Taking a page from the adage, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” we decided to make the chocolate bars more alluring by turning them into chocolate bark with our favorite inclusions (the professional word for mix-ins).

Nuts, dried fruit, candies and other chocolate can be mixed in. We adore pistachio nuts and happened to have a supply of Guittard’s superior chocolate chips (dark, milk and white chocolate chips plus butterscotch, cappuccino, mint—available at Chocosphere.com).

It’s a long weekend—enough time for you to become a chocolatier, and to bring the [chocolate and] fruits of your labor to a Memorial Day party.

You don’t need a pile of chocolate bars—just 14 ounces of quality chocolate. See the recipe and start chopping!

If you’re attending parties this weekend, bring some as a gift to the hosts.

This version has raisins, sultanas, cashews,
crystallized ginger and orange peel. Photo by
Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Treat family and friends to jalapeño
poppers. Photo courtesy SurLaTable.com.

Last month there were 49,000 Google searches for the term “jalapeño poppers.” Evidently, the cheese-stuffed chiles have become so popular, there’s a market for popper racks.

Developed by Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible and How to Grill, this stainless steel, dishwasher-safe device makes it easy to impress your friends with poppers and anything else you can think to do with it. It comes with a chile corer that makes removing the membrane and seeds a snap.

The only problem is that the stainless steel rack holds only 18 chiles. We can easily demolish a large portion of that. Guess we’ll have to get a second rack for guests.

While we’re at it, we’ll pick up another two popper racks as summer house gifts for our favorite grill masters.

Even though you think the crowd likes yellow ballpark mustard, delve into the more exciting types of mustard.

Bring out the Dijon, the flavored mustards and the old-style grainy mustard. You can even bring a selection of gourmet mustards to your barbecue hosts.

See the many different types in our Mustard Glossary.

Find more of our favorite condiments—chutney, hot sauce, mayonnaise, olives, pickles and more—in our Gourmet Condiments section.

How about some blue cheese mustard?
Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

Enjoy a Cosmo with a Middle Eastern
twist. Photo courtesy The London NYC Hotel.

If we had tried them all, we wouldn’t have been sober enough to write about them! And in truth, most were just spins on familiar cocktails with SATC2-appropriate names: Carrie’s Cosmo Caper, Samantha’s Seduction and so forth.

One single recipe, though, came from the mixologists at The London NYC hotel—also home to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. “The Sexy London” was so different and tasty, with real Middle Eastern flavors—cardamom, rose syrup and mint, we decided that it was our SATC2 cocktail.

If “Sexy London” doesn’t sound right for your crowd (we renamed ours the “Rock The Casbah Cosmo”), call it whatever you want. Just don’t call it late for dinner.

The London NYC is located at 151 West 54th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues, convenient to the theatre district and Rockefeller Center.

Oolong is a relative newcomer to the ancient world of tea. It was developed in Formosa (Taiwan) in the mid-nineteenth century. A cool-climate tea, it is also grown in the misty hills of China’s Fujian province. While all oolongs are aromatic with a lingering finish, Chinese oolongs tend to be more green and floral, reminiscent of orchids. Formosan oolongs, which are oxidized and fired for a longer period, have a more ripe and fruity profile: hints of peach and apple flavor are typical.

We’ll take a moment to point out that the many hundreds of different tea styles all come from the same plant species: Camellia sinensis. As with grapes, coffee and other agricultural products, the distinctively different flavors and appearances of the different styles of tea are a result of terroir (pronounced tur-WAH, the microclimate where it is cultivated) and processing techniques. Learn more about tea in our Gourmet Tea Section.

Two of Republic Of Tea’s selections of oolong
tea. Photo courtesy RepublicOfTea.com.

Whether for yourself, a tea-tasting party or a gift for your favorite tea lover, the Republic Of Tea makes it easy to comparison-taste different oolongs. While some of the more rare teas may seem pricey at $13.50 to $37.00 per canister (22¢ to 62¢ per cup), it could be half that cost, since the full-leaf tea can be infused at least twice.

“Rare” refers to a tea that comes from a specific location—a single estate or an even smaller microsite— and by result of its small growing area, is available in limited quantities. It offers very complex flavors to the demanding palate. Don’t even think of adding milk and sugar or you’ll cover up the glory of a rare tea! (In fact, Republic Of Tea’s products are so fine in general that each one should be brewed properly and tasted straight. Milk and sugar are best used to enhance less flavorful teas.)

Take a look at these lovely hand-picked oolongs:

WHOLE LEAF LOOSE OOLONG TEAS

• Ti Kuan Full-Leaf Tea. This tea from the Fujian province is named after the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, also known as the “Iron Goddess“—a reference to the large, iron-colored leaves. It has a fresh, orchid flavor and a clean finish.
• Wuyi Oolong Full-Leaf Tea. This tea is named after the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian province, where it is grown. Its large, silver-tipped leaves and peachy flavor are distinctive, with additional notes of chestnut and honey. Highly aromatic and completely lacking in astringency, this oolong has the flowery upper register of a top-grade Darjeeling, but is rounder and deeper.
• Imperial Republic Monkey Picked Oolong Rare Full-Leaf Tea. During the Chinese dynastic period, trained monkeys plucked the best tea leaves from the highest branches of the tea bushes. Monkeys are still used on a novelty basis, as the tea plants are pruned to bush height for easy plucking by humans. This oolong from the Fujian province has a floral hint with peach notes and a rich, toasty finish.
• Imperial Republic Orchid Oolong Rare Full-Leaf Tea. This rare, mountain-grown tea builds on the natural orchid notes found in some oolongs, with the addition of essential orchids. The result is a dramatic floral presence: a fragrant orchid aroma with a refreshing, well-balanced flavor and a floral finish.
• Old Bush Shui Xian Rare Oolong Full-Leaf Tea. This famous oolong tea originated from an old tea bush discovered near a cave dedicated to the Immortals of Daoism. The leaves are exceptionally long and fragrant. The tea starts light, intensifies with a rich flavor and ends with a smooth, slightly smoky finish.
• Osmanthus Oolong Rare Estate Tea-Full Leaf. This Taiwan-grown oolong has a vivid fragrance. It is scented overnight with fresh, wild osmanthus flowers, and then is dried over fire. Sun-dried osmanthus flowers are then added to the processed tea, to enhance the fruity and floral characteristics.

OOLONG TEA BAGS

There are two options for those who prefer tea bags to loose tea:

• Black Dragon Oolong Tea Bags. The tea is from the lush, misty hills of the Fujian province.
• Peach Blossom Oolong Tea Bags. This oolong tea is grown along winding mountain streams in the Fujian province. The added essence of spring peach blossoms compliments oolong’s natural fruity flavor.

Loose tea or tea bag, the Republic Of Tea’s airtight metal canisters keep the tea fresh (and can be repurposed when the original tea is gone). The attractive label designs are good for gifting.

The teas are certified gluten-free and certified kosher by OU.