongside the must-see gardening event of the year.