Once upon a time I found a bag of heaven (aka cinnamon chips) at … well I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I found this beautiful baking treasure at Wal-Mart. Since then I’ve never happened upon these decadent little additions in a single brick and mortar store, but thankfully they are available online. The Gods at King Arthur Flour apparently have them in droves. I can’t wait to stock up and sprinkle them liberally in cookies, scones, and maybe even a muffin or two. If you haven’t tried these before I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised. Cinnamon Chips truly dress up baked goods with a unique flavor that we aren’t exposed to very often and are the perfect accompaniment to holiday goodies.
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Food
Phillips Candy House is Boston’s oldest chocolatier and this Fall they’ve concocted a decadent dessert of epic proportions. Trust me when I say that their brilliant combination of a hearty melt-in-your mouth slice of pumpkin fudge nestled on a bed of dark chocolate crust is to-die-for. It’s certainly a unique experience to dig into an enormous wedge of spiced fudge with a knife and fork. If I were you I’d order these treats for the Thanksgiving table in lieu of all those more traditional (aka ho-hum) fruit pies. Like all of the other lovely pumpkin products that come out each Fall this fabulous fudge will only be available for a limited time so don’t dawdle or you’ll miss your chance for a killer sugar high.
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I’m not much for pie, unless it’s pumpkin. And then I’m a total freak about it. So when I tell you Edy’s/Dreyer’s Slow Churned Pumpkin ice cream (with 50% less fat and 30% fewer calories than regular ice cream ) might be better than the real thing, it’s serious. Love at first bite, the flavor of this beautiful, orange-hued ice cream was exactly as I imagined; it was like some test kitchen genius mashed up a creamy, richly-spiced slice of pumpkin pie, threw in a generous dollop of whipped cream for good measure, and then transformed it all into a scrumptious, cool concoction. I scream, you scream. This fall, we can all scream for pumpkin pie ice cream … but only for a limited time. When the falling leaves disappear, so does this flavor. Available through November, look for Edy’s/Dreyer’s Slow Churned Pumpkin in your grocer’s frozen dairy case. Note: This ice cream is branded as “Dreyer’s” west of The Rockies and as “Edy’s” east of The Rockies.
I’ve been lucky enough to be a beta tester for the TCHO line of delicious chocolate products over the last year. Every few months just the right amount of scrumptious rich chocolate arrives on my doorstep and I get to taste it and make comments before it’s released to the public. In the past I’ve chopped up bars to use in cookies but now you don’t have to with the public release of the TCHOPro Organic Fair Trade Baking Drops. From the TCHO creators:
TCHOPro Organic Fair Trade Baking Drops are a meticulously formulated 66% or 68% cacao blend with TCHO’s characteristic flavor obsession that performs to the highest technical standards. Now available to serious home chefs. TCHO Baking Drops are the exact formulations we developed for food professionals in our TCHOPro line—and are now being used by leading chefs and chocolatiers across the country.
Flavor Notes: Intense chocolatey flavor, mid-tones of berry and a nice caramel finish.
If you decide to try their baking drops for yourself might I suggest a tried and true cookie recipe?
I don’t usually advocate things of the “slice and bake” nature but all bets are off when said cookies are stamped with adorable grinning pumpkins. Admittedly, they don’t taste as good as homemade, but kids will absolutely gobble up a plate of these treats without any questions asked. Plus there’s very little clean-up and you’ll feel comfortable allowing them to help you bake this quick dessert. Besides, everyone knows that ready-to-bake cookies are the gateway to a life long love of baking at home. First you unwrap and slice and before you know it you’re obsessed with the idea of making puff pastry from scratch.
I found the new special edition Stonyfield Farm Pumpkin Pie Yogurt in my Whole Foods a few weeks ago, bought four cups, and savored each one thoroughly. Well…except for the one that Chris took to work with him and then forgot in his bag all day and had to throw away. I wouldn’t make such a big deal out of his momentary lapse in memory except now I can’t find it anywhere. This makes me so sad because this new yogurt is amazing! It really does taste just like pumpkin pie. In fact, I don’t even really like pumpkin pie but I was all over this. It’s spicy, creamy, and only has 170 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per cup. I think that’s probably equal to one bite of traditional pie. Please let me know in the comments if you’ve been able to find this product in your local store. It’s scheduled to be out in the world until December 2009 and then it will go back into the Stonyfield vault to make way for a new seasonal flavor.
Did you know that there’s a canned pumpkin shortage this year? Pretty freaky, right? I bought four cans of pumpkin last week and this week the Libby’s Pumpkin is no where to be found. There’s a big supply of canned squash instead. Obviously canned squash isn’t really going to cut it in all of those pumpkin bread, muffin, and cookie recipes. Not to even mention the disaster Thanksgiving would be if we didn’t have at least one pumpkin pie on the table. So what are you waiting for? Go forth and pillage some pumpkin before it’s too late!
Hailing from Maine I know a thing or two about L.L. Bean. As a child I relished watching all of the fish swimming in their indoor ponds during our frequent trips to the flagship store in Freeport, and I also worked for L.L. Bean during college. As I grew older my interests changed from aquariums to kitchens though and my favorite part of the store became the “Home” section. This pretty yet functional bag of goodies is a classic example of the fabulous finds you can uncover in-store. I tend to end up having a “one for you” and “one for me” mentality when it comes to gift sets and this Down East Breakfast Tote is no exception. With the holidays right around the corner, and department stores already forcing aisles of Christmas lights on us, now just might be the perfect time to stock up on Secret Santa and Hostess gifts. I simply can’t imagine anyone turning up their nose at buttermilk pancakes served with blueberry syrup, especially when made from a Stonewall Kitchen mix.
I have it on very good authority that Sahale Snacks are out-of-this-world-you-must-eat-the-whole-bag-in-one-sitting good. They’re reportedly wonderful on salads or simply by the handful. The founders of Sahale snacks endeavored to combine all-natural ingredients with inspired flavor combinations. Just read the descriptions of their glazed nut line and I think you’ll have to agree that they’ve more than succeed in their goal: Almonds with cranberries, honey, and sea salt, Almonds with peanuts and berries (affectionately referred to as Almond PB&J) and Cashews with pomegranate and vanilla. Mr. Peanut has nothing on these gourmet goodies!
[Product Submitted via Carrie].
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I’m a Yogi tea addict and with the release of their new line of breakfast products I’m well on my way to becoming a Yogi cereal convert as well. I’m not an easy sell. In fact, I don’t even like cherries, but their Cherry Almond Crunch Cereal makes me a bit giddy. Would I lead you astray? Believe me, if I can eat a cereal that contains oats, barley, spelt, amaranth, and quinoa with nary a Crunch Berry in site, and actually enjoy it then so can you.
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