Kee’s Chocolates
A visit to Kee’s Chocolates of New York City should be on every passionate chocolate lover’s bucket list. Named for the master chocolatier – Kee Ling Tong – who opened her flagship store in Soho twelve years ago, Kee’s Chocolates are the kind of chocolates that make you step back and think you’ve entered a sublime universe where nothing matters but chocolate and getting more of it because each perfectly hand-made bonbon is rich, decadent and unquestionably exceptional. Read more 
The Ice Cream Cone Dilemma
Where I grew up in northern New Jersey, there were two places to go for ice cream: Dairy Queen and Van Dyke’s Ice Cream. Dairy Queen, the local standby was the default choice when we wanted soft serve ice cream after dinner but on weekends or summer afternoons, we would ride our bikes to Van Dyke’s in Ridgewood for rich, creamy, locally made ice cream.
Scooped by hand into impossibly big round balls, the ice cream would be placed on top of a cake or sugar cone. The star of the show was the ice cream – summer cantaloupe, deep chocolate, minty chocolate chip – but the cone was best supporting actor. Within minutes, the ice cream was melting down the sides of the cone and we would be frantically licking the drips to keep the sweet cream from spilling all over our hands. The best bite was the last one: the semi-soft tip at the bottom of the cone – part melted ice cream and part crispy sugar cone and total bliss. Read more
Flying Saucer White Nectarines
Bite into a Flying Saucer White Nectarine and taste the sweet and juicy “out of this world” flavor of a very special nectarine. Named for its flat shape – similar to the donut peach – the Flying Saucer White Nectarine was developed by the Zaiger Family in Modesto, California. Flying Saucers are now grown by Kingsburg Orchards, a family-owned grower, packer, and shipper in Central California’s San Joaquin Valley who also gave this unique variety of nectarine its well-suited name.”
“Niki: The Story of a Dog”
Affection is not only a pleasure for the heart but also a burden which, in proportion to its importance, may oppress the soul quite as much as it rejoices it.
Long before books like Marley or The Art of Racing in the Rain appeared on bookshelves, a book entitled Niki: The Story of a Dog was written in Hungarian by Tibor Déry and published in 1956, shortly before the October Uprising, a nationwide revolt against the Soviet-controlled government in Hungary. In the years following World War II, Hungary underwent massive political changes and it is these changes the reader sees through the eyes of the narrator who tells the story of a middle-aged couple who adopt a street dog named Niki. The story begins in the Spring of 1948 and ends six years later in 1954. Read more
Big Spoon Roasters
Big Spoon Roasters makes ten handcrafted nut butters from scratch in Durham, North Carolina. Each nut butter starts with freshly harvested nuts (peanuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, or brazil nuts) that are roasted, ground, and then blended with wildflower honey which enhances the flavor and serves as a natural preservative – eliminating the need to refrigerate the butters. A touch of sea salt, stone ground chocolate, organic cocoa nibs, organic coconut oil, cardamom, clove, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, black pepper, or crystallized ginger are also added, depending on the variety. Read more
Dr. Kracker Crispbreads
There is something deeply satisfying about eating Dr. Kracker Crispbreads – large rectangular shaped crackers loaded with whole grains and seeds that possess flavor, texture, and a nutritional punch in every bite.
The rich, toasty flavor of organically grown whole grains and seeds makes these European inspired crispbreads delicious to eat right out of the box or as vehicle for bolder foods – guacamole, cheese, nut butters, dips, and spreads. Deliciously crunchy, Dr. Kracker Crispbreads are a great alternative to ordinary crackers or bread.
6 Indie Bookstores to Patronize NOW
A quiet battle between Amazon (the behemoth bookseller) and Hachette (the giant book publisher) has been waging on for years but the lid was blown off this past week by a combination of factors that many observers are predicting will lead to the The War To End All Wars in Bookville.
At the 2014 Book Expo of America (the largest annual book trade fair) in New York City, a few brave authors spoke out against the giant retailer for its strong-arm tactics of notifying customers that pre-orders of books published by Hachette are no longer being accepted. In addition, Amazon notified customers of delays in book shipments and that certain books by authors whose works are published by Hachette are not available, bringing the industry issues to the public’s attention. But, I am getting ahead of myself so let’s take a step back.
Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate
Pascha Organic Dark Chocolate makes eight decadent dark chocolate bars in an allergen-free beans-to-bar facility to ensure the purity of their chocolate. Free of nuts, peanuts, soy, dairy, wheat, gluten, and egg with no genetically modified ingredients, the bars have full ingredient traceability. Rich, dark and delicious, these bars are the essence of simplicity, made with the firm belief that the less you touch a food product, the more delicious the taste. Read more
Hand Woven Merino Wool Blankets
Most people are not thinking about wool blankets this time of year but they should be because now is the time to buy a new hand-woven lightweight blanket from the Nordt Family Farm – a 400 acre working farm, 30 miles southeast of Richmond, Virginia on the banks of the James River in Charles City, Virginia.
Owned by Dianne Nordt and her orthopedic surgeon husband, Nordt Family Farm has all kinds of animals including a small flock of three dozen sheep who supply the merino wool used to make beautiful soft hand-woven blankets. Warm and cozy yet light enough for year-round use, the Nordt Family Farm Merino Wool Blanket has hand-hemmed edges to give a clean, modern look to a traditional favorite throw. Read more
“Life and Times of Michael K”
The Life and Times of Michael K was written more than 30 years ago (1983) by J.M. Coetzee and yet, the story is as relevant today as decades ago. Freedom from both persecution and charity are the overriding themes of this fictional story that takes place in South Africa when the minority Black South Africans were fighting against apartheid during a civil war. The years are irrelevant as the timeframe could be any decade and any place where there is one set of rules for the majority in power and another set for the oppressed minority class. Read more
Paddock Post 