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.

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.