Gourmet Gift of the Day Blog

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.

My husband loves to use mustard when he’s cooking – especially grilling out in the summertime.  He will spread mustard over hamburgers or pork chops so the flavor soaks into the meat as it grills.  He also enjoys spice in his foods, as does many members of his extended family.  That’s why I have ordered 4 jars of this Dijon Mustard for our upcoming family picnic – I know they will love the heat that is packed into this Dijon Mustard.  With positive reviews from my boss and his wife (they received this mustard as part of a gift set), they recommended that I order my husband a case but I told them we would start small!  Each 7 ounce jar sells for $5.35 and shipping is $9.99 for any order up to 12 lbs.

Imported from France, this vinegar is lightly acidic (6.5%) and carries a full-bodied fruity flavor.  The vinegar is produced by La Guinelle, who is famous for offering high quality, richly flavored products.  The 100 ml bottle (approximately 3.4 ounces) will disappear quickly once you try it in a salad or brush it over fish and chicken just before grilling.  The uniquely-shaped bottle, uncommon name (Tchin Tchin is the name of a bird who visits the area where the vinegar is made) and unforgettable taste make this one of our favorite finds!  You can purchase La Guinelle Viniagre Tchin Tchin for $29.95.

With a hint of smoke and the tangy taste of chipotle peppers, I predict this garlic-infused glaze will be especially popular for the upcoming summer grilling season!  Since we grill at least 5 nights a week during the summer, I wanted to try the Smoked Garlic Chipotle Glaze to kick-up some of our standard grilling fare.  My boys didn’t care for the heat, but my husband and I absolutely loved it.  The website also suggested to use this as a dip with crackers and cream cheese, and that’s how the entire 4 ounce jar disappeared in one day!  We have already placed another order for the Glazes Combo 3 Pack – which includes the Smoked Garlic Chipotle Glaze, Smoked Garlic Ginger Glaze and Smoked Garlic Herb Glaze.  The three pack sells for $15 at smokingarlic.com.

Forty-five years ago, Mrs. Bellissimo whipped up a sauce in the kitchen of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY.  This sauce would quickly gain popularity, and is now the world-famous Original Buffalo Wing Sauce.  This sauce has transformed what was once the least desirable piece of chicken into a wildly popular snack food!

The sauce now has taken on a number of personalities – anywhere from sweet to spicy, mild, medium, and the original hot sauce.  Anyone who appreciates Buffalo Wings will enjoy tasting the sauce that started it all.  You can order sauce straight from the Anhor Bar in Buffalo, NY – or you can go for it all and order the wings overnighted to your door!  The sauce sells for $4.99 a bottle (12 oz) or $17.99 per gallon.  Wings can be ordered in multiples of 50 and should be cooked the same day they arrive.

My husband loves hot, spicy foods – his favorite night out includes a bucket of Blazin’ Hot wings and a pitcher of beer!  He also likes to experiment with different spices and flavors – our spice cabinet probably has close to 100 types of salts, rubs, seasonings and spices.  Which is why I thought of him immediately when I saw this Hot Sauce Basket.  The basket is filled with 5 brands of hot sauce, with heat levels ranging from 5 to 10 stars.  The basket will be a great gift idea for his birthday or Father’s Day – especially since we love grilling and my meal won’t have to include the extreme heat!  It’s currently on sale for $41.99 and includes:

• Lottie’s Barbados Hot Sauce
• Jack Daniels Jalapeno Hot Sauce
• Pain is Good #218 Hot Sauce
• Magma Hot Sauce
• Dave’s Insanity Sauce

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!

If you are attending a holiday dinner party this season, present the hostess with a unique and useful gift.  This oil and vinegar gift set includes gourmet imported olive oil and balsamic vinegar paired with a grape-themed cruet.  When the oil and vinegar are poured into the cruet, they create an infused presentation that is both decorative and functional.

Cruets.com offers this item on sale for $59.95 plus shipping.  They will also gift wrap your item for $4.25 more.  The set includes 8.5 oz of Italian Masserrie di Sant’Eramo olive oil, 8.5 oz of Italian Masserrie di Sant’Eramo balsamic vinegar and a European crystal hand-blown glass cruet.

For a tart and tangy kick to your chicken, marinate it in this grilling sauce from Hot Sauce World.  With a great mix of lime and jalapeno, I use this marinade mostly on chicken but have also tried it on beef, pork and shrimp.  Not only do we use this sauce for grilling, I have also marinated chicken wings overnight and baked them in the oven for tasty football-game munchies!

This sauce adds a jolt of flavor without adding heat – which is sometimes hard to do.  The lime flavor creates a whole new pork chop, and my friend has created a great Tequila Lime Chicken with this tasty sauce!  A 12 ounce bottle is only $5.79.

I enjoy chips and salsa, but I’m not a fan of heat. So this Mild Salsa Sampler was the perfect gift basket for me. With flavors ranging from Raspberry Chipotle to Habanero Lime, this sampler was a fun way to try different flavors without burning my tongue! My personal favorite was the Paradise Pineapple Salsa, which offered a refreshing citrus flavor with big chunks of sweet pineapple. Once you decide which flavor you like best, come back to Gourmet Mike’s Salsa Store and get a case or two! Flavors included in the sampler are: Paradise Pineapple Salsa, Artichoke Salsa, Chipotle Pineapple Salsa, Margarita Salsa (2 jars), Raspberry Chipotle Salsa, Jim Beam Medium Salsa, Simply Zinful Garlic Salsa, Roasted Garlic Salsa, Summer Tomato Salsa, Mango Salsa and Habanero Lime Salsa. Cost of the sampler basket is $74.95, shipping is based on actual UPS Ground rates (you can also upgrade if you need it sooner).