Product: TILDA Basmati Rice

We have this joke about how I love me some rice. There's normal portions of rice and then my portion of rice (imagine, if you will, a pyramid).

It's ridiculous because it's TRUE.

And Tilda's Basmati is rice royalty. Fluffy, long-grained, and non-sticky.

I was ecstatic to collaborate with Tilda on their latest two minute rice packets.

I opened this one up right way and literally two minutes later, pilau (indian masala-spiced rice) was standing up to the other indian dishes on my plate, dishes that took way longer than two minutes, mind you!

If you've ever cooked rice on the stove or in a rice cooker, you know it doesn't take two minutes. And this is no Uncle Ben's two minute rice, this is gourmet, fluffy, long-grained, no-preservatives, BASMATI rice.

It's portioned to serve two (one, if you're talking about me).

I can't even tell you how pumped I am about this product. The other packets didn't last long enough to even try various recipes, I was just happy eating them as is.

And excellent addition to the pantry, well worth having, and so tasty, you may just start eating rice like me.

Recipes to try with Tilda's Steamed Rice Pilau: Tilapia Curry and Indian Style Beets.

Product: Green Mountain Coffee

There are two smells worth waking up for.

Coffee. and. Bacon.

Not necessarily together(but that would certainly be bliss!)

Green Mountain Coffee is one of those coffee brands that just got it RIGHT. Founded as a small cafe in Waitsfield, Vermont, the brand has since grown to more than 100 high-quality varieties and most recently acquired Keurig, the single cup brewing system (my sister has one and it's brilliant!).

It's easily the best coffee I've had on vacation when Earl Grey just wouldn't do, and the Nantucket blend has such a lovely fragrance perculating throughout the house, like a promise of the weekend to come...

Many thanks to Green Mountain Coffee for refreshing my coffee stash with the Nantucket and Island Coconut blends!

Product: Nutella Snack & Drink

Happy World Nutella Day!

Lately, I've been snacking on Nutella on marble rye toast, which is positively better than Nutella on crepes, but which also reminded me of this product that Lurgs brought in to work one day; her sister bought it in Italy:

If there's anything that sounds better than this, please let me know, 'cause the words Nutella and Snack go hand in hand...and whilst the drink is iced tea, it's still a good package.

Compact. Cute. NUTELLA! Portable. Fits in your purse. NUTELLA!

Okay so the biscuity bits were a bit strange but what a great idea for kids and real kids!

Love.

Product: Black Summer Truffles from OGourmet

I received this product to review from OGourmet, which is a Canadian company dealing in fine food products from around the world.

I chose a jar of Extra Fine Black Summer Truffles as I'd never cooked with truffles, and only had dishes with truffle oil in the past.The "Tuber Aestivum" whole black summer truffles, is part of a line of truffle-inspired products imported from Viani & Co. Not knowing what to do with the little jar of black summer truffles, it sat for a while in our cupboard, until the other day, when I decided, that for New Year's Eve, I would make an attempt to cook with it.The Gilded Fork proved helpful in my task whilst Googling recipes using black summer truffles. However, by not having as much time as required in the recipe (fresh truffles, soaked in olive oil for a few hours), I made my own modifications to The Gilded Fork's recipe, here for only a small portion of pasta, as follows:

Ingredients:

1 black summer truffle
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Small portion of pasta for two
2 cloves garlic, minced

Prep:

Chop truffle

Chop garlic

Pour olive oil into chopped truffle

Gently cook the garlic until softened. Do not burn the garlic. Remove from the heat and add the truffles with the rest of the olive oil.

[Chef’s Note:  It is important that truffles never be “cooked”, but just gently warmed, so as not to destroy their delicate flavor.]

When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the truffle and olive oil along with a splash of the cooking water, and gently reheat over very low heat.  After trying the dish, neither of us could taste the truffles; individually they didn't seem to have any stand-alone flavour. 

As I said, I tailored the recipe to just a small portion of pasta, enough for two bowls. The rest of the pasta I served with an easy sauce using Morningstar's Veggie Meatballs, which are delish and really have a meaty texture.

So, I ask, what did I do wrong with the truffles and do you have any tips or recipes on how to cook with black summer truffles?

Product: Dufflet Small Indulgences

Dufflet Pure & Sweet: Cranberries & Blueberries in Pure Dark Chocolate

Cost: $10.99

www.dufflet.com



Everyone knows the name Dufflet. It's synonymous with heavenly baked goods. If you haven't had a cake, tart or pastry from Dufflet, then there's something horribly wrong with your life. And you don't have to visit a Dufflet store to buy the cakes (although, it is fun 'cause you get to buy miniature treats for yourself other people). Dufflet cakes are available at many grocery stores such as Loblaws, The Kitchen Table, Rabba's, Longo's and Grocery Gateway (online). For a full list, go here.

But the reason to go to a Dufflet store is so that you can buy 'small indulgences' like the one pictured here. Cranberries and blueberries drowned in pure dark Belgian chocolate! No artificial flavours...really. I looked.

I bought this tin at 25% off, which is still pricey, but worth it if you really want to indulge. Just have a little handful..it's better than, say, having a whole cake.