Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

If you are searching for a red meat that is low in fat and cholesterol but still has a great flavor, you should try venison.  My husband hunts whitetail deer every fall, so we are able to regularly enjoy this meat that many people consider a delicacy.  We love to put a venison roast in the oven with potatoes, onions and carrots.  We also save some steaks for summertime grilling and process some of the meat into snack sticks and jerky.  Venison is my 6 year old’s favorite meat.

The domestic venison available from Underhill Farms is a high quality protein source, with very little of the gamey flavor you would experience from a wild deer.  Their Fallow Deer are raised hormone-free on a farm in central Kansas, which is one of a select few farms in the United States that raise venison specifically for consumption.  The venison medallions are tender, boneless pieces of tender steak, and are available for $22/lb.

If you want to send a quick pick me up to a friend or loved one, this cookie box will convey your sentiments with a sweet treat inside.  The cookies taste just like homemade, and you can even choose which flavors you want to send.

The jumbo cookies arrive individually packaged to preserve freshness, but you won’t have to worry about that because they will disappear before having a chance to get stale!  Send one dozen cookies for $23 plus shipping.  There are six cookie flavors to choose from, mix and match or send the standard variety which includes 2 cookies of each kind:

• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip
• Milk Chocolate Chip
• Macadamia Nut White Chocolate Chip
• Pecan Caramel
• Peanut Butter
• Oatmeal Raisin

High in the Rocky Mountains, hidden in the tiny town of Jefferson, CO, the Up South Fudge Factory produces smooth and creamy fudge that can be purchased in store or online.  If you get the chance, drive 80 miles southwest of Denver to the Jefferson Market and Post Office to experience not only delicious fudge, but also some old-time hospitality and breathtaking views.

However, if it’s not convenient for you to take the trip, you can still experience the first class fudge that is also available sucrose-free.  Their most popular flavor is chocolate walnut, and an 8 ounce square is available for $7.00.  To receive an even better value, you will receive 1/4 free if you order 2 lbs at once.

Since I’m so sick of this cold weather, and because I’ve been suffering with a stuffy nose and congestion, I decided that a dose of Vitamin C was in order.  Rather than pick through the ho-hum fruit at the grocery store I opted for some grove-fresh citrus shipped directly to my door.  That way I am guaranteed the freshest oranges and grapefruit, and I don’t have to go out in the below zero windchill to get it!

I’m looking forward to this Fresh Citrus Selection from All About Gifts & Baskets, available for $35 plus shipping.  I will share the oranges with the rest of my family, but the grapefruit will be all for me – since it’s a favorite breakfast item.

For my uncle’s 50th birthday, my family went together and sent him a half dozen bottles of wine with personalized labels.  We were able to choose a sentimental message for the bottles, and we knew it was something he would really enjoy.  There is an expansive selection of wines to choose from, and the prices are very affordable.  The only downside is that wines cannot be shipped to every state because of the individual state’s alcohol shipping rules.

We ordered 6 bottles of a 2006 Stephen Vincent Chardonnay, complete with a personalized birthday label, for $13.99 per bottle.

I find it hard to improve on an Oreo cookie.  The crunchy, chocolate outside is in perfect proportion to the creamy vanilla filling.  My 6 year old and I have contests to see who can “unscrew” their Oreo perfectly, getting all of the filling on one side only.  He usually wins – but there really isn’t a loser when we’re having an Oreo snack!

Even though I didn’t think it was possible, I have found an improved Oreo cookie – one that’s covered in chocolate!  We found these fun treats dipped in milk, dark and white chocolate and then covered with St. Patrick’s Day decorations.  My husband loves the dark chocolate, my son’s favorite is milk chocolate, which is fine with me since I think the white chocolate are the best!  My son and I now have a new contest – we see who can eat the sprinkles off first, then split the chocolate covered Oreo in half and dunk it in milk.  Unfortunately, these cookies are so tasty that neither of us has the patience to win this contest!  One dozen of these divine treats is available for $22 from Cookie Gift Baskets.

My girlfriend is a big fan of pepper jellies.  She loves the sweet apricot pepper jelly mixed with cream cheese on a bagel, and enjoys the kick of a jalapeno pepper jelly as a dip for pretzels.  She especially loves to grill with all flavors of pepper jelly.  The sweet components form a glaze on chicken or ribs, and the pepper component adds a bit of kick to the mix.  She is preparing for summer grilling season this year by ordering a 3 pack of her favorites, entitled – apropriately enough – Pepper Jelly All Time Favorites Three Pack.  She will receive three 10 ounce jars for $26.95 – one each of Apricot, Jalapeno and Pomegranate Pepper Jellies.  Along with each order, Aloha From Oregon also sends a number of great recipe ideas in case you want to try something new!

It goes without saying that the employees at our office love to snack.  We are always on the lookout for tasty snacking combinations, and we celebrate all holidays/special occasions with food!  This year we chose an Irish Basket O’ Treats for St. Patrick’s Day, and everyone had a favorite from the array.  It’s no surprise that I loved the Ghirardelli Mint Chocolates, while my boss preferred the key lime cookies.  One of my co-workers couldn’t put down the California Crisp crackers, while another co-worker enjoyed the simple tortilla chips and salsa.  The snacking variety arrived in a round wicker party basket accented with green, and is available from Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets for $35.  The contents include:

• Cashews
• Gouda Cheese
• Tortilla chips
• Salsa
• California Crisp crackers
• Key Lime cookies
• Ghirardelli Mint Chocolate
• Clover Chocolate

Instead of the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage, try some clover-shaped pasta for St. Patrick’s Day.  Your dinner guests will be lucky indeed when they are served these colorful shamrocks with a hearty meat sauce or spicy pesto.  You can also create a new tradition by adding some of these pasta shapes to a meaty Irish stew.  The clover shaped pasta is available at Around The Table Pasta Shoppe for only $5.99.

Last week I became an auntie again!  My sister had a beautiful baby boy, and to welcome little Preson into the world we sent him a tasty cookie arrangement from Gourmet Cookie Bouquets.  It was a great choice because we were able to add Preson’s name, date of birth and weight to the cookies for no additional charge!  Before she let her other kids devour the cookies, my sister took many pictures of the cookies so she could add them to his baby book.

The delicious cookie bouquet is available in a number of sizes – anywhere from 3 to 12 jumbo cookies.  We chose the 7 cookie bouquet for $47, and shipping to MN was $11.95.  To my delight, the cookies arrived bakery-fresh with no breakage or crumbs.