GIFT: Gourmet Flavored Hot Chocolate

Chai & Mighty is one of four flavored hot chocolates from gourmet producer Lake Champlain Chocolates. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.   Hanukkah begins tonight, so today’s gift suggestion is kosher-certified. For Hannuakh, Christmas or other occasion, gourmet hot chocolate is a delightful gift during the chillier months. What makes hot chocolate “gourmet?”…
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PRODUCT: Chocolat Rouge Wine

Chocolate and red wine pair well together. So the inspired producers of ChocolatRouge wines have created a line of dessert wines that blends rich chocolate flavors into quality red wine. Instead of the traditional dessert wine technique, which uses late harvest, sugar-laden grapes, ChocolatRouge infuses chocolate flavors into dry red wine. We tried two of…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Cooking Ingredient Substitutions

Need buttermilk for a recipe? Check out the substitution below. Photo courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.   How many times have you started to make a recipe, only to find out you don’t have enough (or any) butter, honey, flour or other ingredient? Don’t panic: A perfectly good ingredient substitution is as close as your…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Autographed Champagne Bottles

With a gold felt-tipped pen, you can turn a Champagne or wine bottle into a memento of friendship and good times. It’s the concept of a guest book ported to a bottle. With the gold ink, date an unopened bottle of Champagne and record the occasion (e.g., Christmas Party, 12.9.12). Next, have party guests or…
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RECIPE: Christmas Oysters

Marinated with some heat, garnished with red and green, we could eat a dozen of these Christmas oysters. Photo courtesy Louisiana Seafood.   Oysters are a treat at any time of the year. The old advice to avoid them except in months that end in “r” came from the time before refrigeration, to avoid potential…
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