Spoonful of Comfort

I used to want to punch people when they said stuff like, "It's never too soon to start thinking about the holidays."

However, as I have grown older, busier, and friends and family are increasingly dispersed throughout the country, I have reluctantly accepted the aforementioned statement as a partial truth, at least if you want to avoid exorbitant rush shipping fees.

Christmas is more than a month away and I have already identified a wonderful foodie gift option for my out-of-state loved ones: chicken noodle soup, rolls, chocolate chip cookies from Spoonful of Comfort. 

First, I should admit that I am not a soup person. It also might be possible that at one time when I was really grumpy I said something like, "chicken noodle soup is for old or sick people!" Besides the fact that this edict is patently false, it also unfairly generalizes about the inherent value of chicken noodle soup. On the quality spectrum, Spoonful of Comfort's soup is on the far right, i.e., it is the Mercedes of chicken soup. The flavorful broth shimmers appropriately to reflect an ample use of schmaltz and the noodles are plentiful and perfectly al dente. Furthermore, while actually locating a piece of fowl in some chicken noodle soups is like a game of "Where's Waldo," this version is loaded with over-sized chunks of tender, juicy white meat. Thick carrot coins and fragrant parsley provide botanical balance to this protein richness.

Dessert can come first.

While I may not be a "soup person," I am a card-carrying member of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Lovers of America club and therefore a bit picky when it comes to their preparation. I had low expectations for any chocolate chip cookies not fresh out of the oven, but surprisingly, these saucer-sized treats arrived very moist, chewy, and liberally studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

Although you can order cookies and soups individually from Spoonful of Comfort  (other varieties of which include oatmeal raisin and butternut squash, respectively), I suggest the combination gift baskets because they also include fluffy rolls and...

A ladle! With a bow on it! So cute.

Finally because Spoonful of Comfort's goodies  are not explicitly holiday-themed, they also work well as "Please don't succumb to the shingles" or "Congratulations, you just contributed another person to the world population" presents. So, even if you don't get your sh*t together to buy Christmas gifts, you can make it up for that Next Major Life Event.

TBT: Snack Pack Chocolate Pudding

There are some food products I will always enjoy no matter how many fancier/homemade versions I encounter.  Case in point, Snack Pack pudding, one of the many forbidden fruits of my childhood thanks to a mom who did not allow me to take desserts regularly in my lunch box and made her own pudding (how dare her!?!) .

This child (left) needs a pudding cup. The other (right) is content to dance.

My two favorite flavors were chocolate and tapioca. One time I recall I even had the opportunity to mix them together at a sleepover at the home of a friend whose parents were far more permissive with processed snacks. 

Now, since I'm a grownup (albeit not necessarily always mature) I can have Snack Pack pudding whenever I want. And while these days I'm inclined to make my own large pearl tapioca with fancy vanilla or whip out some high-grade gourmet dark chocolate for pudding, there are times when the sweet nostalgia that comes with Snack Pack is just what I crave.

March Madness Goodies at 3 Brothers Bakery

A confession: I am not a huge basketball fan.  Boston pride compels me to root for the Celtics but I can count on one hand the number of college games I have watched in completion during my thirty-four years on this earth.  Does that mean I can't jump on the March Madness bandwagon as an excuse to eat some theme baked goods? Heck, no.

For a limited time only (obviously), 3 Brothers Bakery  is offering cookies and cupcakes decorated with various b-ball motifs.  This hometown gem run by 5 generations of bakers had consistently wowed me with the high quality of their sweet and savory baked goods.

The oversized March Madness cookies are dense, sugary but not saccharine, and coated with ample layer of rich buttercream frosting. One is enough to share unless you're an Irish food writer with a hollow leg.  One bite of the cupcakes (available in vanilla or chocolate) reminds you of the supreme difference between  the moist, never crumbly quality of cake made in small batches with no artificial ingredients, and well, whatever those cloying iced mounds are that HEB passes off as cupcakes.  Go NOW to pick up some for the final four.

Central Market's NEW Super Premium Ice Creams

The arrival of Central Market's new line of super premium ice creams is a sweet harbinger of the imminent hot weather season. (In other parts of the country, this time period is called summer but here in Texas it runs beyond the traditionally prescribed scope of this interval, roughly from mid-April through September.)

The new line comprises nine decadent flavors including: Chile Pepper Pecan, Whiskey Honey, Tahitian Vanilla, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Hazelnut Latte, Saigon Cinnamon, Jamaican Jam, Coconut Ginger and Lemon Creme with Rosemary Shortbread.

I picked up a half gallon of the Jamaican Jam, which combines dark (presumably Jamaican) rum, cream, date jam, and sea salt.  Although I tend to be quite fussy when it comes to booze-dessert collaborations (almost never the twain shall meet!), the rum was a very subtle part of the overall taste profile, which was largely dominated by rich dairy and fruit notes. And while the ingredients obviously engender significant richness, the ice cream is far from cloying.

 I can't speak to the quality of the other eight members of this new super premium ice cream family, but the ninth child certainly has my approval.