More gift ideas for the foodies in your life.

Todays first item is because I felt that I left meat eaters out in the cold with my last list. I think this is really nifty. Actually you could probably imprint veggie burgers as well if you really wanted to. As you can tell from the picture, it is for the person who loves to grill. You can brand your burgers or other meats with how they are cooked, ie well, medium, rare, etc. I can see this coming in handy for summer barbaques, or when you just don't want to be bothered with everyone asking you how cooked something is. Just point to the meat! This branding iron will run you $17.95 and is for sale on the website called Find Gift, but here is the link directly to the item so that you don't have to go fumbling around the web. It is: http://www.findgift.com/gift-ideas/pid-244547/.

A Manhattan Culinary Tour is really an innovative gift that is going to thrill a foodie in your life. While some of the ones that I looked at were over $200 bucks a pop, this one has a very nice price point of $65. Yup, this Culinary Tour is of Chinatown in Manhattan. The three hour tour gets you a lovely walking tour through the culinary culture of the neighborhood, checking out historic landmarks, visiting local markets, sitting down at 2 notable Asian restaurants to dine, observe traditional ettiquette, and making additional pop in visits to specialty food stores for tastings. If you are interested in getting one of these tours for somebody, the name of the tour company is: Xperience Days and the link to their website is: http://www.xperiencedays.com/prodview.asp?idproduct=8419&af=XperienceDays&CK=80.

My mother used to tell me about her trip to Europe and her ensuing love of something called Battenberg cake. It was a cake that was checkerboard with yellow and pink squares of cake covered in marzipan. The origin of the name is not clear, but one theory claims that the cake was created in honour of the marriage in 1884 of Queen Victoria's granddaughter to Prince Louis of Battenberg, with the four squares representing the four Battenberg princes: Louis, Alexander, Henry and Francis Joseph. I have always thought that this sounded like the most fantastical cake in the world. And now I have found a mold that looks like it would make it a cinch to bake! The Checkerboard Loaf Cake Pan costs $14.95 and is for sale at KitchenKrafts.com. The website is:
http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_BP1108_A_c2p_E_hp

This product is something that I wish that I had invented! When I was a kid chopping onions for my mom, I used to cry so badly from it that I would have to leave the room, or put my head in the freezer. I often wore my sunglasses to help. Later in life, I tried to follow Martha Stewarts advice of burning a candle in the kitchen while chopping which was of some success. But now...none of that compares to the new Onion Goggles! Yep, with these shades you will no longer be crying uncontrollably in the kitchen. They cost $19.95, but hey the person who recieves them as a gift will be forever indebted to you. Website is: http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_FP8327_A_c2p_E_hp