Oh God, these are gooood! That’s exactly what I said moments after biting into a limited-edition, red-and-white striped, Hershey’s Candy Cane Kiss. It must be true what they say, that good things come in small packages, because these scrumptious mints in classic kiss shapes are positively divine. Flavored with mint and swirled with attractive red ribbons, candy cane kisses—which are made from a creamy fondant—melt in your mouth, but include sprinklings of tiny, red nonpareils to add a satisfying crunch. I passed these around the workplace and the vote was unanimous: Hershey must’ve figured out how to put invisible halos of mistletoe over our heads, because none of us could get enough of these Christmas-themed kisses!
Attention fitness-minded foodies: it’s not just chocolatiers and gourmet gift basket makers who are jumping on the seasonal flavor bandwagon. Clif Bar—the best-selling energy and endurance brand in grocery and natural food stores—is spicing up the holidays with a trio of limited-edition energy bars. Made with wholesome organic ingredients and free of trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives, the seasonal release of Clif Bars in Cranberry Orange Nut Bread, Spiced Pumpkin Pie, and Iced Gingerbread flavors makes for a healthy way to enjoy the classic tastes of the holiday season. To pick up these bars (which have the mouth-feel of a cookie) as a special treat for yourself or as a stocking stuffer for athletes and active friends and family, order online or check out the health food and energy bar aisle at your favorite grocer.
Let’s ponder for a second the possibility that maybe this year Santa doesn’t want you to set out milk and cookies for his annual trip down your chimney. Perhaps the big guy will go into sugar shock somewhere over the Pacific Ocean and he’d simply relish a small break from sprinkles and chocolate chips? If you think this might even be a remote possibility then might I suggest a well-timed bowl of piping hot Snowman Macaroni and Cheese should be left fireside instead? While all of that gooey Gruyère certainly wont lessen Santa’s waistline one bit it will definitely perk him up for the long toy delivery journey ahead.
Be still my eggnog loving heart! King Arthur Flour sells a professional-quality flavoring that will apparently knock your baking socks right off. I just adore eggnog and I’m simply over the moon with thoughts of waffles, muffins, cookies, cakes, and even candies spiced with this unique essence. So order a bottle and get your teaspoon ready. The holiday treat experiments you could whip-up with this simple addition are endless.
Maggie of the fabulous website Eat Boutique has bundled together an amazing array of New England centric products perfect for holiday giving. All of the items are hand-crafted from artisans who care about authenticity and old-fashioned hospitality.
This unique giftbox holds the following sweet and savory treats:
- Taza Chocolate Covered Almonds, 8 ounce package
- Taza Chocolate Covered Nibs, sweet 2 ounce package
- Lark Fine Foods Salted Rosemary Shortbread, 7.5 ounce package
- Lark Fine Foods Mighty Gingers, spicy 8.5 ounce package
- Q’s Nuts Sweet & Sassy Pecans, 5 ounce package
- Q’s Nuts Key Lime Coconut Ginger Cashews, 3 ounce package
- Hutchinson’s Candy Famous Fudge, 15 ounce package
- Silverbrook Farm Pear Ginger Jam, luscious 8 ounce jar
The New England Giftbox offer is very reasonably priced at only $65 per set. However, there is a limited supply so place your order now! I’m positive they will sell out quickly.
I’m a sucker for anything with Victorian roots during the holidays. Which is probably why I try to read A Christmas Carol every year — or at least watch a version, even if it is just the Muppet one. Everyone knows about Christmas Crackers and Wassail but have you ever heard of the Peppermint Pig?
According to legend, this tradition began in Saratoga Springs back in the early 1880s. A pig, revered as a symbol of good health, happiness, and prosperity was made from hard peppermint candy. After a holiday supper it was broken in a cloth bag and the pieces were shared by all in the hopes of good fortune for the coming year.
Doesn’t this sound like an adorable addition to your family’s holiday? I think this pink pig will definitely have to make an appearance at my home this year. We can use all the good luck we can get!
Three years ago while shopping for holiday decorations at Target I happened upon a stack of Thomas Cranberry Bagels on an end aisle display. You could smell the fruit through the wrapper! Those bagels were seriously calling my name so of course I had to buy them. I still fondly remember eating my first one for breakfast (with sensible whipped cream cheese — because these are definitely not diet food) almost every day that week, and then I promptly went back to Target and bought two more packages so that I could freeze them. I then continued to eat them throughout the holidays.
Since then I’ve made it a point to stock up on these favorite limited edition breakfast items and I advise you to do the same. Everyone needs all the help they can get on cold Monday mornings and these delicious bagels absolutely do the trick. Thomas also makes Cranberry Toasting Bread and English Muffins if that’s more your breakfast style. But hurry! These wont be on the shelves for long.
Everyone has their lazy weeknight meals. For some this involves a drive-thru window and a uniformed attendant inquiring, “If you want fries with that.” Personally, I try to avoid the fastest of fast food and do my best to only indulge in such cravings under extreme circumstance (i.e. long road trips on the highway, being stuck in the airport for hours, and of course killer hangovers).
While I’m not a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, over the years I’ve found that one of my favorite fix-it fast foods are the veggie burgers from Amy’s Kitchen. My personal preference is for the California Veggie Burgers which are made from a well-seasoned blend of grains, organic vegetables, mushrooms, and walnuts. I heat a patty, add a slice of pepper jack cheese and enclose it all on a freshly toasted whole wheat bun. I’ll generally serve this alongside a dish of couscous sprinkled with a little feta, basil, and sliced cherry tomatoes. The whole enterprise probably takes 10 minutes to make and is always satisfying and very tasty.
Amy’s Kitchen features a unique line of excellent veggie burgers ranging from the spicy Texas burger to the more hearty Quarter Pound version so I’m certain you’ll be able to find a style that suits your tastes and time restraints.
After reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life I fell thoroughly in love with her family’s inspiring year-long adventure in living the locavore lifestyle. In case you aren’t already aware locavores are people who only consume locally grown foods. The entire Kingsolver family worked tirelessly raising various farm animals, tending a large garden, and canning food for the winter month. Their efforts were truly awe inspiring.
One of my favorite takeaways from the novel was the notion that you can make your own cheese at home. I realize this is a no-brainer to most people but honestly I hadn’t really given the notion much thought, however, after reading about the process I became fascinated. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle suggested looking up Ricki Carroll online at the New England Cheese Making Supply Company for at home kits and supplies. While I’ve yet to order a kit for myself I did give one to my grandmother for Christmas last year. This year I’m going to ask Santa to put one under the tree for me. I think making my own homemade mozzarella and ricotta sounds like the perfect way to spend the holiday break from the office, don’t you?
One year my mother and I made a homemade Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. After spending the good part of an afternoon creating our cake we finally finished and placed it on the porch to harden the icing. Then we proceeded to get ready to go to my grandmother’s for Christmas Eve.
