TIP OF THE DAY: An Edible Centerpiece For Christmas

Flowers are lovely, of course. And arrangements of seasonal fruits and pine—lady apples, clove-studded oranges, pomegranates, pine cones and branches—have been our centerpiece of choice. But how about an edible centerpiece that becomes part of dessert? There’s nothing more charming than an old-fashioned gingerbread house as a holiday centerpiece. And if the gingerbread is top…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Truffle Oil Spray

It’s truffle season, and while we love the aroma and flavor of truffles, our budget doesn’t afford them often. So when we encountered an easily affordable spray bottle of Grand’Aroma Truffle Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Fratelli Mantova, we thought, “Why not?” We know that most truffle oils are flavored with “truffle essence”—laboratory approximations…
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TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: Macarons From Dana’s Bakery & Great Gifts

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark, a seasonal macaron flavor. Photo courtesy Dana’s Bakery.   Dana Loia, we want you to be our new BFF. Dana is the creative force behind Dana’s Bakery, specializing in macarons. Her macarons rock—even more than other good macarons, because she’s quite the flavor artist as well as a designer, creating beautiful…
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STOCKING STUFFERS: Conventional & Sugar Free Sweet Treat Favorites

Sugar free bridge mix, licorice and Gummi Bears (inside package) from Nuts.com. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.   Nuts.com is a third-generation purveyor of nuts, dried fruits, chocolates and other sweets. They offer some 3,000 items sold by the pound, but will also package the wares into snack packs, 3.2 ounce bags sold…
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GIFT: Daelia’s Honey Nougat (Italian Torrone)

Good nougat is hard to find. It can be a jawbreaker or cloyingly sweet. But is a Christmas tradition in numerous countries, and good nougat is worth hunting down. For at least six generations, Maria Walley’s family has made torrone for Christmas and Easter (torrone, pronounced toe-ROE-nay, is Italian for nougat). Her ancestors brought the…
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