Awesome!

Picnics for the city set

This is called an urban picnic set. Why? I don't know. Maybe because you're not actually supposed to take it out into the middle of a field somewhere to eat your sushi.

In fact, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to hold it on your lap as you sit in front of the TV watching reruns of Law & Order SVU. But you could sit on the floor if you really want to feel more like you're having a picnic.

Also: it has a bud vase! So cute! (This is another clue that you're not really supposed to take it outside, because as you might have noticed, there are already flowers outside.)

Freshly squeezed fun

Look, I'll be honest: I don't even really like orange juice. Unless, of course, it is mixed with champagne.

So, I really have no need for this quirky yet useful octopus juicer, but that does not stop me from lusting after it in the manner one does when confronted with oddly enchanting, brightly colored plastic objects.

Also: I'm not obsessed with octopi, I swear.

Get bent

FACT: You need to accessorize.

FACT: You don't want to burn your hand holding your overpriced latte.

SOLUTION: This ingenious bentwood cuff that doubles as a java jacket.

Aside from being both gorgeous and functional, they are made with reclaimed architectural veneer offcuts. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I think it's probably pretty environmentally responsible. So, bonus points for that.

Really, what's not to love?

Probing questions

Sometimes you want to have a cocktail party to show off your cooking skills, your drink mixing skills, the renovations to your home or maybe just the fact that you actually own a sofa now.

BUT. Then you realize that you hang out with all these random people who don't know each other and probably have nothing in common and will stand around your home with drinks in hand but nothing to say.

Since nobody wants that, get yourself some of these handy conversation starter cocktail napkins, and let the fun begin.

Spice of life

Did you know that spices can go bad? I had no idea. Of course, I was raised by a woman who would keep crab meat in the freezer for five years and then try to serve it to us, so I can't really be expected to know these things.

Anyway, if you don't cook all that frequently, or if you only use certain spices on rare occasions, these individual servings of anise, cumin, fennel and other flavorings are for you. They come in cute little packets in cute little tins and they'll stay fresh at least as long as that crab my mom was saving... probably much, much longer.

A vacuum I could really get behind

I know it is probably hard to believe, but sometimes I have leftover wine. And - even harder to believe, I know - sometimes I don't get around to drinking it right away.

For those times, a vacuum sealer would keep my precious fruit of the vine safe and fresh until I'm ready to finish the bottle - and drink a toast to whoever invented this gadget.

Say cheese!

I live a block away from two of the most amazing cheese stores ever. You just walk in and they start cutting off slivers of delicious, creamy goodness for you to try, and then you walk out 15 minutes later with $75 worth of cheese but it's OK because it's the BEST cheese EVER.

The only thing that might make me enjoy cheese more than I already do is this knife set. Look how happy they are. It's like they're saying, "Yay! You're eating cheese! Don't even worry about your thighs."

I would pay extra if they actually said that.

Care for salt in your milkshake?

I had some diamond rock salt at a restaurant recently (sprinkled over my rosemary potatoes that were served in a bowl the shape of a HUMAN HAND), and it was so tasty and savory I had to immediately find out where I could buy some.

Here it is! However, I take exception to the point that this would be a nice "display" on the table.

Because BULL. Shit. if I am going to spend $25 on SALT for hey-Zeus sake, I am not going to just display it on my table. I'm going to use my $25 salt on everything, and any time I use it I'm going to say to my guests, "You better eat all of this, because there are people in India whose salt only costs $.85 a box."

Almost too pretty to eat

Is this not the most GORGEOUS chocolate you have ever seen? It looks like someone hand painted each and every exquisite morsel. Also, they taste amazing - as in food-induced orgasm. I realize Valentine's Day is over but surely you can find some excuse to treat yourself.

St. Patty's Day? April Fools Day? Maybe just PMS?

Sticking to tea, maybe

I tried to give up coffee a while ago and switch to tea but I failed miserably because, basically - I'm not sure if you're aware of this because I wasn't really and, let me tell you, it was quite the shocker - tea is nothing like coffee.

Did you know this? I'm sorry to break it to you.

The closest resemblance coffee has to tea is the fact that they are both made from loose, messy ground up stuff that gets all over your counter. But with this teastick, there's no mess when you're brewing your cup of non-joe, which makes one less thing coffee and tea have in common.

 

Orange You Glad?

I got a chocolate orange in my Christmas stocking this year and saved it for a couple of weeks in the back of my cabinet. I honestly thought it wouldn't be all that great and I'd rather waste my calories on gummy bears and Lindt Santas. But when I ran out of all that other stuff and the sugar cravings hit hard, I finally broke into that orange and OH. MY. GOD!!! Holy shit, you guys, if I could live on nothing but chocolate oranges for the rest of my life and still have a healthy body, clear skin and shiny hair, you know I would. Piece by glorious piece, I devoured that orange in a fit of foil and the kind of milk chocolate I'm sure heaven is made of. And then I fell into a sugar coma for three days. But it was so worth it.

Winter grilling

• 

Things you can cook on your BBQ with this awesome grill skillet:

• Winter root veggies
• Potatoes
• Peel-n-eat shrimp
• Delicate fish
• Chicken strips
• Maybe even a panini or two!

Things you can't cook:

• Most soups
• Scrambled eggs
• Probably also oatmeal

 

I Scream!

I hate it, HATE IT when my ice cream gets frozen into a solid mass that my scooper can't even dent. Then I end up putting the damn pint in the microwave to soften it up, which only turns it into a solid mass floating in goo.

This Ice Cream Scoop by Cuisipro is a solution to this age old problem. It breaks through the iceberg of ice cream to deliver you perfectly shaped hockey pucks of ice cream.

Anything that delivers my pint of Bananas on the Rum to my mouth faster is a necessity in my book! Oh, and you know what else these would be great for? Making custom ice cream sandwiches! OMG, I'm never gonna leave the house. I have all I need right here.

Seasons drinking

One of the best things about the holidays is how there aren't any calories in those seasonal drinks you love. You didn't know that? Oh, it's totally true**. Egg nog doesn't have calories, and if you add liquor to it, then it has like negative calories, hot chocolate is also calorie free, and so is this white mocha mix from Ghirardelli.

If you live near a World Market, you can pick up a tin for about $4.99, and spend the next couple of weeks replacing your morning coffee with this sweet, hot beverage. And again, no calories!

Really I don't know how Santa does it, but he seriously manages to make everything you drink until New Years totally guilt free.

[**Editor's note: These statements may be false.]

Fa la la la jerky

Ok, now THAT is a stocking anyone would want to see hanging over their fireplace this year: A gift pack from the glorious, glorious House of Jerky.

The sampler pack gets you a quarter pound of Natural, Black Pepper, Teriyaki, and Sweet & Spicy jerkys, and oh yeah, OH m'god it's all jerky. If you don't think your bowels can take 1.5 pounds of dehydrated meat in one sitting, sign up for the jerky of the month club and take it all in stride.

They have salmon jerky too, but it's not like that's meat or anything.

Cake & ocean love

If hosting the awesome show Sugar Rush on the Food Network wasn't enough, baking hottie Warren Brown is doing something awesome for the holidays. He's partnered up with Oceana to help save those lovable sea creatures of the deep.

Donate some cash to help save one of 16 sea creatures and you'll get in return a special designed cookie cutter in the shape of that creature. Donate $100 or more and Warren Brown will personally come to your house and teach you how to make those spun sugar domes to place atop your holiday desserts.

I'm just kidding about that part, but you will get a nice oven mitt! Do something nice during this season of giving and help out a starfish or two, would ya?

Candy Land

Things you can do with a candy cane:

• break into little pieces and sprinkle atop your whipped-creamed hot chocolate
• lick and then rub on lips when you can't find your lipgloss
• tighten a corset
• stick in a hair bun for festive hair accessory
• hold in your front pocket and then when someone asks to borrow a pen, offer them the candy cane and when they look at you funny, say, "Merry Christmas!"
• and then when they say, "No, I really need a pen. Do you have one?" you can say, "What do you think I am, Office Max?"
• Drink a shot of whisky out of them and then eat the evidence!! So brilliant!

The most ancient Awesome ever

Reasons you haven't started eating flaxseed regularly:

• You're afraid
• It looks like birdseed
• Your think it's all BS
• It probably tastes like dirt

Well, at least one of those reasons is right, but the others are all wrong! I just discovered the wonder that is flaxseed and it. Is. AMA-zing!

I can't even describe how it tastes, unless banana-but-bread-toast-muffiny-oaky-red-wine is a flavor, and if it is it's only because that's how you describe this stuff. Plus it's really, really good for you. Plus it kind of tastes like banana bread and red wine!

PLEASE, you just have to TRY it. Just sprinkle a little bit it on your couscous or cold cereal or hot cereal or, I don't care, anything! Try it on your ribeye steak or in some tomato soup! Well, maybe not soup. But maybe, definitely steak. What doesn't go with steak?

Quik Blend

When I was growing up we were never allowed to have chocolate milk mix in the house, so the only time I got to taste the wonder that is Nestle Quik was when I visited my grandparents house, hundreds of miles away. They also had bendy straws ALL the time - not just for special occasions - and they kept BubbleYum in the pantry. But that's another story.

Because I wasn't a Nestle Quik savant, lacking the experience of daily mixing, I always ended up with a huge glob of powder at the bottom of the glass that somehow avoided being stirred into the milk. This contraption makes it impossible for any grain of Quik to go unabsorbed, and makes a fancy choco-froth with just the twist of the blender thingee.

I'll still never shake those memories of my BubbleYum deprived youth, but this will help soothe the pain.

Hold the garlic

This may go against every female creed on record, but I've never liked Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I've always thought it was mediocre ice cream that they just threw a bunch of shit in because it happened to be lying around, and if given the extra time and ingredient they wouldn't pause to toss in some garlic, an old potato, perhaps some salad dressing too.

But today, today I change my mind. Today my life begins again, this time with a renewed appreciation for ice cream with a bunch of shit thrown in it.

(Chandler Bing voice) Holy coffee and Heath bar, Batman! Could there be a better combination!? (End Chandler Bing voice.)

Stop lock and roll

I don't really have any idea how to care for wine, since the only alcohol I know how to drink properly comes in a brown bottle and has a twist off top with playing card decals on the bottom. But when my adult friends come over and want to sit by candlelight listening to classical music and discussing lit'trahtuhr, it's nice to have something grown up to serve them instead of telling them to stick their Balzac up their Proust.

The Lock Top wine stopper is the easiest way to preserve the last few glasses in a bottle. With just a touch of a button you seal the bottle to keep air out, and it just takes one more touch to break the seal and open the bottle again.

Because seriously, if you have people over drinking wine by candlelight, the last thing you need floating around your wine is more hot air.

MMmmm, planets.

I've been wracking my brain to come up with things that are better than Ciao Bella's Blood Orange Sorbet. So far I've got ninety billion dollars, immortality and power over the universe.

Of course, if I had ninety billion dollars, I would buy up the entire supply of Blood Orange Sorbet, and if I was immortal I would eat it all day and all night and never worry of dying from morbid sorbet obesity, and if I had power over the universe both these options would be true. PLUS, I would turn all the planets into balls of sorbet, then eat those too.

Now that's a great life!

Never judge a book...or jar

My history with these pickles goes something like this:

• I'm told these are THE MOST AMAZING pickles ever made, so I trust this as fact and walk over to Olivia's to buy some.
• TEN DOLLARS A JAR!? FOR PICKLES!?!@!
• Ok, I guess I'll buy two jars
• Upon opening the first jar and getting a waft of cumin brine, "Holy crap, ugh! What is this!? UGH! Gag! Gag! Cough! GAG!"
• Upon the first taste, "NOOOOO!!!! Horrible! Cannot eat more! ABORT!"
• A day later, considering I've spent $20 on 2 jars of pickles, I concede and attempt to eat a whole spear.

The Result: The jar is now empty.

Oh. My. Gawdsh. These are amazing.

Keeping up with the Rice's

Here's a great way to impress your friends: Stack your cabinets with these fancy, modern packs of grains and rice from The Italian Gourmet Shop.

Then your friends will go home and open their cabinets and see ripped bags of white Uncle Bens spilling all over their boxes of Rice-a-Roni and feel a sunken feeling of dissatisfaction with their life. Then they'll go replace their Mortons with Black Truffle salt and have you over for dinner, asking often if your dish needs more seasoning. Then you'll go home make up for it by ordering $100 tomato sauce.

And won't you feel so good about yourself then? (Even f we're all laughing at you while we eat our Prego.

Proud to be an American Where at Least My Donut's Free

So I went in to Dunkin' Donuts this morning to get a medium iced coffee even though it's like 45 degrees here in Chicago and I should really be getting hot coffee instead, and the cashier told me I could get a free donut. At first I thought I was like the billionth customer or that she liked me earrings or something, but it turns out EVERY MONDAY IN JULY IS FREE DONUT DAY AT DUNKIN' DONUTS!! And the best part is no purchase is even necessary! We should pretty much make the entire month of July a national holiday.

Chips and Goldilocks

I really hate spicy things, even red hots are way too much for my whiny mouth to handle. I can't tell you how many times I've been out with people who've ordered the hottest plate of salsa ever for our chips and I've just sat there staring, unable to indulge in the crispy goodness that adorns every table at Chevy's.

But now we can all have our way, since Dave's Gourmet came up with their adjustable hot sauce, in a spray bottle no less! Turn the dial one way and you get a mild zing on your chips. Turn it the other way and your chicken tacos are aflame. Somewhere in the middle, everyone will be happy.

And if they're not, the handy spray bottle design means it can double as mace.

We're all screwed.

  Curse you. 
  Originally uploaded by sarahhatter.

Whoever is responsible will pay.

No need for Chic-Fil-A

If you're like me and you live in an area mostly devoid of Chic-Fil-A and you find yourself waking up at night in a cold sweat after dreaming of their waffle fries, we have finally found a solution to your nightmares.

Alexia foods now makes organic zero-trans fat waffle fries that are just as good (if not better) than their fast food brethren. And at 150 calories a serving, they're not as guilt-laden either. So, so, so, so, so, SO GOOD.

Check your local Whole Foods for them or see where to buy them.

All Mixed Up

Hey, did you all know that Chex Mix now comes in a trillion different flavors? It's true.

Just the other day a lady at work brought the chocolate peanut butter mix in and added it to our snack table and I was all, "No thanks, I'm just going to stick with carrot sticks and hummus, yep, yep." But after three days, I got sick of the fucking carrots and I reached for the Chex Mix on account of there not being anything else. And you know what? That Chex Mix was so awesome with its perfect salt to sweet ratio, that I not only finished the entire bag, I stopped by the grocery store on the way home from work, bought another bag and finished half of that one for dinner. 

Take that, Lean Cuisine.

Vodka-aaahh!

Sophisticated people like to drink sophisticated cocktails. I, of course, am no exception. I've become a rabid fan of drinks made with Charbay vodkas, namely their Green Tea variety.

This stuff is actually amazing straight (Charbay calls it a "sipping vodka"), and has a distinctive, yet not overpowering flavor. Plus I feel like I'm drinking something healthy... it has green tea in it, so there's gotta be something good for me in there, right? Green tea is known for its health benefits, so heck, drink up!

I've also sampled their Key Lime, Pomegranate and Blood Orange varieties. They also produce vodkas infused with Meyer Lemon, Red Raspberry and Ruby Red Grapefruit. They all make the most awesome martinis! *hic*

The possibilities for drunkenness are endless!

Once You Pop It, You Cannot Stop It

Every January I sink into a deep funk, and even trainwreck tv like American Idol and that American Idol knock-off show with the idiots hopping around for a role in Grease on Broadway can't shake me from my seasonal stupor.

But cherry blossoms...for some reason cherry blossoms make me happy right now, and since I need a new thermos to carry my morning coffee to work with me at bloody 7 am, I'm thinking this will be just perfect.

Mmhh mggh mmmog

If I got to be a judge for a contest where they gave out awards for best inventions ever, I'd pick Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus first, hands down.

And when they asked me why I chose that, instead of like the telephone or something from modern medicine or the internet for God's sakes, I'd be all, "MMhhh, mggh mmmog, mit's smmooo gmmmmood!"

Which is saying, "Oh my God, it's sooooo good!" but with my mouth full of roasted red pepper hummus.

Once it hits your lips it's so good

Last year around this time, I was in Chicago hanging out with Wendy and around 11:30pm or so I realized there was a Dunkin Donuts across the street, so I ran out of the lousy hotel bar we were in and through the snow without regard for my coat and bought a dozen donuts, half of which I shoved in my mouth that instant.

And then I tried their coffee, and I finally knew what heaven was.

P.S. It's not too late to get the person you love a gift basket of the best coffee on the planet this Christmas, or even a coffee subscription to last them all year long.

A KISS IS NOT JUST A KISS

I'm not gonna lie--I'm a bit of a chocolate snob. I don't usually touch Hershey chocolate unless it's the topping on a graham cracker-marshmellow trio, and even then I'm typically several sheets to the wind and wouldn't know quality if it injected itself into my taste buds with a five-inch needle.

That said, I have to admit, I was a few sheets to the wind last night and tried one of those new Cherry Cordial Hershey Kisses and good God, slap me silly and call me Nancy, those are some great tasting treats!!!

I mean, move over Godiva, I found a new bedmate, if you know what I mean. The sad part is that they're only around for a "limited time" (whatever that means) and then I guess I'll be forced to get drunk again and find myself a new lover. Story of my life.

Dear friends and family;

So, when I was sick last week and could barely talk and had a horrible sinus infection and felt like I was GOING TO DIE, how come no one sent me any homemade chicken soup?

And don't tell me it's because you didn't know you could send me a care package online, like this one that even includes a great soup cup, spoon, crackers AND a COOKIE. Do you know how much I could have used a cookie?? SHAPED LIKE A CHICKEN!?The next time you get sick, don't expect me to send any of these get well gifts that I ordered easily online and included a nice card with!

Well, ok, maybe some of you might get one, but that's just because I really like those cookies.

From the "Wha??" Category

The other night Jason and I had a conversation about Dippin' Dots - the ice cream of the future! - and how he believes it "solves the problem of ice cream." That problem being, according to him, how messy ice cream is...because it melts. My retort was that Dippin' Dots, futuristic or not, did not "solve the problem," a little thing called THE CONE did. BECAUSE YOU EAT THE CONTAINER TOO. Problem solved, dude!

Jason disagreed, and it lead me to think of other innovations in food portability until I stumbled upon Pancakes and Sausage On A Fucking Stick,™ people. I don't think this is most healthy of the portable foods, but when you consider that it's joining freeze-dried ice cream, hot dogs fried in corn batter, synthetic juice push pops, and yogurt tubes, it's not like it's all that bad.

Plus they're seriously soooooo gooooooooood. I want to just sit around eating them, while having more philosophical debates about whether Disneyland really *is* the happiest place on earth and if my imaginary land made of cheese and bacon is in the running or not.

How we roll

OH my EFFING ESS it's about time! I've  gotten so sick of those stupid neoprene wine bottle coolers every little yuppie has to get to lug around their stupid wine to their stupid parties where they sit around eating cheese and being quiet and reflective. Fuck that shit!

This is more like it, a neoprene 6-pack cooler! Finally! Something that caters to micro-brew fiends and their alcoholic friends! Now your bottles of  Saison can be snug and secure as you stroll down the block past all those stupid yuppie parties your neighbors are having.

BOR-ring!

Doña Tomás Cookbook

Julia Child may have become famous for teaching America about rarefied French cooking, but when it came to her real comfort food, she freely admitted that she couldn't live without Mexican. I'm kind of the same way: no matter how much of a wine sniffing, quail egg popping food snob I may pretend to be, I'd almost always rather be downing al pastor tacos and drinking Negra Modelo in a grungy San Francisco taqueria.

Fortunately, Thomas Schnetz and Dona Savitsky, the chefs behind Oakland's Doña Tomás restaurant, have finally given us a cookbook that bridges that gap. The Doña Tomás Cookbook is full of traditional Mexican recipes with upscale twists: fish tacos with chile de arbol aioli, chicken tacos with tomato-cucumber salsa, mojitos with Brazillian cachaça instead of rum, watermelon sangria, and, yes, even chilles rellenos stuffed with foie gras.

Whether you're looking for a grounding in the fundamentals of Mexican cooking (it has a great section on tortilla making), or a way to explore its possibilities, the Doña Tomás Cookbook would be a great addition to your kitchen.

Latte Fun

I'm a sucker for comfort foods, which is why I'm addicted to Starbucks Low Fat Latte Ice Cream. You may have seen it at your local Buck since they seem to be resorting to any gimmick possible just to get it in your mouth. It's like, Dude, Buck, cool down. We're not a prom.

But I gave it a chance, and what can I say? It's divine. Incredibly rich, so you need only a teensey cup to get you by, and at 170 calories a serving it's practically guilt free. It tastes exactly like an iced latte but it's ice cream. What in the world is better than ice cream that tastes just like coffee?

Only ice cream that's made of beer, which I'm not linking to because it doesn't exist. Please stop reminding me.

Cooler Than Ice

We've all experienced it--enjoying a killer cocktail mixed just perfectly until the second half when the ice cubes have melted and our drink is so watered down, only a mere hint of our Bombay Sapphire remains.  It's sort of like the second half of all my past relationships, the edge and excitement thorougly melted away leaving only a bitter after-taste.

Well, it may not be able to solve romance problems, but the Superegg, a seamless, liquid core, stainless steel drink cooler, is the perfect remedy for those poor watered-down cocktails.  Keep a few in your freezer instead of ice, throw a a couple in your next G&T and voila!-- a beverage that never loses its oomph!

Now, if only my heart were made of seamless, liquid core, stainless steal...maybe it wouldn't break anymore.

Editor's Favorite Chocolate Bar EVER

I can't believe I've let an entire month of favorites go by without once mentioning my favorite ever in the whole world chocolate bar: the Ritter Sport.

I first discovered Ritter Sport bars as a teenager in Germany when I played on the volleyball team for my American high school on a military base.  During the super long bus rides to the other American schools in Germany, Holland, and Belgium, I'd stock up on massive amounts of Ritter Sports to get me through the ceaseless chatter of my dipshit teammates and the growing monotonity of the lucious countryside.  The rich, creamy, dense chocolate was like nothing I'd ever experienced before.

When I moved to the states for college, I relied on my mother's intermittent care packages for my Ritter Sport fix and during trips home, I'd fill an entire suitcase full of the shit to last me until the next visit (or the slowly dwindling surprise packages from home).

These days, with the advent of Amazon and Trader Joes and a slew of other possibilities, I don't have to fly all the way to Europe or prod my mother into sending her 30-year-old daughter candy in the mail.  That doesn't mean I don't have to prod her into sending her 30-year-old daughter $$ in the mail to buy the candy, but that's another story.

Annie's Favorite Candy!

Annie writes in, "I just purchased a tin of these candies,and thought it would be cool to send you guys a link to them: Jones Soda Carbonated Candy. It's like the amazing jones soda...in candy form!"

I asked Annie if they were good and she replied, "I think they are. They're kind of fizzy. So far I've tried the fufu berry ones. I thought those ones were good, though I have no idea what a fufu berry is!"

Jennifer's Favorites!

This reader favorite comes from Jennifer in Ohio:

"I’m from Ohio, and while, yes, Graeter’s is good, chip flavors, blah, blah, blah, there’s something to be said for the still-to-be-discovered ice cream goodness that you CAN’T just get at the grocery store.

Enter Jeni’s Ice Cream.  Located in Columbus Ohio’s North Market, Jeni has made a name for herself with flavors that laugh in the face of everyday varieties. Strawberry? Try Jeni’s Lavender Blueberry.  Chocolate? Jeni’s Cocoa Zin has a hint of Zinfindel. Top that! Rocky Road? HA! You have nothing against Jeni’s Salty Caramel! (No, seriously…Salty Caramel is amazing. You must try it.  Now.)

And for those who aren’t in Columbus (or those of us here who are just lazy), she ships!"

Becky's Favorite

  Here in Chicago we have this cute little restaurant called Kitschn on Roscoe where retro-inspired comfort food is served in a funky 70's-style environment.  My friends and I can dine upon gourmet mini-burgers and potpies amid magic 8 balls, lava lamps, and posters of Cheech and Chong as we analyze our respective relationships and wonder if we should be worried about wrinkles yet.

Awesome reader, Becky, wrote to tell us about a website that is not unlike this restaurant I go for trips down memory lane and brief rekindlings of my youth:
"My neighbor in Philly runs a really fun website:  Plaid Pony Vintage.  She sells vintage housewares, clothing, etc., but there's also some miscellaneous stuff on the site, like crazy 50s-era spam cake recipes."  I especially like this vintage nightgown, and can imagine myself floating around my apartment in it while drinking martinis and reading gossip rags.

Do you have a favorite site, shop, book, film, band, product, etc. you think everyone should know about?  Tell us about it!

Editor's Favorite Foodism

One of the things I take great pride in is my impecable palate. And by that I obviously mean my inability to have meats and vegatables mix on my sandwich.

I’m incredibly, obnoxiously picky. But I also love eating at dive bars and roadside diners, so having my super awesome emergency foodie spice kit in my car is a lifesaver when I order my burger. Instead of just some charbroiled hunk of beef, I can pepper my bun amd mix some garlic and onion powder to sprinkle on the top and it’s just like those burgers at Spago I love so much.

Yeah, they have burgers at Spago, and they’re mahhhhh vell oussssssssssss.

DREW'S FAVORITE

Why can't we just call a spade a spade?  Like, why do people call them sanitary napkins?  They're maxi pads!  And, why are they called ear swabs?  They're q-tips!  Q-tips, people!

And why, why do people insist on buying little cakes called Ho-ho's and ding-dongs?  I don't know where you grew up, but where I grew up, it was pretty inappropriate for 6-year olds to get excited about eating ding-dongs. That's why I can appreciate this favorite from Awesome reader, Drew:

"I like Drake's Cakes."

Dude, they're called Drake's Cakes Coffee Cakes!  "COFFEE CAKES!!"  And also, Yodels, Yankee Doodles, Sunny Doodles, Ring Dings, Devil Dogs, and Funny Bones...

But, still!  I'd rather see a first grader chompin' down on yankee doodles than ding-dongs, wouldn't you??

Editor's Favorite chocolates!

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but when I do there's nothing I hate more than settling for some stupid KitKat bar from Rite Aid. I prefer a more refined chunk of sugar and fat to gnaw on, like Bissinger's awesome chocolates.

Instead of mass producing the worst kinds of processed chocolate, Bissinger's specializes in nutritional chocolate and healthy sweets and snacks. They make an amazing sunflower crunch, a special recipe for green tea gummy bears, and the ever-popular Spa Chocolate boxes.

Each box has seven small and unique chocolate candies included, because - DUH - there's seven days in the week. That way you get one piece each day as your reward for starving yourself since breakfast.

Editor's Favorite: The Jam Plan

Just north of Rome, on the outskirts of Viterbo, is a community of about 40 Cistercian nuns who follow the Benedictine rule of Ora et Labora, to Pray and Work. Their work, growing fruit and making jam, supports an AIDS clinic the nuns opened in Africa several years ago.

What? It's true! I just copied and pasted it from the description of my favorite sandwich accessory, this awesome green tomato jam.

Sure it sounds like a strange addition to your turkey club, but this sweet jam is so good with a nice aged cheese and some deli meat, you won't be able to stop yourself. Get it online along with some other great jams, or if you're in the SF Bay Area, stop by my favorite grocery A.G. Ferrari Foods and pick up a bottle for yourself.

Carletta's Favorites!

Another reader, Carletta, in Arlington, Va, sends a couple of her favorites:

"Jaleo restaurant in Washington, DC. I wrote about it being a religious experience because God touched the hands of the chef. It is the most awesome tapas place ever and it's got a good ambiance. Oh, and pitchers of sangria. Mmm.

Natasha Westcoat art. I always thought I didn't like contemporary art - until Natasha. Her art is colorful and beautiful and I love it."

Thank you, Carletta!

 

Allison's Favorite!

This reader favorite comes from my kid sister, Allison.  "My favorite thing worthy of the site is Popsicle brand Diet Soda Popsicles. They come in Diet Orange Crush, Diet A&W Root Beer, and Diet Dr. Pepper. At only 15 calories a pop (get it -- pop, popsicle?), they're a great way to stay cool and eat something sweet without breaking your diet. Yummy."

And if you really want to preserve your diet and stay cool at the same time, I say you can always just rub them on your pulse points and stick them in your armpits...

A great favorite from Elizabeth

Hello!

My family is from Cincinnati, but I grew up in North Carolina.  Every year when we went back to visit grandparents, the trip really meant one thing.  Going to Graeter's ice cream shop to stock up ice cream on dry ice for the rest of the year. In today's fabulous Internet world  you can order it online.  Now, this is my absolute favorite present, especially for weddings.  When the marrying couple is being i