A great gift for soldiers returning from service or for someone traveling over the 4th of July, this patriotic gift box is packed with snack-time favorites and an inspirational book entitled “I Pledge Allegiance”. The box retails for $50 and includes the following All-American snacks:
Morning break time has been much tastier in the office lately, thanks to the addition of this delicious gift crate we ordered from Persimmon Hill Farm. Specializing in homemade jams and butters, the company offers a gift crate where you can choose 6 of their gourmet fruit spreads for $39.25. They are shipped with two bags of buttermilk biscuit mix, which is the perfect base to try the wide variety of flavors. We chose some of the more exotic sounding spreads for our gift crate – 
Nutty Blue Goose Jam, Elderberry Preserves, Persimmon Butter, Gooseberry Walnut Jam, Sugar Free Plum Blackberry Fruit Spread and Apple Butter. I brought the biscuit mix home to bake, and the next morning we indulged on these spreads. My favorite turned out to be the Sugar Free Plum Blackberry spread, partially because it was sugar-free so I felt I could have a little more than I normally would have! The spread was thick, rich and full of flavor, which was surprising to me since it was also sugar free! My boss took the Persimmon Butter and hid in his office – not to be seen again until the jar was almost gone! He did finally share with the rest of us, and I found that the persimmon taste was light and crisp.
Overall the gift crate earned 5 stars in our office, and the website has made our list to “try more of these products”. We love that the spreads are made in small batches, just like homemade, and each batch is carefully tested to ensure perfect flavor every time. We all agree that these products would be great as a housewarming or retirement gift, and we look forward to sampling more great flavors from Persimmon Hill Farm!
The old saying from Mary Poppins still holds true, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!” So when my girlfriend was recovering from minor surgery I sent this tasty gift to entice her to take her medicine! She loved the personal gift card that we were able to include, and told me that the cookies were even better then the ones her mother makes! The doctor-themed tote was sturdy and filled to the brim with:
I ordered the large size for $62 plus $12.50 shipping. It only took 2 days to arrive and my friend was thrilled with both the presentation and the goodies inside!
Featured in Oprah’s Magazine as the “Best of Bread”, Hannah Banana Bread is wildly popular in Chicago and is quickly gaining fame throughout the country. The company started by accident, when the founder was hosting a party for her daughter and ended up serving her fresh baked bread because the caterer was late. The guests were so impressed with the bread that they convinced Lisa Spinner to start marketing it. 9 years later Hanna Banana Bread is sold to a number of retail outlets in the Chicago area and is available online through the company website.
My homemade banana bread has never won any prizes, but my family still seems to enjoy it. However, I’m not sure they will ever settle for my recipe again since they tasted the Hannah Banana Classic loaves. The bread had a crusty top (made by sprinkling pure cane sugar on top of the hot loaf), moist and tender inside, was easy to cut and delicious to eat! We warmed the slices in the microwave and slathered them with butter, but then found the butter was not necessary because the sweet taste was perfect by itself! We quickly “disposed” of the 8 mini loaves (12 oz apiece) and my boys were begging for more! The classic pack of 8 mini-loaves cost $48 plus FedEx Ground shipping of $11.51. I was a bit worried about the product’s freshness after being in transit for a few days, but the bread arrived tasting fresh and stayed that way for the 4 days it took us to devour them.
Bottled in the height of grape-crushing season, this Napa Valley Cabernet has a full-bodied flavor that compliments the foodstuffs included. The dark willow basket includes a bottle of Avalon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Ghirardelli chocolates, pecan chocolate chip cookies, gourmet nuts, California crisps crackers, creamy jack cheese and beef salami. This basket was a great gift for my aunt and uncle – who had lived in California for years but just recently returned to the midwest. They sponsored my son in so he could attend summer camp and this was a great way to thank them. We found the gourmet basket for $65 at All About Gifts & Baskets.
High in protein, low in fat and 100% natural, these jumbo sea scallops are some of the best I’ve ever tasted! Because they are caught fresh, hand-shucked and flash frozen, the U10 graded scallops (the largest size available) have a flaky texture and fresh taste. We ordered a two pack (each pack is approximately 10 ounces) for $45.50 and received enough for 3 meals. The website even offers delicious recipes for their items, we tried the Scallop and Tomato Pasta and were rewarded with a great tasting meal that even our kids enjoyed!
The folks at Alaska Harvest offer 10 different types of seafood, all of them freshly caught and quickly frozen for shipping througout the United States. The company is in control of the product from the time it is caught until the time it is shipped to you, so there is no middle-man markup and they stand behind the quality of their foods 100%. I highly recommend both the products and the customer service from this company.
This gift is a great idea for dads that love to ride – and it’s much cheaper than a Harley! Not only that but the cookies are delicious and if you’re lucky dad may even share some. The ceramic motorcycle planter is filled with a dozen jumbo cookies in assorted flavors, or you can choose your own from a list of 6 gourmet varieties. Perfect if dad has a sweet tooth, the planter is available for $50 plus $9.95 for ground shipping.
Many years ago, during a high school trip to Florida, my classmates and I tried alligator meat at a restaurant. Being from a small town in the midwest this was quite an exotic experience for us! Since it has been nearly 20 years since that school trip I decided it was time to try alligator again. I ordered this “Tail Gator” package from Gatorama – one of the original roadside attractions located Palmdale, FL. As you can tell by their name Gatorama is all about alligators – they offer tours, shows, souvenirs and fresh farm-raised alligator meat. The $99 package included 7 1/2 lbs of alligator tail meat, Everglades all purpose seasoning, “Swamp Mustard” for dipping and a package of alligator jerky. To cook the meat we first covered it with all purpose seasoning, then baked it in the oven and dipped it in the “swamp mustard”. I liked the meat without dip but my husband loved the dip! The meat was great – moist and tasty with a mild flavor. It’s hard to describe the flavor of the meat because one bite would remind of chicken, the next fish, the next like nothing I’ve ever had (or can remember anyway). Overall we were very pleased with the meat and I’m looking forward to having it again – maybe this time during another trip to Florida!
By the way, the alligator jerky in this basket was outstanding! My entire family loves jerky and it’s too bad we only received one piece because the four of us fought over it. I’ve added alligator jerky to my “must order again” list!
My dad loves to share treats with his 14 grandchildren! That’s why this goodie tin is a great choice for him – not only can he enjoy some favorite snacks while we sit around a bonfire, he’ll have plenty to share with everyone. The large 3 1/2 gallon tin contains 4 popcorn flavors, pretzels and a fiesta party mix. After the tin is empty it will be a great place to store our campfire necessities – marshmallows, candy bars and graham crackers! The white tin with a fun Father’s Day logo sells for $50 at Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets.
With berries in full season, we love to incorporate them into every meal. Not only are they great tasting but their great mix of anti-oxidents are good for our health. Here we found a light and buttery crumb topping covering a delicious mix of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries with a hint of citrus. The thick berry filling is a great match to the light topping and is delivered in reusable ceramic containers. When they arrived for my sister’s birthday dinner last week I only had to pop them in the oven and finish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect ending! We received four large (8.8 oz) desserts for $41.95 plus shipping.