Why Not Brownies?
Products that are difficult to make at home or those that someone already does an incredible job of making are the ones to seek out: crispy potato chips made in olive oil (San Nicasio), caramel (Suss or Bequet), Viennese Crescents (Amy’s Cookies), delicious sugar cookies that look as good as they taste (Eleni’s), chocolate chip walnut cookies (Levain’s Bakery), chocolate (Tristan’s, Maison du Chocolat, Marie and Freres), croissants (Galaxy Desserts through Williams-Sonoma), cream cheese biscuits (Gagne’s), granola (Early Bird or Adirondack), hors d’oeuvres (Dufour Pastry Kitchens), specialty desserts (Galaxy Desserts), and jams (Sarabeth’s). Notice there is no brownie supplier on that list. Read more 
Bring Forth the Granola
When I was growing up, the only people I knew that ate granola were hippies and our neighbors from California (who incidentally also had the only vegetable garden in the neighborhood, took vitamins, shopped at a health food store, and made brownies and pancakes from scratch…how weird is that?). The rest of us ate Lucky Charms with day-glow marshmallows, Captain Crunch (I especially liked the kind with crunch berries), Frosted Flakes, Kix, Cheerios, and for a healthy choice: Shredded Wheat. Read more 
