June 19, 2013

April 24, 2012

Fresh, Local Veggies Delivered to My Door

local, organic vegetables

I love going to the Farmer’s Market on the weekend. But the reality is that my kids’ sports schedules often make getting there by noon on Saturday a challenge. Enter Farmhouse Delivery, a service that, for a weekly or bi-weekly fee, will bring the market to you in the form of a hand selected bushel [...]

January 18, 2012

Lord Nut Levington is so Nutty!

cocktail peanuts, snacks

Have fun with your nuts. Lord Nut Levington does. He’s the saucy, fictional mascot behind Lord Nut Levington Peanuts. And this isn’t your everyday dry roasted peanut. These nuts come in exotic flavors like Rebel Mary (spicy bloody Mary), Cinnapplooza (cinnamon, apple and vanilla) and Mammma Mia, an Italian blend of tomato, garlic and cheese. [...]

September 16, 2011

It’s All Good: GoodPop All-Natural Frozen Pops

GoodPop

Must have been my lucky day! Recently I received a sampler package of GoodPop All-Natural Frozen Pops. Good Pops are creatively flavored paletas made with fresh fruit and organic, locally sourced, all natural ingredients. I loved the flavor profile of the Hibiscus Mint and Banana Cinnamon popsicles. They reminded me of  the innovative ice cream flavor [...]

July 27, 2011

The Good Food Awards for American Craft Food Producers: Call for Entries

Attention American craft food producers! Entry is now open to the second annual Good Food Awards, a national contest honoring “craft food producers who excel in superior taste and sustainability.” If you are an artisan producer of beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles and preserves, or spirits, then you have until September 1 to enter. Winners must [...]

July 17, 2011

A Refreshing Alternative to Soda

beverages alternative sodas

Tired of that same old diet soda? Here’s a fun, healthy and flavorful alternative. IZZE esque is a low-calorie carbonated beverage made of 25% fruit juice and sparkling water. At 50 calories per 12 ounces it is light and fruity, sans the cloying sweetness of some sodas and juices. The IZZE Beverage Company is debuting a new watermelon flavor [...]

May 19, 2011

Think Green with Central Market Organics + Recipe for Yogurt Fruit Dip

Central Market Organics products

  I think mercury was in retrograde recently as I awaited a package from Central Market. I thought I’d never received it, when actually it was hiding out in my husband’s office. For a month. But the stars lined up. The package was found and what emerged was a lovely basket of Central Market Organics products [...]

March 15, 2011

Layers of Flavor in Peri-Peri & Fennel Spiced Nuts

2011 Flavor forecast

In January I posted a recipe for Bahn Mi, as an example of an influential flavor pairing, specifically pickling spice and rice vinegar, from McCormick’s Flavor Forecast 2011. Each year, the spice company develops a list of emerging taste and trends with input from chefs, food writers, and cookbook authors. Well here’s another glimpse at the list and [...]

December 17, 2010

Order Up Holiday Shoppers: Favorite Food Gifts

Whether homemade by you or handmade by someone else, food stuffs make great gifts because they are consumable, rather than, and I don’t mean to sound ungrateful here, another bad gift destined for the storage closet! I commend those cooks who make time to gift their handmade nuts, chutney, cookies or bread because it is not easy to find time [...]

August 8, 2010

Field Trip: Phoenicia Specialty Foods, Recipe: Mixed Fruit Salad in Rose Syrup

fruit

Summer’s the perfect time for a field trip, so I rounded up my fifth grade foodie and we headed to Phoenicia Specialty Foods way out Westheimer. Our goal was to get some rose water for the recipe that follows, Mixed Fruit Salad in Rose Syrup, but we found so much more and had a ball browsing past the [...]

June 7, 2010

New Local Chocolate in Town: Araya Artisan Chocolate

I recently checked out the new Araya Artisan Chocolate boutique in River Oaks Shopping Center. Araya sells embellished chocolates and truffles made with Venezuelan chocolate (El Rey) sans preservatives, additives or artificial flavors.  I selected Passion Fruit, Pink Salt, Venezuela 70%, Margarita, Chipotle and a Cafe Cafe truffle as well as a pretty box to hold them, and [...]