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Holiday Gift Guide: Gift Ideas for Espresso Coffee Lovers

Espresso drinkers are sometimes a different breed of coffee drinkers. 800-Espresso.com features a wide selection of espresso makers, grinders and even ice cream makers, all from Italy. Shop for manufacturers like La Pavoni, Saeco, Gaggia, Capresso, Gelato, and Lussino. Also, browse through their selection of espresso cups, tableware, and other accessories.

Illy Coffee also has great gift ideas for espresso lovers. Give a monthly Casa Espresso Membership, and lucky recipients get an espresso machine by FrancisFrancis or Pasquini, a set of cappuccino cups, and a fresh supply of espresso sent monthly. See all the Illy cup collections and other gift ideas at www.illyusa.com.

November 30, 2003 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Christmas | Permalink | Comments (0)

Holiday Gift Guide: Brew Your Own Beer at Home with The Beer Machine

Brew your own beer at home? The Beer Machine makes it easy. Fitting inside your refrigerator, you can make your own homemade beer in just 10 days. This could be the ideal Christmas gift for the beer loving guy who loves cooking and tinkering around the house. Beer mixes from around the world are available from light to dark ales, lagers to honey beers to porters.

Click here for The Beer Machine

November 27, 2003 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, All Things Wine | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Christmas Treat - Tamales

The tradition of making tamales during the Christmas season is like holiday cookie baking for some. If you're not lucky enough to have friends bestow you with their homemade goodies, you can always get your tamales from our neighborhood local favorite, Corn Maiden Tamales. This Los Angeles kitchen specializes in tamales that boast being "Hand Made, Hand Tied, No Lard, No Preservatives, No Kidding". Order them online and get these delicious tamales delivered via FedEx overnight.

Choose from over 20 different tamales and a variety of sauces--our favorites include roasted green chile and smoked gouda, black bean and red jalapeno with mozzarella, and a lobster and coconut and ginger tamale. Corn Maiden also offers an assortment of dessert tamales. Enjoy.

November 26, 2003 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Special Delivery | Permalink | Comments (0)

Choosing Wine for Your Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner

Looking for wine choices to go with Thanksgiving dinner? Here's a selection of turkey and wine pairing links from our friends at thefoodsection.com.

November 24, 2003 in All Things Wine, Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (0)

Turkey Carving Tips

Since Thanksgiving comes around once a year, not everyone is a pro at carving a turkey. If you need a refresher, you might like some quick carving tips from Gourmet Magazine's website.

November 22, 2003 in Kitchen & Cooking Tips, Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Twist on Thanksgiving Stuffing and More

Thanksgiving stuffing can be as traditional or untraditional as you imagine. To experiment and explore, Better Homes and Gardens offers a few unique versions of your traditional Thanksgiving turkey stuffing.

For a variety of other Thanksgiving recipes, Food and Wine Magazine's website offers an extensive listing of Thanksgiving articles and recipes covering turkey, appetizers, desserts, wine pairings, and holiday entertainment tips.

Daily Olive Special - Save on Food and Gourmet Magazines!

November 21, 2003 in Cooking, Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (0)

Win a Wine Country Weekend for Two at Domaine Chandon

Domaine Chandon is giving away two wine country getaways for two to Napa Valley. Winners will get airfare, accomodations, car rental, dinner at Restaurant at Domaine Chandon and tour of the Domaine Chandon Winery. Residents of CA, TN, and UT are not eligible. Click here to enter.

November 21, 2003 in Contests | Permalink | Comments (0)

TurkeyHelp.com - All About Turkey from Cook's Illustrated

Our favorite cooking magazine, Cook's Illustrated, has published a new minisite all about Thanksgiving turkey. Appropriately called TurkeyHelp.com, the site has everthing you ever needed to know about buying, preparing, cooking, and carving your Thanksgiving turkey. As thorough as their magazine articles, you find the same comprehensive detail and knowledge on this great holiday resource.

November 18, 2003 in Christmas, Cooking, Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (0)

Holiday Recipe: Cajun Deep Fried Turkey

Each year it seems we hear more about people deep frying their Thanksgiving turkey. So this year, we set out to find out about this Cajun tradition of deep frying turkeys.

We found excellent articles about turkey frying in general--"Deep-fried Turkey" from Texas A&M University, and another from native New Orleanian Chuck Taggarts' website The Gumbo Pages. And another site called Jim's Cajun Deep-Fried Turkey Page, comes with pictures of a fryer set-up in Jim's driveway.

Of course, we have to include a fried turkey recipe from Emeril, the star of Food TV.

Related Link: Turk N' Surf Electric Turkey Fryer

November 14, 2003 in Cooking, Holidays, Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (0)

Roasting Chestnuts for the Holidays

Whether you're listening to Bing croon a few "chestnut" tunes or you're wanting to snuggle up in front of the fireplace, roasting chestnuts over an open fire is the perfect pastime. Delmarvelous Chestnuts from Delaware offers two pounds for $14.50 or $30 for five pounds. See their assortment of chestnut gift baskets too!

November 12, 2003 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Food, Holidays, Special Delivery | Permalink | Comments (1)

Holiday Gift Idea: Photo Cookies

Looking for a unique gift idea for a birth announcement, wedding or anniversary favor? Or maybe you're looking for a corporate gift?? Mrs. Beasley's offers the perfect solution--photo image cookies! Your photo is printed with edible ink on sugar paper and glazed onto a shortbread cookie, simply amazing!

November 11, 2003 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Holidays, Special Delivery | Permalink | Comments (0)

Holiday Recipe: Cranberry Sparkler

With the holidays fast approaching we've found the perfect cocktail--the Cranberry Sparkler. Food & Wine's Grace Parisi has created a cocktail showcasing Stoli's Cranberry Vodka.

-- 1/4 c vodka
-- 2 tablespoons of lime juice
-- 2 tablespoons of Rose's lime juice
-- splash of seltzer
-- serve over ice with cranberries and lime

With this great tasting cocktail in hand, it's easy to have one too many! Remember to be safe this holiday season!

November 10, 2003 in Holidays | Permalink | Comments (0)

Walking and Eating Tours in France and Italy

Love to eat? Love to travel? Walking adventure touring company, Classic Journeys, offers great getaways with three cooking and walking tours in Italy and France. You can take in the Tuscan countryside, go wine and olive oil tasting, and learn a few cooking techniques while on the Taste of Tuscany tour. Or treat yourself getting to know the Amalfi Coast in Amalfi, Al Buon Gusto! tour visiting Positano, the Isle of Capri and Pompeii. Or, if your tastes lean more toward France, the south of France to be more exact, then Cooking in Provence is perfect for you! Spend a week in an 18th century chateau while you take walking tours, visit the weekly markets and enjoy wine tasting tours...does it get any better than this?

November 8, 2003 in Food & Wine Country Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanksgiving Countdown - A Cook's Guide

FoodTv.com helps us prepare for Thanksgiving dinner and hopefully make it a bit less stressful with their Thanksgiving Countdown list. For virgin Thanksgiving hosts, this list is a godsend. For veterans, it might be old hat but always a good reminder.

November 3, 2003 in Cooking, Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (0)