This colorful, small, six-sided jar will catch your eye. You immediately assume that it's a hot sauce.

You're wrong and you're right. This mild or spicy sauce is a garlic based treat. It is smooth and pureed. Like a liquidy ketchup.

Open the jar and into the nose the aroma of garlic arises, immediately filling your nostrils with a wonderful, sweet, freshest garlic aroma ever.

Dip your spoon in, swirl it around, shake it off. And then use your tongue on the back of the spoon to get your first taste of its wicked good flavor. Don't be fooled. It's not just garlic. Its got some spice. Its got some heat. And it jumps up at you.

Boy, is it fun!!

Once you've tasted it, the smell digresses and it's all about the flavor and taste now.

There's a sweetness, there's a bite of spicy, and there's a garlic filling feeling in your mouth. What fun it is encapsulated in such a tiny amount.

Just a dab will make a good impression on any dish or any plate. Add it to your favorite baked beans, soup or do some dipping in. Fantastic!!

If you like garlic and you like things to be spicy or even mild this is for you.

The beauty is, it's not so spicy that taking a tongue of it is out of the question! It is full of fun flavors that bring out the best with this very special sauce.

If you start with the spicy, the mild will seem mellow. The mild has got some spicy personality to it, too, just not in the same way. Mild is like a friend who has something to say, just doesn't yell at you....

Yi Shan and Ewe are a Taiwanese-Malaysian couple whose company Mama Nyonya create these two sauces based on Ewe's great-grandmother's family recipe.

It all starts with the garlic. Specifically the He Mei, a hardneck garlic with relatively small bulbs and cloves, that is spicier than other garlic varieties and melds perfectly in this recipe.

Garlic in Taiwan, including the He Mei variety, is primarily grown in Yunlin County , which accounts for 92% of the garlic production in Taiwan. Yunlin County has over 5,000 hectares of land dedicated to garlic cultivation, representing about 85% of the total land growing garlic in Taiwan.

The Nyonya sauce He Mei garlic is grown just to the north in Changhua County on the family farm. It is the garlic that makes it great! Along with a special chili mix.

Imagine a clean Sriracha and this is it. Use it everywhere! From classic dishes to topping pho, pizza and fries! What a wonderful sauce!

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Shop now for Nyonya Spicy Garlic Sauce here!

This versatile, seasonal salad is loaded with texture, from crunchy to crisp to chewy. The beets, currants, and new onions all have a natural affinity to the sweet and tangy Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Agrodolce Vinegar, while the aromatics and spices give the salad a comforting warmth. You can serve this as a side dish, or pair it with grilled or smoked chicken or salmon for a nice lunch or brunch main course.

See the Roasted Beet, New Onion & Rice Salad Recipe here!

In Italian, agrodolce means "sour and sweet," and this nuanced vinegar beautifully expresses both. Albert and Kim Katz have long been fascinated with the idea of marrying the sweetness and complexity of wine grapes that have been left on the vine to concentrate the flavors and natural sugars, with the bright and crisp acidity of authentic Orleans Method vinegar.

The versatility of this elixir will expand your repertoire!

For a simple salad dressing, add just a drizzle of olive oil, along with salt and pepper. You'll need less oil with the balanced acidity in AgroDolce than in your regular dressing recipe.

Try Katz Sauvignon Blanc vinegar in a pear, walnut, and blue cheese salad with a splash of walnut oil. It marries well with salads and other dishes that include goat cheese, or with goat cheese alone.

Mix this white grape vinegar with a bit of mustard, black pepper, herbs and olive oil to marinate chicken for the grill or to roast.

Toss with peak summer tomatoes and fresh mozzarella for an easy and delicious appetizer.

To achieve AgroDolce, Sauvignon Blanc grapes are harvested from the Suisun Valley that borders Napa on its west side. The grapes have intentionally been left on the vine for at least a month to six weeks longer than if they were to be made into a dry finished wine.

By harvest time they are almost "raisiny" from their concentration of fruit and sugars. This is the same tradition used for hundreds of years to make the great Sauternes of France.

The unfermented juice from the grapes is blended with Katz' proprietary wine vinegar and slowly aged in oak barrels until it becomes a balanced AgroDolce Sauvignon Blanc vinegar.

The finished vinegar is almost sherry-like in color and complexity, with hints of vanilla from the wood, and sweet apricot, fig and pear from the late-harvest grapes, but all supported by a strict backbone of crisp acidity from the vinegar base.

This Katz Sauvignon Blanc vinegar is a must-have condiment for any essential pantry!

You can never go wrong with Katz!!
"This vinegar truly is sour and sweet which pairs well with many different ingredients. I love to use this in my salad dressings as well as when I macerate berries used in desserts. I have been buy Katz products for over 5 years now and I can tell you, they never disappoint!"
-- Danielle

Shop now for AgroDolce Vinegar Sauvignon Blanc!

The fragrant rice "Milagrosa" from Royal Elephant in Thailand. Sweet Thai long-grain rice. A beautiful very white rice that uses less water than others to cook.

Jasmine rice is a long-grain variety of rice known for its fragrant, floral aroma and slightly sticky texture when cooked.

Jasmine rice originated in Thailand, where it has been cultivated for centuries. It is believed to be an ancient variety of rice, though its exact origins are somewhat unclear. The name "jasmine" rice comes from the jasmine flower, known for its sweet fragrance, because the rice has a similar aroma when cooked.

It has been grown for hundreds of years, particularly in Thailand, where it is considered a national treasure. The rice is typically grown in the fertile plains of the Chao Phraya River basin in Thailand, which provides the perfect conditions for cultivating fragrant rice.

The most notable characteristic of jasmine rice is its fragrance, often described as floral, nutty, or similar to popcorn. This aroma is caused by the compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which is found in the rice and also in popcorn and basmati rice. The scent becomes more pronounced when the rice is cooked.

Long-grain rice has a higher starch content, which makes the grains less sticky compared to short-grain rice. However, jasmine rice has slightly more stickiness than other long-grain varieties due to its high level of amylopectin, a component of starch.

The most common type of jasmine rice is white jasmine rice, which has been milled and polished. Brown jasmine rice is the whole grain version, where the outer bran layer remains intact. Brown jasmine rice has a chewier texture and a nuttier flavor due to the retained bran.

The taste of jasmine rice is mild and slightly nutty, with a subtle sweetness. The fragrance and flavor are often described as delicate and aromatic, complementing rather than overpowering the dishes it's served with.

The rice grains are long and slender, with a somewhat translucent white or pale golden color. When cooked, the grains tend to remain fluffy and separate. This separation, when cooked firmer, is one of my all-time favorite rices.

Shop now for Milagrosa Jasmine Rice!

Toffee is so easy to make. Sugar, butter, water and toppings.

And even though it so easy to make, I never want to. Toffee is such a super treat to eat, I love it when someone else makes it!

It's a gift of simplicity rewarded with a crunch, bite, and flavor!

And this toffee? It is not too sweet, it is a great refreshing treat, and it is not thick, like some. Instead it is thin and svelte. The break is the toffee and not your teeth!

In the package the view is shards of toffee. Each piece is different in shape and size. One side is flat chocolate, the flip side is topped with small white sesame seeds against the contrasting dark chocolate. And when you look closely you can see the black sesame seeds co-mingling with the chocolate and the other sesame seeds.

The first bite is joyous, with an easy crunch, an explosion of subtle flavor of chocolate, with the toasted sesame tingling the edges of the tongue. And there is a lot more sesame flavor than just what is on top (look closely at the edge and you will see the black sesame is in the toffee, too!)

Some of the pieces are bigger than a mouthful and need to be snapped into smaller, enjoyable bite-sized pieces. Don't be afraid though, the dark chocolate won't melt (unless you have hot hands) when you lightly hold it to make the break. It snaps so easily (and is strangely rewarding) that you start breaking with abandon!

The enjoyment factor with a small piece is so much better because a large piece gives you a mouthful which you consume because you are forced to chew and swallow. With a small, thumb-sized piece you can taste the chocolate, enjoy the crunch of the sugar which blends with the dark chocolate and get the sesame on the edge of your tongue.

You finish with clean molars, and a lovely dark chocolate flavor that makes you want to suck in your cheeks and the sesame.

When you are done with a piece or more, the joy of the bite is still with you to enjoy for quite some time. How good is that! Leaving a good taste in your mouth (instead of a bad taste like the news does) is a wonderful thing!

my kind of treat!
"This black sesame seed toffee brittle chocolate is my kind of treat. It's the perfect amount of sweet to feel indulgent but not guilty. The rich burnt sugar taste of the toffee is great with the black sesame crunch, pulled out with a smidge of salt. Coated in chocolate. Really good."
-- Victor

Exceptionally YUM!
"Extremely delicious. Happy that there is a reasonable amount because otherwise I would dive in and never come out! If you love black sesame and dark chocolate, this is the treat for you. Savor it slowly, as a little goes a long way."
-- Bonnie

Shop now for NeoCocoa Black Sesame Seed Toffee Brittle!

A simple yet tasty Moroccan dish.

See the Fregula with Minted Cauliflower Recipe here!

The term "fregula" (also "fregola") may derive from the Latin word "fricare," meaning chopping up: little fragment, splinter, crumb, scrap, corpuscle. These tasty little pasta balls are created by rubbing coarse semolina into small balls in the presence of water.

Unlike North African or Middle Eastern Couscous, the small Sardinian couscous balls are then toasted in an oven, giving them a toasty, rustic, homey taste. This medium-sized fregula is a staple in the Sardinian kitchen, both on the coast and in the interior.

Suggestions for Fregula Preparation:

Fregula Sarda pasta is suitable for meat and seafood dishes. You can also try it with a bean dish like Fregula con Fagioli, the Sardinian version of Pasta e Fagioli, or Pasta with Borlotti Beans and Kale.

Fregula Sardinian Pasta may be seasoned with tomato and sausage or used to make its most famous dish, "fregula con cocciula" (fregola with clams) from Cagliari. Given its density and texture, it can absorb a lot of liquid without becoming mushy, making it a great pasta for soups. Serve it like the locals, in "brodo" (broth) - either beef, chicken, or mushroom.

Fregula Sarda pasta is at its best when cooked in boiling water for 10-12 minutes.

Yummy rough nuggets!
"These little rough nuggets absolutely made the meal. Tucked into a pork stewy ragu, they were the perfect and special pasta. Next time I am going to make them in a pasta salad - anywhere I would use Israeli Coucous but want a little more heft and something a bit more special."
-- Mary

Shop now for Fregula Sarda Couscous!

The hardest part of this recipe is remembering to soak the beans the night before. It really is a "put everything in a pot and cook".

See the easy Sardinian Minestrone Recipe here!

Every list of "super foods" has oats near the top. You've seen the commercials—eating oats is known to lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Oats are an excellent source of fiber and they even help stabilize blood sugar—at any time of day.

The unusual flavor and texture of these amazing Scottish pinhead oats may be attributed to the final drying process, carried out in the old fashioned 'flat kiln', which is believed to be the only one of its kind used in Britain today. The oats are dried in the kiln for four hours, during which time they're turned twice by hand shovel. It is this very specialized process, perfected by the miller, which makes the flavor and texture unique.

The distinct oat grains are then stone-cut into small pieces, smaller than Irish "steel cut" oats, thus the name "pinhead." Unlike "old-fashioned" oatmeal, they're not steamed and rolled flat.

As part of a low fat-diet, oatmeal can help reduce cholesterol levels, and it is a natural food which contains NO additives, preservatives or colorings.

Shop now for Organic Gluten-Free Stone-Cut from Scotland!

This dish has all the wonderful qualities of a classic Italian risotto, in addition to the Moroccan-inspired flavors of preserved lemon and cinnamon.

Try making this dish with vegetable broth for a sensational vegetarian meal.

See the Oat Risotto with Butternut Squash & Lemon Recipe!

With a sharper heat than the more common black ones, green peppercorns (the unripe version) do well in dishes where you want a particularly strong dose of pepper, but not much of the other, subtly spicy flavors that black peppercorns have. Cooking intensifies their heat.

Green pepper, like black, is made from the unripe drupes. Dried green peppercorns are treated in a way that retains the green color.

Shop now for Essential Pantry Whole Green Peppercorns!

One of the sweetest things to have waiting at the ready. Good for unexpected guests or when you need to freshen up!

This might be the last shipment until the fall due to summer temperatures.

These wonderful treats are slim rounds of creamy peppermint centers enrobed in dark chocolate. And not just any peppermint. So powerful is the mint you can smell it through the wrapping.

This mint's particular flavor is soft and lingering with a cool intensity. The chocolate pairs perfectly with the mint cream, just the right amount of both!

Never too sweet, these are exactly what you wish your peppermint creams to be!

These are my favorite mints of all time!

Shop now for Summerdown Mint Chocolate Peppermint Creams!

Summer is here! Think of sweet chicken, Bourbon Steaks, Duck, Ginger cookies, brittle, fruit breads, or popcorn balls.

Steen's makes things better!

See the Molasses - Steen's Home Style!

The first whiff: A fruity, round, sweet smell that tickles the nose. The smell of quince makes for the fruity flavor, and the tingle in your nose is from the acid.

If you don't know the quince fruit or the quincy flavor, this vinegar has it.

Dip your tongue into a spoonful of quince vinegar, and your tongue is enveloped by this rich liquid. It feels thick, and as you lift your tongue to the roof of your mouth, the flavor of the quince comes through.

Repeated sucking of your tongue allows the flavor to roll around as your senses enjoy the taste. Be careful not to squeeze too hard, as the acid in the vinegar may roll to the back of your throat and inflict a tiny bit of pain.

This vinegar compels you to chew, in a sense, to capture, feel, and taste all the different nuances of the flavorings the quince has.

It turns and shapes and moves within your mouth. It feels alive! As the flavor of the quince dissipates off the tip of your tongue, the taste moves to the edges and up to the roof of your mouth. As you suck in your cheeks, you will squeeze the flavor and fully enjoy this vinegar.

If you take more than a tongue full, there's a stronger hit of the acidic side of the vinegar. You will get moments of pointy pokes and sharp, crisp twinges. But, in the end, this quince vinegar is sweet, sour, smooth, and round!

Once you taste this quince vinegar, you will be drawn to it, like a fly to honey, and want to taste it over and over again. Trying to discern all the flavors and nuances, just like you would do with a complex balsamic vinegar. This quince vinegar is quite a treat! One of the best joys we have had in a really long time!

See the Acetoria Quince Balsamic Vinegar here!