Try a Pinot Noir with Lamb Vindaloo. Photo
by Michal Szydlowski | SXC.

• A dirty martini goes well with appetizers like vegetable samosas or chicken and lamb kabobs with onions and green peppers.
• With Lamb Vindaloo, try a Pinot Noir; it offers a subtly sweet contrast to the spices in the dish.
• Chicken Masala pairs best with Sauvignon Blanc; the wine provides a contrast to the spices in the dish.
• Try a bold Cabernet Sauvignon to add some intensity to chickpea and lentil dishes.
• Hot curries need a wine with a bit of residual sugar. Try Riesling or Gewürztraminer; with milder curries, have an Alsatian Pinot Gris.

See reviews of our favorite Indian specialty foods.

We make gift giving easy: Send Mom a box of chocolates from one of our Top Pick Of The Week artisan chocolatiers.

What does it take to get chosen as a Top Pick Of The Week chocolate?

Quality, consistency and good service. There are wonderful boutique chocolatiers who don’t [yet] have the resources to provide good customer service for online orders—for example, they’re too busy making chocolate and have no one to pick up the phone and answer questions. Our selected chocolatiers were put through their paces via online orders with special instructions (no coconut or no chile, for example), and passed with flying colors.

Are you ready to discover a wonderful new chocolatier?

• Barlovento Chocolate (Oakland, California)
• Chocolats du CaliBressan (Carpinteria, California)
• Mayana Chocolate (Chicago, Illinois)
• Nunu Chocolates (Brooklyn, New York)

Chocolate “jewels” from Barlovento
Chocolates. Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

The shirt says it all (and is a unique gift
for bacon-loving friends).

San Francisco chef/butcher Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats creates tee shirts that celebrate his products. “Bacon Is The New Black” is a shirt that will appeal to many people we know.

The limited-edition tees are printed on American Apparel 100% cotton jersey shirts. They’re available online at 4505meats.com while supplies last, for $25.00.

• For free, take a look at our Pork Cuts & Pork Products Glossary—nine pages of pork knowledge with absolutely delicious pictures.
• Check out yummy pork recipes.

THE NIBBLE kitchen enables us to squeeze fresh lemon juice. But if your workplace doesn’t afford that luxury and you drink lots of water, bring extra bottles filled only with 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. The almost-empty bottles don’t weigh much, and you can fill them with tap water when you get to work.

Other options:

• Keep lemon juice at work if there’s a fridge. Italian Volcano Lemon Burst is the only bottled lemon juice we use. It doesn’t have that “reconstituted” taste because it isn’t reconstituted—it’s real organic lemon juice and tastes like fresh-squeezed.
• True Lemon is a powdered option that requires no refrigeration. It comes in tiny packets like artificial sweetener and has an excellent flavor.
• Another option needing no fridge: lemon extract. Find it in the supermarket with the other extracts and add a few drops to your water bottle. (We use a medicine dropper to do this neatly.)
• Try lime water, too!

When life gives you lemons, make lemon
water. Photo courtesy Italian Volcano.

Several mouth-watering flavors of Mama’s
Goodies. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky |
THE NIBBLE.

Mama’s Goodies blends seeds and nuts with honey, maple syrup and real butter. This all-natural (and kosher-certified) treat can serve as dessert or as a sweet snack. It’s not a classic buttercrunch (made with sugar and without the seeds), but it’s a honeyed delight. (Don’t know the difference between toffee and buttercrunch? Find out in our ABCs Of Toffee Article.)

• THE PRIZE: One winner will get to taste all five flavors of Mama’s Goodies: Almond, Cashew, Macadamia & Coconut, Pecan and Sesame Seed. All five boxes will be shipped just in time to share with mom. Approximate retail value: $25.
• To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Toffee & Buttercrunch Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing. This contest closes on Monday, April 26th at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!
• Learn more about Mama’s Goodies.