Gourmet Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

A friend of mine has started an online business selling gourmet chocolate-covered pretzels. So if you are looking for special wedding favors or just a midnight snack she's got you covered.

Check out her wares at Sweet N Salty By Design.

The Neiman Marcus Christmas Book 2009

It's here. It's online. And it's waiting for your credit card. While most of the gifts in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book would be considered budget-busters, they do have a category for $250 and under. But who are we kidding? We want to see the good stuff!

Check out some of the "Fantasy Gifts":

Customized Cupcake Car (for real) $25,000

Algonquin Round Table Experience (Dinner and conversation with Christopher Buckley, Roz Chast, Delia Ephron, Nora Ephron, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Gopnik, John Lithgow, Anna Deveare Smith, George Stephanopoulos, Ali Wentworth at the Algonquin Hotel) $200,000 (all the money goes to charity)

His & Hers ICON A5 Sports Aircraft and Pilot Training for Two $250,000

Hall Artisan Wine and Art Experience (includes resort stay, winemaking lessons, make your own personal wine and it will be bottled and delivered to your house) $20,000

Move Over Sanka...

Starbucks has gone instant! Now you can make instant Starbucks anywhere you go! Just open the packet, add some hot water and poof! Magic Starbucks! No more embarrassing moments at the Starbucks counter trying to figure out what friggin' size corresponds to what cup (seriously, how is "grande" not the largest size???).

Starbucks VIA Ready Brew is pre-portioned into single-serve packets and is packaged in books of three or boxes of 12. It is available in both Starbucks Italian Roast and Starbucks Colombia. The suggested retail price for the U.S. is $2.95 for a three pack and $9.95 for a 12 pack, making a great cup of Starbucks coffee available for less than $1 each (did you think you'd live to see the day?).

Yummy Chocolate, Cute Bag, Good Cause

Ghirardelli has introduced a new premium line of chocolates called LUXE MILK. Starting in September, LUXE MILK will introduce specially marked pink packages of its chocolate that will each contain a unique code. For each person who enters his/her code online, LUXE MILK will donate $1 (up to $50,000) to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. This code, once entered at http://www.luxemilk.com/, will automatically enter you into an instant win promotion for a chance to win one of 400 Coach gift cards ($200 each) to put towards the purchase of a pink handbag. Other instant prizes include a variety of free LUXE MILK products.

The promotion started in September and will end at the end of November. For more information, visit http://www.ghirardelli.com/.

Organic Champagne

Are you all about the organic? Korbel Champagne Cellars is introducing its first California Brut Champagne made entirely with organically grown grapes. The grapes used to make the Korbel California Brut Champagne have been produced according to the USDA organic certification requirements as the fruit is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.The champagne will be available in the U.S. in October in limited distribution with a suggested retail price of $15.99.

The Ice Cream Cupcake

It's ice cream. It's cupcakes. What else do you need to know besides where to get them? Maggie Moo's sells these lovely creations in all different flavors. So forget the Fudgie the Whale ice cream cake this year and pick up some of these yummy treats instead.

Bubbles in My Chocolate?

Bubble chocolate, an aerated chocolate bar, has been made available in the US. Apparently, Bubble Chocolate has been a phenomenon in Europe for a long time. As far as I am concerned, holes in your chocolate, mean less chocolate in your bar. But I guess there is an upside. As per the Bubble Chocolate press release:

"This is a new Bubble Chocolate that's all natural and reformulated to introduce Americans to the aerated chocolate craze that has dominated international markets for decades," says Frank Drab, president Bubble Chocolate . "The timing is right to bring something new and exciting to the U.S. market. Americans will love it, the international community will be happy to have it and it will be a favorite among dieters who are looking for a satisfying, yet lower calorie chocolate fix."
People on restricted calorie diets, tend to prefer this type of chocolate. The nature of the aerated process makes the bars lower in calories than a regular chocolate bar, and despite the lower calories, it does not compromise the overall taste experience. In fact, since Bubble Chocolate literally melts in-your-mouth, the taste is more immediate and the burst of flavor tends to satisfy chocolate cravings sooner. As the company slogan states, it's "Just the Right Amount of Chocolate ."

So this is how you market chocolate bars to fat people? I'm pretty sure I've tried this stuff before. My mother shops at Russian delis so this has probably ended up in her pantry at one time or another. If memory serves, I wasn't a big fan. But at this point in my life, if Bubble Chocolate can trick my brain into thinking I'm eating a real chocolate bar, I say bring on the bubbles!

Bubble Chocolate is available in milk and dark chocolate flavors. It retails for $2.49 a bar.

Godiva Gems: For People Who Can't Afford Real Godiva

This economy must be hitting Godiva pretty hard considering they had to create a new "affordable" product line called Godiva Gems. In their press release, they mention that this is a "ground-breaking moment in Godiva history". Translation: people aren't buying expensive candy anymore so let's make it cheaper and sell it at Safeway, Publix and Wegmans.

Haven't tried it yet so I can't tell you if it tastes as good as the expensive Godiva. I just love how they market this stuff..."Each is packaged in a jewel tone wrapper, making these colorful treats ideal for candy dishes at home or at work". LOL!

Godiva Gems will be available in packages containing a single variety of truffles, caramels or solids. Bags of candy will cost $4.99 for a range of 12-18 chocolates or $9.99 for a bag of 20-29 chocolates. You can also by a $15 gift box of Godiva Gems at Godiva.com.

Carlo's Bakery: Yum!

I ordered a cake from Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop for my son's first birthday and it was absolutely amazing! You may know this bakery from the TV show Cake Boss. Not only did the cake look good but it tasted fantastic too (not an easy feat). The only downside is that I had a lot of cake leftover and I've slowly been eating away at it. Must stop...now.

Carlo's is super busy because of all the TV publicity but I ordered the cake on a Wednesday and they had it ready for me on Sunday. If you are looking for a special cake that looks and tastes great, Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJ is definitely the way to go.

Cookies That Are Too Pretty To Eat

These cookies are just too cute for words...and with some of the gift sets being $75 a pop they should be...but if you are looking to send someone a really nice gift, these would definitely get the OMG! reaction you are looking for. Eleni's NYC (http://www.elenis.com/) does deliver nationwide. Here's a few examples of their wares: