Yumnuts
Take the son of a cashew broker and a self-described life-long cashew nut, add two guys who used to work for a big granola company (two words: the first name is another word for “grizzly” and the other means “emperor’s clothes”), and add a brand management guy – all of whom are athletes – and what do you have? Four guys who realized the market was in dire need of a lightly seasoned, dry-roasted cashew that makes people say “yum” as in “wow, these are delicious, please give me the whole bag so I can devour them right now.” That’s exactly what I thought when I tasted Yumnuts Cashews, of which there are five varieties: Read more 
José Andrés Potato Chips
If you asked me when I was 28 and in my wedding dress if I ever thought I would end up in my 40’s flipping my husband the bird over potato chips, I’d say you were crazy. Jenna McCarthy
Potato chips make people do crazy things and I am no less guilty especially if the potato chips are José Andrés Potato Chips – Spanish potatoes that are thinly sliced and then slow-fried, allowing the goodness and healthy qualities of the extra virgin olive oil to meld with the chips. The chips are then sprinkled lightly with Himalayan Pink Salt and packaged in an innovative bag designed to deliver the chip to you perfectly, as if just cooked. Read more
“The Woman Upstairs”
I’ve finally come to understand that life itself is the Fun House. All you want is that door marked EXIT, the escape to a place where Real Life will be; and you can never find it. No: let me correct that. In recent years, there was a door, there were doors, and I took them and I believed in them, and I believed for a stretch that I’d managed to get out into Reality – and God, the bliss and terror of that, the intensity of that: it felt so different – until I suddenly realized I’d been stuck in the Fun House all along. I’d been tricked. The door marked EXIT hadn’t been an exit at all. Read more
Blackfish
I used to be one of those mothers who took her kids to SeaWorld but I won’t be a grandmother who takes her grandchildren to SeaWorld, the Miami Seaquarium, or any park that holds orca whales in captivity. Years ago, I would watch the seal, dolphin, and whale shows at the SeaWorld in Orlando, laughing at the big tail splash and the human-like learned behaviors but never gave a thought to what the lives of those animals were really like, especially the orca whales. The audience sees crystal blue water, healthy looking animals, and trainers who appear to love them, so not much thought is given to what life is like for a 20-foot 12,000 pound animal who is meant to swim a hundred miles a day in vast open waters but, instead swims in a tank day after day, year after year. Read more
Sugar Hearts by Eleni’s
What’s not to love about outrageously delicious and exquisitely decorated custom-made cookies by Eleni’s New York? With Valentine’s Day near, there is no better way to celebrate than with sweets and if your favorite Valentine happens to fancy sugar cookies, there is no sweeter gift than the Sugar Hearts Cookie Tin: 48 hand-iced and decorated sugar cookies in a rainbow of colors: blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange, red and green. The cookies are beautifully packaged in a signature Eleni’s rectangular gift tin and wrapped with a red bow, making it the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day or whenever you want to send your loved one some sugar. Read more
“No Cheer in Amazon’s Holiday” – Are You Kidding Me?
Last Friday (January 31, 2014), the top headline on page 1 of Marketplace in the Wall Street Journal read:
No Cheer in Amazon’s Holiday
Online Retailer’s Revenue Rises 20% but Profit Disappoints: Shares Tumble Read more
“The Goldfinch”
Maybe sometimes – the wrong way is the right way? You can take the wrong path and it still comes out where you want to be. Or, spin it another way, sometimes you can do everything wrong and it still turns out to be right?”…this is a question worth struggling with. What if our badness and mistakes are the very thing that set our fate and bring us round to good? What if, for some of us, we can’t get there any other way?” Read more
Chocolate Gifts
All you need is love. But, a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. -Charles M. Schulz
Finding the perfect chocolate gift for that special someone can be daunting with all the choices – dark, milk, or white, truffles, ganache, nuts, caramels, assortments – but zeroing in on the recipient can make the decision easier. Is the token of your affection an athlete, a baker, a Francophile, a chocolate connoisseur, a vegan, or a cookie lover? If so, consider the following possibilities: Read more
Christopher Elbow Chocolate Turtles
There is a running debate in our home over which Christopher Elbow Chocolate Turtles are better – the dark chocolate or the milk chocolate. With my preference for the dark chocolate and my husband preferring the milk chocolate turtle, there is no hope for a compromise although I keep telling him that if he eats dark chocolate, he will acquire a taste for the richness, subtle differences, and the bold flavor that dark chocolate offers.He then goes into some tirade about how women always want to change men and I realize there is an upside to him not enjoying dark chocolate turtles: I don’t have to share. Read more
The Joy of Jeff’s Peppers
Central Valley, California is a 450 mile long, 50-mile wide flat valley known for growing some of the best peppers in the United States. At Jeff’s Naturals – a Napa Valley-based company specializing in jarred Mediterranean food products – red peppers grown in the Central Valley are roasted, sliced, and packed within 24 hours of harvest to ensure a pepper with a light, smoky flavor and a smooth yet crisp texture. Read more
Paddock Post 