FN Dish – Food Network Blog: Go behind-the-scenes at Food Network featuring your favorite chefs, shows, recipes, events and more.

Tired of missing out on Easter morning festivities like egg hunts because you’re preparing breakfast? It’s time to join in on the fun thanks to Paula Deen’s French toast casserole, which can be prepped the day before and baked off the morning of. Finish it off with her decadent praline topping, made with butter, brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon.

Get the recipe:  Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

Browse Food Network’s Easter menu, complete with recipes for all-day eating!

Get ready — another season of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle premiers tonight at 10pm/9c with an all-new set of contestants aspiring to open their own restaurant –- all in just one day.

In honor of the new season, we asked three of the judges to talk about the new season, the drama we can expect and advice they can share. First up, Alison Brod, of Alison Brod Public Relations.

FN Dish: With this new season, what are some changes we can expect?

AB: Well, Scott Conant (host) is looking a little older this season … just kidding, he is only getting better. The sets on the show are kicked up a bit – more lighting, color and design. Also, the themes are more closely matched per show now, so the comparisons are more straightforward, which could be helpful to aspiring restaurateurs.

Find out if Alison thinks she could pull off a restaurant in 24 hours »

Cleveland.com reported that Iron Chef Michael Symon’s Lola Bistro earned its first AAA 4-diamond rating, the second highest award given to hotels and restaurants. Chef Symon had made it a goal to receive this honor and was excited to learn he achieved it. Also, a new location of B-spot, his burger restaurant, is now open in Strongsville, Ohio. The Strongsville Patch reported crowds gathering for opening day and excited customers eager to sample the chef’s award winning burgers. A third B-spot location at Crocker Park in Westlake is scheduled to open in July, as the chef continues to expand his culinary presence in the Cleveland area.

Guy Fieri tweeted about a special meal he was preparing and asked his fans on twitter to guess the name of the honored guest at a surprise birthday dinner for a “Hall of Famer”. He later posted photos of the event celebrating John Madden’s 75^th birthday, with Madden dressed in one of his signature knuckle sandwich chef jackets.

Find out what Aaron McCargo Jr. and Tyler Florence are up to »

The typical grocer sells some 50,000 different products. The typical shopper buys the same 264 over and over again. The point of this blog? To persuade you to take a second look at some of the 49,736 foods that don’t usually land in your cart.

Cardamom, for example. This spice aisle resident is a master of blurring the sweet-savory line. Yet most people know it only (if at all) for the rather dull cookies named after it. But cardamom is way more than a cookie, and it belongs on the dinner table as much as in desserts.

First, the basics. Cardamom is a seed that is related to ginger and originated in India (both of which explain why it makes frequent appearances in Indian sauces, chutneys and rubs). The taste is citrusy and floral, as well as warm and peppery.

Cardamom is sold whole (black seeds in a greyish-green pod) and ground (a fine greyish-blue powder). While the flavor is best when you get whole pods and grind them as needed, raise your hand if you can admit that’s too much trouble.

Find out what to do with cardamom »

Put all of that Easter candy to good use by making dessert a family affair. After dinner, set up a cupcake toppings bar and offer your guests a choice of sweets like jelly beans, chocolate covered cookies and fruit that will complement Melissa d’Arabian’s white chocolate frosting.

Get the recipe:  Easter Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

Browse Food Network’s Easter menu, complete with recipes for all-day eating!

Thieves Nab 40,000 Pounds of Tomatoes: The New York Times reports on a group of produce snatchers: “Last month, a gang of thieves stole six tractor-trailer loads of tomatoes and a truck full of cucumbers from Florida growers. They also stole a truckload of frozen meat. The total value of the illegal haul: about $300,000.” And that’s just the beginning of these criminals’ plot. [nytimes.com via gawker.com]

Mobile Produce Stands Hit Road in Urban Areas: Chicago-area organization Food Desert Action has created a solution for getting produce to poor urban areas lacking healthful food options: via a food truck. “Eventually, we want to be just like the ice cream truck,” neighborhood activist Steven Casey told the Chicago Tribune. “Everyone remembers the music, they hear it and they know ice cream is there. When they see our bus, we want them to know fresh fruits and vegetables are here.” [latimes.com]

The World’s Best Restaurants Named: The S. Pellegrino top 50 dining destinations in the world have been announced, with a few heavy hitters from the US making the list. Chicago’s Alinea fared best at number 6, and the other Stateside spots given recognition (Per Se, Daniel, among others) are all based in NYC. [newyork.grubstreet.com]

Gender Cake Parties Are a Thing? The funny folks at The Awl have turned us on to a new phenomenon, the Gender Cake Party, wherein an expecting couple learns their baby’s sex based on the color (pink or blue, obviously) of cake they receive after delivering their obstetrician’s report to a local bakery. Either way, as long as it’s delicious. The cake, not the baby. [theawl.com]

Here’s our round-up of food news, trends and happenings across the web. Check back for more, and tell us what else you’re loving in the comments

We’re teaming up with food and garden bloggers to host Spring Fling 2011, a season-long garden party. In coming weeks, we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market.

While asparagus may be available year-round in your local supermarket, it peaks in April, making it ideal to serve on Easter Sunday. Our taste-buds spring into action when asparagus is roasted, sautéed or just stir-fried — each cooking method bringing out a subtle, nutty flavor.

Asparagus recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner »

Mother’s Day is less than 3 weeks away, what are you planning for the special mom in your life? Breakfast in bed? A tea party? An outdoor picnic? A card or a special gift? Or maybe all of the above. One gift she’d surely love is a copy of Food Network Magazine‘s new cookbook, Great Easy Meals. The New York Times best seller is loaded with easy weeknight dinner recipes and side dishes to pair with them, plus 10-minute dessert recipes, tips from the Food Network Kitchens, and peeks into the home kitchens of your favorite TV chefs.

You can order mom (or yourself!) a copy, but we’d like to give you a chance to win one for free! All you have to do is comment on this post with the dish(es) you’re planning on making the mom in your life for Mother’s Day, OR the dish your own mom made best. We’re giving away one copy of the cookbook to a randomly-selected, and very lucky commenter.

You may only comment once to be considered, and you don’t have to purchase anything to win; a purchase will not increase your chances of winning. Odds depend on total number of entries. Void where prohibited. Only open to legal residents of 50 U.S. states, DC or Puerto Rico,  and you must be at least 18 to win. All entries (comments) must be entered between 9 am ET on April 20th and 5pm ET on April 22nd. Subject to full official rules. Sponsor: Scripps Networks, LLC, 9721 Sherrill Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37932.

So tell us, what are you making for mom?

While ham will make its usual appearance on the dinner table this Easter, that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with it. Food Network Magazine shares four mix-and-match glazes with their classic glazed ham recipe to make your meal personal: Apple-Maple, Mustard-Orange, Hoisin-Spice and Pineapple-Apricot.

Get the recipe:  Classic Glazed Ham

Browse Food Network’s Easter menu, complete with recipes for all-day eating!

You’ve seen several of these elite chefs judge contestants on Food Network shows like Chopped, Worst Cooks in America and 24 Hour Restaurant Battle. Now, the tables will be turned. Ten new chefs will go knife-to-knife in the fourth season of The Next Iron Chef, set to premiering Sunday, October 30.

Putting their reputations on the line for a chance to compete in Kitchen Stadium are some of the nation’s most well known and best chefs, including Food Network’s and Cooking Channel’s own talent:

•    Anne Burrell – Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, Worst Cooks in America (Food Network)
•    Michael Chiarello – Bottega Restaurant (Napa Valley), Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello (Cooking Channel)
•    Elizabeth Falkner – Citizen Cake, Orson (San Francisco), Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)
•    Alex Guarnaschelli – Butter, The Darby (New York), Alex’s Day Off, Chopped (Food Network)
•    Chuck Hughes – Garde Manger (Montreal), Chuck’s Day Off (Cooking Channel), Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)
•    Robert Irvine – Robert Irvine’s eat! (Hilton Head Island), Dinner: Impossible, Restaurant: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America (Food Network)
•    Beau MacMillan – Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain (Phoenix), Challenge, Iron Chef America – challenger (Food Network)
•    Spike Mendelsohn – Good Stuff Eatery (Washington D.C.), Kelsey & Spike Cook (Food2.com)
•    Marcus Samuelsson – Red Rooster Harlem (New York), 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Chopped (Food Network)
•    Geoffrey Zakarian – The National, The Lambs Club (New York),  24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Chopped (Food Network)

Welcoming back to the judges table is the original Next Iron Chef Michael Symon, as well as esteemed food journalist Simon Majumdar — new to this season is UK Iron Chef Judy Joo.

The winner will join the ranks of chefs including Bobby Flay, Marc Forgione, Jose Garces, Masaharu Morimoto and Symon as a member of the Chairman’s team on Iron Chef America.

Who will you be rooting for? Tell us in the comments.

Related: A New ‘Star’ Will Be Born: The Return of Food Network Star