You can find charming miniature (officially called dwarf) evergreen trees in stores and tree lots, typically undecorated.

Create your own “food-lovers Christmas tree” for your home, or as a gift for friends and family who don’t have room for full-sized trees.

Or, place the miniature evergreens around the house as part of your holiday decor: on tables, bureaus and bathroom vanities.

Decorate your tree with:

Except for the garlands of fresh food, you can store the tree and refresh it next year.

Keep dwarf trees in indirect light, away from dry heat, and water as you would any plant.

The eight-bar line includes:

 
Under the wrapper, the bars are equally handsome, scored into rectangles of various shapes like an edible work of art.

The three-ounce bars, in ready-to-hand-out gift envelopes, are $6.00 each. Four-bar sets are $22.00. The flavors are deep and vivid: a wonderful chocolate experience.

The chocolate bars are available online at Recchiuti.com, at the Recchiuti shop in San Francisco’s Ferry Building and at specialty grocers and retailers nationwide.

Read our full review of Recchiuti Confections.

Find all of our favorite chocolate in our Gourmet Chocolate Section.

Celebrate the holidays with a special
sparkling water. Photo courtesy
GlobalPackageGallery.com.

We try to minimize our carbon footprint, so our daily water is tap water or SodaStream-carbonated water.

But on special occasions, we treat guests (and ourselves!) to a special sparkling water. One of our favorites is Ferrarelle (feh-rah-REL-lay), Italy’s #1 sparkling water. (The brand also offers a still water.)

The Ferrarelle spring is located near an extinct volcano in Italy’s Campania region (the southwest coast, right above the “boot”).

To become Ferrarelle, rainwater seeps into the ground and starts a 9.3-mile journey down strata of rocks and minerals, where it is naturally purified and enriched with:

In contrast, Ferrarelle is naturally effervescent, coming out of the source already sparkling. It has a much more elegant texture, while delivering crisp, refreshing flavor. People with trained palates will discover nuances of its mineral heritage. (For a heavier mineral flavor, we like San Pellegrino, another naturally carbonated Italian mineral water with some extra carbonation added before bottling.)

The Purity Of Bottled Water

While the municipal water supply in the U.S. is subject to stringent quality controls, no testing is required for mineral and spring water, whether domestic or imported. Popular brands have been found to contain bacteria, carcinogens, fertilizer and industrial chemicals (details).

Ferrarelle is tested 615 times daily and its quality is guaranteed by major international certifications including the ISF (International Security Forum).

Whichever brand you choose, have a sparkling holiday!

Do you know the difference between mineral water and spring water? Find out—along with more fascinating water information—in our Water Glossary.

It called for a tablespoon of whiskey, but she didn’t have any.

She did, however, have Cognac. We told her to use the Cognac instead.

Which brings us to today’s tip:

If your recipe calls for a spirit you don’t have, you can substitute one that you do have. Just try to keep it in the same “family.”

 
The substitution will make a slight flavor difference, but it’s no different from, for example, using strawberry purée instead of raspberry purée, or cinnamon instead of allspice. The recipe still works, and nobody knows the difference. You may even prefer the substitute.

Along the same lines, you can substitute red and white wines. If you don’t have any wine, use sherry.

And if you have a situation we haven’t mentioned, use your judgment!
  

Who doesn’t like rich butter shortbread?
Photo courtesy Biscottea.

The makers of Biscottea and Biscoffee have enhanced a classic Scottish shortbread recipe by adding organic tea or coffee to the fragrant butter cookies. (The coffee beans are also Fair Trade certified.)

The result is pure deliciousness.

Each lovely gift box contains 24 individually wrapped squares of shortbread, for $29.99 (and free shipping).

We love the “portion control” aspect. Because otherwise, these cookies are irresistible!

 
As the company says, this is “real shortbread created with real tea and coffee for real tea and coffee lovers.” We say: Why can’t we buy Biscottea and Biscoffee shortbread everyplace we stop for a cup of coffee or tea?

The cookies are certified kosher by OU.

For more information and to purchase, head here.