December 26, 2004

Why I'm a Big Man (Part One)

My friends and family know me too well. Most of the gifts I've received this holiday season have been edible. And so have most of the gifts I've given. I thought I'd share some of the best stuff that can be bought on the Web.

I'm a dedicated fan of Enstrom's Almond Toffee . This Colorado-based company has been selling this delicious toffee since the 1950s. Although I usually prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, I think the toffee works a little better with the milk product. Enstrom's toffee popcorn, with added almonds, pecans, and cashews, is ridiculously great, as well:

It might be a cliche to send Harry and David's Riviera pears as a gift, but that's OK with me. They are delicious, fantastic with cheese or as a big snack by themselves, and are priced cheaper after Christmas (i.e., NOW).

Eagle Ranch planted the first pistachio trees in New Mexico in 1972, and now sell some of the tastiest flavored pistachios in the U.S. I'm especially fond of the Extra Hot Red Chili and Lemon-Lime flavors, sold in cool burlap bags at fantastic prices:

Recchiuti Confections sells superb candies at stratospheric prices. For the price of four ounces of fleur de sel caramels, you can buy more than three pounds of the fabulous pistachios. But there are times when ethereal decadence trumps bulk.

Beautiful, aren't they? They taste more like real fruit than any kind of jellied
candy I've ever eaten. I'm sure Emporio Rulli makes other wonderful stuff besides these Gelatini di Frutta. But even I only have one stomach.

More food on the web to come.