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9
Sep

Enstrom’s Almond Toffee

Almonds, butter, sugar, chocolate, and salt are the five ingredients of Enstrom’s Almond Toffee – a traditional candy that is still made by hand using only the finest ingredients available. Few candies taste as delicious as a piece of almond toffee from this Colorado-based confectionary.  Crunchy and buttery on the inside, enrobed in milk or dark chocolate and sprinkled with crushed almonds on the outside, Enstrom’s Almond Toffee is positively addicting. Read more »

7
Sep

The Pen/O.Henry Prize Stories

The art of the great short story is well presented in “The Pen/O.Henry Prize Stories” – a collection of twenty short stories chosen annually by a Series Editor  (Laura Furman has held the position since 2003).  The criteria? All stories had to have been written originally in English and published in an American or Canadian periodical. Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious awards for short fiction, the Pen/O.Henry Prize Stories offer readers some of the finest examples of short fiction written in any given year. Read more »

5
Sep

Decorative Chocolate for Desserts

For those who never tire of decorating baked goods or pastries with chocolate, there is a website called www.pastrychef.com that provides customers with top quality decorative chocolate toppings. Opened in 1997 as an internet website, www.pastrychef.com is based out of Boca Raton, Florida with sales limited to on-line or catalog/phone. Advertised as a baking and pastry superstore, www.pastrychef.com offers a wide variety of chocolate decorative ingredients (and other ingredients and tools) to both home and professional bakers. Read more »

3
Sep

France Luxe Hair Barrettes

One beautiful hair barrette is sometimes the perfect accessory and few companies make high quality barrettes as beautiful and functional as France Luxe.  The company has been manufacturing hair ornaments – barrettes, combs, ponytail holders, sticks, jaws, bobby pins, and headbands – for more than a century at their factories located near Geneva, Switzerland.

High quality  hair barrettes are scarce in the United States – most tend to break rather easily – which makes France Luxe barrettes stand out as they seldom break (I have some that are 20 years old and work just as well as the day I bought them) and there are no gobs of glue on the back holding the clasp onto the hairpiece. Stylish, colorful, and exquisite in design and function, France Luxe barrettes  are timeless. Read more »

1
Sep

Ortiz Anchovies and the Caesar Salad

I wouldn’t hesitate to order a Caesar Salad in a restaurant and yet, for years I was reluctant to make a real Caesar Salad at home because of the raw egg yolks and anchovies – neither of which appeal to me on their own.  However, it is possible to make a really good Caesar Salad without raw egg yolks but not without anchovies, freshly grated parmesan cheese, homemade croutons, and crisp romaine lettuce. Read more »