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An outbreak of salmonella in eggs has prompted a nationwide recall and lead to hospitalizations in counties across the U.S., including in California, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Since May, at least 266 people across the state have become ill after eating contaminated eggs. Federal and state public health and agriculture officials led an ongoing investigation that traced a strain of salmonella, Salmonella enteritidis, back to eggs distributed by Wright County Egg in Galt, Iowa.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that the Iowa distributor had voluntarily recalled the eggs--228 million total--Friday. The recalled brands include Lucerne, Albertsons, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps. They feature plant numbers 1026, 1413 and 1946. They also include date numbers from 136 to 225, which translate into sell-by dates between May 16 and August 13. The eggs are packed in varying sizes of cartons (6-egg, 12-egg, 18-egg).

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Many thanks to LA Observed for this one, a remarkable YouTube clip featuring Faye Dunaway in a Japanese commercial by photographer Kazumi Kurigami, in which the legendary actress peels and eats a hard-boiled egg. Does she do anything else? She does not. She does not have to. Faye Dunaway could assemble and eat a box of cardboard and it would be beautiful. Go grab an egg salad sandwich at Euro Pane and rent Bonnie and Clyde on Netflix. It's probably as close as you're going to get.

Although many of us played with Easter eggs and celebrated the start of baseball season yesterday, the White House will be officially doing both of those things today. This morning the White House is holding the 2010 Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn: watch the live stream below. And later today President Obama will throw out the first pitch of the season at the Washington Nationals' home opener. (The first game of the season took place yesterday, with the Yankees losing to the Red Sox at Fenway.) Let's hope Obama takes a cigarette break instead of eating a bunch of Easter candy before he takes the mound. Calm down. That's a joke.

The President and First Lady have announced that this year's Egg Roll will promote health and wellness, to coincide with Michelle Obama's national campaign to combat childhood obesity. The event will feature live music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and Easter egg rolling. None of those jelly beans and chocolate eggs for you either! And remember that you can always practice your fastball with those hard boiled eggs if you don't need the extra cholesterol.

LA Weekly Flickr Pool Member: A.C. Thamer

Every New Year is a time for contemplation, resolution and for celebrating the infinite possibilities of the next 365 days. But for many, the end of one year marks the chance for limitless imbibing in the new year.

As we prepare for the leap into a new decade, we offer you this sage advice: hydrate often, don't mix drinks, and eat something substantial before you start celebrating. And for those New Year's revelers that refuse to exercise restraint, we suggest you bookmark this handy list of 2010 hangover cures. We have a feeling you're gonna need it.

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Photo credit: John Scheele

Lora Hall and her chicken, Peckerella

Lora Hall needed guidance when her chicken got sick. The Echo Park gardener had been keeping several in her backyard for more than a year, but she'd never handled a serious illness. What was the most humane way to put a sick chicken down? Her friends couldn't tell her. Neither could her chicken-owning neighbors, Homegrown Evolution bloggers Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne.

"When your chickens get sick, it isn't like dealing with a cat or dog," says Hall. Sure, pet chickens have become increasingly popular among city folks over the past few years, what with the locavore movement, but there's not much in the way of a local community where people can gather and get fowl advice. That's why Hall started a Meetup.com group, Los Angeles Urban Chicken Enthusiasts, which will convene every month in a different chicken's yard. For this Saturday's introductory potluck, both current and aspiring owners are invited to bring questions and dishes (which can contain eggs as long as they're not from a supermarket).

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If you're used to the boxes of blindingly white eggs that you get grocery stores--a dozen at a time in production-line rows, sometimes stamped, often tasteless--fresh eggs can be revelatory. Farmer Peter Schaner's eggs, which he sells at farmers markets, are definitely so, in taste and size and color. Schaner sells a lot more than chicken eggs too. The little ones in the front are Ringneck pheasant eggs, khaki-colored and with shells so thick that Schaner said I could carry them home in my pocket. The pretty multi-colored larger eggs in the front are chicken eggs from Rhode Island reds and Araucana chickens, a Chilean Indian breed. The smaller dappled ones in back are Guinea hen eggs; the pale mid-sized eggs to the right of them are from Blue Swedish ducks. And the gorgeous speckled eggs on the left in the back are Bourbon Red turkey eggs, a breed which comes from--you guessed it--Bourbon County, Kentucky.

Photo credit: Amy Scattergood

Schaner Family Farms' assorted eggs

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