Daily Archives: November 22, 2011

Favorite Thing: Petrossian Chocolate Fondue Pots (Dark Chocolate, $39)
Link: http://www.petrossian.com/chocolates-candies-7-chocolate-fondue-pots-351.html

When friends drop by, “wow” them with a fast and fabulous Chocolate Fondue! They have writing in French (tres chic)! Stoneware pots warm quickly and easily in the microwave or bain-marie, then hold heat up to 45 minutes for meltingly delicious table-top dipping of fresh fruit, biscuits—or marshmallows. 7 oz.

Favorite Thing: Postcards from New York (gift set, $19.98)
Link: www.zabars.com
It’s fun to get a postcard in the mail, but it’s even more fun to get postcards and a Zabar’s Babka! A thoughtful little something for anyone pining for 80th and Broadway. Zabar’s chocolate bar, Zabar’s Chocolate Babka, and four Zabar’s postcards, all packed in our new Zabar’s tote.

Favorite Thing: Microplane Classic Series Premium Zester/Grater
Link: http://us.microplane.com/

Features a premium soft-touch handle and non-scratch end tabs. This is my favorite stocking stuffer! I can never have enough of these because I always seem to put them in the wrong drawer and forget where they are. I would just panic if I were making Christmas cookies and I couldn’t find my microplane! I use it for citrus, nutmeg, chocolate and of course for savory dishes too! If there’s a kitchen item that I can’t live without, it’s my classic Microplane!

Favorite Thing: Konitz “Cities” Mugs

Link: http://www.mug-shop.com/

Gourmet coffee certainly needs a good mug to go along with it! I LOVE the mugs by the company Konitz, because they literally have everything you could possibly imagine. Espresso cups, cappuccino cups, minipresso sets. They have the chicest designs on the market. Plus, the prices are reasonable. Give your recipient a nice, old fashioned quality bag of coffee beans and a set of mugs from Konitz…who wouldn’t love that?!

Since 1997, Eleni’s New York has been a must-stop at Manhattan’s iconic Chelsea Market, later followed by an Upper East Side location and an expansive website, where irresistibly designed custom “Conversation Cookies^TM” and other treats await, both locally and nationwide. Today, Eleni’s custom cookie creations are a favorite of celebrities, luxury brands, Fortune 500 companies and cookie lovers alike!

Favorite Thing: “Twas the Night Before Christmas” custom gift box ($135)
Link: http://elenis.com/
*Their website has a huge variety and different price ranges, so browse, click and shop around!

John & Kira’s: Chocolate Figs $22)
Link: http://www.johnandkiras.com/product/Chocolate-Figs-6pc/Chocolate-Figs#reviews

John & Kira import tender Calabacita figs from a small farm in Spain and fill them with a whiskey infused dark chocolate ganache. They appeared on Martha Stewart and in Wine Spectator. And now (drumroll please)…CaitlinCooks! I am obsessed with the smooth, delicate texture of these little treats. I’ve been known to eat an entire box on my own. Not a hard task to complete. Also check out their Ladybug Chocolates for a unique gift!

My #1 Christmas gift this season is…Liam’s Lemon Sugar Cookies! You can make a difference this season, one cookie at a time! Cancer has effected many people in my life (and I’m sure yours as well). I watched my friend Jana Piccola (4loveproject.org), show up to work with strength while (unbeknown to everyone) her pediatric cancer had returned. On our last walk to Grand Central Station, she told me she had a horrible fever and wasn’t sure when we’d meet again. I will never forgive myself for not truly seeing what she was really trying to say. We get so caught up in work,  the gifts, the hustle of the season and all the things that truly…do not matter at all.  Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children in the United States. This is due in large part to the lack of funding for cancer therapies. Cookies for Kids Cancer was founded by a Mom (Gretchen Witt), inspired by her son Liam’s ongoing fight against cancer. Gretchen’s story, recently featured in the NY Daily News, inspired me to spread the word. The New Jersey Mom has raised over $4 million for pediatric cancer since 2007. Gretchen recalls sitting on the steps of her son Liam’s school and thinking, “‘I have to come up with a way to raise money for pediatric cancer, but I need some kind of angle that will not scare people off because the topic of pediatric cancer is one that people want to shy away from.” “I didn’t want to make just a couple of hundred dollars or even a few thousand dollars. I wanted to really make a difference,” she says.

Buy Cookies: http://www.cookiesforkidscancer.org/

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/gretchen-holt-witt-raises-funding-pediatric-cancer-research-cookies-kids-cancer-article-1.967382#ixzz1eS3wCn3C

Hi, my name is Caitlin….and I’m addicted to chocolate. I’m also a little bit fancy. Not milk chocolate, not the cheap stuff with added fillers and chemicals. Pure, gourmet chocolate made with the best all-natural ingredients.  Richart, is one of my favorite chocolate brands from France. Anything you order from their site is perfection, but my gift pick this holiday season is their best-selling “Intense Ballotin.”

Richart Paris’ Intense Ballotin ($67)

Link: http://www.richart-chocolates.com/chocolates/

Details: Exotic spices, sunny citrus hints, true chocolate ganaches, nutty textures, fruity coulis, refreshing herbal scents and creative flowery aromas. With this ballotin, you will truly understand the meaning of Richart’s motto “more pleasure through better tasting.”