DailyOlive.com

A Food & Wine Gift Guide

Stainless Steel Cheese Slicer

Try this stylish cheese slicer made of stainless steel that uses a wire to cut the perfect slice of cheese.  German design.

Cheese Slicer  |  $22 at UncommonGoods.com

For Your Next Wine Tasting Party from RedEnvelope.com

Turn your next wine party into a first-class event. Wine bottles are slipped into faux-suede wine bags with charms labeling them one through four. After tasting each wine, guests write their descriptions on scorecards. Even if no one correctly identifies the wine, engaging conversation is guaranteed, and everyone will leave with a better grasp of the facets of wine tasting.

Wine Tasting Party Kit  |  $75 at RedEnvelope.com

Modern Holiday Cards & Invitations

Special Promo - Free Pashimina with $125 order

Our friends at Fabulous Stationery let us know that they have a great holiday special running right now.  Order $125 of their custom imprinted cards and get a free Pashimina scarf (value $100) with your order.

We featured Fabulous Stationery before because we love their contemporary greeting card designs and custom imprinting service.  Check out their holiday invites and cards.

Ideas for Wine Gift Baskets

Wine gift baskets have become a popular way to show your appreciation to friends, party hosts, clients, and colleagues.  Here's a quick selection of some great wine gift baskets.

• Tour the Wine Country Gift Basket
• Executive Selection Wine Gift Pack
• California Wine Tasting Gift Basket
• Celebration Box with Sparkling Wine Gift Basket

See more wine gift ideas:  Wine Country Gifts   |  Gift Baskets  |  Great for Gifts  | Wine Collections

Bestselling Cookbooks - Week of November 7 2005

From our friends at ecookbooks.com, here's their bestselling cookbooks this week--

1. America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook - by Cook's Illustrated Editors - Many years in the making, this comprehensive cookbook delivers more than 1,...
2. Baker's Tour - by Nick Malgieri - 100 delectable recipes for cookies, cakes, breads, ...
3. America's Best Recipes 2005-2006 - forward by Mario Batali - Every year The Best American Recipes is chosen by critics as one of the nation's top cookbooks. ...
4. Best Recipes in the World - by Mark Bittman - Mark Bittman traveled the world to find and bring back the best recipes of home cooks from 44 countries. ...
5. Charcuterie - forward by Thomas Keller - Charcuterie, a culinary specialty that originally referred to the creation of pork products such as salami, ...
6. Cooking at Home with America's Test Kitchen - by America's Test Kitchen - Watching a celebrity chef prepare a recipe on TV can be alot of fun, ...
7. DVD French Chef with Julia Child - by Julia Child - Chefs of all ages and abilities can share Julia's love of fine French food and learn to cook some of her most-loved dishes with this special collection of 18 episodes from her original series. ...
8. Everyday Italian - by Giada De Laurentiis - Charming, gorgeous, and extremely talented, Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian...
9. Fast Food My Way - Jacques Pepin - Cooks in a hurry...

Gourmet Chocolate Bars with Classic Creme Fillings

Chocolate Bar NYC introduces Retro Chocolate Bars made with their finest gourmet chocolate and filled with flavors inspired by "broadwalk candy stores".  Creme flavors include Salted Pretzel, Key Lime Pie, Peanut Butter Caramel, Coconut Cream Pie, Malted Milk, Caramel Apple, and Raspberry Jam.  Available individually or in a chocolate gift box.

Purchase Retro Chocolate Bars directly from their website at ChocolateBarNYC.com.

via Wallpaper.com

Decorate your holiday parties with Candela ambients

Just in time for your holiday parties.  Decorate your Thanksgiving and Christmas parties with a Candela 10-pack of rechargable lights.

Candela Pro 10 Lamp Set |  $399 via Amazon.com

Decant your wines easily with the Wine Funnel

Need a quick and effective way to decant your wine?  The Wine Funnel aerates your wine into e into eight separate streams helping smooth out its tannic flavor and improve the taste.  European design also includes a stainless steel filter to catch bits of cork and sediment.

Wine Funnel   |  $20 at UncommonGoods.com

New York Bagels & Lox Gift Basket

Missing New York City?  Give yourself or close New York loved one a gift basket of New York bagels and lox. 

Zabars puts it all together the right way with their NYC Essentials Gift Basket.  You'll get an assortment of fresh-baked New York bagels, Zabar's Nova lox, plain and scallion cream cheese, Zabar's chocolate babka & rugelach, almond biscuits, Perugina Baci chocolate bar, and a pound of Zabar's ground coffee.  It's a gift basket any New Yorker or NY foodie would love.

NYC Essentials Gift Basket  |  $179 Next Day Air from Zabars.com

A Retro Wine Rack - The Wine Knot

The Wine Knot is designed by New York based design firm called Mint.  Made of birch and walnut plywood, the Wine Knot is a different take on the standard boxy wine rack designs out there.

Wine Knot Wine Rack  |  $100 at GreenerGrassDesign.com

Mario Batali Panini Grill

Make panini at home with this stove top cast-iron panini grill and press from Mario Batali.

Mario Batali Panini Grill  |  $79 at Sur la Table

Free Subscription to Gourmet or Bon Appetit Magazine

Order $50 or more from eCookbooks.com, and you'll get a free one year subscription to either Gourmet Magazine or Bon Appetit.

Visit eCookbooks.com to shop over 11,000 cookbook titles.

Homemade Pumpkin Creme Marshmallows from Pete's Gourmet

Pete's Gourmet Marshmallows, called by Bon Appetit "a modern miracle", adds a seasonal twist to their marshmallows.  Give a box of pumpkin creme marshmallows covered with white and dark chocolate this Halloween.

Pumpkin Creme Marshmallows  |  $19 at Pete's Gourmet

Champagne Housewarming Toolbox Gift

This perfect housewarming gift includes an issue of Dwell Magazine and set of basic tools including a hammer, screwdriver, flashlight, extension cord, and tape measure.  Oh yes, of course, there's also a bottle of champagne, gourmet cookies, chocolate and more--all in a classic red toolbox.  A Lemonade Housewarming Toolbox is also available.

Champagne Housewarming Toolbox  |  $120 at elsewares.com

Preserve Memories with a Dinner Party Journal

Use Pamela Barsky's Dinner Party Journal to keep track of what you served, who were your guests, and any interesting or controversial conversations that happened.  Over the years, you'll have a great record of all your dinner parties.  A Wine Journal and Restaurant Journal are also available.

Dinner Party Journal  |  $28 at PamelaBarsky.com

UK Tea, Food, and Gifts Are Popular

Seems like Americans have been buying many British tea and food products online to send to their friends either in the UK or back in the US.  If you're American, and visit BritishMailOrder.com, you're part of the 30% of that site's traffic according to CEO Stan Googe.

Whether you're and ex-pat or have some fond memories of a recent trip there, get your fix for HP Sauce, Colmans, Weetabix, PG Tips, Typhoo, Bisto Gravy Granules, OXO Cubes, Branston Pickle and Marmite from online retailers found at BritishMailOrder.com.

Jeni's Fresh Ice Cream from Ohio

Enjoy this local Ohio ice cream maker's creations with fresh ice creams shipped right to your door.  Jeni's Fresh Ice Cream offers many unique flavors -- most of them local to Ohio.  Enjoy some current seasonal favorites like Sweet Corn and Blueberries, Pumpkin 5-Spice, and Ohio Black Walnut.  Plus these flavors catch our eye - Salty Caramel, Cocoa Zinfandel, Kentucky Bourbon and Buttered Pecans, and Apricot Sorbet.   Or order their Chocoluxe package of 6 chocolate flavors (pictured above).

Owner Jeni Britton was just named to Food and Wine Magazines' 2005 Tastemaker Awards winner.

Order online direct from Jeni's Fresh Ice Cream.

Ita - Brazilian Agate Serving Plates

Polished agate "slices" from Brazil make perfect serving plates for your next party.

Also available in smaller coaster size pieces.

Brazilian Agate Plates  |  $65 at Les Cadeaux Gourmets

Egg & Muffin Toaster

We're not too sure what to think of the Back to Basics Egg & Muffin Toaster.  It screams "Runaway Gift for Christmas 2005", but it can easily become a white elephant gift too.  See it in action in the toaster video demonstration.

Any Daily Olive readers out there who own one?  Share your opinions with us.

Egg & Muffin Toaster   |  $39 at Amazon.com

Elegant Olive Oil and Honey Jars

These beautifully shaped jars by Sili use either a silicone brush or dipper to dispense oil or honey.  The stainless steel cover has a silicone seal to keep the contents protected.

Sili Honey Dipper &  Sili Olive Oil Jar  |  $28 each at Chiasso.com

Taste Test Your Wine with a Clef du Vin

Using a Clef du Vin, or "wine key", helps simulate the passage of time on a bottle of a wine.  Dipped in a glass of wine one second for every year of aging desired, the metal alloy speeds the oxidation process changing the wine's taste, in effect mimicking the effect of cellaring.  Wine collectors will use the Clef du Vin to predict how well a bottle may age helping them decide which wines are worth keeping and when their ideal drinking age will be. 

Clef du Vin Pocket Wine Tasting Tool |  $99 at WineEnthusiast.com

Perfect Christmas Gift for a wine lover--Clef du Vin Wine Tasting Tool built into a classic Chateau Laguiole Corkscrew

Serve a Pumpkin Shaped Cake for Your Halloween Party

Serve your Halloween party guests this special pumpkin cake from Dean & Deluca--a layered cake with spice butter and chocolate fudge shaped like a pumpkin!

Pumpkin Cake by Dean & Deluca  |  $110 at Dean & Deluca

The French Chef DVD with Julia Child

French Chef DVD with Julia Child plus Bonus "Cooking Under Fire" --
An eCookbooks.com Exclusive

See Julia Child in 18 of her original PBS French Chef episodes.  Long before there was Emeril, Wolfgang, or Rachel Ray, there was Julia, and part of the joy was laughing along with her bloopers when things didn't exactly go right.

Entertaining, fun, and real in a way that influenced every television cooking program that followed, The French Chef embraced Julia’s passion for food and teaching and reflected her joie de vivre: “If I can do it, you can do it…and here’s how to do it!”

The French Chef DVD with Julia Child  |  $28 (30% off) at eCookbooks.com
includes exclusive bonus "Cooking Under Fire"

Continue reading "The French Chef DVD with Julia Child"

Three Wine of the Month Clubs from K&L Wines

When you purchase a Wine of the Month Club package from K & L Wine Merchants, you'll be assured that you'll get a great deal and some excellent wines.  Reviewed by many as one of the internet's best wine retailers (Inc.com, Time, Wall Street Journal, Forbes to name a few), choose from three wine clubs--Best Buy Wine Club, Premium Wine Club, or Signature Red Collection.

Order your Wine of the Month Club directly from K&L Wine Merchants online.

Magnetic Spice Rack

Save space, and mount this beautiful stainless steel spice rack above your counter or stove.

Magnetic Spice Rack   |  $88 at UnCommonGoods.com

Who Needs a Barbeque Tool Belt

Yeah, summer's over, it's after Labor Day, and it's time to think about Halloween.  But I just saw this ultimate barbeque belt on BBQ with Bobby Flay (Food Network), and just had to have it.  Have all your spices and sauces and tools right with you, along with a beer holder.  See - you're excited too.

Barbeque Belt  |  $29 at RedEnvelope.com

Crystal Wine Duck Decanter by Ravenscroft

Ravenscroft Duck Wine Decanter, made of lead-free crystal, is hand blown to give your wine maximum aeration.

Ravenscroft Crystal is the embodiment of old-world European craftsmanship and a modern understanding of how the composition and shape of a wine glass can significantly enhance the tasting experience. Our designs, developed out of the deepest respect for great wine, are hand crafted in nearly 30 different styles. Each style is the result of thousands of years of glass making trial-and-error, and is individually crafted to enhance both the bouquet and taste of the wine or spirit for which it was made.

Ravenscroft Crystal Duck Decanter  |  $68 at CalVines.com

Halloween Brownies by Fat Witch

Just in time for Halloween, give the Fat Witch Brownie Gift Tin made in NY.  Fat Witch brownies were chosen by Oprah in 2002 as one of her Favorite Things.  This chocolate gift tin includes 27 brownies in dark bittersweet, chocolate walnut, and blonde chocolate chip.

Brownie Gift Tin  |  $39 direct from Fat Witch Bakery  |  888-41-WITCH

Bodum Insulated Glasses for Coffee Lattes

Bodum's Canteen Latte Glasses are made with a unique glass-in-glass technique to allow you to serve hot coffee and tea that's cool to hold without burning.

Bodum Canteen Latte Glasses | $19 for two at Crate and Barrel

Luxurious Leather Wine Tote

Two special wine bottles will travel in style with this leather wine tote from Mulholland Brothers--made by hand in San Francisco.

Endurance Two-Bottle Wine Carrier | $220 at eBags.com

Relax in a Wine Barrel Folding Chair

Made from salvaged California winery wine barrels, Whit McLeod has designed and constructed a folding chair out of 100% white oak barrel staves.  Each chair is numbered and branded with the name of the winery where the barrel was used.

Order online directly from Whit McLeod Chairs.

Coffee Made Simple - CafeSolo Coffeemaker

Designed by Eva Denmark, the CafeSolo Coffeemaker makes a pot without any filters or machinery.  Zippered jacket keeps your coffee warm.

Eva Solo Cafe Solo Coffee Maker Gift Set   |  $89 at Cooking.com

Autographed Chef Cookbooks

Sur la Table's website offers a great collection of autographed chef books from authors like Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Ina Garten, Lidia Bastianich, Jamie Oliver, Thomas Keller, Jacques Pepin, and more.  A great gift for food lovers.

Autographed Chef Cookbooks available from Sur la Table.

A New Design for Making Tea - The Teastick

The Teastick by Gamila is a beautiful new interpretation for brewing your loose tea leaves.  Your leaves are held in a sliding sleeve that you use to scoop up your loose tea leaves.  The design holds your tea and makes it easy to steep to your desired strength.  Elegance and simplicity at its best.

Purchase directly at The Teastick website.

Chocolate Lover's Websites - Best of Web 2005

From praline truffles to white raspberry ganaches, you'll find lots of luscious artisanal chocolate to ogle over on the Web. Sophisticated French and British sites boast white-glove service and mahogany boxes, while U.S. master chocolatiers like Scharffen Berger round out its scrumptious offerings with things like chocolate lip balm and in-depth white papers on the art of chocolate-making. Aficionados should bookmark Chocophile.com, a news, review and discussion site whose stated mission is to elevate the awareness and appreciation of chocolate on a par with that of wine. --Constance Gustke

• zChocolat.com
• Chocolate Trading Company
• Chocosphere.com
• Godiva
• Hotel Chocolat
• Scharffen Berger.com
• Chocoholic.com
• Gourmet Chocolate Club of the Month

Via:  Forbes.com Best of Web

Wine for Women - a new book by Leslie Sbrocco

A majority of wine consumers are women, and Leslie Sbrocco has written a straight forward, easy-to-read book for them in Wine for Women:  A Guide to Buying, Pairing, and Sharing WineYou can also find her on PBS and CNN, plus through her regular column in the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Website - www.lesliesbrocco.com

Holiday Cookbook Gift: King Authur Flour Cookie Companion

This book is just in from the award-winning team that put together the "King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook." "King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion" is a thorough, comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about cookies. The first few chapters are devoted to cookies developed from one or two "essential" recipes. These are ingredient-based cookies such as Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Molasses Cookies. Later pages cover an incredible range of cookie varieties, separated into chapters such as Bars and Squares, Drop Cookies, Roll-Out, Shaped, Batter, and No-Bake. Each recipe is as tempting as the next, but what makes this cookbook so special is that you get tons of tips, techniques, and explanations that lead to a complete understanding of what goes into making a great cookie. The King Arthur team includes hints on measuring molasses without making a mess, intricate illustrations that outline steps for essential techniques, and sidebars with informative tidbits on certain ingredients. Unlike many cookie books, which only give one recipe for each type of cookie, you can make every cookie-lover happy here with chewy and crispy versions of many of your favorite cookies.

Whether you want to build a gingerbread house for the holiday season, or simply have a hankering for a big whoopie pie, the "King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion" is a cookie resource you will return to again and again for years to come.

Gift for Wine Lovers: Wine Grape Varietal Table

Wine Grape Varietal Table is a beautiful wine reference poster that shows you all the different grape varieties in a easy to read chart.  Printed like a fine art print, this poster is a perfect gift for a wine lover, and hangs nicely in your tasting room or wine cellar.  It is packed with information about grapes worldwide and comes with a printed reference book, The Wine and Grape Indexes.

Visit delongwine.com for more information.

Lidia Bastianich's "Lidia's Family Table" Arrives

Join Lidia Bastianich on another wonderful cooking adventure in "Lidia's Family Table." Lidia Bastianich has changed the way Americans think of Italian food. With her bestselling cookbooks, authentic restaurants, and her PBS cooking shows, Lidia has revolutionized the way we understand traditional Italian meals.  From pasta to pizza to lamb to dessert, Lidia Bastianich has an authentic and inspired way to prepare traditional Italian meals.

Purchase Lidia's Family Table from ecookbooks.com at 40% off.

Read More:  Autographed Chef Books

Holiday Gift: Richart Chocolate Introduces a Chocolate Vault

French chocolate maker, Richart, introduced a burlwood chocolate vault with temperature and humidity gauges for the perfect storage of their chocolates.  "Chocolate is very absorbent.  The same air will be circulating around onions!," says John Scharffenberger of Richart.  Makes sense to us.  Coming with 112 pieces of chocolate at $750, is this decadence at its best?

Visit RICHART Chocolate online.

MarieBelle Chocolates - Food as Art

Tucked in a small shop in New York's Soho District, MarieBelle has developed a loyal following who probably buy their chocolates as much for how they look and packaged as how the chocolate tastes.  A great gift idea for the holiday season, MarieBelle offers beautifully packaged hot chocolate gift tins and boxed chocolate sets.  Shop at the MarieBelle website.

Gourmet Magazine's New Modern Cookbook: The Gourmet Cookbook

Edited by Ruth Reichl, The Gourmet Cookbook, weighs in at over five pounds and 1200 recipes from the past 60 years of Gourmet Magazine. Updated for the modern cook, and contemporary kitchens and lifestyles, you'll find classic recipes, great advice and tips straight from Gourmet's test kitchens. Read reviews from Time Magazine and the Boston Herald.

Available thru Amazon | Jessica's Biscuit

Related Items: Interview with Ruth Reichl from Gourmet Magazine

Caterer Serena Bass's First Book: Serena, Food & Stories

New York caterer to the stars, Serena Bass, has written her first book , Serena, Food & Stories: Feeding Friends Every Hour of the Day. Filled with stories, tips, anecdotes, and over 100 recipes, you may be inspired to throw your best dinner party ever.

Available thru Amazon

Nespresso Leads Other Single Cup Coffee Makers Into Market

Take a look around your local kitchen shop, and you'll start to find a growing number of choices for single cup coffee makers. First introduced 15 years ago, Nespresso machines have found their fans with prepackaged capsules of ground coffee. Now, new competitors are joining the fray after seeing Nespresso enjoy success with its one cup coffee maker.

This summer, Braun introduced Tassimo, Sara Lee brought its Senseo machine from Europe, and Proctor & Gamble started selling its HomeCafe machines. All these machines use prepackaged pods specifically designed for its machine to make one perfect cup of coffee--Nespresso and Tassimo using metal capsules, and Senseo and HomeCafe paper filter coffee pods.

Available thru Amazon Nespresso | Senseo

Seafood Online: Order Fresh Crab, Live Lobster, and Seafood Delivered Direct to Your Doorstep

Ordering live Maine lobster and fresh crab online for delivery has never been easier. Our two favorites are The Crab Place, and Maine Lobster Direct. Straight from the chilly waters of the North Atlantic, live Maine lobster is delivered overnight direct to your doorstep from Maine Lobster Direct. We love ordering from this family owned business, and their great service. Specialty of the house at The Crab Place is the Maryland blue crab. You can order them live or steamed, plus an assortment of other seafood goodies like crab cakes, clams, and oysters.

The Crab Place | Maine Lobster Direct

K Sensual Chocolates for Valentines

K Sensual Chocolate Bonbons are filled with a blend of Chinese herbs specially mixed to stir the passions in women. Perfect for your special Valentine's loved one.

Available thru their website.

Dom Perignon Champagne Teams with Architect Richard Meier

Architect Richard Meier has designed a sleek limited edition carrying case holding six bottles of 1995 vintage Dom Perignon. Priced at $2000 and with only 250 of these cases available, the beautiful package makes for an ultimate gift for the art and champagne lover.

Great Read: True to Our Roots by Fetzer Vineyard's Paul Dolan

CEO Paul Dolan has written a book talking about the principles that have guided him in his leadership of Fetzer Vineyard since 1992. This is an inspirational read revealing how personal principles and commitment led a successful winery to use the land and resources wisely while enhancing the lives of its employees, and the community and industry in which they work.

Available wherever books are sold and thru Amazon.com.

Holiday Gift Certificates for Foodies

Gift certificates are a favorite gift choice for many, and online gift certificates add extra value because one gift certificate can be used across a wide selection of online stores. Certificates from GiveAnything.com are good at over 500 online stores. For foodie and gourmet fans, GiveAnything certificates are good online at stores including Chef Revival, Restaurant.com, Wine.com, SimplySeafood.com, Flying Noodle, New York Flavors, and others.

See all the online stores at GiveAnything.com

Gourmet Christmas Gift Ideas from Red Envelope

One of our favorite online stores, Red Envelope, has a great selection of sweets, wine, and food gift baskets. Check out their special Gourmet section to find that special gift for the foodie in your life.

Holiday Wine Gift Baskets

Holiday wine gift baskets are suitable for gift giving to many different people on your gift list. There are a wide variety of wine and gourmet gift baskets that are appropriate for business associates and corporate gifts, thank you baskets, and the wine or food lover in your family.

Wine gift baskets are available online at:
Wine.com | Wine Enthusiast | iGourmet | Wine Messenger

Holiday Gift Guide: Pocket Wine Guide for Your Palm Pilot

Wine Enthusiast's Guide for your Palm Pilot turns your handheld into an up-to-date wine guide. Get wine ratings by region and year with reviews to help you conveniently select the ideal wine for your occasion.

For more details, visit Wine Enthusiast Wine Guide - 2003 Edition

Gourmet Gift: Ferran Adria's elBulli Cookbook

The English translation of Ferran Adria's cookbook, El Bulli 1998-2002, has arrived. Read a step-by-step account of twenty years of kitchen work covering El Bulli Restaurant's development, and the keys to Adria's creations. Photographs of every dish, taken by Francesc Guillamet, are found within the 500 pages of this hefty cookbook. A CD-ROM of all recipes is included with each book.

Read Wine Spectator's review of El Bulli here.

Available now from Amazon.

Special order price $210 from Jessica's Biscuit.  Order here.

Foodie Gift Idea: Chocolate Candies with a Spicy Kick

Cowgirl Chocolates features handmade chocolates with a unique spicy kick. These award winning chocolates are the creation of founder Marilyn Lysohir, and come in a selection of truffles and truffle bars with flavors like Spicy Lime Tequila, Spicy Peanut Butter, Spicy Mild Chocolate Mint, and Spicy Orange Espresso. Packed in unique gift bags, boxes, tins, and baskets, this could make an ideal gift choice for the adventurous chocolate lover.

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

Save 50% with Restaurant.com Gift Certificates

Restaurant.com offers 50% off gift certificates to 1000's of restaurants across the country. Available in $25 or $50 amounts, give these certificates as gifts for friends or buy them to use yourself. Restaurants are easily searched and include brief information on menu and wine lists. After purchasing your certificate, you easily print them on your home computer.

Visit Restaurant.com to see the cities and their member restaurants.

Special Delivery - Online Gifts For Foodies

With the holiday season fast approaching we created a new category called Special Deliveries. We hope this section will not only make the usually hectic season a little less so, but also introduce the wonderful world of online mail order gifts to those of you who have not yet discovered this time saving phenomenon! A little impersonal you say? Not so! Time and thought go into every gift, whether you shop in a brick and mortor shop or you surf the world wide web. Check out Special Deliveries as we feature interesting and unique gourmet food items for this holiday season.

To start, here are some finds:

Nonnie's Traditional Southern offers wonderfully scrumptious pound cake presented in an elegant, reuseable hatbox. A perfect hostess gift or great for a holiday get together dessert. Poundcake...simple and familiar.

Gourmet bacon--why?? Because we can and because nothing else rings in a holiday morning like the scent of frying bacon. Who else can say they belong to a bacon of the month club?? "The only club like it on the planet (as far as we know)" Check out The Grateful Palate for more info.

Capture the Flavors of Shanghai with Chinablue

In recent years, Shanghai has recaptured its pre-war stature of the most cosmopolitan city in the Far East. On the lifestyle front, Chinablue founder, Richard Wong, brings his vision of Shanghainese elegance and sophistication with new culinary food products, home furnishings, and future destination concepts that include retail locations, restaurants, and boutique hotels.

The Chinablue culinary product line was inspired by Richard's memories of growing up in Shanghai and his treasured family's recipes. The flavors of Shanghainese cuisine have been captured in his line of sauces, dressings, glazes, oils, and teas. Enjoy these uniquely Shanghainese blends of soy sauce, sesame oils, scallions and ginger, sherry, and black beans.

Chinablue Shanghai Glazes available online thru Sur La Table.

Get Your International Chocolate Fix

Who hasn't bought great chocolates while travelling in Europe? Or received wonderful gifts of chocolate from friends returning from their trips? Well, now you get all your French, Swiss, or Belgian chocolates online from Chocosphere. This internet only chocolate shop offers a grand assortment of all your favorite chocolates from abroad. Get your fix today.

Got Wine Smarts? Get WineSmarts!

Play The Adult Trivia Game All About Wine

Designed as a stylish and useful addition to any coffee table, WineSmarts makes a great gift for someone who has just tasted their first glass or teaches their own wine class. You can use these question-and-answer cards by yourself, like traditional flashcards, to learn more about wine and test your knowledge. Or get competitive and use the cards as a party game.

Click here to order online thru Wine Enthusiast.

Make Your Pumpkin A Masterpiece

The Ultimate Pumpkin Carving Kit

To do any job right, you need the right tools, and here's the best tool kit to make your pumpkin the talk of the neighborhood. This carving kit comes with 9 different cutting tools, reusable template designs, 2 mini-lights, and a detailed instruction booklet to make your own unique and amazing jack-o-lanterns.

Available exclusively online thru Martha Stewart Living.  No longer available.

Everyone's Favorite Corkscrew

Le Creuset's Lever Model Classic Screwpull has been a classic elegant corkscrew for wine lovers since it was introduced 20 years ago. Designed by an aircraft engineer and inventor, the Stainless Steel model makes a great gift.

Also, recently named in Food & Wine Magazine's 125 Reasons We Love Wine.

Available thru:
Amazon | Sur La Table