Mighty Goods: Food and Drink

Spice Gift Boxes

Penzey’s spice boxes make fantastic housewarming or wedding gifts. Prices and sizes vary. You can get a small package of four spices or go for broke with the Grand Spice gift crate that includes 19 spices. You can choose your spices based on the recipient’s cooking preferences: baking spices, Indian curries, grill and broil, spice, and several more.

$34 at Penzey's Spices | Buy

(For an eight-pack of spices.)

| Posted 19 Jan, 2005 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Tomales Bay Deluxe Collection

PERFECT PICNIC GUIDE

Cowgirl Creamery makes some dreamy cheeses. I feel nothing but tenderness for their Mt. Tam Triple-Cream Brie. It’s rich, indulgent, and ever so friendly. Cowgirl Creamery offers all kinds of cheese clubs, but my favorite product is their sampler pack of three tasty cheeses, all made in the Tomales Bay region. You’ll get the Mt. Tam, a bum-fortifying triple-cream brie, Point Reyes Original Blue, and Matos St. George cheddar. With this in your picnic basket, don’t bother with sandwiches.

$50 at Cowgirl Creamery | Buy

| Posted 10 Jan, 2005 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Mr. Beer Premium Edition Kit

Instant beer, just add water. Well, actually you have to wait a week for the beer, but you can make up to twenty bottles every week. You get a brew keg, beer mix, a booster, a recipe book, and eight plastic amber quart bottles with screw caps. Once you use up the malts and hops that come with the kit, you can buy additional blends separately. If you’ve ever wanted to brew your own beer, this kit will let you check out the process without a huge investment.

$40 at Target | Buy

| Posted 13 Dec, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Sofia Mini Blanc de Blanc

UNIQUE HOST GIFTS

Brilliant! I’m completely charmed by these flirty individual servings of bubbly. Ideal for celebration of personal triumphs. The design is entirely too persuasive. They come in a four-pack and have tiny telescoping straws attached to the sides. It’s the much giddier alternative to grabbing a six pack on your way to ladies night. Yes, you’re thinking, but does it taste like can? No. It’s actually quite good. I found it light, with a faint taste of green apples. If you like sparkling wines, you’ll enjoy this. I will say that when I tried sipping without the straw, I found the smell of the can a bit distracting. If you pour it into a glass, there’s no lingering aluminum scent. One can holds about two flutes’ worth. Finally, an inexpensive way to enjoy a glass of sparkling wine without ruining a whole bottle. I’m keeping a few in the fridge for Sunday-morning mimosas, but I expect to see the pink cans showing up for wedding toasts, bachelorettes, showers, beach picnics, and girls’ nights on the town. (Thanks, Amanda!)

$15 at Rosso & Bianco | Buy

| Posted 10 Dec, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Republic of Tea’s Ginseng Peppermint

I don’t usually like herbal teas, they tend to taste like a bunch of sticks floating in warm water. Glah. This ginseng peppermint tea, however, is tasty. It contains eleuthero (no idea), peppermint, cinnamon, licorice, and echinacea root. It’s minty, of course, and the licorice flavor isn’t discernable, but it leaves a sweet aftertaste in your mouth. If, like me, you’re bouncing off the walls from your five or six “nice cups of tea” a day, give this a try. It will mellow you right out.

$9 at Republic of Tea | Buy

| Posted 08 Dec, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Breakfast Basket Gift Pack

There’s something hilarious about a gift of meat, and Niman Ranch makes some seriously good meat. They’re known for their humane treatment of animals, feeding them all-natural food, and allowing them to mature, so there are no hormones in your food. Their Breakfast Basket Gift Pack includes award-winning applewood smoked bacon; two different breakfast sausages, thier original link and their maple link; two ham steaks; and 4 thinly sliced New York steaks. They have several other meat packages (if you will), I just especially like the idea of sending someone breakfast.

$105 at Niman Ranch | Buy

| Posted 03 Dec, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Dean and DeLuca Sugar Collection

Go all out for this year’s cookie-decorating party. These sugar crystals come in such brilliant, rich colors, you’ll want to eat them right out of the tin. (Don’t do that though, because then you’ll have colored-sugar mouth, and no one will want to use the sugar to decorate their cookies because they’ll know you licked the tins, which is totally gross.) A luxurious gift for bakers, or artists who need a good pallette for baking inspiration.

$35 at Dean and DeLuca | Buy

(Eight 7.2 oz tins.)

| Posted 29 Nov, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Molten Chocolate Cake Mix

You may not know a bundt pan from a garden rake, but if you can add water and melted butter to a mix, you can make this knee-weakening dessert. It’s a bittersweet chocolate cake with warm melted fudge in the center. If your mouth isn’t watering, you don’t deserve any. In fifteen minutes you get a dessert that will impress the toughest mother-in-law. A sound gift for the baking impaired.

$24 at Williams Sonoma | Buy

(Makes about ten cupcake-sized cakes.)

| Posted 24 Nov, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Gingerbread House Kit

Have you ever made a gingerbread house from scratch? Before you can get all Martha on the decorations, you have to put the thing together. You bake the walls, and then they crack into useless (albeit tasty) gingerbread shards. This 11”x19” gingerbread house arrives fully assembled, which means you skip the frustrating breakage, and go straight to the fun-filled gumdrop roof. The kit includes icing mix, coloring, and candy. Now all you have to do is pour yourself an eggnog and explore your artistic side.

$25 at Stonewall Kitchen | Buy

| Posted 18 Nov, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Lindemans Framboise Lambic

EASTER BASKETS FOR GROWN UPS

I don’t like beer. I’ve tried to like beer, really I have, but beer and I just aren’t friends. That means I end up drinking a lot of flat cider in bars where no one orders cider. On occasion, I’m thrilled to find a place that offers lambic, and Lindemans Framboise Lambic is my favorite. It’s a fruity, frothy, thirst-quenching yeast beverage. The Framboise is an ideal balance of sweet and tart, with a pleasant, mellow aftertaste. Like a complex, tipsy soda pop.

$6 at Beverages and More | Buy

(12 ounces)

| Posted 11 Nov, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Amarena Wild Cherries

CLASSIC HOST GIFTS

I tried these for the first time at a friend’s wedding. The groom was a bartender, and these were the cherries they used as drink garnishes. They are nothing like maraschino cherries. The texture is dense, and the cherries have a rich, fruity flavor. They’re preserved in thick syrup, and are fantastic as an ice cream or cheesecake topping. Or drop a single cherry into a fizzing glass of prosecco or your evening Manhattan. They’re incredibly hard to come by online (in fact the site I’m sending you to doesn’t even have a photo of the product), but you can pick them up at Italian grocers, and Beverages and More carries them on occasion. Such a treat.

$15 at A Taste of Italy Foods | Buy

(18 oz. jar)

| Posted 08 Nov, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Delicately Hot Caramel Dessert Sauce

TOKENS OF AFFECTION UNDER $15

Holy yum! Tina Tovey wrote in to tell me about this sneak-attack sauce, and I owe her one. At first it tastes exactly as you’d expect–a mild, silky caramel. The magic is in the aftertaste. Once the caramel flavor fades a bit, the sauce is spicy. In fact, it’s got quite a kick. So good, I felt like dancing around with my spoon. Eat some, these Cowgirls know their stuff.

$11 at Cowgirl Chocolates | Buy

(9.5 oz jar)

| Posted 02 Nov, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Clove Gum

This nostalgia gum is unique in that it actually leaves your mouth tasting better after you’ve spit it out. (Try that trick with some watermelon-flavored Bubble Yum.) It really does taste like cloves, though a mild, sweet and tingly version of the real thing. If you’re looking for a breath freshener that doesn’t leave you smelling like a candy cane, this is a good bet.

$1 at Candy Direct | Buy

| Posted 26 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Dagoba Dark Chocolate Lavender Bar

10 LITTLE LUXURIES UNDER $10

Dagoba makes all kinds of organic, flavored chocolates. They have mint, coffee cinnamon, and chai; but lavender is the best of the lot. The bar is 59 percent cocoa, and the lavender essence is offset with dried wild blueberries. The effect is a crisp, tart flavor undercut by the deep bittersweet of the chocolate. Sprinkle a few shavings atop a chocolate torte, or add a square or two to a cup of hot coco. The spicy aftertaste will win you.

$3 at World Wide Chocolate | Buy

($10 for a four-bar pack)

| Posted 20 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Dagoba Dark Chocolate Lavender Bar

Dagoba makes all kinds of organic, flavored chocolates. They have mint, coffee cinnamon, and chai; but lavender is the best of the lot. The bar is 59 percent cocoa, and the lavender essence is offset with dried wild blueberries. The effect is a crisp, tart flavor undercut by the deep bittersweet of the chocolate. Sprinkle a few shavings atop a chocolate torte, or add a square or two to a cup of hot coco. The spicy aftertaste will win you.

$3 at World Wide Chocolate | Buy

($10 for a four-bar pack)

| Posted 20 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Moravian Cookies

CLASSIC HOST GIFTS

A delicate afternoon treat with your tea, these crisp, wafer-thin cookies have been made with the same techniques since about 1766. They’re from a Moravian settlement “living museum” in Winston Salem, North Carolina. You can order the large tins in flavorful ginger or lemon, or order a variety pack that includes black walnut and sugar cookies.

$17 at Old Salem Online | Buy

| Posted 18 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Mrs. Richardson Butterscotch Caramel Topping

It is a complete pain in the rear to melt or make caramel for a sauce. Skip the sugar burning and the pan scouring, and pick up a jar of this dreamy sauce. In stores, you’ll find it with the ice cream toppings, but I use it on popcorn or as a dip. The next time you have friends over, cut up some apples. Then, pour a jar of Mrs. Richardson’s over a block of cream cheese to make an apple dip. Keep an extra jar on hand to spare guests the indignity of licking the bottom of the bowl.

$10 at Made in Rochester | Buy

(for a pack of three jars)

| Posted 14 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Candy Bubbles

These are so much fun! They work just like regular bubbles, except they’re made with concentrated flavoring so they taste good when you catch them in your mouth. (Don’t drink them though. Seriously, that’s not a good plan.) They come in grape or cherry, both of which pretty much taste like “sweet.” The fun part is running around the yard trying to get hold of one. The kids, and the family dog, will go nuts.

$3 at Fun for All Toys | Buy

| Posted 12 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Judy’s Sugar-Free Vanilla Caramels

Yum! Judy’s Candy Company sugar-free caramels taste as good (or better) than most regular caramel. Surprisingly, there’s no discernable fake-sugar aftertaste to alert the unsuspecting, and they’re diabetic friendly. Each caramel comes individually wrapped and is about the size of three Brachs caramels you’d get in a bin at the grocery store. They’re only 60 calories each, are light on carbs for the Atkins crowd, and they taste just as soft and creamy as the real thing.

$1 at Diabetic Friendly | Buy

(per piece)

| Posted 11 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Photo Cookies

These crack me up. They’re customized shortbread cookies with the photo of your choice printed on the icing. The ink is an edible food dye, and cookies come in rectangle, round, or heart shaped. They’re a little pricey, but they’d make fun wedding favors or birth announcements.

$42 at Mrs. Beasley's | Buy

(for a dozen)

| Posted 06 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Izze Sparkling Fruit Juices

Izzehh! (Well, actually it’s pronounced “iz-ee,” but I’m feeling enthusiastic.) It’s possible that I’ve been suckered in by the cool packaging, but these new sparkling fruit juices are tasty. They come in six flavors: blackberry, blueberry, clementine, lemon, pear, and grapefruit, which is my favorite. The carbonation and real-fruit flavors are satisfying when you’re really thirsty. If you don’t feel like having them shipped to your door, you can buy them for a bit less at Starbucks, Target, and Whole Foods Markets. (via Oprah’s O List)

$2 at Soda Pop Stop | Buy

| Posted 05 Oct, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Junipero Gin

CLASSIC HOST GIFTS

Junipero is a beautiful gin. It’s a pet project of the brewmaster at Anchor Steam in San Francisco, and is made by hand in a small, copper-pot still. Martini Republic’s description hits it on the head: “Clean but not light like Plymouth. It is smooth but not the least bit tame, the spices shining through and the finish leaving a bit of a tang in the nose. The aroma is not as strong as Sapphire, nor as mediciny as Bombay.” Pour it over some crisp ice, give a brief stir, and ease it into your martini glass. A breath of vermouth is all you’ll need. Now find someplace to put your feet up.

$32 at BevMo | Buy

| Posted 19 Sep, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Candy Cigarettes

EASTER BASKETS FOR GROWN UPS

Return to a time when parents gave their children cap guns, Cracker Jacks still had swallowable toys inside, and you could buy candy shaped like a carcinogen. Candy cigarettes sure take you back. They may taste like sugared chalk, but the nostalgia factor is off the charts. Lean against the nearest wall, dig for your imaginary lighter, and lift one to your lips. When the powdered-sugar smoke goes straight up your nose, double over in a fit of uncontrollable coughing. Now that’s satisfaction.

$6 at Candy Warehouse | Buy

| Posted 19 Sep, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Steep Teas

Tea is good for you. It warms you up, calms you down, and gets you good and thinky. Forget the mug of bitter black water with a limp Lipton bag stuck to the side. Bah! Treat yourself to a tidy little package of quality, whole-leaf tea that tastes as good as it makes you feel. Steep tea is a small, hip company made up of people who obviously love what they’re doing. They mix their own tasty blends, and the flavors are always changing. Steep also has a handy caffeine-content rating system, and their package design is amazing. Their variety packs have helped me figure out what kinds of teas and ingredients I prefer, and the sweet “tea matchboxes” make you feel like you’re opening a small present every time you brew yourself a cup. Try some. You will like it.

$20 at Steep Tea | Buy

(for a selection of teas)

| Posted 15 Sep, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason

Candy Cigarettes

Return to a time when parents gave their children cap guns, Cracker Jacks still had swallowable toys inside, and you could buy candy shaped like a carcinogen. Candy cigarettes sure take you back. They may taste like sugared chalk, but the nostalgia factor is off the charts. Lean against the nearest wall, dig for your imaginary lighter, and lift one to your lips. When the powdered-sugar smoke goes straight up your nose, double over in a fit of uncontrollable coughing. Now that’s satisfaction.

$6 at Candy Warehouse | Buy

(24-count box)

| Posted 30 Aug, 2004 in Food and Drink by Margaret Mason