 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |
featured on NBC’s 10! Show on December 11, 2008.
Enjoy a stove top mini smoker, great for experimenting and staying out of the cold weather. I’ve used it to infuse smoke wood flavor in zucchini slices, turkey and haloumi cheese. Stainless body and dishwasher safe, the kit includes two sample wood chip varieties: cherry and hickory. Camerons Stovetop Mini Smoker ($29.99) Fante’s Kitchen Wares Shop, 1006 S. Ninth Street, www.Fantes.com Dishes to Wish for Beautiful hand-made pottery imported from Bulgaria. Bowls and serving dishes are individually sold, so stick with one pattern or mix and match colors. All pieces are food, oven and microwave safe. Bulgar USA pottery ($18 - $75 each) Open House, 107 S. 13th Street, www.openhouseliving.com What to Bring Enroute to a Party Forget bringing another pie or vegetable platter. Bring your favorite hostess something special! I recommend swinging through your Whole Foods cheese department for a box of delicious Raincoast Crisp crackers (I prefer the original and the cranberry-hazelnut varieties). These are one of the most popular products this season! Add a jar of Mitica Lavender Honey paired with a goat cheese selected with the help of your favorite cheesemonger. Raincoast Crisp crackers ($6.99), Mitica honey ( $5.99), Capricho de Cabra cheese ($12.99 per pound) Whole Foods city-wide, www.wholefoods.com Single Subject Cookbooks Single subject cookbooks are all the rage this year! Gift someone a collection of 16 hard- back pocket-sized books containing over 300 recipes. Each book focuses on a single ingredient such as apricot, green tea, coffee, violet or pistachios. No need for gift wrap! The decorative hat box makes it ready to deliver. Sugar and Spice Cookbook Set ($34.99) Foster’s Homeware, 399 Market Street, www.shopfosters.com Artful Pepper Mills Michigan Artist Robert Wilhelm provides hand-made peppermills. These attractive functional works of art are hand crafted of solid wood with stainless steel and ceramic grinding mechanisms. Pep Art Pepper Mills ($35 - $85) Kitchenette, 1120 Walnut Street, (215) 829-4949 Chocolate Buttons Liz Begosh has spun her Grandmother Betty’s famous fudge recipe into interesting combinations, such as: Steve’s Hawaiian (dark chocolate with ginger and toasted coconut) and Lava (cinnamon and chipotle pepper in chocolate). Her artisanal products are beautifully packaged, made with no preservatives or additives and focused on local ingredients and a double dose of chocolate! I love the marshmallow fluff and Xpeppermint buttons! Betty’s Tasty Buttons and Gift Baskets ($12 - $55) available Sundays at the Headhouse farmer’s market and on-line, www.bettysfudge.com A Memorable Supper Modern American food is served in a warm cozy atmosphere at this Bella Vista venue. Open for weekend brunch and dinner, but equally know for the family style suppers offered the first Sunday of every month. Supper Restaurant Gift Certificates (available in any amount, but recommended $50 per person) Supper Restaurant, 926 South Street, 215-592-8180, www.supperphilly.com Cooking Low Tech The molcajete is a mortar and pestle carved from volcanic rock used for crushing herbs, salsa and making authentic guacamole tableside. I use it for muddling sugar and lemon zest to make citrus sugar for sweetening holiday mixed drinks! Mocajete mortar and pestle ($49.00) Williams Sonoma stores city-wide, www.Williams-Sonoma.com Gift that Gives Back The non-profit organization MANNA delivers over 60,000 nutritious, home-cooked, home- delivered meals each month to local people with serious illnesses. Make a charitable donation in honor of a friend or family member. A $90 donation provides a client one week of nutritious meals. Better yet, go volunteer with a friend in the MANNA kitchen for a rewarding experience. MANNA gift donations (starting at $30) MANNA, 12 S. 23rd Street, Philadelphia, 215-496-2662, www.mannapa.org |
