Need a unique gift for a chocolate lover?

How about a chocolate tray, that can be topped with chocolate truffles or other bonbons.

The handcrafted tray is in the shape of a wine bottle in roughly the same (although two-dimensional) size, 13 x 4.5 inches.

It’s sure to elicit oohs and ahhs, not to mention a discussion of when the tray itself will be eaten.

The chocolate tray is $38.00 at FikaNYC.com.

Not a peppermint lover? Here’s a recipe for equally festive Cinnamon Chocolate Popcorn from the National Popcorn Board, Popcorn.org.

You can buy the popcorn or make it from scratch.
 
RECIPE: CINNAMON CHOCOLATE POPCORN

Ingredients For 3 quarts

1. PLACE the popcorn in a large bowl and lightly spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle cocoa mix and cinnamon on popcorn.

2. TOSS to coat evenly. Spray and toss again until mixture is well coated. Serve immediately.

We’ve got the two best ways to go from
freezer to plate. Photo courtesy
Mart2Go.com.

Many of us keep meat in the freezer and thaw it overnight in the fridge when we’re ready to use it.

But how long can you keep that thawed meat before cooking it?

Here’s the scoop from AG Local, which sells pasture-raised animals from family farms.

The best way to thaw meat is overnight in the fridge. Slow thawing retains the flavor and texture and keeps bacteria from growing quickly. Bacteria grows above 40°F, which is why thawing it on the kitchen counter isn’t a good idea.

But when you don’t have that much time, here’s the tip we learned from one of THE NIBBLE’s resident chefs, who in turn learned it in school in his food safety class:

Fill a bowl with tepid water and add the unwrapped, frozen meat. Place the bowl in the sink and let slightly cool water from the faucet drip over it. The dripping water keeps the water in the bowl at a constant temperature, which speeds up thawing; and the moving water helps to deter bacteria growth on the surface of the meat.

Leave the meat under the dripping water until it is completely thawed. Approximate thawing time with this method:

You need to keep watch, though, and be sure not to leave the meat out for more than four hours to prevent bacteria growth.

After the meat is thawed, be sure to scrub the bowl and the sink to avoid any contamination from the raw meat.
 
HOW LONG YOU CAN KEEP THAWED FOOD BEFORE COOKING
 

 
A FOOD-THAWING GADGET

Recently, we received information about a gadget called the Vortex that helps with thawing foods.

You measure the food thickness, enter the corresponding number, submerge the frozen food in a bowl of water and click “start.” The Vortex accurately predicts when the food will be thawed and alerts you when done.

It does this via thermodynamics, circulating the cold water, which thaws the foods more quickly. We haven’t tried it, but you can check it out on Kickstarter.

Brownie Points makes popcorn and brownies in numerous flavors, but at this time of year, the Candy Cane Crunch Popcorn calls out to us.

Delicious as a stand-alone snack, accompaniment to a hot beverage or a dessert garnish.

The popcorn is packaged in a clear 20-ounce canister tied with a polka dot ribbon, $20.00.

There’s also a holiday Brownie and Popcorn Sampler.

Year-round flavors include:

You can make your home-brewed coffee as special as going out for holiday coffee flavors. Just stir in some Baileys coffee creamers in holiday flavors.

This year’s seasonal flavors are:

 
They join the other flavors, including year-round classics and seasonal specialties: Brown Butter Pecan, Caramel, Chocolatini, Cinnamon Dolce, Crème Brûlée, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Mudslide, The Original Irish Cream, Toffee Almond Cream, Triple Sweet Cream, Sweet Italian Biscotti and Vanilla Brown Sugar.

Bet you didn’t know there were that many different Baileys creamers! The next time you have people over for coffee, you can set out an entire flavored creamer tasting bar.