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Spoon, could you give me a hand?

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

We are addicted to Pinterest and have found it possible to find the coolest Culinary Utensils around.

$16.50 on Amazon

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Last Minute Gifts in Santa Cruz made in Santa Cruz?

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

    1. Verve Coffee – for someone who LOVES coffee, get them the exceptional – Kenya Karatu $23.40 OR a 3-6 month subscription.
    2. el Salchichero Charcuterie Butcher for fixings for a Cheese & Charcuterie Platter - in Santa Cruz on Swift Street. Persimmon Mostarda - Emperor Norton Canning Company (savory-tangy-sweet flavor) OR other canned goodies for a Charcuterie Meat & Cheese Tray with all the trimmings. House Made Curry Raisins – made at el Salchichero Chacuterie Butcher
    3. Friend in Cheeses Jam Company - “Chow Chow”, “Pinot Cherries,” “Carrot Marmalade,” “Forbidden Fruit Marmalade,” “Fig Fennel Jam,” and “Spring Onion Jam” that you can buy in Santa Cruz at New Leaf, Shopper’s Corner, Staff of Life, Hay Market (Willow Glen) … or order online for $8 a jar.              For suggested pairings from owner Tabitha, – see here.
    4. Sones Cellars-Refillable Bottle - Hedgehog Red, a petite sirah-zinfandel blend classified as a red table wine that is tapped from a tasting room barrel and sold in refillable bottles. $5 for the bottle $12 for refills ($10 for wine club members).  We tasted it yesterday and it was, yes, very tasty!
    5. Santa Cruz Food Tour Tickets! ($52.50 ea. – lasts 3.5 hours, all food included)

    Posted in Foodie Gifts, Santa Cruz | 2 Comments »
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    5 Foodie Stocking Stuffers • 2011

    Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

    StirSticks for Cooking that look like Paint Stir Sticks

    5 Stocking Stuffer List for Foodies:

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    My Valentine’s Day Present Pick: Rose Pearl Green Tea ($144 lb.!)

    Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

    Alrighty, this is my Valentine’s Day Gift Pick for your special lady:

    • Rose Pearl Green Tea ($144 lb.) from Ten Ren Tea in Cupertino (SF, Milpitas, Richmond, Newark, & LA locations too)

    After a Chinese New Year’s occasion of Dim Sum at Joy Luck Palace with a friend we ventured around the Cupertino Village Asian strip mall of stores and restaurants all there together, to buy more of, one of my all-time favorites, Jasmin Pearl Tea.  Jasmin Pearl Tea is quite expensive at about $100 lb and reminds me of my childhood (not sure why at all, but it does).  At Ten Ren Tea, sitting on the shelf next to the Jasmin Pearl Tea, was another lovely looking blend called Rose Pearl Green Tea that had a combination of Jasmin Pearl Tea and dried Rose Buds for $144 lb.  I knew it would be good and thought, this is the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your girlfriend (s), mother, grandmother, and wife.  You don’t want to buy a pound because that would be a LOT of tea.  A $15-20 sachet worth of tea is the perfect amount.  With the tea, you could include a beautiful tea pot set, mug, candies, chocolates or … !

    Posted in Foodie Gifts, South Bay - Silicon Valley | No Comments »
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    Still need a Homemade Holiday Gift? Tijuana Tidbits

    Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

    Chex Mix or Tijuana Tidbits?  You either love em’ or your hate em’ or you start munching on em’ and can’t stop.  Either way, party mix gets consumed and that seems to be what the holidays are all about!  AND, the lucky recipient of your TT’s won’t forget you because love and hate are strong emotions.  But really, this recipe is a little bit different.  My mom claims that Tijuana Tidbits are a snack mix that even men like.  I think she is onto something here.  Who knew that men liked em’ hot and sweet?

    Tijuana Tidbits Recipe

    Makes 18 cups

    Ingredients:

    • 4 cups tortilla chips, broken into 1 1/2” pieces
    • 3 cups Crispix cereal
    • 1 bag microwave popcorn popped (8-9cups)
    • 1, 12 ounce can of mixed cocktail nuts
    • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 TBSP chili powder
    • 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
    • 1/8-1/4 tsp ground red pepper

    Preparation:

    Heat oven to 250F.

    Combine chips, cereal, popcorn, and nuts in large roasting pan. Combine other ingredients in small saucepan, heat to boiling.   Pour over cereal mixture in pan, stirring to coat. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from oven and turn onto sheet of wax paper to cool.

    Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks.

    Posted in Appetizers, Family Favorites, Foodie Gifts, Home Cookin' | No Comments »
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    A Unique Xmas Gift for the Carnivore: Mom Wilson’s Candy-Cane shaped “Cracker Sausage”

    Saturday, December 18th, 2010

    A few years ago my cousin’s wife, originally from Ohio who now lives in Florida, told us about Mom Wilson’s Country Sausage that is actually located in my childhood hometown.  She told us that each time she drives through our hometown in Ohio on her way to Northern Ohio that she stops at Mom Wilson’s Country Sausages to pick up a Smoked Ham. It was weird to me because I had lived near Ma Wilson’s for twenty some years before moving to California and had no idea Mom Wilson’s was that good. I finally figured out that it is a local gem and on todays visit we spotted something too good and too kitschy to pass up, a Candy-Cane shaped spicy “Cracker Sausage.”

    Inside Mom Wilson’s they have lots of tastes to figure out what you may want to buy from hot pickles to spicy sausage, braunschwaiger, caramel corn, and other country sausages and cheese. I asked them what their biggest seller was and they told me it was the Cracker Sausage. After tasting it and finding out it was delicious, I looked in the refrigerator and saw a Candy-Cane shaped Cracker Sausage for $5.60. John and I both said, “That is awesome!”

    You can’t order it online, yes, that is how local they are, but you can call them and they will ship it out to you. Then pair it with a box of crackers or their horseradish cheese and it’s a unique gift for friends or your holiday party.

    Mom Wilson’s Country Sausage
    7720 U.S. Route 23 North
    Delaware, Ohio 43015

    Phone (740) 726-2636

    Posted in Foodie Gifts, Ohio, Out of Town, Store Bought | No Comments »
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    2010 Cheapskate Foodie Gifts • 20 Under $30

    Friday, December 3rd, 2010

    For the Photo-Foodie:

    • The Camera Lens Mug (for Canon or Nikon lovers) $24-30 + Shipping – For the Photo & Coffee Geek by Photo JoJo OR Give the foodie photographer or blogger a Studio Photo-Tent Dome for their plated foods too (OK, just a bit more than $30, range from $35-100)!

    For the Mess-in-the-Kitchen:

    - Hand screen printed using color-fast ink in red. Washing machine/dryer safe. Absorbent flour sack is 28″ x 29″. Colors: Dark Blue , Arctic Blue (light) , Sweet Pea Green , Clementine , Red Raspberry , Chocolate Pudding Brown

    For the OCD-Kitchen Cook:

    -Slice your veggies or any food item precisely and more quickly than pulling out your big-old $200 Mandolin.

    For the Wine-Lover:

    - James Beard Foundation Book Award Beverage Winner 2010 – Written by visionary California winemaker and founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard (from Santa Cruz!)

    - 12 Zodiac Animal Head Choices

    For the Sweet Tooth:

    For the Fashionable Foodie’s Stocking:

    For the Herb Lover:

    For the Bacon Lover: Are we still loving Bacon Stuff? YES!

    - This is a savory jam cooked down with onions and spices. – Serve it on sandwiches and such

    • Bacon Explosion - 1/2 Bacon Explosion – $17.99 Full Bacon Explosion – $29.99 + shipping

    - Quilted Bacon (retains all of the fat, so watch out) with sausage, BBQ sauce, BBQ rub and it is then smoked – Put it on toothpicks to serve because it has a pretty intense, rich flavor

    Posted in Foodie Gifts, Store Bought | 2 Comments »
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    GrassRoutes Guides & Oakland Dining Recommendations Online

    Sunday, November 21st, 2010

    I met Serena of GrassRoutes Guides (Oakland, CA) at a Food Blogging dinner in SF and quickly wanted to know when she would come down and write a guidebook about Silicon Valley/South Bay because we are not the ugly step sister of SF.  I really liked Serena’s energy and optimism about Oakland in particular.  Now we have a ton more spots to check out in our often frequented Oakland (and then some spots from her other guides on SF, Wine Country, Portland, & Seattle).  Serena told me that Eco-Tourism should not just be for the exotic travels to such locales as Costa Rica but that even urban places in the Bay Area, that are Eco-conscious, can enrich and enlighten our travels and explorations at home.

    The Oakland/Berkeley Guidebook page online has lots of restaurant descriptions and suggestions for places to eat in Categories such as:

    • Do Lunch (Bake Sale Betty – Famous Fried Chix Sandwich)
    • Casual Night Out – (One pick we’ve tried is – Dona Tomas – Great Cookbook and Creative, Upscale Mexican Spot)
    • Coffee Time (Blue Bottle of course! – Don’t miss it!)
    • Dress Up
    • Farm to Table
    • International Grocery
    • Sweet Tooth
    • Imbibe (Need to add Beer Revolution & Friday at Drakes Brewery to the list (I know it is in San Leandro but it is so worth it))

    Posted in Around California, Eating Out, Foodie Gifts, Oakland | No Comments »
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