It's time to clean house, or at least my email inbox. So, I just did it; I went in and cleaned out all of my emails, except for about 155 "flagged" emails that have some value or need attention. Though I am hoping in a month I will delete all those as well.

I receive about 1,200 emails a day. I look at all of them, understanding most or all are of limited or no value to me or you. Still, I look to make sure that no email has snuck in under the cover of the reply-return-subject that the filter missed putting into the correct box, and especially if it is a question from one of you, our customers and friends. We try to never miss one of those.

It is this time of year that we get asked, "What will be the food trends of the New Year?" Though our crystal ball is just a hunk of glass, we do have our ideas. And we would divulge them here, except we keep these things a secret.

The only way to know is through this newsletter where we will share with you our newest finds or trends that come our way. Now, to be honest, we don't know what is coming; we can make educated guesses, and of course, the very best is when it lands on the porch, unannounced.

The solitude, art, and freedom of making a dish is why I love cooking so much. I may not be very good, but what I lack in good taste (or at least in the food I make), I make up for with creativity. And though I wish everyone would be stunned by my creations, I know that rarely will it reach such extra-terrestrial heights. I almost always like my dishes (and so does my squirrel), even if no one else does.

My future is going to be healthy dieting choices through creative food choices from food sources that involve people, not just industrial manufacturing. Good food, by our definition, involves nature, not chemists, and food that meets this criteria should taste good. If we satisfy the natural cravings of our palate, then our bodies will crave less and be happier and healthier. At least I hope that is true for me.

Foods to eat so you will prosper in the New Year? The first thing to eat after the clock strikes midnight....

Dumplings shaped like money. Pork of any kind for wealth. Anything green for the color of money. Greeks hang onions for fertility, though that might not be a good idea or maybe it doesn't matter anymore. Herring, the fish scales resemble coins, though does this mean you need to eat the skin? Eat 12 grapes as fast as you can for 12 months of good luck. And stuffed donuts.

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Delicate wafer cookies that are shaped by cooling over round objects like a rolling pin. Simple, crunchy, fun.

See the Almond Tuiles Recipe here!

A wonderful, cold-weather risotto that has its roots in the Venetian practice of cooking shredded Savoy and other cabbages very slowly in olive oil, garlic and pork fat.

See the Risotto with Red Cabbage and Pancetta Recipe here!

Unlike a demi-glace, this Glace de Poulet is made without flour as a thickener, producing a clean, light flavor that is appropriate for modern cuisine. Stock, rich with roast chicken flavor, is reduced to 1/20th of its volume, yielding a rich and complex "glaze."

Add More Than Gourmet Roasted Chicken Stock to finished sauces or to stocks by adding 1-2 oz per gallon, which will lend stock a deeper flavor and color.

It's also wonderful for deglazing pans. To deglaze a pan: After food (usually meat, often with aromatics like onion or garlic) has been sauteed and the food and excess fat removed from the pan, add a few spoonfuls of the More Than Gourmet stock. Bring close to a boil and stir vigorously, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. The resulting mixture may be used to make a sauce for the meat, or sometimes added directly to the final product, a stew for example.

Makes about 4 cups of chicken stock.

This product is gluten free.

Shop now for Glace de Poulet - Classic Roasted Chicken Stock!

To the nose, you get a little tingle, and you could smell the green, fresh olive oil.

To the eye, it's green with darkness, which appears like specs and a touch of yellow-green.

To the tongue, you taste a floating cloud-like vapor olive taste. It's nice. This oil is just recently pressed and has a lot of wonderful banana to it.

Sip it like you would a wine with a slurp, the banana cloud and the olive come together, giving you a wonderful buttery taste.

And then, as you are gently savoring all the flavors, you suddenly realize there's a tickle in the back of your throat, and then boom, you are coughing.

For some, it'll be a clearing of the throat that you can't refuse to do, for others, it will be spicy.

It is a perfect blend of good excitement and freshness! There's no bitterness with this oil. It's really pleasant.

It's round, it's fun, and it's friendly. It still has that vibrant personality which is hidden and shows up in the back of the throat. It's really a nice contrast to our other olio nuovo this year.

Shop now for Boni Mores Biologico Sardinian Olive Oil - Novello!

Pastina is a little, small pasta that is associated with many early childhood soup memories. Often, when one had a cold, your mom would make you soup, and if you were lucky, it would be filled with pastina!

Make a simple chicken broth with onion, carrots, and celery. If you have a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind or a large chunk of Parm, you can add it to the soup, which will add amazing umami. Add the pasta at the end as it will cook super quickly. Don't be shy with the pasta!

Shop now for Casa Del Grano Traditional Pastina Soup Pasta!

We love these. The tomatoes are whole and nestled beautifully inside the can. The taste is pure tomato, the way a canned tomato should be, with no added elements, allowing you to be in control of how they're flavored.

For almost 20 years, we have had one favorite canned tomato from Italy.

So when this can of tomatoes came into our lives one day, I was a bit stubborn and hard-pressed to find a reason we should change.

And then I used them in my basic tomato sauce and knew they would become my new favorite. The Posardi Sardinian whole peeled tomatoes are consistently sweeter tomatoes, with a richer, fuller color, and nice soft ends. These whole canned tomatoes work just as they should, adding to a dish without being too strong. Perfect.

They have just three ingredients: tomatoes, tomato juice (juice from processing), and citric acid. No salt added, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, BPA-Free, Pesticide-Free. 100% Pomodori Sardi Tomatoes from Sardinia. Like all great ingredients, there is a difference from one brand to the next!

These are truly exceptional tomatoes.

Shop now for Posardi Sardinian Whole Tomatoes!

What started as a friendship of frequent proximity grew, over many, many years, to an intimate bond between a nut and a seed.

They had met in school. One was sophisticated, refined, inside a hard shell. The other more free-flowing, willing to be a truffle one day and a hard candy the next.

They were friends, often together for events, parties, and most often from September to October when harvest was happening.

It was an accident really, for them to meld together; one after being solid for so long, became more fluid, the other broken out of its shell. But meld they did, and what you see before you is an amazing combination of black walnut and dark chocolate, perfect in nearly every way.

By taste, it is a flavor with a memory that is as strong as it is in the mind.

Shop now for Domaine de Bequignol Chocolate Covered Walnuts!

This wonderful elixir comes to us from Andrea Bezzecchi of Acetaia San Giacomo, a maker of wonderful balsamic vinegars. Saba is a true 'grape must' (crushed whole grapes, skins, seeds, and all) that has been cooked down to perfection.

Saba's raisiny, caramel flavor makes it a perfect dessert topping. Try saba with ice cream, cheesecake, fresh fruit, panna cotta, rice or tapioca pudding, flourless chocolate cake, crepes...the list goes on! It is classically served with soft or semi-firm cheeses, or try adding it to your homemade salad dressings.

Saba is created at the beginning of the balsamic-making process. The grapes are crushed and the juice is boiled down to a syrupy consistency. Cooked over an open fire, the grape sugars caramelize and the flavors concentrate. It has a refreshing flavor and thick consistency which is sweet to the taste, with no acidic bite. It can be used instead of balsamic in cooking, or use it to make a saba spritzer or pour it over ice cream.

Shop now for San Giacomo Saba!

This dark panforte is garnished with lots of warm spices on top. Always one of my favorites because it's different from your standard Margherita Panforte, and it's not too sweet.

Shop now for Marabissi Panforte Panpepato!

Calissons de Provence are traditional French confections that have a rich history dating back several centuries. The origin of calissons can be traced to the city of Aix-en-Provence in the Provence region of France.

The recipe for calissons includes a blend of ground almonds, candied melon, and orange peel, which is then mixed with sugar and shaped into an oval or diamond shape. The mixture is topped with a thin layer of royal icing made from egg whites and powdered sugar.

With an initial crust bite followed by a sweet chew, this is a treat with a distinct flavor.

One popular legend attributes the creation of calissons to King Rene, who was the ruler of Provence in the 15th century. According to the story, the king's chefs created these almond-based sweets for his wedding to Jeanne de Laval. The calissons were said to represent the King's love for his bride, with the almond shape symbolizing fertility.

Over the years, Calissons de Provence became associated with weddings, special celebrations, and holidays.

Confectionery shops in Aix-en-Provence are renowned for producing high-quality calissons using traditional methods

Calissons de Provence have also received recognition and protection as a traditional French delicacy. In 1990, they were granted the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status, which emphasizes the link between the product and its geographical origin, ensuring that authentic calissons are made in the Provence region following specific production methods.

They may not be for everyone, but if you like sweet almond paste and something different, these are indeed special!

Shop now for Calissons de Provence!

A fabulous recipe from The Seasons of Parmigiano-Reggiano by Nancy Radke.

See the Linguine with Prosciutto di Parma Recipe here!

The term "Tellicherry" originated when these large, black peppercorns were exported from the Indian port city of the same name. These are the most pungent black peppercorns with the deepest, hottest flavor you'll ever find!

Once traded, ounce for ounce, for pure gold, Tellicherry pepper is still a superlative spice that can add a depth of flavor—first heat, then a tinge of sweetness—to your everyday meals.

Black peppercorns are produced from the still-green, unripe drupes of the pepper plant. The drupes are briefly cooked in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding up the work of browning enzymes during drying.

The drupes are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn.

In general, the later the pepper is picked, the better its flavor. But waiting too long to pick is a gamble, too; ripe pepper fruits will rot if left too long, and there is also an increased risk of loss to hungry birds or unfavorable weather.

Thus, black Tellicherry pepper from India, picked at just the right moment, involves keen judgment and results in large peppercorns with truly excellent flavor.

Shop now for Black Tellicherry Peppercorns!

Although we are not generally big fans of colored or flavored pastas, Morelli Linguine is an exception. Not only beautiful to look at, but easy to serve. With a hearty tomato sauce, a cream sauce, or just with a touch of lemon, olive oil, and salt.

Wheat Germ pasta has a subtle but exceptional flavor that is hard to describe, but it is very addictive. Perfect with just olive oil and a little sea salt.

Located in Pisa, Italy, Antico Pastificio Morelli was established in 1860 and has been passed down through five generations.

The pasta is kneaded slowly and dried at a low temperature to keep the organoleptic properties intact. One of the keys to Morelli's methods is the inclusion of the wheat germ.

Using artisanal techniques, they process the fresh wheat germ and include it in the pasta while the germ is still fresh.

The intense wheat aroma is released during the cooking process, and the water will turn slightly green because of the presence of the fresh wheat germ. That's what gives the pasta its extraordinary and unmistakable flavor.

Shop now for Morelli Linguine with Wheat Germ Pasta!

Banana Boats are like summer. And really go well in the fall and winter months, too. Super fun to construct and no special tools needed!

All it takes is a banana split, smeared with Nocciolata, small or sliced marshmallows, and if you want graham crackers crumbled on top.

That's it. Even if it is a once a quarter of a century kind of thing, whether it is the first time or an old friend, the banana boat almost always has some kind of palate history for you!

The making, the baking, and the eating is all part of the experience. For me, the memory in the bite is special...the gooey sticky mess all in your mouth and all over your fingers.

See the Banana Boat Hazelnut Crema Recipe here!