Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

If Valentine’s Day had a signature cake flavor – it would have to be red velvet!  The bakery artisans at Bake Me A Wish have created this year’s ultimate Valentine Cake – a decadent red velvet chocolate cake, covered in pure cream cheese frosting, with white chocolate sprinkles and a belgian chocolate “Love” medallion on top.  The cake is then boxed in their signature gold gift box and shipped directly to your sweetheart for $39.95 plus $14.99 shipping.  The 7″ cake will serve 6-8 people, but only if you wish to share!

As part of Operation:  Birthday Cake, Bake Me A Wish uses 5% of each sale to help send birthday cakes to soldiers deployed overseas.  So you are not only making your sweetheart happy this year, you are helping to bring a delightful cake to a soldier who cannot be with family on their birthday.

Triple chocolate brownies, chocolate dipped sugar cookies, Oreos, fortune cookies and rice krispie treats – a heavenly combination of sinful desserts!  Dressed up with Valentine sprinkles and sugar decorations, the treats in this deluxe basket are a guaranteed winner!  Last year I sent this basket to my parents for them to share at a Valentine’s Day dinner.  This year, the host of the dinner has asked my mom to bring the “wonderful dessert basket” again.

Gourmet Cookie Bouquets offers this decadent dessert basket for $66 plus $11.95 shipping.

Recommended by renowned New York Times food writer Marian Burros, the chutneys from the Virginia Chutney Company are second to none!  Chutney is a delicious, savory condiment made from fruit, vinegar, sugar and spices.  Popular as an appetizer or a glaze on meats, chutney can take on a variety of flavors, depending on the combination of fruits and spices used.

Try four of the outstanding flavors for only $27.80 plus $9.00 shipping.  Flavors available are Spicy Plum (their best seller), Cranberry, Mango, Sweet Peach, Hot Peach and Rhubarb.  Use them as a spread for toast or muffins, add some cream cheese to create a great dip, or eat them directly out of the jar!

Amaze your loved one this Valentine’s Day with an extravaganza of love and romance included in a pretty package!  The packaging is a handsome gold painted wicker basket, and the contents range from sweet to sexy – the perfect combination for a romatic evening!  The jumbo basket sells for $299, and includes candy, chocolates, sparkling grape juice, candy tattoos, body paint, a chocolate board game, romance CD, teddy bear, body powder, bubble bath, lotion, and a number of other treats for you and your lover to experience.  Over 30 items can help turn this Valentine’s Day into an unforgettable celebration of your love.

Lighter than Gorgonzola, richer than Danish blue and more intense than US blues, Britain’s Historic Blue Stilton cheese is causing a revolution in the kitchen.  The full-rounded qualities enliven salads and hors d’oeuvres, soups, sauces, and a variety of dishes.

More than just a cheese, Stilton is prized as the authentic flavor of an earlier time – a taste of history that continues to add taste and texture to today’s gourmet meals.  Only seven dairies in Britain are licensed to produce the creamy king of cheeses, but luckily it is available online at idealcheese.com.  You can try a half wheel (approximately 2.75 lbs) for $40 plus shipping.  Crumble it into a salad, melt some into a sauce, or add chunks to your steamed vegetables for an unforgettable meal!

Sometimes the best way to show someone how much you care is with a simple gift – like this cookie tin with the sentiment “I Love You” on the cover.  People of all ages will delight in this gift – filled with a dozen fresh-baked cookies that taste just as good as homemade!  Whether your recipient is 8 or 80, they will appreciate the gift and the message it conveys.  Send some love for $31 plus $8.95 shipping.  You can even choose the cookie flavors and choose from 3 sentimental messages for the cover.

If my 6 year old had his way he would eat spaghetti noodles with butter and Parmesan cheese for every meal!  Fortunately for him, I will not allow that to happen – I simply have too much fun finding new foods and flavors for our family to try.  This tower is a perfect example -  I can introduce them to a variety of flavors while still serving them familiar food.  The Royal Pasta Tower contains 9 different styles and flavors of pasta, 4 sauce/topping choices, extra virgin olive oil, balsalmic vinegar and Italian seasonings and spices.  The tower is currently 50% off at Rossi Pasta’s website – you can try these amazing flavors for only $52.48.

I always adhere to the adage that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!  Which is why I’m getting my husband this Chocolate Gift Basket for Valentine’s Day this year.  I am more of a choc-o-holic than he is, but he does enjoy his sweets.  I searched for a romantic basket that has a variety of chocolate items, and this one fits the bill perfectly.  We are celebrating after the boys go to bed so I will get a bottle of wine to go with this gift, and we can watch a romantic movie while sharing the goodies and toasting to our wonderful life!  The red willow basket is available for $45, and is filled with chocolate fudge caramel corn, caramel-filled chocolates, fudge, coconut chocolates, chocolate fudge cake and chocolate covered nuts.

With the temperatures barely crawling above zero lately, I’m in the mood for warm comfort foods – soups and stews top the list.  I also love seafood – especially lobster – so when I found this meal package I had to try it!  I ordered this for my Girl’s Night In that will be at my house next week.  We will be dining on Lobster Stew, Lobster Tail and Steamer Clams.  The set also includes shell crackers and picks, wet naps and bibs, Maine Sea Salt for cooking and an instruction booklet that features great lobster recipes.  I ordered the dinner for 4, which is $179 and includes overnight shipping costs.  If you are interested in this Casco Bay Lobsterbake, you get to choose 3 fresh-caught items from the following list of options:

• Lobster
• Lobster Tail
• Mussels
• Steamer Clams
• Shrimp
• Lobster Stew
• Clam Chowder
• Haddock Chowder

The perfect way to brag to your friends about your team making it to the Superbowl (or ultimately, winning it) is to send sweet victory cookies.  Gourmet Cookie Bouquets will customize this Football Bouquet with your team’s colors and/or your favorite jersey numbers so you can rub it in – especially if your friend was rooting for the other team!  The sweet taste of victory sells for as little as $29.