Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

This year we are sending my dad a Father’s Day gift basket with a little bit of kick!  We love to grill when we visit my parents, and my dad is a self-proclaimed “King of the Grill”.  He is always bragging about the spices and rubs he has created to season our meals, so this year we wanted to give him a new combination of flavors to try.  This gift basket contains 3 – 4 oz boxes (one each of Jamaican Jerk, Chipotle BBQ and Cracked Pepper) of dry rub, as well as a bottle of Ambrosia Pepper sauce and a pound of hickory chips to add a great smoky flavor.  My husband is really looking forward to trying these spices because he and my dad have a friendly competition each year to see who can come up with the tastiest spice combination.  If dad likes any of these rubs he will have to give my husband at least a little credit for finding this gift!  The set is packaged in a basket with a kitchen towel liner for $31 plus shipping.

My co-worker’s mother has a soft spot for cheesecake.  She is an excellent cook and makes a decadent NY Cheesecake, so this year for Mother’s Day my co-worker wanted to get her mom something she wasn’t able to make better herself.  This Neapolitan Cheesecake was the perfect gift – it cured her mother’s craving for cheesecake but also gave her a new combination of flavors that she had not tried before.  The chocolate cookie crust is topped with a layer of chocolate fudge, then raspberry cream and finally creamy vanilla cheesecake.

To ensure that the dessert arrived fresh and delicious it was only available for overnight delivery, but the shipping cost of $34.95 was still reasonable.  The 3 lb cheesecake is enough for 10-12 people and is priced at $39.

These hand painted chocolate turtles have such amazing detail and were so pretty – I almost couldn’t eat them.  But once I tried the first one, it didn’t take long for the rest to disappear!  The turtle colors signify a different type of nut found inside – either cashew, walnut, pecan, almond, macadamia or pistachio – along with caramel and creamy milk chocolate.  The chocolatier who creates these masterpieces, Ghyslain Maurais, started as an architectural student and then transferred to pastry school in Quebec where hand painted chocolates became his speciality.  Along with an artistic appearance, these chocolate turtles have a divine taste.  The 4 oz. variety box contains 12 hand-painted turtles – 2 of each flavor – and sells for $22.95.

My boys really love their daycare lady!  She treats them like they are one of her own and lavishes them with hugs, kisses and special treats.  That’s why we are sending her a number of gifts for her birthday this year.  She loves snacks – and will regularly make a large tub of snack mix that she happily shares with our entire family.  Although it may not taste the same as her homemade mix, we are going to send her this smiley-face tub that is filled with a number of snacks and tell her on the gift card that she doesn’t even have to share!  The 9 1/2″ tub contains 4 gourmet popcorn flavors, pretzels and fiesta snack mix – and when it’s empty it turns into a piggy bank.  The tub is available for $30 plus a very reasonable $8.95 shipping charge.

When I first saw this Middle Eastern Gourmet Pastry, I thought of a funnel cake that we buy at our local fair in the summertime.  While this pastry is similar in some ways, the taste is more refined and it is created a bit differently.  The traditional Mid-East Zalabia starts with a yeast dough that is deep fried, then soaked in a sweet lemony syrup and sprinkled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture.  The result is a mix of flavors – from the sweet sugar coating to the slight lemon in the syrup to the light and fluffy dough.  We ordered a large tray for our office and they disappeared before our morning coffee break was over!  The pastries can be shipped via UPS Ground, but the company recommends upgrading so they arrive at your door as fresh as possible.  The large tray cost $30 and UPS 2nd-day air shipping to our office was $21.85.

Jim Beam and Jack Daniels don’t just make whiskey, they also sell a number of tasty snack foods, flavored coffees and desserts.  A few of these items have been combined into a red gift pail – along with chips, crackers and beer nuts – to create a memorable gift for Father’s Day, a summer birthday or for no reason at all!  The Jim Beam bourbon fudge is smooth and creamy, the salsa is chunky and flavorful, and the rest of the components are just as good!  My husband and I share this pail very well – he takes the savory items and I lay claim to the sweets.  We found this gourmet gift online for $53 plus $10.95 shipping.

If you are looking for a more sophisticated marshmallow to roast around your campfire this summer, you have to try some of these Amaretto Flavored Marshmallows from Laura’s Candy!  They are hand made in small batches, and arrive light, fluffy, a bit sticky and totally delicious!  The marshmallows have a decidedly “grown up” taste with the addition of the Amaretto, and they make mouthwatering smores.  Laura has been making homemade marshmallows since 2003, and now sells in select stores from coast to coast.  She currently offers 15 different flavors – from Butterscotch to Whiskey – that will stay fresh for 8-10 weeks after receiving (even longer if frozen).  A 5 ounce gift box (as pictured) contains 8 jumbo marshmallows and sells for $6.50.

I always look forward to graduation parties – it gives us a chance to visit with friends and family and share in some delicious summer foods!  My favorite course would have to be dessert – and last year we attended a graduation celebration that included some very unique desserts.  It was a relatively small gathering, and each table had a cookie bouquet for the centerpiece, which also served as the dessert for the party.  The bouquets were iced to match the graduate’s class colors, and each center cookie included his name.  The bouquets were so cute and decorative that we hated to break them up to eat them – but we did!  The cookies were moist and tasty and the graduate was pleased because he wanted a memorable party and this centerpiece certainly contributed to it.

A bouquet like this can be ordered with 3, 5, 7, 9 or 12 cookies, with prices ranging from $28 to $82.  If you would like to order in bulk, these cookies can also be made into individually-wrapped favors for as little as $4.50 apiece.  Just contact Gourmet Cookie Bouquets and they would be happy to assist with any custom order!

With the temperatures reaching the 90’s two days last week, my thoughts turn to refreshing summer beverages.  A favorite of mine is Lorina’s Sparkling French Lemonade – that was voted Best Sparkling Lemonade by Julie Bean (from Every Day with Rachel Ray).  The sparkling lemonade is kept carbonated by a special metal bottle cap that can be reapplied and the bubbles will remain captured inside – making your first sip as tasty as your last!  The beverage has a tart lemony taste, but is not overly sour that your lips will pucker.  I prefer this over a standard lemonade because of the carbonation, it lightens the taste and makes it even more refreshing.  You can purchase a 25.4 oz bottle for $4.39 plus shipping.

Nuts are a favorite snack in our breakroom and it’s always fun to search for unique nuts or new combinations to try.  But sometimes the best nuts are the perennial favorites like almonds, cashews and pistachios.  The snack we found at All About Gifts & Baskets combines these favorites into a cute compartmentalized gift tray that would also make a great gift for any occasion!  We get 22 ounces of this sweet and nutty snack for only $35.