Editor's Choice: Altar Herbal Martini

My usual martini recipe is, either gin or vodka (I prefer Hendrick's gin and Grey Goose vodka), a cocktail shaker, chipped ice and three olives, hopefully stuffed with a cheese of some ilk and a little of the juice of said olives drizzled in the glass. I also bow in the direction of France as did Winston Churchill, in lieu of Vermouth. One or two of these can put some spring in your step or severely cramp your style, depending on your general strength of character.

I had just gotten back from a five day trip with some friends when we received Altar - Martini mix in the mail. I was feeling a little down after five days of being grievously over-served  and this wonderful smelling concoction promised "Energy. Vigor. Awaken your senses with a rich base of organic cherries, hyssop, and Hawaiian ginger, muddled with Oregon spearmint, juniper berries and note of lemony sumac. Evoke feelings of energy and vitality with organic vert du Vietnam green tea and a powerful herbal tonic of white ginseng, astraglaus, kola nut, and watercress."

All of that sounded very good to me, and I toddled home to make myself feel better with a bit of the hair of the dog. Though Altar can be imbibed sans alcohol, the bottle clearly states, "Mix in a cocktail shaker. If you fancy, add premium gin, vodka, or rum. Shake, strain, serve and enjoy," and I am nothing if not fancy. I added a smallish shot of Sobeiski vodka. 

The drink tastes mainly and refreshingly of sweet cherries, it also has lovely and subtle hint of mint, citrus and a darker taste of tea. I had two, with vodka. Again, perhaps an overindulgence, but they were just so good and went down so well. I have to say, I did feel better in the morning than I had since I had left on my trip.

There are several flavors and I plan on over-trying each on of them.

-Elizabeth Dugan

Editor's Choice: Fire & Flavor Turkey Brine

I never knew what the big deal was with the whole brining the turkey craze. It seemed like a lot of sound and fury. When we were picking out our turkey this year, there was a lovely end cap right next to the birds full of these brining kits from Fire & Flavor. (I have used their products before with great results.) We are nothing if not adventurous chefs, so we got the kit and took it home with our enormous turkey (18 lbs!).

The brining kit comes with almost everything you need, not unlike the pickling kit. You have to add sugar and vinegar but it comes with the all important brining bag. Frankly, we don't own a plastic bag, beyond a garbage bag, that is big enough to put an 18 lb. turkey in. And the idea of putting my extremely expensive and important piece of turkey in a garbage bag is off-putting. The brining bag was great. It even zip locks!

A little bit about brining from the Fire & Flavor website, if you, like me, don't get what the fuss is about:

Brining is a process that greatly improves the moisture and flavor of lean meats. Brining actually 'unwinds' meat proteins using salt while marinades tenderize the meat by breaking down meat fibers with an acid. Marinades only add flavor to the meat it penetrates, which is typically just the surface and can often times be high in sugar. Brines, however, trap moisture and flavor in the entire protein, leaving you with tender, juicy and full-flavored end results, without significantly raising the sodium level.

So we carefully followed the instructions and brined the bird overnight. The next day we popped it out of the bag and following Alton Brown's turkey recipe, put it into the oven. It cooked fast! We were done early, but I am not sure if that was the brine or not. But the flavor! Wow, that was a flavorful turkey! Enormous as it was, every bit of it was tasty with rosemary and goodness. Our guests clambered for take home bags and we were able to oblige. The next day, it made amazing turkey tacos and Sunday was turkey salad on pumpernickel.

If you are not sure about brining, try it on a smaller, less important piece of meat with Fire & Flavor's Swine Brine or Chicken Brine. You will not be sorry.

-Elizabeth Dugan

Editor's Choice: Stonewall Salt and Pepper Crackers

The truth is everything tastes better with a little salt and pepper. We put this simple and elegant combination on essentially everything savory we eat, and sometimes sweet things as well. Heck, I add it to hot milk if I am not feeling well (just the tiniest bit of pepper, mind you). So the Salt & Pepper crackers from Stonewall Kitchen are adding a little bit of something good to crackers.

For me, crackers are just a conduit for cheese or something else tasty. I don't usually think about the crackers too much. They should be crunchy, not distractingly flavored and not stale. My requirements are fairly simple. I noticed, as I downed a little Port Salut the other night, that I was eating more crackers than cheese. Preposterous! But true. That crackers are so simple, so tasty and with just the right dash of salt and nice fresh pepper that they add that little kick to everything you slather across the top of them. I tested this theory with a sweeter cheese, a dip based in dill and even just a dash of cream cheese. Delicious.

Everything tastes better with a little salt and pepper and these hand-cut beauties are the perfect delivery system for that perfect combination.

-Elizabeth Dugan

Editor's Choice: Seattle Chocolates

It might not be Christmas time, but Seattle Chocolate's Hot Buttered Rum Milk Chocolate Truffle bar is certainly getting me into the season. I love hot buttered rum (the best I have had is available seasonally at The Duke of Perth in Chicago) and this creamy, rich candy bar brings to mind the cold afternoons in front of the Duke's warm fire.

This flavor, like the hot drink, appears to also be seasonal, but it will be well worth the wait. There is a light and fluffy truffle chocolate with little pieces of caramelized candy bits in the bar that combine to melt in the mouth in a soothing, tasty way.

Seattle Chocolates has many fun flavors as well, if Hot Buttered Rum isn't your thing, including: Meltaway Mint, Rainer Chocolate Cherry and Birthday Cake Batter. I can't wait to try more of these fun flavors from Seattle Chocolates.

-Elizabeth Dugan

Editor's Choice: GoPicnic

I am an adult woman, I like Lunchables, and I am not ashamed. Well, that is a lie. I am ashamed. Lunchables are for kids, and I frankly feel a little ridiculous eating them, let alone buying them. But what I like about them is the crackers and cheese and meat part. It is like portable appetizers. Granted, neither the cheese nor the meat...nor the crackers are what I would call gourmet, but sometimes you just want a little snack, not a whole sandwich. So, it is more the concept that I enjoy than the actual product.

The GoPicnic ready-to-eat-meals are right up my alley! Cheese? Its there! Meats? There. Crackers? Not only there, but very good! And best of all? They do not need to be refrigerated. Each meal comes in a box with the aforementioned crackers, some kind of protein, some other kind of little snack like dried fruit and an individually wrapped almond Roca. Color me happy!

The first meal I tried was while I was waiting to pick my boyfriend up from work. He was running extremely late and the possibility of me getting some kind of tasty food in my belly before 8pm was dwindling. I had stashed the GoPicnic meal in my glove box, and opened it up while waiting. I only meant to eat the cheese. Just a little protein to tide me over, but it was so tasty that I polished off the turkey pepperoni, crackers, fruit and almond Roca in short time and felt satisfied and full without being overwhelmed by either carbs or salt. There is also a Sudoku puzzle in the box so I did that while I continued to wait for my boyfriend.

The GoPicnic meal is a delightful alternative to many of the meal-in-a-box choices on the market, being free of high fructose corn syrup, added MSG, and trans fats. Indeed, these little boxed treats would be perfect for parents on the go and to throw into a kid's backpack for lunch. They also come in vegetarian-friendly, classic PB & J and a dozen other varieties. No more lunchable for me!

-Elizabeth Dugan