Party News and Ideas

Please stop besmirching the good name of my favorite gift category–edible gifts.  Quit sending the boxes filled with processed cheese spreads that are mostly chemicals and the unidentifiable tubes labeled as some sort of sausage.  Extend the protest to include those tree killing enormous boxes that contain a couple apples or pears.  Those of us who live in the north can get apples and pears with real flavor every fall.

Despite my heretical words, above, I love good food gifts.  I enjoy giving them, but I enjoy receiving them even more.  However, when you send me something, please make it the same quality I give those on my gift list.  There is a difference, you know, between true quality and the convenience of buying from one of those ugly mall kiosks.  Food gifts deserve at least as much careful thought as that after-shave you bought your dad year after year in your childhood–oops, not a good example, perhaps.

Instead of that big brand name box of gelatinous cheese spreads from the mall, consider a assortment of genuine artisan cheese from some cheesemaker who actually understands what cheese is and what it can be.  Let’s keep the goats and cows happily employed instead of just putting more chemicals in our food.  Speaking of myself, and I’ll bet you, too, I would much rather have a small amount of a real cheese instead of an overpriced huge box of the fake stuff.

A wine gift basket will be a perfect gift for the appropriate recipient.  Do remember though that this gift is not suited for everyone.  Like millions of other people, I haven’t had anything alcoholic in years, because I seem to be unable to handle it.  While my sister would be properly grateful for a wine basket, I would not.  Whereas I know how to chug and pour again, she actually knows how to slowly savor each sip.

We all have a special friend or a dear relative who has moved away.  Think about a present of a gift certificate for live lobsters or even lobster dinners.  Indeed, after you read this article, I hope you feel friendly toward me, because that is a gift that I would enjoy!

While I made fun of fruit gift baskets earlier, there actually are places where you can order a basket of gourmet fruit–the kinds of fruit that I can’t find in my own back yard.  This is a terrific gift for someone who is a fitness fanatic or anyone who appreciates the simple beauty that is fruit.

See?  If you give a little thought to a food gift, stay out of the long lines at the mall kiosks, and hasten the journey of the boxes filled with fake cheese to the garbage bin, which is where they are going to end up if you send them to me.  Spend an evening with me, shopping from my home office, using the Internet for all my food gift shopping.  Just remember that you’ll have to bring your own wine, but I’ll supply the real cheese.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, fruit basket, fruit gift baskets, gift idea, gift ideas, gourmet cheese, gourmet cheeses, lobster, lobster dinners, wine and cheese basket, wine gift basket

Many of us are faced with a time in which some of our close friends and family are enduring tough economic times. We want to help, but we also don’t want to embarass them by extending unwanted charity. Especially in those types of cases, we want to be sure that the gifts we give them for special occasions are put to good use, needed and enjoyed. I have a few suggestions:

A gourmet fruit basket is healthy, beautiful, delicious and always enjoyed. If you live near your gift recipient, you can find a lovely basket or other attractive container and fill it with fruit that is in season in your region of the country, obtained at a farmers market, and fill it out with a few exotic fruits picked up at your local super market. If your loved one is farther away, you can arrange for any of a large range of beautiful fruit gift baskets to be delivered to the recipient’s home. It will help them to reduce their grocery bill on their next trip to the super market.

A special meal is another way to remember a birthday or holiday. One possibility might be to take the friend or family member to a popular local restaurant. If price is no object to you, be sure to recommend a couple of the more expensive entrees on the menu, so that your guests know that they should not worry about ordering what they want. For example, you might say something like, “The crab legs are wonderful here, but, if you don’t like seafood, try the tender and tasty filet mignon.” If they live too far away for that, you can actually find delicious, gourmet, chef-prepared meals online that arrive frozen and can be heated in almost no time. (I actually keep my freezer stocked with these.)

You might also consider a tasty dessert. No person should have too many desserts, but on a birthday, anniversary or holiday, everyone deserves an opportunity to indulge a sweet tooth. Bake cookies, if that is a skill of yours, and hand deliver or have them delivered. For something a little more special consider giving them a freshly baked pie or turtle cheesecake. Whether you make it yourself or have others do the work for you doesn’t matter. It will be appreciated and definitely enjoyed either way.

You may observe that all my recommendationinvolve food. Someone who is going through a difficult time may not want to accept charity, but nobody can reject a genuinely special gift. If it reduces the grocery bill by a bit, that’s just a bonus. To make it even most festive, invite yourself to share in the delights with them!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, Food Gifts, fruit basket, gift idea, gift ideas, Gifts, new york cheese cake, new york cheesecake, turtle cheese cake, turtle cheesecake

Gift baskets are out of date!  Or is it that they’re just boring?  My fervent hope is that you’ll eventually come to the conclusion that both statements are wrong.  I’m actually a gift food merchant.  Kind of has a special ring to is, doesn’t it?  While I agree that it’s not quite the same as being a test pilot or a neurosurgeon, it’s an honest way to pay for tuition for my grandson.  Or at least it would be a good way to do so if more of you bought my products.

I can read your mind: “All of his gift problems are solved; he just gives the same boring baskets year after year to everyone.”  I want to disabuse you of your smug attitude!  I actually have the same problems you have in deciding what gift is best for everyone on my list.

I do not give food filled bundles of joy to my entire gift list.  However, even if I did, the choice would still not be easy.  At my store, we offer scores of fruit baskets, gourmet meals, wine gift baskets and far more than that, even.  (I know what you’re thinking right now, “Please, oh please, just tell me where this wonderful paradise is located so that I can go there to buy your most expensive offerings for everyone on my gift list!”  A little patience is called for on your part.)

Before you bribe me (or threaten me) to share my store location with you, I want to tell you about my own decision making approach.

My first step is to decide on the appropriate category of gift from the many choices.  If Uncle Milton has his drinking problem under control for the first time in ten years, I should not even consider the wine baskets.  Instead, I’ll opt for a fruit basket with something seasonal.  After years of ignoring the nutritional value of what he consumed, he could use a few extra servings of fruit in solid form.

Dear, dear Aunt Mildred is a great wine talker.  I don’t think she truly enjoys sipping her wine, but she loves to try to impress everyone with what she knows about it.  She loves to let everyone know the best vintage years, the kinds of grapes that are used in various blends and, most of all, how much she spent on the wine you just spilled all over her new carpeting ( a square yard).  I’ll give her one of my better wine gift baskets, but I refuse to give her the best stuff.  Sure, I get it wholesale, but I still have to pay for it!

Everyone in our family, except me, says that my nephew Alfred finally made his girlfriend an honest woman.  I, on the other hand, never doubted his girlfriend’s honesty, but I have some reasons to suspect Alfred.  In any case, they finally got married.  Frankly, it’s about time.  It took him eight years to decide that she was worth parting with enough money to pay for a diamond and another five when he found out that it is customary to pay the minister who performs the ceremony.  What he wants is a check.  There’s no way that I’m satisfying that desire.  His wife wouldn’t get a dime of it.  Instead, they’re getting a meal of live lobsters and the trimmings from me.  Actually two, of course.  My thinking is that this is the only way to get his bride out of the kitchen.  Alfred would never pay for a restaurant meal, so, in a sense, I’m sending the restaurant to them.

Second, I decide how much I’m willing to spend on these losers.

My grandson is getting the latest video game system.  Let’s face it; he is truly special.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, fruit basket, gift basket, gift idea, gourmet meal, wine gift basket

The fruit basket is a gift that can be given to just about everyone and one that is perfect for absolutely any occasion. This is a gift that is good for the kids teachers, neighbors, family and friends, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and event the Forth of July. Creating your own basket is pretty simple.

To create your gift basket you will need some shredded paper, a wicker basket, scissors, bows, blow dryer, flowers, ribbons, heat-sealable plastic gift-wrapping and of course fruit.

When you are picking your fruit for the basket look for the most perfect pieces you can find with no dents, dings or bad spots. Try to find colorful fruit and besides the usually things like apples, oranges, bananas and pears you might add things like kiwi, mangoes and pineapple.

Now it is time to put your gift together. Whatever you have chosen for your container needs to be lined with the colored shredded paper for a nice nesting place for the fruit. Put the biggest fruit on the bottom layer or to the side and then build up the rest of the fruit around the biggest pieces in layers. Keep in mind the colors and make them pleasing to the eye as well.

To seal the gift basket and protect the fruit you need to use a heat-sealable plastic. Plastic gift wrapping comes in different designs and colors but you should be sure it says that it is approved for use with food products. The gift wrap should be cut three times larger than the basket.

When you have your gift ready and the wrapping paper is cut to size then lay it out and place the container in the middle. The sides of the paper can be pulled together at the top of the handle of the container then sealed using a the heat from a blow dryer. When the paper is sealed you have created a gift bag.

Now it is time to decorate your gift with anything you think the person receiving the gift will enjoy. Make your gift unique by adding flowers, ribbon, bows, or any kind of special decorative touches that will make it look as pretty as it will taste. Gift baskets with fruit a yummy and healthy and always something that lights up the face of the person who receives the gift.

If you are giving fruit to the same person you can change it up by adding chocolates or a special gift that is not edible but something the person would enjoy. Or you could simply add beautiful flowers.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, fruit basket, fruit gift basket, fruit giftbasket, gift, Gifts

Making a cheesecake can be hard when you are making your first one. You need to make sure that you have a great recipe. This is the real trick to making a great cheesecake. Make sure that your ingredients are fresh, also. There are really two types of cheesecakes. One type is made with cream cheese and one is made with ricotta cheese. Cream cheese will make the cake much more rich and dense. Ricotta will make the cake fluffier. Most people chose cream cheese because it is easier and they like richer cheesecake. A turtle cheesecake is made with cream cheese.

Go online and look for recipes that look good. You will find that there are hundreds of different recipes to chose from. It can be difficult to chose which one to use. Generally, using the one that seems easier is the best one to start with. Use these steps below and you, too, can make a delicious tasting turtle cheesecake.

o You will need packages of cream cheese, sugar, salt, flour, white vanilla, melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, cocoa, cinnamon, whipped cream, eggs and egg yolks to make the turtle cheesecake.

o A springform pan will be needed to bake the cheesecake in. This is the easiest way to make it.

o For the butterscotch sauce you will need brown sugar, evaporated milk, butter, cornstarch and pecan halves.

o There are some things that you need to remember. Make sure that your ingredients are at room temperature.

o You will need to run the tip of a knife around the edge after you bake it.

o Before you refrigerate make sure it is cooled to room temperature.

o When you combine ingredients mix on low so it does not over mix.

Once you have all of the ingredients then you can begin making the turtle cheesecake. Most turtle cheesecakes till need to be baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and then temperature reduced to 250 degrees for 90 minutes. To make the butterscotch topping you will need to put the brown sugar, milk and butter into a double boiler. Then stir until it gets thick. Put in the cornstarch and a little water into the mixture. Cook for 7 minutes and then cool. Then stir in pecan halves.

Making a turtle cheesecake can be difficult. Take the suggestions listed above to make a great cake. Pretty soon everyone will be wanting you to make a turtle cheesecake at different functions that you go to. It takes practice but you will learn. Just don’t give up and have fun.

Of course, you could always decide just to drive to your local bakery or cheesecake specialty shop to buy one!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Technorati Tags: cheese cake, cheesecake, food gift, turtle cheesecake

Please stop giving my favorite gift category a bad name.  Join the revolution by refusing to ship those disgusting collections of unidentifiable cylinders claimed to be sausage and the awkward containers of processed cheese spreads.  Quit giving away those fruit baskets that are cushioned with tissue paper in an ugly box that takes up all that space in my recycle bin.  I can find apples and pears that are just as good in my local super market.

You see, I love food gifts.  I love giving them and receiving them.  But when I send a food gift, it is given with thought and is always high quality; please return the favor.  There is a difference, you know, between true quality and the convenience of buying from one of those ugly mall kiosks.  Food gifts deserve at least as much careful thought as that after-shave you bought your dad year after year in your childhood–oops, not a good example, perhaps.

Instead of the mostly chemical box from the mall stand, think about a selection of genuine artisan cheese from some cheesemaker who actually understands what cheese is and what it can be.  Let’s keep the goats and cows happily employed instead of just putting more chemicals in our food.  Speaking of myself, and I’ll bet you, too, I would much rather have a small amount of a real cheese instead of an overpriced huge box of the fake stuff.

A wine gift basket will be a perfect gift for the appropriate recipient.  Just be sure that the person to whom you send it appreciates a good wine.  Like millions of other people, I haven’t had anything alcoholic in years, because I seem to be unable to handle it.  I prefer not to be tempted, especially during the holidays, but my sister would be an ideal recipient.  Whereas I know how to chug and pour again, she actually knows how to slowly savor each sip.

We all have a special friend or a dear relative who has moved away.  Think about a present of a gift certificate for live lobsters or even lobster dinners.  Indeed, after you read this article, I hope you feel friendly toward me, because that is a gift that I would enjoy!

While I made fun of fruit gift baskets earlier, there actually are places where you can order a basket of gourmet fruit–fruit that does not grown in my back yard.  This is a terrific gift for someone who is a fitness fanatic or anyone who appreciates the simple beauty that is fruit.

I hope you understand…  If you give a food gift the thought that it deserves, stay out of the long lines at the mall kiosks, and hasten the journey of the boxes filled with fake cheese to the garbage bin, which is where they are going to end up if you send them to me.  Spend an evening with me, shopping from my home office, using the Internet for all my food gift shopping.  Just remember that you’ll have to bring your own wine, but I’ll supply the real cheese.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, fruit basket, fruit gift baskets, gift idea, gift ideas, gourmet cheese, gourmet cheeses, lobster, lobster dinners, wine and cheese basket, wine gift basket

Please stop giving my favorite gift category a bad reputation.  Quit sending the boxes filled with processed cheese spreads that are mostly chemicals and the unidentifiable tubes labeled as some sort of sausage.  Extend the protest to include those tree killing enormous boxes that contain a couple apples or pears.  I can find apples and pears that are just as good in my local super market.

You see, I love food gifts.  I enjoy giving them, but I enjoy receiving them even more.  But when I send a food gift, it is given with thought and is always high quality; please return the favor.  Oh, and by the way, high quality is not the same as easy to buy from a temporary, seasonal kiosk in the mall.  Food gifts deserve at least as much careful thought as that after-shave you bought your dad year after year in your childhood–oops, not a good example, perhaps.

Instead of that big brand name box of gelatinous cheese spreads from the mall, consider a assortment of gourmet cheeses from some cheesemaker who actually understands what cheese is and what it can be.  Let’s keep the goats and cows happily employed instead of just putting more chemicals in our food.  Speaking of myself, and I’ll bet you, too, I would much rather have a small amount of a real cheese instead of an overpriced huge box of the fake stuff.

A beautiful wine gift basket will be a perfect gift for the appropriate recipient.  Just be sure that the person to whom you send it appreciates a good wine.  You see, I haven’t had a drink in years, because I’m an alcoholic.  While my sister would be properly grateful for a wine basket, I would not.  She knows how to sip and savor; I remember only how to gulp and refill.

We all have a special friend or a dear relative who has moved away.  Consider a gift of live lobsters or a couple complete lobster dinners.  Indeed, after you read this article, I hope you feel friendly toward me, because that is a gift that I would enjoy!

I made light of fruit gift baskets a while ago, but, if you take the time, you can find a basket of gourmet fruit–the kinds of fruit that I can’t find in my own back yard.  This can be a truly thoughtful gift for someone who is into fitness or who has started the sort of logical diet that allows the consumption of fruit.

See?  If you give a food gift the thought that it deserves, stay out of the long lines at the mall kiosks, and hasten the journey of the boxes filled with fake cheese to the garbage bin, which is where they are going to end up if you send them to me.  Spend an evening with me, shopping from my home office, using the Internet for all my food gift shopping.  Just remember that you’ll have to bring your own wine, but I’ll supply the real cheese.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, fruit basket, fruit gift baskets, gift idea, gift ideas, gourmet cheese, gourmet cheeses, lobster, lobster dinners, wine and cheese basket, wine gift basket

Giftbaskets are soooo last year!  Or is it last decade?  Actually, I hope the correct response is neither.  (Lock it in; that’s my final answer.)  You see, I make my living by selling gift baskets (among other food gifts).  While I agree that it’s not quite the same as being a test pilot or a neurosurgeon, it’s an honest way to pay for tuition for my grandson.  Or at least it would be a good way to do so if more of you bought my products.

I can read your mind: “All of his gift problems are solved; he just gives the same boring baskets year after year to everyone.”  How dare you think about me in that way!  In fact, I face the same dilemmas that you face during any gift giving, decision making crisis.

I don’t give only baskets of joy to my loved ones.  However, even if I did, the choice would still not be easy.  At my store, we offer scores of fruit baskets, gourmet meals, wine gift baskets and far more than that, even.  (I know what you’re thinking right now, “Please, oh please, just tell me where this wonderful paradise is located so that I can go there to buy your most expensive offerings for everyone on my gift list!”  Please be patient.)

Before you bribe me (or threaten me) to share my store location with you, I want to tell you about my own decision making approach.

First, I decide on an appropriate category of gift.  If Uncle Milton really has managed to eliminate his drinking problem after a decade of trying, then the wine gift baskets are out of the running.  Instead, I’ll opt for a fruit basket with something seasonal.  After years of ignoring the nutritional value of what he consumed, he could use a few extra servings of fruit in solid form.

Dear, dear Aunt Mildred is a great wine talker.  I don’t think she truly enjoys sipping her wine, but she loves to try to impress everyone with what she knows about it.  She loves to let everyone know the best vintage years, the kinds of grapes that are used in various blends and, most of all, how much she spent on the wine you just spilled all over her new carpeting ($95 a square yard).  She’ll get a simple wine gift basket, but I’m not going to spring for the champagne!

My nephew, Alfred, recently married his long time girlfriend.  To tell you the truth, even I agree that it’s about time.  Alfred spent the last eight years trying to decide if she was worth the cost of a diamond ring.  (I suspect that he eventually settled on crystal, which, considering Alfred, would be thought of as generous.)  What he wants is a check.  Well, he’s not getting that from me.  I’m sending them a chef-prepared gourmet meal for two.  I figure it’s the only way to get that cheap guy’s new bride out of the kitchen for an evening.  (They honeymooned by visiting me!)

My second step, after choosing a category is to select a price range that I’m willing to spend on these people.  Then my wife makes me double that amount.

My grandson is getting the latest video game system.  Let’s face it; he is truly special.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, fruit basket, gift basket, gift idea, gourmet meal, wine gift basket

I am not a shopping enthusiast. Except around the winter holidays, I hate the parking problems, I don’t enjoy browsing aisle after aisle looking for something that would be honestly appreciated by Grandma or Uncle Arthur. I certainly do not like standing on line with frustrated people waiting for the lone employee to handle yet another exchange. During the holidays, I enjoy strolling through stores just people watching, without being weighted down with packages. The experience for whatever reason puts me into a holiday mood, but I do my actual shopping and buying almost entirely online. That’s a practice I developed in the very early years of the Web.

While online shopping keeps me from being pushed around in a busy department store or standing in line at a little boutique, it doesn’t keep me from the most dreaded part of any gift giving event; choosing the right gift for a birthday, a holiday, a sick friend or whomever. Then about five years ago, I discovered food.

Of course, I actually discovered food when I was still an infant, but it didn’t occur to me as a great gift until I had suffered through many rounds of birthdays, baby showers, and countless other events that seem to always pop up. I received a gift basket of little sausages, spreadable cheeses and plain crackers. It was terrible! At the same time, though, I thought what a great gift this could have been. All they had to change in the gift was the quality of the contents!

Since that moment of momentous insight on my part, I have been a dedicated sampler of a variety of food gifts that I buy for myself on the Internet. I have found that the online gift food stores handle everything from shipping to the accompanying gift cards. Yes, I actually send myself a gift card to test the store’s dedication to detail. The Internet boutiques are now the sources for all of my gifts, except those gifts of my loved ones who happen to live very nearby.

These Internet shops offer everything from gourmet fruit baskets to live lobster dinners (well, they won’t be alive when they are actually eaten), from wine gift baskets to cookie bouquets. The array of gift foods is really quite amazing.

I do keep gift foods around the house, beautifully or cleverly arranged, for my guests who come to my house or for those whom I visit in person during those gift giving times. The Internet provides assistance to me even in these cases, because it is packed full of great ideas for arranging and wrapping gift food.

If you happen to see me walking down a store aisle with a smile on my face when everybody else seems frantic, you will now know my secret. But don’t tell my Uncle Arthur.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, Food Gifts, fruit basket, gift idea, gift ideas, live lobster, lobster dinner, wine gift basket

A few days ago, I talked with a family friend who recently learned that his huge manufacturing company was closing his plant. He is actually luckier than most of the people working for that company. He very recently reached the magic age at which he qualifies for early retirement, so he will continue to have a steady income. Those who did not reach that milestone of the specified number of years with the company will get a small severance package and be left to search for a job in that difficult market. That got me thinking about giving gifts for special occasions to those people who are finding themselves in tough situations. I came up with a few ideas that make more sense than a piece of home decor or a new tie. Here are some of them:

A fruit basket is healthy, beautiful, yummy and always enjoyed. If you live near your gift recipient, you can find a lovely basket or other attractive container and fill it with fruit that is in season in your region of the country, obtained at a farmers market, and then fill it out with a few exotic fruits picked up at your neighborhood specialty store. If your loved one is farther away, you can arrange for any of a large range of beautiful fruit gift baskets to be delivered directly to the person’s home. It will help them to reduce their grocery bill that month.

A unique meal is another way to remember a special occasion. One alternative might be to take the friend to a special restaurant. If price is no object to you, be sure to suggest some of the pricier entrees on the menu, so that your guests know that they should not worry about ordering whatever they prefer. For example, you could say something like, “The crab legs are perfect here, but, if you don’t like seafood, try the filet mignon.” If they live too far away for that, you can actually find delicious, gourmet, chef-prepared meals online that arrive frozen and can be heated in almost no time. (I actually keep my freezer stocked with these.) Or you might send a gift certificate to a special place in their town.

A final recommendation is a scrumptious dessert. Now, lets face it, nobody should indluge in too many desserts, but on a birthday, anniversary or holiday, everyone deserves a chance to feel a little pampered. Bake cookies, if that is a skill of yours, and hand deliver or have them delivered. For something a little more special consider giving them a delicious pie or a New York cheesecake. Whether you make it yourself or have others do the work for you doesn’t matter. It will be appreciated and definitely enjoyed either way.

You may observe that all my recommendationinvolve food. Someone who is going through a difficult time may not want to accept charity, but nobody can reject a genuinely special gift. If it reduces the grocery bill by a bit, that’s just a bonus. To make it even most festive, invite yourself to share in the delights with them!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Technorati Tags: food gift, Food Gifts, fruit basket, gift idea, gift ideas, Gifts, new york cheese cake, new york cheesecake, turtle cheese cake, turtle cheesecake