Here’s a tip for everyone who cooks:

Do you use a peppermill?

If not, why not? Pre-ground pepper from the store has half the flavor of freshly-ground.
 
 
A BETTER WAY TO GRIND PEPPER, SALT & SPICES

When you cook a lot and grind a lot of pepper, the idea of not having to turn the mill 10 times is very appealing!

Small conveniences in the kitchen can make a big difference in daily cooking. That’s why we recommend the Kyocera Electric Mill for grinding pepper, salt—or spices.

It can easily grind coarse salts, wet salts, peppercorns or spices: celery seeds, cumin seeds, flax seeds, mustard seeds, sesame seeds and more.

The Kyocera Electric Mill is a one-hand operation with the flexibility to choose your grind, from fine to coarse.

It’s ultra-quiet, too: no jarring grinding noise.
 
 
FEATURES & BENEFITS

 
Plus, it reducing fatigue from repetitive motion for people with arthritis, carpal tunnel and general overuse of hands.

We’d been using a high-end manual mill, but the Kyocera Electric Mill has become a must-have tool we never knew we needed.

In addition to easily changing the size of the grind, we love the one-handed operation. Just press the button!

In fact, you may want more than one: Black for pepper, White for salt.

See the mill in action here.
 
 
GET YOUR ELECTRIC MILL HERE!

In Black or White, $49.95.

[1] The handsome electric spice mills are available in black or white (all photos © Kyocera).

[2] One-handed operation. The stand (at right) catches residual grinds.

[3] It’s attractive on the dinner table.

*Ceramic is a pure material that is 50% harder than steel and close to diamonds in hardness on the Mohs Hardness Scale. The ceramic burr in Kyocera’s electric mills will last much longer than other materials and won’t flake or chip into the spices like an acrylic might.

[1] We The People Glasses gift set at Knackshops (photo © Knackshops).

[2] If you want a single glass or glasses, head to the New York Historical Society (photo © New York Historical Society).

[3] Bundle the glasses with a bottle of spirits. This is a top expression of Glenfiddich in a Baccarat bottle, but a standard bottle of anything will do (photo © Scotch Whisky).

Toast to freedom with a Constitution Rocks Glass (photos #1 and #2).

It showcases an authentic reproduction of the Preamble to the Constitution Of The United States: We the people.

It’s a novel gift for whiskey lovers, lawyers, law students, U.S. history buffs, patriots and proud Americans everywhere.

The deluxe boxed gift set (photo #1) includes:

 
Get the gift set from Knackshops.

To purchase a single glass or multiple single glasses, gift boxed, head to The New York Historical Society Shop.

Here are variations of the glass with the Declaration of Independence, including a We The People beer glass.

Option: Add a bottle.

For an even more welcome gift, add a bottle of the recipient’s favorite spirit (it doesn’t have to be as high-tone as photo #3)!
 
 
WHAT IS A ROCKS GLASS?

A rocks glass, also known as an old fashioned glass and a lowball glass, is a short tumbler used for serving spirits, neat or with ice cubes (on the rocks).

Lovers of spicy chai tea have an alternative to black tea.

This chai from Fave Tea is made with a base of rooibos (red tea), an herbal tea that’s naturally caffeine-free (photo #1).

Now, chai fans who don’t want caffeine free can enjoy it day or night.

While most herbal teas don’t mix well with milk or cream, rooibos chai takes either, very well.

If you like sweetened tea, add your sweetener of choice. It will enhance the cardamom and peppercorn notes of the chai.

What is chai?

Chai tea is an erroneous American term for what should be called masala chai. In Hindi, chai is the generic* word for tea; masala means spiced.

In other words, it’s spiced tea.

What is rooibos?

Pronounced ROY-boss, rooibos is a bush that grows in South Africa. The name means red bush in the Afrikaans† language; the leaves steep into a red-colored brew (photo #2).

Honeybush is a cousin to rooibos, also cultivated in South Africa. It is similar in flavor (slightly sweeter with a fuller body) but its flowers have the aroma of honey; hence the name.

Rooibos is very healthy: no caffeine, high levels of antioxidants and low levels of tannin. Children—even infants—can drink it.

Ready to drink some?
 
 
> GET YOUR ROOIBOS CHAI HERE.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA & TEA TERMS

> THE HISTORY OF CHAI TEA / MASALA CHAI

> RECIPE TO MAKE YOUR OWN CHAI CONCENTRATE

[1] Fave Tea’s chai tea is a beautiful blend (photo © Fave Tea).

[2] All rooibos teas brew into a red liquor. That’s what the brew is called in tea terms (photo © Republic Of Tea).

________________

*Traditional chai is a strong black Indian tea infused with milk, sugar, and spices—commonly cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, clove and nutmeg (chocolate or licorice also can be used). In India the beverage is known as masala chai, or spiced tea: Masala is the Hindi word for spice, and chai is the Hindi word for tea. While chai is traditionally made from black tea, green tea chai and rooibos chai have become popular.

†CHAI VS. TEA: All related forms of the word chai—Turkish çay, Russian/Persian/Hindi/Urdu chay, etc.—derive from the original Mandarin, cha. Cha became the Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese word for tea. Other Chinese dialects have different words; e.g. the Wu dialect spoken around Shanghai uses the word zu and the Hokkien dialect spoken around the port of Xiamen in the Fujian province uses the word tay. The word “cha” traveled to the Middle East and Eastern countries, while “tay” traveled to Europe and became our word for tea.

Xiamen was the port of trade first used by Europeans (mainly the Portuguese) in 1541. Near the end of the Ming Dynasty, in 1644, British merchants set up trading posts there; in the 19th century, it was China’s main port for exporting tea. As a result, the Hokkien dialect spoken there, not Mandarin which traveled west via overland trade routes, influenced what Europeans called the beverage. What the Xiamenese people call tay, the British spell tea, the French spell thé, the Spanish té, the Italians tè and the Germans, tee. The pronunciation varies from “tay” to “tee.”

Other words from the Hokkien language that entered English: ketchup (kiô-chap), Pekoe (pekh-hô), kowtow (khàu-thâu) and Japan (Jit-pún).

‡Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken in South Africa and Namibia and, to a lesser extent, in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It began to develop independently in the 18th century, an offshoot of several Dutch dialects spoken by the mainly Dutch settlers of what is now South Africa.

A pretty basket of baby veggies will delight the healthy eater (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

Who can resist the allure of baby vegetables?

Here’s a special gift from specialty company Melissa’s Produce, for your favorite vegetarian, vegan, healthy eater or foodie-in-general.

Each delicately woven gift basket is brimming with fresh vegetables, which are artfully arranged into a charming presentation.

The gift basket is available year-round, so the assortment of baby vegetables can vary from season to season.

It may include baby versions of artichokes, beets, broccoli, carrots, kohlrabi, leeks, potatoes, radishes, romanesco cauliflower, squash and turnips.

Wrapped in cellophane and trimmed with a colorful ribbon, this tasty gift is high in nutrition and eye appeal—and low in calories!

GET YOURS AT MELISSAS.COM.

Try this seasonal spin on salsa: Switch out the tomatoes and garlic for cranberries and apples.

Low in calories and gluten free, you can keep it in the fridge for snacking or as a general condiment: mixed into yogurt for breakfast or lunch, as a creamy dip with the yogurt, as a salad dressing with oil and vinegar, or as a side with dinner.

Thanks to Pampered Chef for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: CRANBERRY SALSA

You can make this recipe ahead of time. Just store it in the refrigerator, covered, for up to two days.

You can use fresh or frozen cranberries (the history of cranberries).

For a less spicy salsa, remove the seeds and veins inside the jalapeño. They are the source of the capsaicin, the chemical compound that provides the heat of the chile.

Different chile varieties have different levels of heat. Check out the different types of chiles.

Check out this interesting kitchen tool, Core & More, from Pampered Chef.

A multitasker, for this recipe it quickly and easily remove the seeds and veins of the jalapeño.

Ingredients For 10 Servings

 
Preparation

1. REMOVE the stem from the jalapeño, then cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and veins with a paring or utility knife. Place the jalapeño into a food processor.

2. CUT the apple and scallion into chunks and add to the processor. Process until finely chopped.

3. JUICE the lime and add 1 tablespoon of juice (15 mL) to the processor. Add the cranberries, sugar and cilantro. Process until the cranberries are coarsely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. SERVE the salsa in a small bowl with the dippers on the side.
 
 
Nutrition Per 2 Tablespoon/30 mL Serving

Calories 20, Total Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 0 mg, Carbohydrate 5 g, Fiber 1 g, Sugars 4 g, Protein 0 g

[1 Cranberry salsa: fusion food for the holidays (photo © Pampered Chef).

[2] Fresh cranberries (photo © Ocean Spray).

[3] Frozen cranberries (photo © Good Eggs).