The holidays are the perfect time to give the gift of deliciousness. There is no better way to do this then with the gift of food or items used to make or serve food. This year, we’ve received quite a few different types of food.

Having tasted everything, we have decided on what we deem “the best of the best” of the food and kitchen must have items we received. Whether buying this for a loved one during the holidays or purchasing for yourself to help you ring in the new year, we are certain you won’t want to miss trying out all of these goodies!

DELICIOUS DESSERTS

Graeters Ice Cream: Why save the best for last? We featured Graeter’s last year on LI Reviews and this fantastic ice cream company out of Ohio has made our list again. Graeter’s sent us a selection of new delights and old classics allowing us to have an ice cream party. With their creamy, uniquely old-fashioned style of churning and high quality ingredients, Graeter’s Ice Cream is second to none! We had the chance to enjoy the following flavors: Peppermint, Pumpkin, Dark Raspberry Chip. Blueberry Pie, Vanilla, Butter Pecan, Double Chocolate Chip, Mocha Chocolate Chip and Mint Chocolate Chip.

While every flavor was delicious, and not a pint was left after the party, our personal favorites were Blueberry Pie, Butter Pecan and Mint Chocolate Chip (Ash), Dark Raspberry Chip, Peppermint, and Double Chocolate Chip (Dom), Vanilla, Blueberry Pie, and Butter Pecan (the kids), and Butter Pecan (Ash’s Mom). Graeter’s can be shipped directly to your house, and though it can get expensive, we fully believe the purchase is worth the money! To find out more about Grater’s or to order your own Grater’s Ice Cream, visit the Graeter’s website. Also, check out the Graeter’s Ice Cream Party we had!

Must Have Rating:

Silver Moon Ice Cream: What’s better than ice cream for Christmas? How about Ice Cream infused with liquor? For the 21 and over crowd nothing beats Silver Moon Ice Cream. We recommend you do not eat this ice cream and drive, but if you are staying home, this makes an amazing party pleaser or dessert/nightcap in one! There are also a selection of flavors to choose from through Silver Moon.

We had the good fortune of trying Orange Creamsicle, Crème de Mint Chip, Strawberry Daiquiri Sorbet (a great palette cleanser), Spiced Pear Sorbet, and Vanilla Bean with Bourbon. We don’t recommend you keep these out where the kids can get to them, but if you have a place to keep them away from the young ones, Silver Moon Infused Ice Cream is one of those adult pleasures that is too good not to try! To find out more or purchase Silver Moon Ice Cream for yourself, visit the Silver Moon Desserts website. Don’t forget to check out our full length review with our experience with Silver Moon Desserts.

Must Have Rating:

Kauffman Brothers 9 Layer Smithcake: It is a Chesapeake Bay tradition, but seeing as we live in Michigan we had no idea in the power of the Smithcake. Kauffman’s offers a nine layer, chocolate cake with a delicious cream cheese frosting. This unique treat is an authentic Smith Island 9 Layer Cake, a delicacy coming out of Maryland. In fact, the baker of these cakes is a Smith Island native. Kauffman’s promises the best in Maryland cuisine and they make good on their promise.

If you like chocolate, the Kauffman Brothers 9 Layer Smithcake is something you simply must try. Kauffman’s is more that willing to ship these cakes out for any special occasion you celebrate, and wow what a crowd pleaser! This cake melts in your mouth and even the most picky, cake snobs in the house, Dom and the kids, loved this cake. To find out more about Kuaffman’s and to order their authentic 9 Layer Smith Cake visit the Kauffman’s website. Also, don’t forget to check out our full review of the Smithcake.

Must Have Rating:

Bake Me a Wish Peanut Butter Mousse Cake: If you like rich, decadent desserts, the Peanut Butter Mousse Cake by Bake Me a Wish is going to be something you’ll want to order. Bake Me a Wish has a selection of other, delicious sounding desserts. We had a very hard time picking which cake we wanted to review, but in the end we went with the super sweet Peanut Butter Mousse Cake. This cake would be excellent for a holiday, a birthday, or just for a special treat anytime throughout the year.

The cool thing about the Bake Me a Wish cakes is that 5% of every order goes towards paying to send a birthday cake to a soldier overseas. Bake Me a Wish cakes are gourmet using fresh, natural ingredients that allow for rich, delectable desserts for all occasions. You can find out about the Peanut Butter Mousse Cake and all of the other dessert offerings from Bake Me a Wish at the Bake Me a Wish website. Also, make sure to check out our review for more information on the cake we received and our thoughts on the cake and Bake Me a Wish by reading our review.

Must Have Rating:

The Fresh Market Brownies: This holiday season, give the gift of brownies. Fresh Market Brownies come in a variety of yummy flavors. We were given the chance to review The Fresh Market’s 10 piece brownie sampler. The Brownie sampler consists of 4 Fudge, 3 Chocolate Chunk and 3 Chocolate Chip Blondies. Rich, scrumptious brownies that crumble and melt in your mouth are what you’ll get in this pack and you will get your monies worth, as these large brownies are just $22.99.

The Fresh Market offers a selection of other bakery goods including additional brownie variety packs in a range of boxes and sizes. The company also does gift baskets, seasonal specialties, chocolate and candy, organic and gluten free options, and other fresh food offerings. To find out more about The Fresh Market visit The Fresh Market website. For more on the 10 piece Brownie Sampler, you can find our review of the sampler right here on LI Reviews.

Must Have Rating:

Godiva Limited Edition Chocolate Collection: We love Godiva. This was the only set of chocolate we’ve enjoyed that had different flavored centers in them. Usually, there will be one or two flavored centers that none of us (in our family) will want to eat. With this Godiva Limited Edition, 9 piece chocolate collection, we fought over every single piece. This is another offering from The Fresh Market and while this box set is $15 for 9 pieces, that is about as good as it gets for authentic Godiva chocolate.

Splurge on your loved ones or yourself with any of the Godiva box sets from The Fresh Market. The limited edition set we received came in a variety of holiday flavors, but you can get everything from multi-flavored chocolate pieces to truffles through The Fresh Market. These chocolates are heavenly with bursts of flavor in every bite and these box sets are sure to please anyone who receives them this Christmas. Visit The Fresh Market website for more information on this Godiva set or to purchase your own. Also, check out our review of these limited edition chocolates.

Must Have Rating:

YUMMY FOOD

Regional Best/Imladris Farm Jams: Fresh food offerings are some of the best, most innovative presents this holiday season. We highly recommend you consider purchasing any of the jams and the Apple Butter from Imladris Farm. We received a 3-Pack of Jam in the flavors of Raspberry, Blackberry and Blueberry. We also received some homemade Apple Butter. These freshly made bread accompaniments were a delight to eat. Ash really liked the Apple Butter and the Raspberry, while Dom preferred the Apple Butter and the Blackberry. Our only complaint was that the Blueberry was just a little runny though it was still amazingly good.

The homemade jams and apple butter are made with berries and apples grown in North Carolina. The jams are made by a fifth generation owned farm and are handcrafted in adorably decorated jars. The true gem is in how splendid the jams are when smoothed on some toast or eaten on an English muffin. You can purchase jams in a set or individually on the Regional Best website. You can also find out more about what we think concerning these jams and apple butter in our review on Regional Best Imladris Farm Jams and Apple Butter.

Must Have Rating:

Kauffman’s Original Crab Cakes: A newly started business was spawned early in 2009 and that is Kauffman’s Original Crab Cakes. The company, started by brothers, J.D. and Ron Kauffman, Jr. is an authentic, Maryland business. This was a family endeavor started by their parents, which eventually turned into the sons starting a Crab Cakes business, but not only that. Kauffman’s offers a selection of Maryland delicacies including the previously listed 9 Layer Smithcake. At the core though, is the crab cake.

Delicate and divine are how we describe Kauffman’s crab cakes. They are unlike anything we can get here in the Midwest. What is even better is that you can purchase these crab cakes and have them sent across the United States. This holiday season, giving the gift of authentic Maryland crab cakes is possible. Kauffman’s uses genuine domestic blue crab (Callinectes Sapidus), which, we agree, is the best crab to use for crab cakes. To find out more about Kauffman’s Original Crab Cakes visit the Kauffman’s website. Also, check out our full length review on the crab cakes here on LI Reviews.

Must Have Rating:

GIFT BASKETS

Good Cheer Gift Basket: The Fresh Market has made our list a third time with the Good Cheer Gift Basket. TFM offers many different baskets, but the holiday offerings are what made us choose The Good Cheer Basket. This basket had crackers, summer sausage and mustard, pistachios, popcorn, roasted peanuts, a large box of Jelly Bellies, sesame sticks, and shortbread cookies. Everything in this basket was tasty and the assortment is bound to be popular with any member of your family who enjoys receiving gift baskets as presents.

Our son kidnapped the jelly bellies though we got a few. Ash really dug the pistachios and fought over them with her mom, nephew and Dom. She also really liked the Nueske’s Summer Sausage. Mom dug the crackers and sausage and the roasted nuts and Dom was enamored with the pistachios and the crackers. All in all, this was a basket the entire family was able to enjoy together. To find out more about the Good Cheer and other gift baskets from The Fresh Market visit The Fresh Market Website. You can also find out more about the Good Cheer Basket in our full review.

Must Have Rating:

Deluxe Copper Drum – EdibleGiftsPlus: Chocolate is special during the holidays. The EdibleGiftsPlus Deluxe Copper Drum is a feast of unique chocolate offerings. The drum is large, copper and black and has a shimmering finish, providing an attractive look to this drum. This just adds to the gift appeal of this set. The drum is filled with Belgian chocolate covered pretzels, Lindt Dark Chocolate truffles, a Musical note cookie, Downey’s liqueur cake, Belgian chocolate covered Graham wafers, and Belgian Chocolate covered Oreos.

We loved everything in this drum, and so did those at the university where we brought this goody basket. The truffles were, by far, the crowd favorite, but the Oreos and Pretzels also went quickly. Of course, with a drum full of chocolate covered goodies, it is hard to dislike anything in this drum. The only downside to this drum is the price, but if you can afford it, the Deluxe Copper Drum is worth the purchase. For more information on the Deluxe Copper Drum from EdibleGiftsPlus, visit the EdibleGiftsPlus website. You can find out more about the Deluxe Copper Drum Gift Set in our review right here on LI Reviews.

Must Have Rating:

Sugar Plum Double Decadence Basket: This is the closest thing to the basket we received from Sugar Plum. It was full of all kinds of nummies of the chocolate covered variety. We also took this basket to the university with us, and everything was gone within a few minutes. Dom was digging on the chocolate covered potato chips and chocolate covered Oreos. The kids were obsessed with the chocolate covered Oreos and marshmallows. Ash also was hip on the chocolate covered marshmallows and Oreos. The only thing we weren’t in love with was the chocolate drizzled popcorn (which tasted a little soggy from all that chocolate). BUT…overall, this basket was a huge hit.

In all, we received this basket with chocolate covered popcorn, Oreos, potato chips, marshmallows, dark chocolate covered pretzel rounds, and chocolate chip biscotti. It came in an adorable wicker tray, and as you can see, we did not get the entire contents of the Double Decadence Basket for review. The only problem we have with this basket is the $92 price tag. If you can afford this and have a choc-o-holic in your family, this is a worthy present. To find out more about this basket or to order it visit the Sugar Plum gift site. You can also find out more about most of the contents of this basket in our review.

Must Have Rating:

KITCHEN MUST HAVES

Beer Serving Platter: Innovative and Green are the best ways to describe this Beer Serving Platter, which is called “Hmm…What to Serve” by Out of the Blue Delivered, the company that makes these adorable platters. The concept is awesome, but we just wish these platters were a little bigger. Preferred for those small, intimate gatherings, these platters are great for appetizers. The most awesome part of this platter is that it is shaped like a beer bottle and is made from beer bottles.

This beer platter is constructed from previously used beer bottles and the glass has been melted down by a kiln. This unique concept is very artistic and is, no doubt, why this platter seems a little pricey. BUT…if you like the artsy look and want to show off at your next gathering, this platter is worth serious consideration. To find out about all the unique gifts this company offers, visit the Out of the Blue Delivered website. Also, don’t forget to check out our review of the Hmm…What to Serve Platter.

Must Have Rating:

Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef E-Book: Whether you are a budding chef or a kid just heading into college, you are going to want to check out this great cooking E-Book by the Sussman brothers. Max and Eli have had a variety of experiences cooking and now they pass on what they’ve learned to those who might be afraid about getting started in the kitchen. They were nice enough to provide us with this cookbook/cooking guide. We let the teenager in our house with very limited cooking experience try out some of their recommendations with quite a bit of success.

If you are a parent who is getting ready to send their child off to school or already have one there or know someone who just never learned to cook, this holiday season, give the gift of confidence in the kitchen by purchasing a copy of Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef. To find out more about the Freshman in the Kitchen E-Book and to purchase it for yourself, visit the Freshman in the Kitchen website. Also, make sure to check out the review we did on this great E-Book.

Must Have Rating:

Slow Cookermate: The Slow Cookermate is the best kitchen product you will own if you like slow cooked/crockpot style dishes. You can make pretty much anything in this Slow Cooker, and best of all, you can make your side dishes at the same time thanks to the top divider that allows you to make two different side dishes as the main course slowly cooks. The Slow Cookermate is heavy, sturdy and worth your money. This is not your average discount Slow Cooker.

The Slow Cookermate has three different temperatures: high, low and keep warm. After setting the timer on a high or low setting for a certain amount of time, once your food has cooked it automatically flips over to the keep warm setting. This ensures if something comes up or you slow cook during the day while at work, you do not have to rush home to turn off your slow cooker. The Slow Cookermate keeps your food warm without ruining it. For more information on The Slow Cookermate and for a selection of recipe ideas, visit The Slow Cookermate website. Also, don’t forget to check out our review of this must have kitchen product.

Must Have Rating:

Technorati Tags: LI Reviews, Holiday Guide, Food, Kitchen, Must Haves, Dessert, Ice Cream, Holiday List, Kitchen Items, Chocolate, Cake, Brownies, Crab Cakes, Godiva, Jams, Homemade