GIFTS: Wine & Spirits

Liquor stores are filled with gift sets and specials for holiday gifting. Champagnes packaged with flutes, Cognacs with snifters, tasting kits (a box of smaller bottles of different expressions), “keeper” bottles with holiday designs and limited editions (Absolut Electrik, anyone?) all vie for your attention. We received scores of pitches, but here’s what caught our…
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STOCKING STUFFER: Bonnie’s Jams

Artisan jams are a great holiday gift or stocking stuffer. Photo courtesy Bonnie’s Jams.   Most people won’t spend $8.99 on a jar of jam, opting for less expensive supermarket varieties that are higher on cloying sugar than on fruit flavor. That’s why artisan jam is such a welcome stocking stuffer or teacher gift. Why…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Cookie Cutter Gift

If you need a special house gift for a summer host, consider baking cookies in special shapes. Or, bring the cookie cutters as gifts, along with pre-measured ingredients, as an activity gift. Most people who bake have cookie cutter circles, flowers and hearts, and perhaps some holiday shapes. But with more than 15,000 listings on…
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PRODUCT: Isabella’s Cookie Company

Jennifer Palmer began baking as a young girl and “always thrived on the happiness brought to others by my cookies.” What a lovely thought! Turning avocation into career, in 2001 she founded Isabella’s Cookie Company, so that everyone could enjoy her fresh baked, all natural cookie creations. The company is based in Redondo Beach, California,…
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GIFT: Gourmet Gluten Free Cookies & Truffles

Gluten-free glory. Photo courtesy Cake | Chicago.   While it may not be easy being green, it’s even worse to be gluten-free. When everyone else is enjoying cake and cookies, you’ve got to show restraint. Unless you’ve received a box of “defloured” cookies from Cake, an artisan bakery in Chicago. A gift box of three…
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