I’ve been obsessed with making short films recently. It’s my new favorite thing. So when we heard about Deep Eddy, a brand new sweet tea vodka from Austin, I decided to make a movie about it.

[Click here iPads and iPad minis]

The recipes are featured are straight from Deep Eddy’s repertoire. Want to try it yourself? Right now it’s available for purchase at Centennial, Majestic, and Goody Goody liquor stores in Dallas.

(If you like this watch my first movie about a sandwich.)

This week the top ten American Idol finalists (including this season’s kinda dreamy winner, Lee Dewyze) performed in New York… inside of a giant pretzel M&M. 

Yeah. That’s right. One big corporate love fest wrapped in a polycarbonate candy shell. While I felt a little embarrassed for everyone involved, I joined the guilty party when I went out and actually bought the new M&M flavor. For $.89 I got some overly crunchy, dry pretzel chunks with not enough chocolate coating. I also got a reminder about the persuasive power of corporate shenanigans. After all, they wouldn’t do it unless it worked. And these M&Ms are going to need all the help they can get.
   

Hailing from Brooklyn, it’s the world’s prettiest bar of chocolate made by Mast Brothers Chocolate. Brothers Rick & Michael Mast personally handcraft the artisan chocolate in small batches using cacao sourced from family farms in Ecuador, Madagascar, and Venezuela. I bought my bar on a whim at Williams Sonoma, partly because I loved the packing so much. However, you can also purchase their chocolate online. My choice was Dark Chocolate + Fleur de Sel—a rich flavor with a the snap of a perfectly tempered chocolate. Almost equally as savory as it was sweet!

Bonus video of an interview with the Mast Brothers (who are pretty adorable):

Yesterday I read that the average pina colada has over 600 calories—and that’s a conservative estimate. So while I’m scratching that off the “Summer-Treats-Worth-The-Splurge” list, I’m adding a new one: Coconut M&Ms. They’ve been out for a while, but were limited in supply and a little tougher to find. Now I’m seeing them everywhere and decided to give them a try. No funky filling or white coconut center, just the classic milk chocolate M&M imbued with coconut. It’s a polarizing flavor; you either love or hate coconut. I’m a fan though, so these are a new favorite. It’s no pina colada, but I can eat half a bag for just over 100 calories. Refreshing!

Pro: Tastes like a slice of red velvet cake

Con: High-fructose corn syrup.

Pro: 100 calories.

Con: Aspartame

Pro: 0 g of fat.

Con: Non-organic dairy.

Pro: It is infinitely better & healthier than any of my other Friday-afternoon-at-work snack options.

Conclusion: Yoplait Light, you’re a winner!

I don’t just like Hello Kitty. I consider her more of a role model. I try to be discerning in the HK merchandise I buy, only because they make so much of it now. I used to buy everything that I could find, but that was back in the days when the Sanrio store was about the only place you could get it.

Now she’s not so concerned about discretion & has put her cute little face on everything. Follow aimlessly & it’s a dangerous road for those of drinking age—one that leads straight into kiddie shower curtains, “My Room” door hangers & ankle socks. A girl has to watch out! You don’t want to be that emotionally-stunted adult with the pink fuzzy steering wheel. (Sorry to anyone if I just hit a nerve there.) 

All that being said, I have some HK stuff that I love. My wallet, my jump drive, my custom-made laptop (thanks again, T!!!), my toaster, my stationary, my knitting tote bag, my waffle iron, my lipgloss, my…. Ok. fine. I have a lot of Hello Kitty stuff. And I love it all. Now I have one more thing I need to add to my collection, although it won’t stay there for long.

Introducing Hello Kitty Wine. Their tagline: “Our Favorite Girl Has Grown Up.” The collection will feature four wines, including a sparkling brut rose, a “Sweet Pink” sparkling wine & a pair of pinot noirs: “Angel White” & “Devil Red.” (I can already tell you the brut rose is going to be my favorite & not just because it comes with the HK charm.)

If all that isn’t too much excitement for you, they’ve got a list of HK cocktail recipes on their site that are calling for you to pop the cork. The wines should be available in the US “soon”, but I wish I knew more than that. I’m going to be checking liquor stores & you do too, ok? Be a good friend to the little dish and let me know if you find it. If that plan doesn’t work out, they will be available online May 1st on their official site at HelloKittyWine.com

Shout out! I’d like to thank Nik & Shannon, two very nice friends of mine who sent the news to me this week. Raise a glass to Hello Kitty!

If you love bacon, then this just might be your thing. We’ve seen bacon lip balm, bacon lollipops, and now… Bakon Vodka.

A friend sent me this link today and I’m intrigued. A savory spirit made from Idaho potatoes and with an added hint of (obviously) bacon. It doesn’t appear to be available in Texas, so if you want to mix up one of their speciality cocktail recipes like a Bakon Mary, a Chocolate Bakon Martini, or a Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon Shot, you’ll have to order online and be patient.

I wonder what our friend Kevin over at Cocktail Enthusiast has to say about this?

Himalayan Salt Plate
For the foodie who’s seen (& eaten) it all: a hand-cut block of pink salt that adds a hint of flavor to foods. Use it right on the grill, in the oven, or chill it to use as a beautiful way to serve sushi.
Sur la Table: $40

Selvedge Denim Apron
For the man of the kitchen, a vintage denim cira 1940 is just the right mix of style & utilitarianism. No lacy frills in this kitchen.
Hickorees: $155

Central Market Gift Card
So you can never go wrong with a gift card, but here’s what makes a gift card from Central Market special: they can be redeemed on cooking classes there. I’ve both given & received cooking classes from CM with great success. You can pick up a calendar of classes at the store to include with the gift card so they can pick the one they’ll like best.
Central Market: Any $$$. Classes are in the $50 – $60 range.

BeeHouse Iced Tea Pitcher
Their signature tea pots are round & cute, which makes this structured iced tea version even more unique. Brew it right in the pot using the included diffuser & put it right into the fridge.
Rare Device: $50

Brooklyn Brew Shop Kits
Kits that include everything you need to brew at home! Originally included on a matthew jacob’s annual gift guide. (He’s a good friend of the little dish & beer connoisseur.) While he’s inclined to choose the IPA, I think the Gingerbread Ale is where it’s at.
Brooklyn Brew Shop: $40

Renzo Oven Mitt
Cheery & useful. It’s a perfect complement to a baking book & they’ll use it all the time.
Built: $15

Animal Lunch Bags
Boo the pink panda(?) is on my personal wish list. Fill it with yummy snacks for double elf status.
Target: $10

Komforte Chockolates
Forgive them the quirky spelling; one look at their line of candy-bars & you’ll see they can’t help being different. The Seattle-based company currently has 3 flavors ranging from the insanely delicious-sounding French Toast flavor to the plainly insane Ramen Noodle. Availability is limited; it looks like your best online bet is here.
Seattle Chocolates: $3

Skillet Street Food Bacon Jam
This popular Austin trailer ships only one item: bacon jam. It’s rendered bacon that’s been simmered for 6 hours with onions & other spices. Delicious. Just the kind of thing our favorite pork devotee would love.
Skillet Street Food: $12

Chocolate + Macha Green Tea = ?

After the first Vosges chocolate bar I reviewed generated such dubious responses, I thought it would be nice to pick one of their less-controversial flavors to try. I decided to go with the Macha Exotic Candy Bar because well, you’ve already seen that I like mixing tea with all kinds of things. According to its official description, “grassy and bamboo undertones of Japanese macha green tea gently rise around deep milk chocolate.”

On the plus side, the milk chocolate (41% cacao) was delicious—very smooth, aromatic, and rich. I am definitely more of a dark chocolate kind of girl, however this milk chocolate was perfect for me because it wasn’t too sweet. On the negative side, where is the macha?!? They weren’t joking when they said the flavor “gently” rises to the chocolate. The green tea was very subtle, elegantly present, but very, very faint. It left me wanting more! Now I know that sometimes it’s a good thing to leave someone wanting more. However, in this case my longing turned to a slight feeling of disappointment. It’s a lovely bar of chocolate, but sadly there wasn’t enough of what could have really set it apart.

Price: $7.50

Vosges Haut Chocolate

Chocolate + Bacon = ?

It’s one of the wildest chocolate combinations I’ve ever tried, but I definitely enjoyed it. This innovative pairing came from Vosges Haut Chocolate, a luxe chocolatier who makes this exotic bar called Mo’s Bacon Bar. It’s rich milk chocolate mixed with applewood smoked bacon and alderwood smoked salt. The combination is crazy, but the result? Delightful. The sweet chocolate mixes elegantly with the salty, savory bacon. Pleasing to the palate and wonderful in texture (smooth with little crunchy bits!), this is an adventure in taste and very recommended.

Price: $7.50 (yeah, you heard me)

Vosges Haut Chocolate