Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

Betty Darby has proven that the “Golden Years” don’t have to be spent sitting in a rocker on her front porch!  When she was 65 years old a friend of the family got a taste of her homemade peanut brittle and convinced her to start her own business.  The business venture has become wildly successful – Betty and her husband make more than 500 pounds of peanut brittle each week, packaging and shipping it across the country.  Each batch is made entirely by hand, from the cooking to the cracking, packaging and shipping.  Betty’s favorite part of the process  has been all the friends she has made along the journey – including a number of US Troops.  Betty has shipped peanut brittle overseas a number of times to troops serving in the Armed Forces, and to show their appreciation the troops have sent her dozens of thank you letters and a flag flown overseas, a few soldiers have even visited her at her store in historic Murietta, CA.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when the Peanut Brittle Gift Basket arrived in our office, all the peanut brittle I had tried previously was rock hard and hurt my teeth.  But Betty’s Brittle was heavenly – the sweet and crunchy texture was a pleasure to eat and didn’t get stuck in my teeth or hurt when I bit into it.  The gift basket was such a hit in our office that two of my co-workers immediately ordered baskets for their family members.  The 5 lb basket includes 10 – 1/2 lb bags of Betty’s Original Brittle and sells for $80.

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.

The company I used to work for sent our their yearly appreciation gifts in February.  By that time, the hubbub of the holidays had gone by and their customers were more apt to remember a gift that came at a different time then one that may have gotten “lost in the shuffle”.  One year they sent out these lead crystal bowls with gourmet cashews, which was perfect for their customers to display in a reception area or break room.  The gift itself arrived in a set of stylish gold gift boxes wrapped with a burgundy ribbon that displayed our company logo.  Even though the gift looks very expensive, the price is a very reasonable $32.  You can choose from 4 ribbon colors, but the minimum order quantity is 12 pieces.  However, there are no hidden set-up fees so that is a bonus!

A great combination of healthful and sinful is contained in this Chocolate Covered Nut Tin, where six varieties of nuts are covered in cinnamon butter, milk, dark or white chocolate. For $29 plus shipping you can send the following:

• Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nuts
• Milk Chocolate Cashews
• Dark Chocolate Pistachios
• Dark Chocolate Peanuts
• White Chocolate Pecans
• Cinnamon Butter Almonds

Your gift recipient will go “nuts” over the delicious variety, and they will appreciate the health benefits cleverly hidden under a mask of chocolate!

I must start this post by saying that I am biased when it comes to nuts because I love their crunchy texture and salty goodness. That said, it is hard to find nuts that are this good. This fabulous Gourmet Nut Sampler from All About Gifts & Baskets contains 6 nut varieties in a fancy golden gift tin with a swirl pattern. We cracked open the beautiful tin to find Almond Pralines, Pecans, Deluxe Mixed Nuts, Natural Pistachios, Cashews, and Peanuts. The cashews were giant – some of the biggest and some of the best I’ve ever eaten. And the peanuts were exceptional as well – those large crunchy ones that you can get in either Virginia or North Carolina. The tin appeared to be vacuum sealed so the nuts were fresh-tasting and it was heavy (their website says over 3 lbs). The Gourmet Nut Sampler sells for $40 plus shipping.

OMG – you won’t find a bigger and crunchier peanut anywhere. We discovered the Peanut Shop in Williamsburg, Virginia during one of our many trips to the area and we are so glad that we went into their little shop for a handful of free samples. For those of you that think all peanuts are created equal (like I once did), think again! If you want to treat yourself to some crunchy goodness or if you are looking for a gift that will have them thanking you again and again, this gift box full of nuts is the perfect choice. This particular windowed gift box comes with three different nuts or nut flavors – you can choose from several combinations including the classic Virginia Peanuts, Crabhouse Peanuts, Pistachios, New Orleans Style Peanuts, Mixed Nuts or Indian Cashews. While the mixed nuts are good, the Virginia peanuts are the real show stoppers so be sure that you have at least one or two out of the 3 gift tins with peanuts in them!

For those of you who haven’t been to Williamsburg, Virginia, you are in for a real treat when you go for a visit. They roll out the Southern hospitality to all those who enter the quaint little town which is home to William & Mary College and of course, Busch Gardens. And if you do happen to make it Williamsburg, be sure to stop by Merchant Square to find the Peanut Shop. I can pretty much guarantee that once you’ve tasted these peanuts, you’ll be ordering from their website so you can have them shipped to wherever you live in the United States!