5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

The warmer months are upon us. Well, at least they're supposed to be - but we cranky sleet-enduring New Yorkers digress.

That means it's time to fire up those grills - and we've got Akhtar Nawab, the executive chef of La Esquina restaurant in New York City, helping tend the flame.

Five Favorite Dishes for a Mexican-Inspired Outdoor Party: Akhtar Nawab
FULL POST

Get the full recipe for Ellie Krieger's Spaghetti with tomato & almond pesto on Morning Express

Wahoo! It's finally Friday, and just in case you feel like getting royally sloshed (and happen to live in the UK), Castle Rock Brewery has a bridealicious brewski just for you.

Our Royal Wedding Unveiled blog has the skinny on limited-edition 'Kiss Me Kate' beer

Sink your teeth into today's top stories from around the globe.

• Eat while you sleep. - Gourmet Live

• Monster Energy Drink: Release the Beast Mouse. - KREM

• Ruth Reichl talks life after Gourmet and that saucy Ruth Bourdain. - Bay Area Bites

• Hormel Foods is suing the canned meat product "Prem" for a strikingly similar logo. Blue and yellow, blue and yellow. - Pioneer Press

• Couldn't get your paws on "Modernist Cuisine?" Try some "Ideas in Food." - Slate

The Vintage Cookbook Vault highlights recipes from my insane stash of books and pamphlets from the early 20th century onward. It's a semi-regular thing.

Well, ain't that a kick in the palate? Some of the country may be getting socked with snow, but the lack of a grill wouldn't have gotten in ol' Dino's way if he wanted a burger. No siree. And he didn't need no fancy-schmancy hardwood lump charcoal, grass-fed heirloom bison, artisanal mustard, or even a bun for that matter.

Per his recipe from The Celebrity Cookbook, edited by Ms Dinah Shore in 1996, this Rat Packer needed little more than a pan, a pinch of salt, and a shot of Kentucky's finest when he wanted to get his beef on.
FULL POST

The Hershey Company says it is raising wholesale prices by 9.7% on most of its candy products.

The maker of Reese's, Kit Kat, Hershey's Kisses and Twizzlers cited increased costs for raw materials, fuel, utilities and transportation.

It was not clear whether customers would see the price changes before Easter, a big season for chocolate sales. CNN left a message with Hershey's Wednesday but received no immediate response.

In a statement, Hershey's said it was immediately increasing the weighted average price in the majority of its U.S., Puerto Rico and export product line.

Read Hershey's raises prices nearly 10%

The CEO of GoDaddy.com is under fire for an online video that shows him shooting and killing an elephant in Zimbabwe.

Bob Parsons, founder of the Scottsdale, Arizona-based web-hosting service, posted the graphic video on his Twitter account on March 14. The footage, shot March 8, shows him hunting an elephant on a farm and posing with a shotgun beside its corpse.

Parsons said he killed the animal for the good of local farmers whose crops are often destroyed by elephants. The video shows him walking through a field of flattened sorghum plants, which he said had been crushed by roaming elephants.

"They are subsistence farmers. If their crop isn't harvested, they don't eat," Parsons said.

He called the fact that the elephant meat provided food for the people "a bonus."

Read GoDaddy.com founder criticized by PETA for elephant-hunting video

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday and the most delicious finds on TV.

Brie-ng it on: April is National Grilled Cheese Month. We know it's hard, but try to curd your enthusiasm.

Whether it's plastic-wrapped Kraft squares and white bread, with a schmear of grape jelly (seriously, it's a thing) or all fancy pants with fontina and gruyère - in the wise words of T.I., you can have whatever you like.

Say cheese, and let the gouda times roll!

What's on TV?
FULL POST

Pssst! Got a sec to chat?

We are utterly thrilled when readers want to hang out and talk – whether it's amongst themselves or in response to pieces we've posted. We want Eatocracy to be a cozy, spirited online home for those who find their way here.

Consider the daily Coffee klatsch post as your VIP lounge – the primary comments thread for readers who'd like to chat about topics not related to the articles we're running. That way, everyone knows where to find each other, and each post's comments section remains on topic.
FULL POST