THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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FATHER’S DAY: A Giggly Good Gift For Dad

It Makes Me Giffle

It Makes Me Giggle’s party-in-a-box delivers a yummy cake.

A gift from ItMakesMeGiggle.com is a party-in-a-box: You choose your party (birthday or other occasion), choose your cake (chocolate-iced gourmet orange chocolate bundt cake or gourmet marble bundt cake) and personalize your gift by calling a phone number to record your greeting. You can also type out a message and include a photo.

Then, the lucky recipient gets a party box with your greeting(s) plus the cake, candles, matches, knife, forks, plates, napkins, party hats, and if that’s not enough, a noisemaker and confetti. We’re pretty picky about our chocolate cake, and we enjoyed every crumb. It’s made with fresh orange juice,orange peel, chocolate chips, cocoa and a bit of whiskey, although the cake contains less than .5% alcohol. Yet, there’s enough alcohol flavor so that the kids will leave it for the grown-ups.

It’s a fun gift for Father’s Day or any occasion with this caveat: We wouldn’t send this gift to anyone very elderly or very young, because when you open the box, the greeting is surprising and loud. The cost is $44.99, and you can place a web or phone order. There are four plates and forks, but you can cut at least six slices—so call dibs on seconds.

Check out the Father’s Day Boutique at igourmet.com

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NEW PRODUCT: Two New Flavors Of Philadelphia Soft Cream Cheese

We admit a weakness for cream cheese in all its forms (those forms include cheesecake). We were raised on Philadelphia Cream Cheese, when there were only Regular, Chive and Pimento options. Today, there are 15 varieties, and the Philadelphia folks have been feeding our habit with containers of tempting, soft, flavored cream cheese: Chive & Onion, Garden Vegetable, Salmon and Strawberry. Two newbies are Spinach & Artichoke (tastes like artichoke dip) and Sundried Tomato & Basil (tastes like our old, discontinued favorite Pimento).

We needed no arm-twisting to dig into these for bagel breakfasts, luncheon sandwiches, casual snacks, baked potato garnishes (hold the Strawberry) and best of all, easy entertaining. You can turn out quick, impressive canapés with soft, easy-spread flavored cream cheese. Just look at the easy, tempting recipes on the Philadelphia Cream Cheese website, and you’ll be chilling the wine and calling your friends.

Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese

Easy, elegant hors d’oeuvres: Your favorite cracker (here, a Triscuit), new Sundried Tomato Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread, a bit of shredded mozzarella and some snips of fresh rosemary.

You’ve got plenty of time to whip up several of these for Father’s Day, and impress the family (or hubby) with your kitchen chops.

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PRODUCT: See’s Candies Chocolate For Graduates

mortarboard-230

No one will throw this mortarboard up in the air—it’s full of chocolates! Photo by Emily Chang | THE NIBBLE.

As graduates across the nation celebrate their transition—whether it’s out of high school, into college or into the working world—celebrate their [hopefully sweet] change with a box of chocolate. And not just any box—See’s Candies makes the Class of 2009’s graduation experience a little more memorable with a keepsake mortarboard (a.k.a. graduation hat) box. Inside the tassel-topped, black box is an assortment of milk, dark and white chocolate candies. It’s priced at $16.20 at See’s Candies shops and Sees.com.

As we all love quoting Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates….” Perhaps you can share that wisdom with your young graduate before he or she starts devouring the life lesson.

If all this talk of chocolate and education has made you hungry to learn more about the finer aspects of chocolate, feed your mind with facts from our Chocolate Glossary.

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FATHER’S DAY: See’s Candies Milk Chocolate Seegars

Dad will light up with happiness when you hand him a box of See’s Candies chocolate “Seegars” (how long were the See’s folks waiting to be able to make that pun!). In fact, at the economical price of $6.30 for a box of three, you can afford to hand out Seegars to all of your favorite dads.

Seegars are made from milk chocolate that’s been rolled and packaged in brown foil to resemble actual cigars. Of course, Dad will have to enjoy these in private—we don’t want him influencing the kids! Seegars are available at See’s Candies stores and online at Sees.com. Certified kosher by KSA.

Chocolate Cigars
Dad can relax with a Cognac and a good [chocolate] cigar. Photo by Emily Chang | THE NIBBLE.

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FOOD HOLIDAY: International Cachaça Day

Caipirinha
Celebrate International Cachaça Day by mixing up a Caipirinha, made with cachaça, lime and sugar (photo courtesy Leblon Cachaça).
 

Cachaça (kah-SHA-sah), Brazil’s noble spirit, was invented nearly five hundred years ago, one hundred years before the founding of its Caribbean cousin, rum.

Here in the United States, cachaça is considered “Brazilian rum,” but don’t call it that in front of a Brazilian! Rum is distilled from molasses, while cachaça is a purer spirit, made from fresh cane juice, the purest product of sugar cane (molasses is the residue after the sugar crystals are extracted—read more about the levels of molasses).

The key ingredient in Brazil’s national cocktail, the Caipirinha (ky-puh-REEN-ya), cachaça is not only popular in its country of origin, and is the third most consumed spirit in the world (hmm—how much do they drink at Carnival, anyway?).

So, have a Caipirinha to celebrate the day as you chant the mantra: Cachaça is made from cane juice, rum from molasses. When you can no longer chant this quickly, you’ve had too many Capirihas—time to move on to the espresso bar.

  • Read more about the History of Cachaça
  • Try some of The Nibble’s Cachaça-Based Cocktail Recipes
  • Check out more June Food Holidays
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