CiCi’s Handmade Italian Butterhorns
When I was in high school, I would often go to my friend Amy’s house over the holidays where her extended family would celebrate the end of a meal with a table full of Italian pastries and cookies. At my house, most cookies came in a bag so the sight of a whole table piled high with every conceivable type of handmade Italian cookie was a dream come true. Amy’s Aunt Cookie was primarily responsible for that dedicated table and she was infamous among her relatives (and friends) for her homemade cookies: Italian Wedding, Wandi, Pignoli, Struffoli, and more. Read more 
Pret A Manger
What do you get when you cross a good restaurant, a top quality grocer, a European style coffee bar, and the speed of light? Pret A Manger: a British-based fresh food provider that makes healthy and delicious food as fast as it flies off the shelves. Read more
Eye Candy
Several years ago on a weekend getaway with 5 girlfriends, my friend, Beverly disclosed that she was showing her kids eye candy. I immediately stopped what I was doing and looked at her perplexed as her twins were about 8 years old at the time. I remember asking her what exactly she was showing her kids and she said something to the effect “oh, the Washington Monument, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial.” Read more
Abe’s Market
Where do you go on-line to find a wide selection of healthy foods at reasonable prices and free shipping? Abe’s Market – the newest on-line resource for consumers looking for all types of healthy foods: organic, gluten-free, vegan, tree-nut free, nut-free, kosher, sugar-free, raw, and natural. Nearly 3,000 food products are currently offered with the selection growing daily. The prices are competitive and the shipping is free (and fast) on all orders of $49 or more. Read more
Nature’s All Freeze Dried Fruit
Nature’s All Foods recently introduced nine organic and fair-trade certified freeze-dried fruit products to the market: raspberries, blueberries, bananas, mangos, apples, strawberries, pineapples, and a blend of bananas and strawberries or a tropical blend of mangos, pineapples,and bananas. Each packet of delicious crunchy dried fruit contains the organic fruit listed “and nothing else but love.” Read more
Alma Chocolate
Alma Chocolate was started seven years ago by Sarah Hart who initially sold her chocolate creations at a Farmer’s Market in Portland, Oregon. In 2006, Sarah opened up a chocolate shop in northeast Portland and has been creating and selling her confections ever since. One of her specialities is toffee and she makes three kinds: Pistachio, Hazelnut Cherry, and Ginger Almond – all made with organic butter, turbinado (a natural brown sugar that looks like light brown sugar crystals), fresh nuts, dark chocolate and sea salt. Read more
BAKED Brownies
Brooklyn, New York is the home of a bakery called BAKED that specializes in brownies and “American Classics Served Fresh” – meaning cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pies, tarts, bars, and Brooksters (a combination brownie and chocolate chunk cookie). It’s the brownies though that take the cake, so to speak. Rich, dark (except for the Blondie) and intense, BAKED brownies are moist, sweet, and unforgettable. Read more
Farm to Table Oatmeal
Farm to Table Foods is an organic food company that provides real and earnest food offerings to customers hungry for products that do more than just pay lip service to the organic food movement. We’re people who believe in traditional farming methods. We reject the notion that big agri-business is the only way to feed a community, and at every opportunity, we attempt to give back to the earth as well as to those farmers who work our earth in order to feed and nourish us. From Farm to Table Foods Read more
Getting To Know Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon is famously known for bikes, breweries, and babes (not in that order) but after a recent visit, Portland seems to be about so much more including farmer’s markets, hazelnuts, apples, bakeries, books, and outdoor sports. A small city that people live and work in, Portland is not a landscape of skyscrapers but rather a city of interesting buildings, greenery, bridges, and roads that are easy to maneuver.
Explore the Farmer’s Market, take a bike tour, spend a few hours at the largest independent bookstore in the country (Powell’s), indulge in the many bakeries (20+), breweries (40+), chocolate shops (10+), restaurants (dozens), visit a museum (more than a dozen), and enjoy the parks and gardens. Read more
Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter
Muirhead Pumpkin Butter is a delicious jam like spread that can be used on breads and cheeses or to make baked goods including a pumpkin pecan bread. Made by Muirhead Foods of Ringoes, New Jersey (about 20 miles north of Trenton), the pumpkin butter contains five ingredients: pumpkin, sugar, lemon juice, pecans, and spices. Despite the name “butter” in its name, there is no butter or even a trace of fat in this product which always surprises me because the taste is so rich. Read more
Paddock Post 