Fashion & Style Food & Wine Shopping: Fashion & Style Food & Wine Shopping
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Valentine’s Shopping Recommendations
Telluride Truffle's Velvet Heart
Austrian Gem Heart and Chain from Alpen Schatz
Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, it’s time to focus on love. Yes, that’s right I’m talking about Valentine’s Day and you still have time to order a special something online for your sweetie, your mom or dad, your daughter who’s away at school, your mother-in-law or that dear friend you want to remember. There’s no need to fuss, just go ahead and let my handpicked selection of purveyors send the package off for you.
Telluride Truffle has earned my affection with their medium velvet heart filled with incredibly beautiful and delicious hand painted, glossy chocolates. Ruth’s Toffee, another local favorite, continues to rate as my all-time favorite for toffee. Type in promo code Bonjour in the coupon box for Telluride Truffle and mention Bonjour Colorado to Ruth to receive a 10% discount on online orders.
Looking to really make a statement? Select an Austrian Gemstone Heart from Alpen Schatz, a European-styled boutique and online shopping emporium based in Telluride. Colorado. These precious gem hearts come in three different sizes in a variety of stones including rose quartz, crushed crystal, onyx, turquoise and more. Handcrafted by a master jeweler in Salzburg, Austria, these heirloom-quality treasures surely show your love for this Valentine’s and forever. If you’re working off of a smaller budget, consider Alpen Schatz’s Italian silk scarves and alpine scarf ornaments, also offered in a variety of colors and styles. Type in Bonjour upon check out to receive a 10% discount on online orders.
Being Green Fashion & Style Food & Wine Shopping: Being Green Fashion & Style Food & Wine Shopping
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More Online Shopping Recommendations
Beautiful and Edible Treats for the Doggies
The heck with ordering from Amazon or Lands’ End, why not be more original and shop from a quaint online boutique? I’m thrilled to see that mom-and-pop Internet businesses continue to open daily, so let’s patronize them as much as possible. These little shops and shopping offers—whether online or on your street corner—make up the soul of America.
For pampered pups, order some freshly-baked dog treats from My Dog’s Bakery, a business recently located to Ridgway, Colorado. I can’t say they’re delicious, however, they are yummy-looking and surely lovingly made.
Perfect Popcorn
Have a food snob on your list? If it’s one that has a penchant for popcorn, you absolutely must send him or her a selection of nibblies from 479degrees popcorn. Their slick packaging impresses the most discriminating connoisseurs as much as their gourmet flavors such as Black Truffle & White Cheddar, Fleur de Sel Caramel, Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt and more. As for the 479 degree part, that’s apparently the best temperature for popping the corn!
Super Soft Base Layers from Cinnamon Wear
Practical is a good way to go for gift giving, too. Practical, stylish, breathable and sustainable are even better. Check out the base layers and more from Cinnamon Wear, a Telluride, Colorado-based business. Many of the pieces are so well-cut that they can be worn on their own. Think sexy après-ski.
Have a fashionista on your list? How about Yves Saint Laurent: the Retrospective Gift? It comes with two VIP tickets to the YSL exhibition opening at the Denver Art Museum in March, the lavishly illustrated catalog from the original exhibition in Paris and a chance to win tickets to the exclusive YSL opening gala. Of course all this arrives exquisitely wrapped in a pink and black box.
Check out Sustainable Futures for lots of eco-friendly gift ideas—I love the shopping here! The Women’s Bean Project, based in Denver, also provides different options for socially-conscious gift giving. They have a Giada DeLaurentis Lentil soup mix that’s perfect for the New Year. Lentils are considered a food that brings fortune, so they are often consumed at New Year’s, especially by the Italians.
Have to run now, but check back tomorrow since I should have a few more recommendations. It looks like UPS is late today.
Colorado Fashion & Style Food & Wine Shopping Telluride: Colorado Fashion & Style Food & Wine Shopping Telluride
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My Best Online Shopping Recommendations
Singing, Dancing Marmot Skier from Alpen Schatz
I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas! If you’re like me, you’re behind with your shopping. Or maybe you’re thinking of just a couple more people you’d like to add to your list.
I’m a big advocate of shopping locally or shopping during your travels, however, we all have friends and family that live far away that we want to remember during this season of giving. And sometimes, too, the truly unique products can only be found online. Avoid those dreaded post office lines and take advantage of the convenience of sending something directly to their door.
The below online boutiques figure among my favorites, mostly because of the quality and uniqueness of their products and the charm of their stores. EVEN BETTER, THEY ARE ALL OFFERING A 10% discount to Bonjour Colorado readers. Be sure to enter Bonjour in the promo code or mention Bonjour Colorado to receive this added value.
Happy Shopping!
Telluride Truffle Gift Selections
Nothing says Christmas like chocolate. At Telluride Truffle you can choose among their decadently rich truffles, cookies, chocolate sauce and hot chocolate mix for the chocolate lover on your list. Shop here for superior quality products wrapped in elegant packaging for gifts that embody the sophistication and good taste of our world-renowned mountain town. Type in promo code Bonjour in the Redeem Coupon Box to receive your 10% off.
Swiss Dog Collars from Alpen Schatz
Here’s another boutique that embodies the authentic spirit of Tellluride, Colorado. Alpen Schatz features a treasure trove of fine European products for men, women, children and pets. Bestsellers include handcrafted Swiss dog collars that make every pup stand out in a crowd. You’ll also love their beautifully-made home accessories, table arts and Christkindlmarkt decorations. Type in Bonjour upon checkout to receive your special 10% discount.
Catnip-Filled Snake from Purrfect Play
Who doesn’t want to spoil their pets at holiday time? If you (or your friends and family) have a cat, you absolutely must order some of Purrfect Play’s organic cat toys. They are the best ever—I promise you. My two babies delighted in months of sniffing, snuggling and kicking with these products, all made from organic, natural fibers. I have not tested Purrfect Play’s dog toys but I can only imagine that they’re a big hit with the pups as well. Type Bonjour into the cart to receive 10% off.
Ruth's Toffee
No time to make homemade candy and deliver them to the people you want to remember? Yeah, right. Just send them some of Ruth’s melt-in-your-mouth almond toffee, a confection artisanally made by a family-owned business not far from Telluride, Colorado. It is so good that you must order some for yourself at the same time. Mention Bonjour Colorado to receive the 10% discount.
Colorado Food & Wine Shopping The Rockies Travel: Colorado Food & Wine Shopping The Rockies Travel
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More Lovely Wines for Making Merry
Colorado Warmth: Talon's Aquila Dessert Wine
I had so much interest in my Favorite Reasonably-Priced Wines for the Holidays story that I decided to post another piece about newly-discovered sips. I’m savoring a delicious Merlot Port from St. Kathryn Cellars and an Aquila Dessert wine from Talon Winery with a creamy Stilton as I write this. I’m fearful this combo will turn into my latest après-ski or after dinner nibble during these cold Colorado days and evenings. (Oh dear, that Dukan Diet is already looming. Thankfully I’ll be out on the slopes on a regular basis from now on.)
These truly delicious nectars also make great gifts. Order them by calling 877-858-6330. They’re Colorado wines, from Palisade, so they’ll ship anywhere within the state and also to seventeen other states around the U.S. Note that the Talon Aquila Dessert wine resembles Port, sweet with a nice spice. The St. Kathryn Merlot Port, also delightfully cloying and mellow, tastes more fruit forward. Yum, I’m licking my lips as I write this—I just might bypass eggnog entirely this year.
Unexpected Goodness with Un4seen
I’ve also come across two reasonably-priced wines interesting enough to hold up to holiday entertaining and gift giving. Have you heard of un4seen Wines? I hadn’t, so was thrilled to try the un4seen white and the un4seen red, both California wines and blends of four grapes not traditionally combined. In the white, Chardonnay, Moscato, Semillon and Viognier come together to produce an aromatic wine capped off with lovely perfume-y notes. For the red, Zinfandel, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot meld together to produce a unique wine that possesses unforeseen layers of complexity and flavor. All this for only about $10./bottle!
Take a Trip
Glenn Foster, owner and winemaker of Talon Winery, Talon Wine Brands, Meadery of the Rockies and St. Kathryn Cellars seems to have quite the tasting room in Palisade, Colorado. I haven’t been there myself although I did enjoy checking out Palisade this summer and look forward to going back for a more wine-oriented visit through Colorado’s wine country soon. I’m sure it makes for a fun side trip in the winter where you can enjoy temperatures about twenty to thirty degrees warmer than in the mountains in this Grand Valley region of Colorado. Glenn offers fifty wines to taste in his St. Kathryn’s Cellars tasting room, so you’re likely to find something there to suit your fancy. Visit Palisade Tourism and the Palisade Chamber of Commerce for more information on this delightful part of Colorado.
Art & Culture Beauty Fashion & Style Food & Wine Paris Writing & Books: Art & Culture Beauty Fashion & Style Food & Wine Paris Writing & Books
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Drooling Over Pastry Paris
"Pastry Paris: In Paris, Everything Looks Like Dessert"
“The fine arts are five in number, namely: painting, sculpture, poetry, music, and architecture, the principal branch of the latter being pastry.”
—Antonin Carême (1783-1833)
The above quote surely served as inspiration for Susan Hochbaum in the creation of her darling book, “Pastry Paris: In Paris, Everything Looks Like Dessert” (The Little Bookroom). A luscious treat, enticing enough to devour in one sitting, “Pastry Paris” takes my vote for the best gift-y book of the season. Lovers of Paris, pastry, history and beauty will savor it like a best-loved dessert.
“It’s hard not to love a city with a pâtisserie on nearly every block, where pastries are sold all day long to People who never get fat.”
This is how Ms. Hochbaum begins “Pastry Paris,” a clever little delight that pleases by its words, photography and design. Who has not been mesmerized by the candy-colored allure and sheer artistry of French pastries? Did you know that most of these masterpieces boast very particular names such as Religieuse, St. Honoré, Paris-Brest and the well-known Eclair? These names—with only occasional variations—are the same throughout all of France, names that have been used in most cases for centuries for the same scrumptious little cakes featured in bakeries like jewels in a showcase.
In “Pastry Paris,” you’ll learn that each pastry possesses its own story, its own special place in la culture générale of France. From Brioche to Madeleine, Ms. Hochbaum tells a tale about all of France’s beloved gâteaux as she takes you along to many of Paris’s most famous pâtisseries and landmark sites along the way. This is one visual stroll through Paris that cannot easily be forgotten.
To be extra special, I suggest you offer “Pastry Paris” with a selection of fine, French pastries.
For now, indulge in this glorious celebration of Paris pastries from Ms. Hochbaum and me by clicking here.
Food & Wine Podcasts Shopping: Food & Wine Podcasts Shopping
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Elevating the Everyday with Ross Sveback
Ross and His Dinnerware Collection
I have two words for the holidays: puffed pastry. Or maybe three: frozen puffed pastry. Lifestyle expert Ross Sveback reveals it as his secret weapon. I also just featured it as a holiday tip in my recent interview with Angela from Seasonal and Savory. In the below Travel Fun program, I share with Ross how I use it every year to make my Galette des Rois, a traditional French, almond paste-filled pastry that commemorates the Feast of Kings Day. Now I think I’ll whip it up into some other petits merveils throughout the season. And if I follow more of Ross’s advice, I’ll buy canned chicken stock and do more planning ahead so that I won’t be so stressed when preparing holiday meals.
Faux Boix Etruscan Pitcher
Ross is full of inspiration. In fact he started his blog, Ross Sveback: Elevating the Everyday, three years ago to inspire people. “I always kept gravitating toward things that my grandmother taught me,” Ross says in our interview. Indeed, he finds value in the simple, everyday things of life from baking to gardening. Best of all though Ross enjoys sharing these things—what he does on a daily basis—with his numerous fans and followers.
In our chat, we talk about his many recipes including Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookies, the perfect snack after a day on the slopes, to the day-to-day living philosophies of this homespun guy from the Midwest. Ross also discusses the Shopping section of his site, particularly his Faux Bois dinnerware, a handsome table service perfect for the mountains or just about any other casual chic setting. (No wonder Bergdorf’s picked up his tabletop collection. They’ve always had an eye for beautiful, finely-crafted table arts.)
If you’re looking for more modest gift ideas to elevate your everyday, check out Ross’s handmade soap and dishcloth collections. As to be expected, everything Ross showcases is both utilitarian and a pleasure to behold. It’s the little things in life that make a difference and those are just the kinds of things Ross embraces.
Faux Bois Cookies
Click on the play button below to hear Ross and I chitchat about the holidays, entertaining, taking up our daily lives a notch or two and armchair cooking, something I enjoy a lot.
Year of Luxury Soaps
Being Green Colorado Food & Wine Podcasts The Rockies: Being Green Colorado Food & Wine Podcasts The Rockies
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Seasonal and Savory: A Delightful Blog Chockfull of Recipes for All Seasons
Saffron and Honey Rolls
I began following Angela Cooks on Facebook a couple of months ago and found myself constantly clicking through her FB links to posts on her Seasonal and Savory blog. I haven’t made a single recipe but I have enjoyed many heartwarming culinary moments through her sharing.
I came to discover that Angela Cooks is actually Angela Buchanan, a professor at CU Boulder where she teaches rhetoric. I didn’t even know that was a course. “It’s a Communications Class,” Angela explains to me in the below Travel Fun interview. And yes, there is a connection with food, this enthusiastic cook’s passion both in and out of the classroom. In the first part of our chat, she talks about a Food & Culture class that she teaches in which students must do a food memoir. Tune in to hear what she says. Aren’t some of our best memories, especially travel-related ones, associated with the memory of certain foods?
As the name of her year-old blog suggests, Angela focuses on developing seasonal recipes as much as possible, many vegetarian- or vegan-based. Right now you can delight in all kinds of pumpkin and winter squash posts including Chestnut and Pumpkin Soup, Beef and Pumpkin Chili and Pumpkin Crêpe Cake with White Chocolate Ganache. Yum.
Pasta with Cajun-Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Creamy Greens
In terms of tips for the holidays and always, here’s some of what Angela suggests:
-Invest in a good spice cabinet.
-Do as much in advance as possible.
-Use puffed pastry for ease, presentation and taste.
Click on the play button below to hear my fifteen-minute interview with Angela.
Angela (on the rt.) at a NYC Good Housekeeping Cooking Event with Her Husband, Harrison, and Sara Moulton
Food & Wine Podcasts Travel: Food & Wine Podcasts Travel
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Benito’s Wine Reviews: A Great Resource for Food, Wine and Fun
Benito's Thanksgiving Feast
Aside from dining with the late, great Julia Child, I can think of one other person’s table I’d like to be at this Thanksgiving if I wasn’t here in Telluride. I’d have to travel all the way across the country to Memphis where I’d happily find myself in the company of Ben Carter AKA Benito. This guy sounds like so much fun! And even better, he knows how to impart his enthusiasm and vast knowledge of food, wine, spirits and much more in his highly successful blog, Benito’s Wine Reviews. He’s passionate and from what I know about him, I’d describe Ben as a good ‘ole American bon vivant.
Ben Carter AKA Benito
Listen to our Travel Funinterview to hear what he has to say about his blog and so much more. In it, Ben discusses bitters, a random subject that I later discovered he covers in eight posts. I also noticed he has eight on Thanksgiving, thirteen on Beaujolais (one of my favorite November traditions here and in France) and forty-five on France. He’s my kind of guy. From pairing a Yuengling with a turkey sandwich to Christmas dinner suggestions, there’s always something you can glean from Ben’s blog, especially this time of year.
Benito’s Wine Review boasts over 1,000 posts since it was launched in 2005. That’s a lot of food, wine and fun. Thanks for all the sharing, Ben.
Click on the button below to listen to my interview with Ben from Benito’s Wine Reviews.
Please note that I’m working on some technical issues with this podcast and hope to have the interview up in its entirety soon. Thanks!
Ben's Lineup of Beaujolais
