The Cheap Gourmet

Five Resources for Holiday Gifts Under $20

'Tis the season for holiday shopping! Today, I'd like to share some of my favorite resources for holiday gifts under $20. There is no reason to break the bank or rack up credit card debt. The season should be jolly, not expensive! I think you will enjoy these wonderful holiday gift ideas and wish you a happy shopping adventure!

Learn more about each company and the gifts they offer by clicking on the banner located under descriptions. Each will open into a new browser; allowing you to comparison shop and locate the best deals for everyone on your holiday gift list.

Five Resources for Holiday Gifts Under $20

Adagio Teas and accessories have been featured on HGTV's "I Want That", Food and Wine Magazine, Epicurious, Washington Post, Prevention and Time Magazine. Tea selections include: Black, Flavored, Chai, Oolong, White, Green, Herbal, Rooibos, Decaf, Blooms, Blends and Iced.

Adagio offers a wide range of unique gifts for any occasion. Popular holiday gifts under $20 include: IngenuiTEA; an easy-to-use teapot that makes brewing loose tea effortless, priced at $19 and the Holiday Teas sampler set of six one-ounce tins of flavored loose teas including: candy apple, candy cane, chestnut, cranberry, gingerbread and pumpkin spice, priced at $11.

Ghiradelli Chocolate has been offering gourmet chocolates to Americans for more than 150 years. Ghiradelli has created a "12 Days of Christmas" shopping guide, with 8 of the 12 gifts priced under $20.

Under $20 selections include: 2-pack Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas Squares Gift Pack;  4-pack Premium Ghiradelli Hot Cocoa; 2-pack Limited Edition Peppermint Bark Squares Chocolates; 2-pack Limited Edition Chocolate Pecan Squares Chocolates; 5-pack Limited Edition Milk and Caramel Latte Prestige Bar; 5-pack Limited Edition Peppermint Bark Prestige Bar; and 2-pack Limited Edition Holiday Assortment Chocolate Squares.

Mrs. Beasley's is known as "Hollywood's Favorite Bakery" and offers a wide selection of decadently unique gourmet goodies. Choose from eleven holiday gifts under $20 including: five varieties of chocolate coated apples (my personal fav is the Snowball Caramel Apple), Rum Raisin Cake, Mrs. Beasley's Holiday Cake, and Holiday Cookies, Goodies and Nuts.

I love Mrs. Beasley's gifts and could easily spend a small fortune, but their gifts are unique and are perfect for those hard-to-buy-for people. They also carry an excellent line of corporate gifts including towers, gift baskets, corporate logo and photo cookies.

Starbucks Store – Everybody loves Starbucks products and you'll find plenty of fresh, fun holiday gifts under $20 at the Starbucks Store. One of my favorites is the "Wish Kit Gift Set" which includes six 1-ounce packages of White Holland Mints, six Wish cards, and six Treat boxes. These are perfect for passing out to co-workers, neighbors, postal carriers, and stocking stuffers.

Other Starbucks gifts under $20 include Tea Sampler Gift Box by Tazo Tea, Powdered Cocoa Trio, Coffee Mug gift box with Starbucks logo mug, coffee sample and cookie, Coffee and Treats Gift Pack, and Caramel Macchiato Kit.

Superior Nut Store has more holiday gifts under $20 than you can shake a stick at. Discover a whole new world of chocolate covered nuts, nuts and mixed nuts gift tins, chocolate covered fruits, dried fruits, almond bark, nut butters, gummy bears and much, much more.

Superior Nut Store is a great year-round resource for gifts and household items. Many products are available in bulk and perfect for neighborhood food co-op's. Roasted nuts are certified Kosher and every product is backed by a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

Gourmet Fresh Fruit Club

Introducing Gourmet Fresh Fruit Club: Helping You Succeed in Fruit and Veggie Day!

In celebration of our new "Fruit and Veggie Day" program, I'd like to introduce you to Clubs of America Gourmet Fresh Fruit Club. Joining the club will make it so much easier for you to participate in the Fruit and Veggie Day program because each month you will receive five pounds of seasonal gourmet fruit delivered straight to your door.

The Gourmet Fresh Fruit Club offers perfect freshly harvested and handpicked fruit directly from the grower. Each 5-pound order includes succulent, ready-to-eat fruit bursting with flavor. Each month, Gourmet Fresh Fruit Club members receive two different kinds of fruit harvested by hand at the peak of the season.

Recognized as a prominent gift club specialist,Clubs of America has been in business since 1994. They know what it takes to satisfy their customers and go above to ensure members are completely satisfied with their product order.

Every Monthly Fruit Club order is backed by an ironclad 100-percent satisfaction guarantee. There are no subscription requirements. Club membership can run for the length of time you specify. Choose from one month to twelve month programs. Should you decide to order a one-year subscription, Clubs of America is currently offering an instant $25 savings. 

In addition to receiving the world's finest gourmet fruit, members also receive Fruit Expeditions™, a monthly fruit club newsletter containing interesting facts on current selections, along with opportunities to stock up on your favorite varieties at discounted prices. 

Fresh Fruit Club makes an excellent gift certain to be enjoyed by everyone who receives it. Currently, all orders include free shipping. If you are looking for high-quality, freshly picked gourmet fruit, join Clubs of America Monthly Fruit Club today. Both your wallet and your body will be glad you did!

Click on the banner below to place your Monthly Fruit Club order today!

P.S. Visit TheCheapGourmet.com each Friday to download your free "Fruit and Veggie Day" menu planner.

Boca Java Coffee - Exceptional Deal on Extraordinary Coffee

Today is the one week anniversary of me falling down the stairs and breaking my right foot. At first, I thought it was a nasty sprain, but as the day wore on and my foot began to swell up to the size of Texas, my husband insisted I needed medical attention. Six hours after the incident, I was sitting in the ER feeling like an idiot.

Due to my injury, I haven't done much cooking this week so I don't have any new concoctions to share with you. However, I have had plenty of time to sit in my favorite recliner and surf the Web for cheap gourmet deals. I am happy to report I found quite a few that I will be posting throughout the upcoming week.

The first deal of the week is an unbeatable offer from Boca Java Coffee. Boca Java is by far one of my favorite brews. Their corporate headquarters are located in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Since I am a Floridian, I like to support local businesses. But, I'd buy Boca Java even if they weren't located in my home state because their coffee is so darn tasty.

What I love about Boca Java is the fact they roast your coffee to order and ship it the next day. You can rest assured knowing your beans are fresh and haven't been sitting on the grocery shelf for God only knows how long. There's nothing worse than stale coffee. Yuck!

Boca Java is currently running a smokin' deal that is hard to resist. For a limited time, you can receive four (4) half-pound bags of coffee for only $9.95 and that includes shipping! That equates to a mere $4.97 per pound of premium, fresh roasted coffee delivered to your doorstep. Considering I can't drive since I broke my right foot, home delivery is the perfect solution for me :-)

Boca Java offers an extensive range of coffee choices. You can choose from light, medium or dark roasts; flavored coffees; and whole beans or ground. A few of my favorites include: Brew of Bravery, Coastal Costa Rica, Cool Breeze Colombian, Guatemalan Adventure, Palm Beach Passion and Sumatran Sunset.

If coffee isn't your thing, Boca Java offers a wonderful selection of teas, chai and cocoa. Teas are available as loose leaf or tea bags. Chai and cocoa are powdered mixes and include Wild Raspberry Chai, Spiced Chai Latte, Tahitian Vanilla Chai,  Double Dark Chocolate Cocoa, Caramel Praline Cocoa and my personal favorite, Chocolate Hazelnut Mocha - Yum!

Last, but not least, Boca Java offers a fabulous line of food products including mixes and sauces, snacks, baked goods and candy. You MUST try their Bali's Best Iced Tea Candy. Infused with real tea extract, this delectable treat is 100% natural and contains zero trans fat. Best of all, it costs less than a dime per piece. Now that's a bargain!

Take advantage of this exceptional offer on extraordinary coffee today by clicking on the banner below. You will be taken directly to Boca Java Coffee website where you can chose your selections. Let me know when your order arrives so we can enjoy a "virtual cup of Joe" together!

Attention All Java Junkies - Get Your Fix with the "I Love Coffee Kit"

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a Java Junkie. If I don't have 3 cups of coffee in the morning, I'm pretty much grumpy all day. There's just something about a good cup of Joe that makes me happy (and keeps me regular, LOL!).

I can honestly say I've tasted just about every coffee on the planet. From the ridiculously expensive, but oh-so-exquisite, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee to the cheapo no-name brands and everything in between. I pretty much like 'em all unless the flavor is too strong or bitter. I'm not a big fan of Espresso. It makes me a little too zingy.

A few years back, I worked with a woman who was starting her own coffee business. She specialized in organic coffees and roasted the beans herself. It was good stuff! 

I helped her with sales copy and marketing materials in exchange for coffee. Each month she sent me a shipment of freshly roasted beans. It was like Christmas! I'd practically run to the door and rip the package out of the UPS driver's hands. If this sounds like something you'd do, you're a Java Junkie too!

The business was starting to take off when she was called to military duty. Unfortunately, I lost contact with her and all attempts to locate her have failed thus far. I was sad to lose track of a wonderful business associate and sad to lose my coffee :-(

I'll admit it... I was spoiled. I didn't have to pay for coffee and it was shipped, freshly roasted, right to my doorstep. Thing is, I really don't care for store brand coffees. I was introduced to high-quality organic coffees way back in the 90s while working at a health food store. I received an employee discount and could drink all the coffee I wanted at work for free.

The thought of having to actually pay for coffee was more than I could bear. Like I've said before, they don't call me The Cheap Gourmet for nothing!

Which brings me to the primary focus of this post.

I discovered Gevalia Kaffe years ago. I've had service with them 3 or 4 times and am currently receiving a monthly shipment.

I'll be honest. The coffee is somewhat pricey, but it's worth every penny. In reality, it is no more expensive than high-quality coffee purchased at a retail store. Plus, there are some serious perks and high-end gifts for coffee club members.

When you join the coffee club, you can select the type of coffee you want (whole beans or ground), select from a wide range of varietals, how many 1/2-pound boxes you want, and how often you want your coffee shipped. You can change your selections at any time and suspend shipments whenever you need to.

The "I Love Coffee Kit"~ Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Gevalia is currently offering the "I Love Coffee Kit", which is perfect for Valentine's Day. For $22.95 (plus $5.95 shipping & handling), you receive:

• 2 half-pound boxes of Gevalia Kaffe

• 12-cup programmable coffee maker (It's very nice and brews a good cup!)

• 1 litre Stainless Steel thermal carafe

• 14-ounce Stainless Steel travel mug

You can receive this $168 gift for only $28.90! Now, that's what I call a bargain! And, there is no obligation to continue your subscription if you don't want to. However, I can tell you that once you try Gevalia coffee you won't want to go back to boring beans.

Gesh, I'm starting to sound like a saleswoman. Sorry about that! I'm really not trying to sell you anything. I just want everyone to know about this yummy coffee and the cool gifts ;-)

Seriously though, give Gevalia a try. If you don't like the coffee, cancel your subscription and keep the gifts. The best thing is, your gifts will help you save money because you can brew a pot of coffee at home, fill up your travel mug, and avoid spending money on a cup of coffee on your way to work. Eliminating that expense will more than cover your monthly subscription.

Click on the pretty picture below and take advantage of the "I Love Coffee Kit" order TODAY!

You might also enjoy the following articles (written by me!):

Coffees from Around the Globe

A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments

Gift Ideas for Coffee and Tea Lovers

 

OliveNation.com ~ For Italian Food Lovers

Are you passionate about authentic Italian cooking? Then I have a resource for YOU! Olive Nation offers an abundance of authentic Italian Olive Oils, aged Balsamic Vinegars, Pastas, Sea Salts, cookbooks and gifts.

Several years ago, I worked at a 5-star Country Club, famous for their amazing desserts. We served a dainty dessert on Mother's Day that consisted of raspberries filled with balsamic vinegar and dusted with powdered sugar. Shortbread cookies, spread with fresh lemon curd were arranged along the edge of a china plate with the raspberries positioned in the middle. The flavor was out of this world and I practically begged the Chef for the recipe. He never would relinquish it.

While visiting Olive Nation, I discovered the recipe and nearly fell out of my chair with excitement! Olive Nation uses San Giacomo, a Balsamic vinegar that has been aged in barrels for 5 to 7 years. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the bottle and realized this is the exact brand we used at the Country Club.

Olive Nation offers a wide range of Balsamic Vinegars. This thick, sweet smelling vinegar is made from the unfermented juice of grapes and slowly aged in wooden barrels. True gourmet Balsamic vinegars are aged from 6 months to several years, whereas the ones sold in grocery stores are aged in stainless steel tanks for only a few months. Once you taste the authentic Balsamic Vinegars offered at Olive Nation, you'll never settle for less!

As you may already know, I am a huge fan of Olive Oil and use it in nearly all my cooking endeavors. Olive oil is made from olives. First they are milled to turn them into a paste. Next, they are put under pressure to extract their oil. Olive oils are graded based on their acidity level. Extra virgin olive oil contains an acid level of less than 1-percent and presents a rich and intense flavor. Virgin olive oil typically registers an acidic level of 1- to 3-percent.

Olive Nation offers a variety of olive oil from various regions within Italy. From the southeast region of Apulia to northwest region of Tuscany, you'll find mild, bold and fruity olive oils for every occasion.

Looking for authentic Italian pasta? You'll fall in love with the selection available at Olive Nation. From organic spaghetti, penne, eliche (corkscrew) and egg tagliatelle to corn ditalini and a corn pasta sampler, you'll be certain to find something to get your creative Italian juices flowing.

Sea salt is a necessary part of Italian cooking and Olive Nation offers a wonderful selection for all your cooking needs. Olive Nation sea salts are harvested by hand and dried under the Italian summer sun. No preservatives or chemicals are added to this gift from Nature. Once you try the real thing, you'll be hooked for life. The difference in taste is absolutely astounding!

Olive Nation has an entire section dedicated to Italian recipes. Here you'll discover authentic pasta dishes including Spaghetti with Lemon Cream and Peppers, Summer Pasta Salad and Penne Pasta with Zucchini and Pecorino Cheese. Other recipes selections include Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Fries, Roasted Shrimp with Garlic Oil, Coffee Macaroons and my all-time favorite Italian dessert, Tiramisu.

Currently, Olive Nation is offering FREE shipping on orders placed before February 11th. It's their Valentine's Day gift to you. Each product is backed by a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Gift certificates are available in amounts for $10 to $250.

Learn more about Olive Nation, shop in the online store and discover amazing authentic Italian recipes at www.OliveNation.com.

Le Gourmet TV

Recently, I discovered Le Gourmet TV, an interactive gourmet cooking website packed with step-by-step cooking videos. What I like about Le Gourmet TV is not only can you watch how recipes are put together, you can also learn a great deal about cooking.

Le Gourmet TV also includes videos on how to choose the proper cooking equipment, how to pair wine and cheese with your meals, how to choose the proper type of beer and a "Field to Table" section which promotes Sustainable Living.

In addition, Le Gourmet TV offers a variety of channels with easy-to-understand videos. You'll find a channel for Baking, BBQ, Beer, Cheese, Coffee, Preserves, Whiskey, Wine and Tea. Other channels include the Chef Series, Cooking Gear and Roadside Menu.

Click here to visit Le Gourmet TV now or click the link below to continue reading this post.

Fingerhut Holiday Sale! Save an Extra 50% on Kitchen & Household Items

Psssssst... Fingerhut is having a HUGE Holiday Sale. For a limited time, you can save an extra 50% on already marked down Clearance Items. Many of the products are shipped directly from the manufacturer, so you won't be able to order anything from Fingerhut in time for Christmas. However, you can save a boatload of money.

The additional 50% discount is offered on all of Fingerhut's Clearance Items. This includes handy kitchen gadgets, housekeeping and organization products, apparel for the entire family, health and beauty products, home decor, indoor and outdoor furniture, and much more.

Simplify Your Life with Menu Planning Central

I recently discovered a wonderful place that is perfect for families on the go. It's called Menu Planning Central and they offer a unique service I believe you will appreciate. The founder, Christine Steendahl, has devised a system that delivers a menu plan, recipes and a categorized shopping list.

Menu Planning Central offers three menu categories including: Family Friendly Menu, Healthy Menu and Vegetarian Menu. As a member, you receive 4 weekly menus from each category complete with recipes and shopping list. Talk about simplifying your life!

As if that weren't enough, Menu Planning Central also offers a really cool "My Menu Maker" software program that allows you to create custom menus. You can use the recipes from the weekly menus provided by Menu Planning Central or enter your own.

Now, you might be thinking this service is expensive, but it's not. After all, you're talking to The Cheap Gourmet here. I wouldn't recommend an expensive product, now would I? Believe it or not, you can subscribe to Menu Planning Central for less than the cost of a fast-food meal for a family of four.

Using Menu Planning Central can save you a boatload of money in food expense; particularly if your family frequently eats out. And, you'll benefit from having family meals that everyone enjoys.

Last, but not least, Menu Planning Central is currently offering some really nice and beneficial bonus gifts when you subscribe to their monthly service. You'll receive Kid Approved Meals, which consists of 13 weeks of kid-approved breakfast and lunch recipes - with shopping lists, of course! Then, there's the Smart Mom Library, a collection of nine ebooks that help you be healthier, save time and money. Plus, you receive a free 30-day membership in the Menu Planning Club.

Organization is the key to cooking success. Menu Planning Central is a tool that can simplify your life, free up your time, save you some money, and help you prepare meals that your entire family can enjoy together. What could be better than that?

Click the banner below to learn more about Menu Planning Central and CLAIM YOUR FREE Menu Planning Basics Report. 

Meatless Mondays

Are you looking for ways to trim fat from your diet? Are you bored with the same ole' side dishes or burnt out on your summer salads? Would you like to learn more about vegetarian cooking or find delicious, yet healthy, recipes? If so, I have a resource for you!

MeatlessMonday.com is a website filled with scrumptious goodies for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. According to their website, "Meatless Monday is a national health campaign to help Americans prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer - four of the leading causes of death in America."

Considering all four of the above run rampant in my family, I want to do everything I can to remain healthy. How about you?

At MeatlessMonday.com you can subscribe to their weekly newsletter, Eater's Digest, which is packed with nutrition tips, advice and mouth-watering recipes. Yes, healthy really can be mouth-watering! You'll also find a Nutrition Library that offers a Health and Nutrition Dictionary, Healthy Eating Plans, How to Read Food Labels, and much more.

MeatlessMonday.com boasts an entire section dedicated to chili, where you will find Chili recipes, a guide to Red Hot Chile Peppers, Chili Origins and History, and more. It's quite interesting!

You'll also find unique recipe e-Cards you can send to your friends and family, learn how to start a community Meatless Monday campaign in your area, download nutrition guides for children, get tips for becoming a Grilling Gourmet, and learn how to eat healthy on the road.

Click the link to learn more about MeatlessMonday.com. I hope you enjoy your visit!

Bon Appetit!