Eat Boutique

I found these very cute, modern egg ups over at Amazon. Package with a few chocolate bars and they’re a perfect “grown-up” Easter gift. I promise to feature some great recipes with my finds from the spice store at Portobello Market. Today’s soup was awesome; pictures to come soon, perhaps as soon as tonight. Depends on how smoothly this Old Vine Zinfandel goes down…

I’m dedicating this beautiful bright pink photo to the birth of my dear friend Emma’s new baby girl. We love you, Emma and Rob! Your post last night made me cry. If I wasn’t three hours away (and it wasn’t arctic outside), these flowers would be waiting on your door step upon your return home.

Here’s a quick, affordable Valentine’s Day bouquet for your significant other, spouse or lovaah. Pull out any old vase from your personal stash. Grab 3-4 bunches of carnations in your favorite color from your local super market. I picked these up at Whole Foods for $6/bunch. Form a tight bouquet in your hand, overlapping stems as you turn the bunch in your hand, making sure it has a slight domed effect. Cut the stems with very sharp scissors at the perfect height for the flowers to fall just over the edge of the vase. Gently place into the vase and fill with cold water to just below the rim. You may need to push and prod the flowers to get them just right. This featured bouquet cost me no more than $18 but looks like at least $50 or more. Jammed together in a vase, the carnations take on the look of antiqued hydrangea and transcend above cheap supermarket flowers. Your lovaah will thank you… hopefully, over and over again!

This is a fairly inexpensive idea. But if $18 is too much for your pockets, or your significant person simply ain’t worth that much. Pick up 1-2 bunches and make a little baby bouquet for a smaller vase. It’s so darn cute. I may like the small one bettah, lovaah!

Their not edible, but their so lovely you wish they were. I used this bouquet for the centerpiece at last week’s little dinner party, and carnations last forever so they will adorn the table this weekend as well. On a burgundy tablecloth, they simply sparkle.

Looking for an original food gift but don’t want to send the same old fruit basket? How’s this: a Create Your Own Gift Basket from Dean and Deluca. It’s the next best thing to the boutique restaurant gift boxes I’ll be selling next year. More on that sometime.

The Barefoot Contessa showcased a lovely recipe for French Chocolate Bark earlier this month and it was so easy. I am all about easy, so I had to try it. I made a large batch earlier this week for delivery to my husband’s work. I found that it was a dessert masked as a slightly healthy treat, so all those greenies loved it. Here’s my adapted recipe.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used fair trade chocolate)
• 8 ounces very good bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• 1 cup whole roasted, almonds
  
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  

Melt the 2 chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a ruler and a pencil, draw a 9 by 10-inch rectangle on the paper. Turn the paper facedown on the baking sheet.Melt the 2 chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.Pour the melted chocolate over the paper and spread to form a rectangle, using the outline as your guide. Sprinkle the almonds, apricots and cranberries over the chocolate. Set aside for 2 hours until firm. (I placed mine in the fridge for about 20 minutes just before I cut it.) Cut the bark in 1 by 3-inch pieces and serve at room temperature.

I was totally absorbed by this list of cookbook ideas for the foodie in your life, as told by celebrity chefs, cookbook authors, cookbook store owners and various industry leaders. (Via 101cookbooks.com)