If you are a frequent visitor to the blog then you are already familiar with my adoration of gourmet food (and of course alcoholic beverages. What you may not know is that I actually LOVE to cook.

My Mom is Italian so I grew up watching her prepare delicious lasagna and pasta dishes with her homemade sauce. While I haven’t gotten the sauce down just yet, I would have to say that I have become pretty good.

Now maybe it’s because I’m Italian or maybe it’s from watching my mom but olive oil is used in almost ALL of my meals. It’s so great to grill with and can add some awesome flavor to meat or veggies (plus a little bit of salt and pepper mmm)…but it can be messy.

That is why I bought the Chef’N Oil Wand!

This thing is great! Easy to use, cheap and keeps my hands and counter top clean! Here is a little bit about it:

“The new OilWand™ is an oil baster and brush with countertop appeal. Just fill with your favorite oil then give a light squeeze! The heat resistant silicone brush allows you to evenly spread the oil over a hot pan or your favorite veggies.”

It’s also dishwasher safe. Gotta love that! The OilWand is only $9.99 and can be found over at Chef Central.

Imagine your loved ones/friends receiving organic produce every week for 20 weeks in the summer/fall! And each time they receive their fresh bounty, they remember what a great gift giver you are.

I was recently flying on Delta Airlines and read an article in the Delta Sky magazine about community supported agriculture (CSA). The author, John Grossmann, described (wonderfully) how he and his wife had recently joined Honey Brook Farm’s CSA program by purchasing a “share” of the crop for the year (summer/fall).

I can’t emphasize enough what a great read that article is!!! (here’s the link to the article again for convenience)

And, I immediately thought - what a cool gift idea to give someone a share in an organic farm’s produce!

Basic Information

While you can easily find information about Community Supported Agriculture with a simple Google search, you may find some fairly dry information such as this Wikipedia entry. You can also find some more user-friendly information such as this very nice Squidoo lens on the topic.

How Much Does it Cost?

I’m not exactly sure how much Mr. Grossmann paid for his share, but in this article about a new farm program that Honey Brook set up in Chesterfield, PA, shares were going for $358 for an individual and $604 for a family (per season).

The Wikipedia entry referenced above indicates that shares can range from $350 to $500 for a season.

The Urban Ecology Center provides some indication of costs on this page. Here is the excerpt for your convenience:

The typical cost of a CSA share averages from $20-25 a week. As a shareholder, you pay up front for the entire season, which ranges from 19 to 27 weeks, depending on the farm. Share size also varies from farm to farm. Some farms offer “worker shares” exchanging work for a share of produce. Others have either convenient payment plans or assistance funds that can offset part of the cost of a share.

How Do I Find a CSA?

Here are a few resources for locating a CSA farm near you:

• Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association - CSA Locator (use the sort by state function to browse for farms in your state)
• Newfarm.org - Farm Locator (nice way to search their database)
• National Agricultural Library - CSA Resources

More Information

Some blogs published by local CSA farmers:

• Belmont CSA, Belmont, MA
• Claggett Farm, Chesapeake Bay, MD
• Eat Well Farm, Dixon, CA
• Smith Gardens Community Farm, Cochrane, WI
• Full Circle Farm, Carnation, WA
• Sackville CSA, New Brunswick, Canada

There are a number of books on the topic (available at Amazon.com). Here is one of them…

Eat well, my friends! -GiftGuy

I was watching ‘Road Tasted‘ on the Food Network yesterday and the guys went and visited Kim and Scott of Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels.

Soft pretzels are one of my all time favorite stadium foods but Kim & Scott’s are nothing like the ones you get at a game. These gourmet soft pretzels come in a number of varieties and amazing combinations…each stuffed with a unique filling.

About the Pretzels

Each stuffed pretzels is hand-made and then filled with a particular ’stuffing’ to fit the flavor of the dough. The pretzel is sealed and rolled into it’s common form. Flavors include Pizza, Mixed Berry Cream Cheese, Chocolate Crumb and Cheddar Jalapeño to name a few (the chocolate crumb is drizzled with chocolate and topped with chocolate crumbs…oh man).

Kim & Scott’s is located in Chicago. So if you live up there take a trip to the Twisting Cafe where you can get one of their pretzels or even a pretzel sandwich (or Pretziola as they say). If you aren’t in Chicago you can order them online and have them shipped. They have samplers available or you can customize your own.

Either way these pretzels will make a great gift for adults or kids who love to try new things. The prices aren’t too expensive and once you take a look at these pretzels you will definitely want one. Heck, I want one right now!

A few things you need to know about MsGift are that 1. I wear flip-flops pretty much year round and 2. I enjoy a cold beverage every once in a while (…or every couple days).

Apparently Kelly Owens must have known that already when she contacted us about her site The Merry Martini. Not only is the site adorable but it has some REALLY great stuff, including this Lolita Flip Flops Martini Glass.

I have seen hand-painted glasses before but what makes this one unique is that it comes in it’s own box with a special recipe. I love the flip flops painted on the glass but I also think the recipe sounds delicious:

• 1 1/2 Parts Mandarin Vodka
• 1 Part Grand Marnier
• 3/4 Part Cream
• 3/4 Part Milk
• 1/4 Part Sugar
• Strawberry Syrup Garnish

It sounds great to me but if flip flops aren’t your thing, they also have a number of other designs (with recipes) for shopaholics, chocolate lovers and of course birthday girls. Pair this with the ingredients required and you have a great birthday gift, housewarming gift or just a fun night ahead of you!

Discount Alert!!!

Kelly has been kind enough to offer GiftStumped readers a discount code for her site. If you want to get 10% off your Merry Martini purchase, enter the code FASHIONISTA. It is good through 12/31/08.

My grandmother gave my mom the Betty Crocker cookbook when she left home and in turn my mother gave me the Betty Crocker cookbook when I left home. I guess if I have a daughter I have to give one to her right?

I probably will but I would also consider giving her a TasteBook. TasteBook is a site that allows you to create your own cookbook from recipes in their database (they have a ton from Epicurious…mmm) and/or recipes of your own.

The application is easy to use and for $35 you get a hardcover cookbook featuring 100 recipes and you can even include personal photos and your own title.

I really think this would make a great graduation gift, housewarming gift, wedding gift or birthday gift for someone special to you. It may take some time to create but the personalization can really mean a lot to someone. Plus $35 is a great deal!

Visit TasteBook to find out more. Tell them we helped you un-stump your brain.

Update: All Recipes and Big Oven also offer personalized cookbooks around the same price.