Unique gifts Send food gifts for something delicious and different

Whether its the Christmas holiday season or the middle of summer, the necessity of having to shop for a birthday or anniversary present is inevitable. While its always a thrill to find just the right gift for a friend or associate, sometimes issues such as lack of time or the difficulty of trying to find a unique gift: how many ties can you buy your brother in law, make the buying experience stressful and a hassle.

Unique gourmet gifts: salmon, lobster, crab and steak

Theres really no need to buy yet another tie because what your brother in law really wants is a unique food gift such as an assorted steak box featuring specialty cuts of premium beef. This is a gift that he can take outdoors and grill on a nice summer evening or enjoy dining indoors. If you have a seafood lover to please, you can send them anything from smoked salmon gift baskets to a crab bake, lobster bake, or lobster gram. The last two are really fun because your lobster gifts come with live lobster, a pot, lobster bib and other items for a delightful lobster dinner. Crab bakes are generally the same idea only with live crab.

Gifts for the dessert lover

With so many choices in gourmet chocolates: in boxes, themed gifts baskets and more, you can send anything from romantic, fine chocolates to elegant, hand made chocolates to a colleague. Another popular idea for the confection lover is tower gifts: chocolate tower gifts and cookie tower gifts. These gifts are delivered in the mail and can make quite a presentation. Cookie bouquets are also fun gifts and great if you werent planning to spend a lot.

Gifts for the food lover

If you have a gourmand, and theyre hungry to sample different kinds of wine, cheeses, chocolates, coffees, teas and such look for a good food of the month club online. These clubs tend to include interesting choices and include information for your recipient to learn more about different kinds of cheeses, for example if its a cheese of the month club (see http://www.a1-food-gifts.com/unique-gifts.htm ). Also, with a monthly food gift plan your recipient is not likely to forget you as there is a reminder each month.

About the author:
Nicole Martins is a contributing author and publisher to http://www.a1-food-gifts.com,your online resource for sending unique food gifts.


Crockpot Cooking - Advantages and Disadvantagestony buelIn my 'un-biased' opinion, the crockpot / slow cooker is one of the most
convenient and easy to use appliances in my kitchen. The time savings
features of the slow cooker and the delicious dinners that have resulted
more than offset any minor drawbacks.

Before I list my top reasons why the crockpot is the most useful appliance
in any kitchen, I will list a few of the areas where it does not perform
as well.

- Large cuts of meat such as boneless prime rib or leg of lamb are still
best when oven roasted.

- Except for stews and chowders, the slow cooker does not cook fish very
well.

- The slow cooker collects a lot of the juices since the steam does not
escape during cooking and these juices can become diluted and watery,
which can affect the flavoring of the food.

- If not careful, a slow cooker can overcook food -especially some of
the more tender meats and poultry.

These drawbacks are relatively minor compared to the positives which
I will list now.

- The slow cooker needs virtually no tending while it cooks, freeing you
up to do other chores or recipes.

- The slow cooker will tenderize less expensive, tough cuts of meat and
make great stews out of them.

- The slow cooker allows you to be out of the kitchen for extended periods
of time -sometimes even all day.

- Burning your food is rarely a problem. The slow cooker will make many
dishes for you better than any other appliance -especially those that tend
to stick to the bottom of a pan.

In my opinion the slow cooker is one of the most under-utilized and yet
superior of kitchen appliances. When used for what it does best, you will
find that you are able to prepare great dishes in less time than you thought
possible!

About the author:
Tony has been working diligently to provide
free cooking related resources for the chef
in all of us. His website www.my-crockpot-recipes.com
is a labor of love which provides delicious and easy
to make crockpot recipes and related tips and advice.

www.my-crockpot-recipes.com