Thursday, January 31, 2008

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Lidia's Family Table

Welcome to my kitchen. I want to give you a look around this space–the heart of my home–and at the staple foods and equipment I cook with at home.

I have a comfortable kitchen, which after thirty years in the cramped galleys of restaurants is a dream. At last I have lots of work space atop the cabinets, which sit at either end of my double-oven commercial stove. Together they form an island which stretches across one side of the kitchen. My favorite work space is at the left of the island, with the stove burners immediately to my right, an easy reach to shake a skillet. Underneath my countertop prep area are cupboards with my essential seasonings. The refrigerator and freezer are a few steps to the left. The main sink is right behind me (with a view of my fig tree through the window); next to it, there’s a hearth housing a wood-fired rotisserie and grill. From hooks and racks above the sink and hearth hang skillets, saucepans, and pot covers; sieves, spiders, tongs, ladles, and spatulas.

But the most delightful aspect of my kitchen is that the work counters and cook top are open to the eating area with the long pine table–my family table–at which we take most of our meals and do most of our living as well. When I am making supper, I can watch Tanya and Lorenzo doing art; keep an eye on Julia in her playpen and Ethan searching for cookies; see my mother picking fresh chives from the little garden bed outside the windows. Giovanni is peeling garlic for me and we’re conversing in Italian. This is the way I cook!

The Foods I Cook with at Home
Most days when I cook lunch or supper at home I don’t have time toshop, so I get my ideas by opening some of the dozens of doors in the kitchen–for the dry storage cupboards, the refrigerator, and the freezer–and seeing what’s behind them.

Let’s open some of these together, starting with the cooking staples I keep close by, in the cabinet right under my cutting boards and the cupboards on the other side of the stove island. I haven’t included every item you might find on a given day since I do collect seasonings, condiments, and regional specialties on my trips, and incorporate them into dishes when I am improvising and having fun. And you don’t need everything listed here to cook my recipes, though I have marked in bold the items that are, in my opinion, essentials to keep on hand at all times:

Basics for stovetop cooking, on and under the counter:
• Extra-virgin olive oil: good grade for cooking; premium for seasoning
• Canola oil
• Vinegars–red wine vinegar; balsamic vinegar, medium grade (see page
39); distilled white vinegar; cider vinegar
• Sea salt, both granular (table grind) and coarse crystal (sel de mer);
crystal kosher salt; premium crystal sea salt (fleur de sel)
• Whole black peppercorns, whole white peppercorns
• Peperoncino–hot red pepper flakes, for that touch of spiciness we all like
• Dried oregano (Greek); dried thyme
• All-purpose flour
• Dried bread crumbs–dried bread crumbs can stay in an air-tight container in the cupboard; if seasoned with oil or cheese keep in refrigerator

The Vegetable Bin–a dark and cool place:
• Garlic–lots!
• Shallots
• Common (yellow) onions, red onions, sweet onions (such as Maui, Walla Walla, or Vidalia)
• Russet (baking) potatoes, small red potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes

In the cupboards:
• All-purpose flour, unbleached; whole-wheat flour; semolina flour; buckwheat flour (oily specialty flours, like chestnut and chickpea, in the freezer).
• Yellow polenta (imported); buckwheat polenta (taragna); white
polenta
• Short-grain Italian rice for risotto (Arborio or Carnaroli); long-grain
white rice; brown rice, wild rice
• Dried pastas–long: spaghetti, linguini, perciatelli, capellini; tubular: ziti, rigati, rigatoni, cavatappi, radiatori, gomiti, campanelle; and for soups: tubetini, stellinie, orzo, ancini pepe. Plus dry whole-wheat linguini or ziti, and other different shapes to enjoy as you find them
in the store.
• Dried cannellini beans; dried borlotti or cranberry beans; dried blackeye
beans
• Dried lentils
• Split peas
• Farro-barley
• Golden raisins, prunes, dried apricots, dried cherries
• Dried porcini (my mother puts them in the freezer) (see page 140)
• Pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts (put them in the freezer, too, for
long storage)
• Sugar, granulated; honey; zucchero da canna (page 389); maple syrup;
brown sugar (dark and light)

In the cupboards in cans and jars (I check the fridge first for open jars!):
• San Marzano plum tomatoes
• Imported tomato paste (preferably in tubes)
• Sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil
• Imported tuna fish packed in olive oil (tonno in olio)
• Imported anchovies, packed in olive oil (in the freezer, if opened)
• Tiny capers (nonpareil) in vinegar brine
• Peperoncini, whole small peppers in vinegar brine, preferably Tuscan
• Hot cherry peppers in vinegar brine (for hot-lovers, like me)
• Roasted sweet red peppers* (pimento) in brine
• Canned, cooked beans: cannellini; garbanzo (ceci)
• Apricot jam, rose hip jam, plum jam, strawberry jam, peanut butter
• Baby gherkin pickles
• Dijon mustard
• Ketchup

In the refrigerator–everyday dairy and cheeses:
• Milk: whole, 2%, and skim
• Butter, unsalted (there’s salted too)
• All-the-time cheeses: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino, and Grana
Padano (cheese rinds are saved in the fridge as well)
• Some-of-the-time cheeses: fresh mozzarella, fresh ricotta, crumbly goat cheese; ricotta salata, aged pecorino

In the refrigerator–vegetables and herbs:
• Carrots, celery, scallions, leeks, spinach, cabbage, mushrooms,
lettuces, chard, parsnips, turnips, celery root, squashes
• Italian parsley, fresh basil, fresh rosemary, fresh bay leaves, fresh
thyme, fresh mint (fresh horseradish and other herbs when in season)

In the refrigerator–odds and ends:
• Bacon (preferably slab or thick-cut); prosciutto ends (see page 129)
• All kinds of olives: black and green; brine-cured, oil-cured, with pits
and pitted

In the freezer–cooking staples in pints and quarts:
• All-Purpose Turkey Broth, page 80 (and turkey wings for more
broth!)
• Simple Tomato Sauce, page 132
• Marinara sauce, page 130
• Summer tomato sauce, page 256
• Bolognese sauce, page 143
• Frozen green peas
• Frozen berries

The Skillets, Pots, and Tools I Cook with at Home
Though there are dozens of skillets hanging near the stove and cupboards full of pots and saucepans, I use the same ones day after day. Probably, all of us cooks have our favorites–they feel familiar and comfortable in our hands; we know how much they hold and how fast they heat.

My everyday pots may be larger than the ones you use now, in part, as I mentioned before, because I always want to have food to send home with others. But large quantity cooking is also essential to my principle of building many dishes from elemental components, like sauces and soup bases, that I freeze for future meals. I hope you will become a convert to the efficiencies, conveniences, and creative possibilities that this style of cooking affords. In which case, you’ll need the big saucepans and soup pots I use and specify in the recipes. A 12-quart stock pot, and 8- and 10-quart heavy saucepans or Dutch ovens, and cast-iron pan, make life much easier and more delicious.

It is also the case that my cooking techniques demand large surface or volume dimensions. This is true of almost every pasta dish I make, for which a 14-inch-diameter skillet is a must. I have two of them, and I use them for everything–meats, vegetables, sauces–so it’s not unusual for both of those great old pans to be on the stove at the same time. I recommend this pan in dozens of recipes in this book, so I hope you will get at least one. I also dependon my heavy-duty roasting pans, 17 by 20 inches or even bigger for my main course roasts. The breadth is necessary, not for massive meat or poultry pieces, but to cook and caramelize a big quantity of vegetables and seasonings and to make a sauce in the roasting pan too.

I am not hooked on gadgets, though I have drawers full of them, often given to me as gifts. As you can glean from the recipes, which specify the cooking tools I use, there are a few things I must have nearby when I’m cooking. For pasta, I always use an Asian-made spider–the stir-fry tool with a wire basket on a long handle–to lift noodles from the cooking pot. I keep spiders in several sizes to use as tossers and stirrers. Metal tongs are also in my hands whenever I’m at the stove; several sizes are useful. Sieves and hand strainers, as well as larger draining baskets and colanders, are also essential implements, as are wooden spoons for mixing. There’s nothing fancy about these things but they are the best extensions of my hands I have used–and hands and fingers are my favorite kitchen tools and the most important of all.

But my recipes, the recipes I share with you in this and other books, can be cooked in any size kitchen. Don’t let this tour of my kitchen deter you. No matter how small your space, make it convenient and comfortable for you and your family. You can also reduce most of the recipes designed to serve six by cutting ingredients in half and using a somewhat smaller cooking vessel. Otherwise cook them as they are and you will have leftovers, which, when revisited creatively, can turn into delightful new dishes. I offer you some of those ideas throughout the book, but use your own imagination.
Copyright © 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich


Lidia's Family Table
by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
buy this book at Barnes & Noble

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Red Velvet Cake recipe for a perfect Valentine's day

recipe courtesy of heloise.com

1 (18.25 ounces) box yellow cake mix
5 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup low-fat or regular buttermilk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces red food coloring

1. In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix and only the ingredients listed above (do not add the ingredients listed on the cake box). Check the box directions to see how long you need to mix the batter and then bake according to the directions on the box for the size pans you are using.
2. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, run a dull knife around the edges, then carefully turn out onto a cake rack or plate to finish cooling.

Cream Cheese Icing
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 box plus 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a mixer, blend all of the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. You can add one or two drops of red food coloring for a pink icing, or leave it white for the traditional one.

--------------------

Bake Me A Wish!, bakemeawish, gourmet cake, valentine cake
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Red Velvet Cake is a Southern classic, this rich red chocolate cake is filled and covered with pure cream cheese frosting, with white chocolate sprinkled around its sides and the Belgian chocolate LOVE plaque of your choice on top.

Paula Deen's spinach-swiss casserole recipe



excerpted from

Paula Deen Celebrates!: Best Dishes and Best Wishes for the Best Times of Your Life
by Paula Deen
Buy this book at Barnes & Noble

Want more celebrity chefs' recipes?
Then browse through our free Great Chefs' recipes!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

The Birth of a Loaf

Cavaillon, the melon capital of France (and of the world, according to the local melon fraternity), is a market town of some 23,000 inhabitants, about a thirty-minute drive from Avignon. By day, it's a lively, crowded place. Cars prowl the streets in search of a parking spot, housewives sniff and prod the glistening piles of fruit and vegetables laid out on sidewalk stands shaded by striped awnings, cafe regulars study newspapers over their morning beers as dogs sidle between the tables hoping to find a fallen croissant. The sounds of laughter, vigorous argument, and les top hits of Radio Vaucluse burst out through open doors and windows.

That was how I knew Cavaillon, and how I always thought of it, until I was invited to take a look behind the scenes of the Auzet bakery by the patron himself. It was to be a working visit. I wanted to see bakers in action. I wanted to witness mounds of dough being transformed into loaves. I wanted to run my fingers through the flour, squeeze a warm boule or two, and generally soak up the atmosphere.

That was no problem, Gerard Auzet told me. I could have the freedom of the bakery while it was still calm and uncrowded. He suggested that I turn up for work, like everyone else, at four a.m. He could guarantee I'd have no trouble parking.

Cavaillon at four on that August morning was cool and ghostly. There were no cars, no noise, no people, no hint of the heat that would come with the morning sun. I was aware of hearing sounds one seldom hears in a busy town: the ticking of my car's engine as it cooled, the wailing of a lovelorn cat, theclick of my own footsteps. I walked past shuttered stores and groups of cafe chairs and tables that had been chained up on the pavement for the night. It felt strange to have the street to myself.

Gerard was waiting for me at the end of the cours Bournissac, standing in a pool of light outside the entrance to his bakery. He was more cheerful than any man had a right to be at that time of the morning.

"We've already started," he said. "But you haven't missed much. Come on in."

It was still too early for the addict's fix, the warm and heavenly whiff of just-baked bread. That would come in an hour or so, filling the bakery, drifting out through the door, causing nostrils to twitch in anticipation. The very thought of it made me hungry.

For the first time, I saw the bakery in a state of undress, the shelves bare. By six a.m. those shelves would be filling up with loaves--tall and thick, long and slender, plump and round, plain and fancy, whole wheat, rye, bran, flavored with garlic or Roquefort cheese, studded with olives or walnuts--the twenty-one varieties that are baked and sold each day. (If none of these is exactly what you want, the Auzet bakers can also supply made-to-order breads; these include bouillabaisse bread, saffron bread, onion bread, apricot bread, and, for those who like nibbling monograms, personalized bread rolls. You name it, they bake it.)

Gerard led me past the naked shelves and down a ramp that took us into the baking area, a large, airy room, bright white under the fluorescent lights. In one corner was a dough-kneading bowl the size of an infants' paddling pool, and fifty-kilo (110-pound) sacks of flour, from the ultrafine to the coarser, almost gritty (stone-ground); against the walls, stainless steel three-decker ovens six feet tall; between the ovens, steel work tables on which roughly formed boules of dough had been arranged in neat lines. There was no decoration, no stool to sit on, no concession to comfort, nothing that wasn't necessary for the making of bread. It was a functional room, saved from sterility by the earthy, reassuring smell of flour, and by the smiles and whistling of the bakers who were working the early shift, from four a.m. to noon.

That morning there were three of them, dressed in white T-shirts and shorts, their fingers and hands already pale with a dusting of flour. They started to work while I watched. I was at first surprised, then fascinated.

I was surprised because I had always thought that the standard loaves were formed mechanically, by some kind of molding process. I imagined a conveyor belt with dough going in at one end and baguettes coming out at the other--baguettes of identical size, identical weight, identical color, identical markings. I'm sure there are bread factories where this is exactly what happens, but it's not the way they do things at Auzet.

Every loaf is formed by hand, faconnage a la main, and it's a wonderful sight to behold. The preweighed lumps of dough (250 grams per baguette--a little more than half a pound) are taken, one by one, and slapped, rolled, squeezed, folded, and tweaked until they assume the familiar shape--if not yet the familiar color--of a loaf you would recognize on the shelf. It's like high-speed sculpture. The shaping of each loaf takes no more than thirty seconds, and after watching a dozen or so, you would swear that there are no differences between one loaf and the next. But of course, there are: the tiny variations, marks of humanity, that distinguish handmade objects from those turned out by machine.

The variations are a little easier to spot at the next stage of the loaf's birth, when the decorative touches are added. With the classic baguette, for example, you will find a series of diagonal stripes along the top surface of the loaf. At Auzet, these are made by hand. They start as gashes, swift stabs with what I originally thought must be a special tool--the baker's friend--used only by the pros. When I asked to take a look at one, I saw that it was a sliver of tin clipped from a can, sharp and shiny from years of use.

In a matter of minutes, twenty lumps of dough had become twenty baguettes. After each had been given its stripes, it was put on a length of flour-dusted canvas that had been corrugated to separate one loaf from the next. When the batch was completed, it was slid into the oven on a long wooden board.

By the time the first contingent of baguettes came out of the ovens, it was about four-thirty. The loaves were golden, some slightly darker at each end. Baking had caused the gashes to widen and fill in until they looked like indentations that might have been made in the crust by a finger applied horizontally across the loaf.

Gerard took a baguette from the batch and held it to his nose, much as a sommelier might check a cork. Then he turned the baguette over and tapped the flat underside two or three times, making a sound like a muffled drumbeat. "That's one way of testing the bread," he said. "You can hear when it's been baked correctly."

He passed me the loaf, and I gave it a novice's tap. Now that warm air had expanded the dough, the baguette felt light, almost hollow, rather than dense. I gave it a squeeze: firm, but yielding. I gave it a sniff. Mmmm. It made me wonder what time bakers had breakfast. I hoped it was soon.

This particular loaf, the standard, slim, everyday baguette, is best eaten young. It stays fresh for four or five hours, no more. ("Too good to last," as Gerard would tell you.) And so it's not unusual for a baker to see many of his morning customers turn up again in the afternoon, when they come by to collect their dinner baguettes. Larger loaves stay fresh longer, as do the denser breads like pain de campagne, pain au son, and pain complet. But the baguette remains the most popular loaf, and indeed one of the enduring symbols of France.

Some years ago, this sacred object came under attack. Certain unscrupulous supermarkets, in an effort to seduce the trusting housewife and undercut local bakers, brought out the one-franc baguette. It was an inferior specimen, bien sur, a miserable copy, but less than half the price of the real thing.

The supermarkets should have known better. Nobody trifles with the bakers of France, and war broke out at once. Aux armes, les boulangers! Independent bakers, united against a common foe, counterattacked. Delegations were sent to Paris. Ministers were petitioned. Protests were lodged in high places. The honor of French bread, the very fabric of French life, was at stake.

Finally, a group of bakers (among them Roger Auzet, Gerard's father) came up with a method of identifying bread that had been made in the traditional way with traditional ingredients. It was a kind of trademark, a guarantee of superior quality. Banette was the chosen name, and you will see it today displayed on bags and signs in every boulangerie where proper bread is made.

By five a.m., the Auzet bakers were in overdrive, working with extraordinary speed and precision--rolling and shaping the dough, slashing away with their miniature daggers, sliding the batches into the oven, thumping the oven doors shut. By the end of the day, more than a thousand loaves and petits pains would be formed, baked, and sold.

It was just after six when Gerard felt we deserved our breakfast. Leaving the bakers to their noble work, we went up the ramp and into the public part of the Auzet establishment, which over the years has become an informal mixture of shop, cafe, and art gallery. There are chairs and marble tables along one wall where you can have coffee and a croissant still glowing from the warm breath of the oven. Posters by local artists, photographs, and mementos share wall space with shelves lined with bottles of champagne, pots of homemade jams and syrups, baskets of almond biscuits, flasks of truffle-scented olive oil.

And then there's the bread--a panorama of bread, stretching for perhaps twenty feet behind the counter, bread arranged according to type and size, varying in color from pale gold to a deep chocolate brown, a display as tanned and tightly packed as rows of sunbathers on a Riviera beach.

Once the shelves are filled, tables and chairs are set out on the pavement. It's taken for granted that the sun will shine all day, just as it has been doing for the past three months. Outdoor blinds and shutters are folded back from the display window, and the first soft gray light of dawn seeps into the shop. The door is fixed open. Chez Auzet is ready for business.

Six-fifteen, and the hollow feeling of being up so early begins to disappear, thanks to a cafe creme and a warm breakfast roll spread with almost-white butter and dipped into the coffee, a messy but delicious combination of tastes and textures.

The first customer of the day appears, trailing behind him a large paper sack. He is from the Hotel du Parc at the end of the street and, this being August, the hotel is full. He leaves with a basket of croissants and a bulging sack of baguettes. Almost before he's out of the door, the gaps on the shelf are filled with more bread.

More customers arrive, the early-morning regulars, and they observe the daily ritual of handshakes and multiple kisses and enquiries after each other's health. The young women behind the counter wrap each purchase in a twist of paper with a dexterous turn of the wrist. Gerard circulates among his clients and rearranges a couple of loaves that have tilted sideways on the shelf. Symmetry restored to his satisfaction, he disappears down the ramp to commune with the ovens.

For him, it will be a long day. The early-morning batch is the first of many, and while a second shift of bakers will take over at noon, Gerard will stay until closing time, around six. He'll drive home to Menerbes, have dinner with his family, get to bed around ten, and be up again at three the next morning. I ask him how he does it. "You get used to it," he says. But I think there's more to it than that. I think you have to have baker's genes.

Flour in the Blood

When Marcel Pagnol wrote "Je suis ne dans le petrin"--I was born in the dough trough--he might have been describing any one of four generations of the Auzet family. For more than a hundred years, the Auzet men have been bakers.

Unfortunately, history in Provence is sometimes not passed on with as much detail or accuracy as one might wish. But we do have an idea of how it was to work as a baker during the second half of the nineteenth century, when Great-grandfather Auzet, born in 1845, was a young man.

His nickname was "L'Ortolan," although nobody knows why. The ortolan is a bird, a bunting, once much loved by gourmets until it became a protected species.

It is tiny, no more than a mouthful of a bird, and it is hard to find any immediate resemblance to Great-grandfather Auzet. He is remembered as un homme robuste, broad-shouldered and muscular, who wore his baker's apron slung beneath his belly (an impressive belly, by all accounts, described in appropriate baking terms as the brioche croissante).

He was a traveling baker, making his way along the backcountry roads from farm to farm and village to village throughout the Luberon with his mule and his cart. By his side was a large jug filled with eau de vie to ward off the chill of the winter mistral, and a generous supply of precious and all-important levain. This is the starter, a mixture of natural yeasts and other micro-organisms. It takes time to make, sometimes as much as twenty days. But it is the heart and backbone of good bread, the element of fermentation that, when added to dough, causes it to rise and gives it lightness and flavor. It is one of the oldest examples in the world of gastronomic magic.

With his levain and his skill, Great-grandfather Auzet would stop at each farm on his route, and turn the farmer's flour into a batch of bread before moving on to his next call. In villages, he would use the communal oven. Wherever he went, he brought un peu de bonheur, leaving behind him a trail of warm and aromatic kitchens. Not surprisingly, he was a popular visitor.

Excerpted from
Confessions of a French Baker: Breadmaking Secrets, Tips, and Recipes
by Peter Mayle
Buy this book at Barbes & Noble




-------------------


Sous Chef Baking Set, 25 piece

This fun set includes cookie sheet, 4-cup muffin pan, loaf pan, round spring form, flan pan, pumpkin pan, three bear cookie cutters, pastry bag and four tips, pastry wheel, rolling pin, slotted wooden spoon, wooden turner, pastry brush, spoon, spatula and four cookie cutters. Hand wash. 25-piece set.
At Sur La Table

Friday, January 25, 2008

Set of 4 Rolling Pin with Rack


Set of 4 Rolling Pin with Rack

The four rolling pins feature wooden handles and stoneware body with decorative molded design. Includes heart, apple, cake and star design. Rolling pin measures 10” x 2” diameter. When not in use, the rolling pins can be stored on the rack, adding a unique, decorative touch to your kitchen.
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Thursday, January 24, 2008

Food Network Favorites: Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs


Food Network Favorites: Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs

All-time-favorite recipes from some of the world's best chefs. More than 120 of the best restaurant-quality recipes that can easily be prepared in home kitchens. Numerous how-to photos and detailed text guarantee recipe success every time. 264 pages.
It's my bible.
Buy it at Barnes and Noble

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Mexican Fiesta Cookware


Mexican Fiesta Cookware
Mexican Fiesta offers an assortment of cookware and serveware that insures you will have a fiesta right in your own kitchen. There's a Mexican Fiesta Pan or Griddle that's perfect for cooking almost any recipe, and a selection of practical and decorative utensils and serveware to make meals exciting and colorful. So whether you are planning a special occasion or an everyday meal at home, the Mexican Fiesta Collection will enable you to create a tasty and memorable dining experience

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Sunday, January 20, 2008

Save $10 on Kenmore 9-pc cookware set


Kenmore 9-pc cookware set on sale for $89.99 - Save $10!
online at Kmart
from 1/20-1/26
Give your kitchen a new look and keep your food from sticking with this 9-piece cookware set. Everything you need to get a new kitchen started or to replace the worn out most used items in your kitchen. The non-stick surface makes clean-up easy. Stay-cool, stainless steel handles with silicone grips.

* Set includes: 1 and 2 quart sauce pans with lids, 8 and 10 inch skillets, 8 quart stockpot with lid and steamer insert
* Porcelain/Enamel/Stainless steel
* Dishwasher safe
* Made in China

via |Coupons Choice

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Red velvet heart-shaped box of gourmet organic chocolate

Velvet Heart Artisan Chocolates
Velvet Heart Artisan Chocolates
Delight your sweetheart with our red velvet heart-shaped box of gourmet organic chocolate! Each box contains 17 pieces of hand-decorated, heart-shaped ganache (soft centered truffles) made from single origin, fair trade Costa Rican chocolate. Each classic heart contains three gourmet flavors: sweet and tart Bing Cherry ganache, creamy white organic Madagascar Vanilla Bean, and paisley-shaped Jamaican spice caramels. Trust us - it doesn't get any better than this!

Valentine's Day has become one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the United States. Despite its commercialization, it becomes more meaningful with each passing year as consumers try to find gifts that truly express the feelings deep within. As people become more aware of the health benefits of chocolate, they want something that is both decadent and good for them. Valentine's Day organic chocolate or eco certified chocolate from Organic Bouquet is the perfect choice for your significant other.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

It's Valentine's Day at David's Cookies

At David’s, you can buy a gift basket or other unique Valentine gifts online that your other half is sure to love. Choose from the best ideas for him or her, including a special assortment of sweet chocolate cookies and edible valentines that provide more satisfaction than just flowers or cards, and less cliché than chocolates. Valentines around the country are enjoying delicious holiday presents from David’s Cookies, and so should yours. Have one delivered to your home today!


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Fuzzy Bear Basketicon
Warm up to the one you love with this heartfelt teddybear in a basket. He comes with a delicious assortment of brownies, butter pecan meltaways and a pound of fresh-baked, chocolate chunk cookies. It's the perfect gift basket, complete with tasty goodies and a very huggable, lovable bear.



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David's Bucket of Loveicon
Make that bucket of love a reality and pick one up from David’s Cookies! This shiny red bucket is brimming with assorted chocolate brownies (some may contain nuts). They’re moist, gooey and every bite will say, “I love you!” See if the two of you can share this bucket and get to the bottom to show how you feel! If that's not enough, we also throw in a full pound of assorted cookies. Makes the perfect Valentine or Mother’s Day present. Give multiple buckets of love to everyone in your family!


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Happy Valentine Message Cookie - 12"icon
What better way to wish your love a Happy Valentine’s Day than with a sweet, cake-sized message cookie from David’s? Our Valentine message cookie is full of scrumptious chocolate chips in a cookie dough base, baked fresh the day you order it. The sweet pastry cream says everything and the pink heart is a nice touch to say, “I love you.” Give this gift today and share in the enjoyment on this heartfelt day.



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Valentine’s Assortment 40 oz. Tinicon
A scrumptious assortment of delicious butter cookies, decorated and shaped in traditional Valentine’s Day themes. Let your significant other know how you really feel - give them a gift of Valentine Cookies from David’s Cookies! The cookies are shipped in a David’s Cookies tin and come with a complimentary greeting message. Contains approximately 56 (0.7 oz.) cookies.


via |HappyValentine.us

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Cool Jewels Ice Cube Tray, seen in O at Home


Cool Jewels Ice Tray

Iced ice! Bling out your drinks with 3-dimensinal gem-shaped ice cubes in this tray from Fred. Use water or juice. Imported. Hand wash.
* 8"l, 4.5"w 1.25"h
From Urban Outfitters

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Site of the day: Fannie May Valentine

Fannie May Valentine's Day Hearts are traditional on the outside, but the candies inside are anything but ordinary!
If you're looking for romantic Valentine's Day gift ideas, choose Fannie May chocolate gifts. Nestled inside a heart, a common symbol of romantic love, show that special someone how you feel with their delicious, quality chocolate assortments. With their variety of chocolate assortments, they have something that everyone can appreciate.



Valentine's Day Mint Meltaway Swirl Heart Box
Warm their heart with this special Valentine collection of chocolates. Special pink pastel-coated Mint Meltaways beautifully embrace traditional milk chocolate Mint Meltaways. This beautiful swirl heart is a lovely gift they'll treasure.



Valentine's Day Assorted Chocolates Swirl Heart Box
You'll love giving our hearts away to your someone special. They'll discover a sampling of our most popular chocolates, including milk and dark chocolate covered buttercreams, nougats, toffees and more nestled within a gorgeous swirl heart.



Valentine's Day Exquisite Romance Basket
There is no gift more romantic to give or receive than our special Valentine's Day basket filled with delectable Fannie May confections. Cuddle up next to your sweetheart and enjoy one half pound each of Pixies, Mint Meltaways, solid milk chocolate foil-wrapped hearts, 2 - .45oz dark chocolate squares and 2 - .45oz milk chocolate squares.



Valentine's Day Hearts Aplenty Chocolates
Luxuriously colored foil wrappers surround our solid heart-shaped milk chocolates. You'll be sure to make their heart skip a beat with this perfect gift. Approximately 36 foil hearts per package.


Take advantage of this offer: Free Shipping when you spend $20 - per address, thru 2.15.08
Free Shipping when you spend $20 per address thru 2.15.08