'Tis the Season for Tasty Gifts!

We have been a lucky family this week.

First, my Uncle Anthony and (Aunt) Teresa sent us an annual Christmas ham from Heavenly Hams. It's Christmas dinner every year, and we love it!

Then, my Aunt Linda and Uncle Matt sent a Mrs. Field's Cookie Basket. The chocolate chip cookies disappeared rather quickly...

Next, an employer sent us a tower of pecan goodies from River Street Sweets. You can't go wrong with a crunchy pecan dipped in milk chocolate.

And then came the most surpristing gift of all -- especially because I'm not sure who it came from (no gift note): Two dozen bagels from H&H Bagels Midtown East, with cream cheese, lox AND about half-a-dozen black and white cookies! It's like being in New York again! All I need is a Sunday New York Times and a nagging nuerosis and I'm THERE!

Two final food mentions: the four of us went to Rochester today for a little Christmas shopping and stopped at the superlative KC Tea & Noodles for lunch. It's a tiny Chinese cafe, and I haven't had anything there that wasn't delicious. My favorite order is their garlic shrimp with white rice and a Taro bubble milkshake. Delicious, and I can get another NY fix by reading the ubiquitious copies of the NY Post scattered about the shop. (They make a wonderfully fragrant cup of jasmine tea, too.)

A little while later, we stopped in at Stever's candy shop. We were blown away by the variety of moulded, dipped, filled, and sprinkled chocolates. We picked up several foil-wrapped ornaments, a chocolate lollipop, a lemon lollipop (Kian still hates chocolate - sigh), a bag of spiced hard candies, and a box of chocolate Christmas miniatures filled with peanut butter.

I don't know what we're going to do with all this food, but it's a happy problem to have.