Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

One of the best rewards of traveling is to sample local cuisine and revel in regional specialities.  When my sister and her husband visited Maine last fall, they brought back a variety of snacks for my boys.  I am raising a family of snack-o-holics, so we loved the new, tasty treats!  The treats have long since been eaten and I haven’t been able to find exactly the same brand as what my sister brought home, but I’m hoping the treats included in this Maine Munchies Gift Basket will be just as good.  The box is filled with 7 regional snack specialities, including 2 packets of our family favorite – dried Maine Blueberries.  The gift box contains 5 ounce bags of the following:

• Dried Wild Blueberries (2 packets)
• Maine Maple Munch
• Black Bear Munch
• Moose Berry Mix
• Casual Camp Mix
• Puffin Munch
• Acadian Sun Burst

I found this basket at MaineMunchies.com for $45.95.  My sister and her husband will be receiving this gift basket for their anniversary next week – hopefully they will share some with us!

One of my niece’s favorite treats are fresh strawberries – she could eat them by the bushel!  She is also a huge chocoholic (it runs in the family), so I thought these enormous chocolate dipped strawberries would be a perfect treat for her birthday!  She holds a special place in my heart so I wanted to find something memorable and enjoyable for her special day.  I am sending her a dozen fresh giant strawberries, dipped in chocolate (white, milk, and dark), then decorated with coconut, chopped nuts and more chocolate.  One dozen of these chocolate-covered wonders is available for $50, and must be shipped overnight ($34.95) to ensure freshness.  All About Gifts & Baskets also recommends that the strawberries be refrigerated immediately upon receipt, so don’t send them to an address where they may end up sitting outside for a while.

I have never had the pleasure of tasting rack of lamb, but I intend to do so very soon!  I have been scouring websites looking for the best deal, and the highest quality because I do not want my first experience to be with an inferior product.  Through my research, I found what I believe to be the best option at Schaul’s Signature Gourmet Foods.  Their rack of lamb has gotten excellent reviews and is offered at a fair price.  Their 2 lb package is described as being “perfect for an intimate dinner for two”, and can be purchased for $149.95.  Now I just have to find a chef to prepare it to perfection, because I would hate to burn such a beautiful and refined cut of meat!

My old college roommate and I try to stay in touch, but there are times when we will go several months without a phone call, letter or email.  However, I always remember to send her a gift around the date her mother passed away, because it was a difficult time for her in college and I was there to help her through it.  Her mother was a wonderful person, and she has chosen to celebrate the day of her mother’s passing rather then dread it.  This year I am sending a cookie basket from one of my favorite online retailers – Cookie Gift Baskets.  Their cookies always receive rave reviews from the people I send them to, and the “Thinking of You” basket portrays the exact sentiment for this special occasion.  The basket is available with a gourmet assortment of 13, 25 or 37 cookies and the prices range from $28 to $58.  I also called the company to verify that the peanut butter cookies used in this basket are safe, and was reassured that the peanut butter used in their bakeries is a completely different brand then the one manufactured by the plant in Georgia – so that put my mind at ease!

One of my co-workers loves tea, and she especially enjoys trying new flavors.  Which is why this Around the World sampler was perfect for her birthday last week.  I have to admit that I’m not a tea person so I wasn’t aware that tea came in anything other than a bag!  But when these teas arrived in loose-leaf form my co-worker was thrilled!  She claims that the flavor is much stronger in a loose-leaf tea, and she can mix the flavors together if she is feeling adventurous.  The sampler pack included teas from China, Japan, France and Kenya, but was shipped from Chelmsford Tea & Gifts in Kansas.  She received 2 oz of tea in four flavors:

• Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose
• Lavender
• Kambaa
• Japanese Sencha

Add a bit of spice to your Valentine’s Day with a “Red Hot” basket filled with themed Valentine treats!  The fun red wicker basket has a stuffed tiger and his t-shirt says “Can’t keep my paws off you!”.  Surrounding the tiger, Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets has packed in Cherry Kisses, Cinnamon Red Hots, Almond Roca, Chocolate Covered Cherries, Chocolate Cream Filled Wafer Cookies, Milk Chocolate Kisses and a Red Hot Valentine Gift Box filled with cream cheese kisses.  This red hot item is currently on sale for $49.50.

This year, Dean and Deluca is offering a unique heart-shaped container for Valentine’s Day that tastes as good as it looks!  The large dark chocolate heart is covered with edible red glitter, and opens to reveal 9 chocolate truffles – 3 each of White Chocolate Caramel, Dark Chocolate Caramel, and hand painted Framboise.  The gorgeous presentation and unique edible container make this gift anything but a standard Valentine’s Day gift.  Now on sale for $93.75, order by Wednesday to ensure delivery by Saturday.

This cheerful cookie pot not only sends great Valentine wishes, but is perfect to celebrate American Heart Month!  The colorful pot is a great lasting gift, but the cookies won’t last nearly as long!  My friend’s sister actually ordered this item for herself, just so she could get the pot!  She’s going to eat the cookies and add a plant to the pot, then give it to her mother – who is a heart attack survivor.  This delicious arrangement is available from Gourmet Cookie Bouquets for $35, but don’t wait too much longer to order if you want it to arrive before Valentine’s Day!

If you can’t excape with your sweetheart to France this Valentine’s Day, give her a gift that will transport her to the French countryside while still in the comforts of home!  The gift box contains a variety of fresh pears that are perfected paired with two varieties of award-winning Blue Cheeses.  The flavors blend together perfectly to create a romantic appetizer around the fireplace or a tasty late-night snack.  Available from The Fruit Company for $64.95.

For many chocolate connoisseurs, the name Godiva is synonymous with chocolate perfection.  If you know of such a connoisseur, do not dissapoint them this Valentine’s Day!  The Deluxe Godiva Valentine Basket contains some of the very best chocolate confections available – including truffles, biscuits, covered strawberries, hot cocoa and assorted solid white, milk and dark chocolate hearts.

All About Gifts & Baskets offers this gourmet basket for $40 plus $9.95 shipping.