Looking for the perfect last-minute recipe to add some color to your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations? Start with a colorful assortment of fruit (like one from our famous fruit baskets) and make your own rainbow in a glass! If this drink is for adults, top with white wine. If this drink is for children, a light colored sparkling soda such as Sprite or ginger-ale will work.
Get the full recipe for this Rainbow Fruit Sangria over at Celebrations.com!
Did your New Year’s resolution involve a healthy 2015? If so, or if you’re just looking for a satisfying smoothie sip to whip up in your favorite blender, you’ll love these must-try smoothie recipes from Celebrations.com!
Each recipe featured includes at least 1 fruit or berry for a satisfyingly sweet way to get your daily serving of fruits. Quick tip: if you have a fruit that’s just about to turn, throw it in the blender and turn it into something new and delicious. Smoothie on!
Welcome back everyone,
I hope everyone had a fantastic Fourth of July holiday with a lot of relaxation and down time, it seems like there were also a few delicious cookouts had (yum)! A huge thank you to everyone who commented well wishes on my road trip! All of your comments were much appreciated. I got to explore some caves in Kentucky, see fireworks in Savannah, and lay around on Myrtle Beach (the best kind of road trip always involves a beach in my opinion). And now I’m back thinking of fun and exciting party and gifting ideas!
The only topic that comes to mind for me right now would be thank you gifts. How great is it to receive an unexpected gift that lets you know someone appreciates something you did for them!
Weddings don’t have the only corner on the market anymore! Thank you gifts can be the one thing that someone remembers from your party, event, or dinner. One of my friends had a housewarming party just to show off their new place and provided cute little “thank you gift bags” filled with candy for everyone who attended. For younger children’s birthday parties, I’ve seen a lot of decorated candy and caramel apples being used as thank you gifts that look so delicious (blame Pinterest for pointing me to all of those pictures)! You can also use larger thank you gifts for interviews or coworkers that you want to showcase.
Thank you gifts can also be a great memento from you to a friend that lets them know you were thinking of them and all that that do. Send a great gift to a friend who recently helped you move or provided much needed comfort during a stressful time. I recently made a thank you gift for a friend of mine filled with new books, comfort food, tea and things she would like just for always being my go-to person to call when in need and she surprised me by making her own gift for me the next time I saw her. Now we have a little tradition of creating sort-of care packages for each other!
Along with your thank you gifts, don’t forget to include a generous thank you note! It personalizes your gift more and shows them that you took extra time to appreciate them.
Below are some helpful Thank You Note suggestions:
What do you guys think? In the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) tell me what would be a great Thank You Gift idea? FIVE lucky winners will receive a thank you gift of their own!
Welcome back readers,
I promise I’ll hold off on the picnic blogs for a while now, I think I got it all out of my system (at least until I try all of your suggestions out). But please let me know if any of you try out your own picnic ideas or the delicious recipes featured last week, and send pictures! We have some winners to announce who can be our first to try out the picnic ideas. Congratulations to Jean C (June 14, 2012 at 8:18 pm), bessie burnsed (June 15, 2012 at 11:05 am), Ashley (June 16, 2012 at 5:19 pm), Kristen eby (June 18, 2012 at 1:11 am), and Jessica Beard (June 18, 2012 at 2:56 pm)! Please email your info to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and I can send out your prize!
We’re so close to July, which is crazy to me because I feel like May was just yesterday! July is the month for camping, barbeques, and tons of outdoor summer parties. And we have our biggest summer party coming up: Fourth of July! What could be better than some fun in the sun, celebrating with red, white, and blue? Also a Fourth of July party means one of my favorite things about summer: Fireworks. There is something very right about enjoying something off the grill, a patriotic dessert and colorful fireworks against the night sky. So let’s get planning with some awesome Fourth of July party ideas! 
Our sister brand Celebrations has a great piece on decoration for a 4th of July brunch here. I think there are so many fun ways to incorporate the festive patriotic colors into your designs, like checkered table cloths with solid colored plates. Or utilize this fun and festive stars and lantern lights at your Fourth of July bash! (Both found at Target). Even better is this party gear kit with fun patriotic hats and décor!
This is going to be a very short post, because sometimes certain bloggers get very busy and also want to get more ideas from their very gracious readers!
In the comments section below (1-2 paragraphs) tell me how you would incorporate the following products (and the previous decor if you want!) in your own Fourth of July party! Five winners will receive the chocolate covered strawberries!
Have a great weekend of planning!
Welcome back readers,
Father’s Day weekend is here, and I spent the last few weeks drumming up gifts for Father’s Day, so I hope you have yours picked out by now! If not, you can always check back on our posts for some great ideas here, here, and here. Don’t forget the comments section for some really great ideas for Dad! For now I’ll announce our weekly winners and we’ll move on to one of my favorite topics: picnics! Congratulations to Pamela Hansen (June 8, 2012 at 8:23 am), Stacey Ellis (June 8, 2012 at 10:23 am), Jean C (June 8, 2012 at 10:28 am), Melissa (June 14, 2012 at 10:39 am), and Tiffany (June 14, 2012 at 3:24 pm)! Please send your shipping information to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and I’ll send out your Crabtree & Evelyn® Nomad Traveler for Men.
My love of picnics is no secret, especially on here when we always have so many amazing gourmet gift baskets and food gifts to use for fun summer outings. Summer is in full force right now and I can’t imagine not wanting to enjoy the great outdoors, even if it’s just your local park or backyard and a basket of food. These days of nice weather will only be here for so long, and I’m dedicated to making the most of them. We’ve already talked about essentials to bring on your next picnic and a few fun dishes, but our sister brand Celebrations.com has so many delicious recipes for quick and easy finger foods as well as downright decadent desserts that I need to share with all of you!
Picnics should be about easy fun on the go. There’s no need to get super complicated with the meals you prepare or how much stuff you need to bring. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make them fun or seasonal. Which is why I’m currently obsessed with Celebration.com’s finger sandwiches collection. 
You better believe that the Mini Grilled Cheese sandwiches will be a key player at all my summertime functions. Asiago, Parmesan, Fontina, Provolone, arugula, and truffle oil! I am in culinary heaven right now. I just bought a new bottle of truffle oil that I’ve been cooking everything in lately, so this is definitely my favorite sandwich of the set. Their Avocado and Tomato Finger Sandwiches are a close runner-up, because I have a lifetime commitment to all things avocado. It’s so simple, fresh, and you’ll never feel any guilt with eating your fair share of these delicate treats!
Check out more of their Tea Time and Finger Sandwich recipes here, and don’t miss out on their Top 10 Picnic Food Ideas here! 
For a cute and creative dessert that I am definitely trying out this weekend, are Celebration’s Blueberry Cupcakes in a Jar. It looks decadent but also incredibly easy to make. I have a feeling I’ll be trying out all of their Cupcake Ideas here.
Going back to the simplicity of picnics, you can always find something you love with our collection of gourmet gift baskets. Every gift basket is packed with gourmet foods, sides, and fun treats inside for you to try out. And all items complement each other perfectly. Everything is there waiting for you to pick it up and go! Since it’s summertime, I’m leaning towards some fresh orchard fruit and cheese gift baskets, or flavorful and hearty meat and cheese gift baskets, and of course some very tasty wine gift baskets. Take any of these out for a gourmet getaway one afternoon:
In the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) tell me which of these gifts you would pick for your picnic and things you would pair with them! FIVE lucky and random winners will receive the Lucca & Sons™ Deluxe Meat & Cheese Box!
Have a safe and happy Father’s Day weekend!
A rich and flavorful gift for every health-nut in need! Another one of our healthier gift selections, the Mendocino Fruit & Nut Crate makes the perfect summertime or anytime gift to give.
It arrives in perfect presentation, a clean sleek wooden box tray with four sections filled to the brim with delicious goods. My tray came with dried fruits such as apricots and plums, freshly roasted pistachios, and a dried fruit and nut mix. The burst of bright yellow, orange and red hues from the fruit livens up this nutritious gift and makes it very appealing to the eye. I almost did not want to disturb it, but who am I to turn away amazingly delicious snacks?
The dried fruits are packed with flavor and easy to devour. The pistachios are roasted to perfection and pair perfectly with variety of fruits they came with. 1800Baskets.com partners with Torn Ranch to bring this absolutely stunning and delicious gift. Healthy, tasty and kosher, it really will please anyone lucky enough to receive it!
I sampled some of the treats upon arrival, but have since saved these to bring with me to work, for lunch or snacking, and as a great post-workout snack to build back some energy. The fruit and nut combination is a great way to snack healthy while getting in some much needed vitamins and minerals, from lowering cholesterol to providing much needed protein.
Did you know that you can even recycle pistachio shells? Empty pistachio shells can be used as fire starter for kindling, or you can place them on the bottom of pots for your houseplants to be used as drainage and soil retention for up to two years. You can use the shells as mulch for shrubs and plants that require acid soils, particularly plants that grow blue or purple hued flowers, to retain that pigment.
Get this gift for any health-conscious friend or someone you want to say hello to! It’s perfect for summer, to enjoy with friends out in the sun. Or even during the colder months as a sweet and nutritious treat in between large holiday celebrations!
A 1800Baskets.com exclusive gift, our bright and succulent Bing cherries are the perfect gift for Summer! Keep a healthy gift in mind without compromising on great taste.
The Sweet & Succulent Summer Bing Cherry Gift Box was definitely a delicious surprise to receive. The box was still cold when it was delivered and inside was the largest, most flavorful farmer’s market cherries I’d seen this summer. Varying in hues of bright red to deep maroon, all cherries were packed with decadent juicy flavor. Obviously I needed to sample a handful of the cherries as soon as I opened the box. They were too good to pass up. And you’re all lucky I stopped myself in time to grab at least one picture.
This makes such a great gift for any health-minded friend and leaves them with endless possibilities to use their gift. They can be enjoyed as is, benefitting from the high antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. You can bake them in a pie, cobbler, or in any of your everyday cooking. Add them to any dessert for an additional treat; dipped in chocolate or with whipped cream, they’re bound to please!
I’ve never been one for cherry pies, but this cherry cobbler recipe looked too good to not share!
Ingredients
Directions
Welcome Back Basket Readers!
Modesto Valley Fruit & Nut Gift Basket $54.99; Product Code:96093
Hope everyone had a wonderful break, holiday, and New Year! I spent some quality time with my family, friends, and more importantly my bed and Netflix subscription (Joking…kind of). I’m really excited to be starting a fresh year and, in all honesty, to be done with the Great Feasting period otherwise known as the combined months of October, November, and December. (I know, me getting sick of food? It’s like I don’t even know myself!)
Everyone loves food holidays, but after a while, meals just become obligatory and then I spend a whole day holding my sides in pain from too many bread rolls. So I’ve decided that my New Year’s Resolution is to make it through January being a vegetarian and giving up coffee, pop, and extra sweets. It shouldn’t be too hard for me since I don’t eat meat on a daily basis, but it will be a fun challenge and nice way to sort of detox. January is the time to start on our resolutions that will most likely be forgotten by the second week of February, but I might as well try it out anyway! Five days in and it’s really not that bad, of course I still have the rest of the month to go!
I figured for my beginner’s sake and for any of you lovely readers trying to keep your own resolutions, I would make this returning week about our fruit gift baskets and some healthy living and eating tips!
You all probably remember from early Fall and Summer when I would not shut up about apples. But apples really all the Superfruit for me. And lucky for all of you, most of our fruit gift baskets come with a healthy supply of delicious apples! All of our fruit gift baskets are very healthy and very fresh. These gourmet gift baskets are filled with mouthwatering fruits straight from the orchard, like Bosc, Comice, and green D’Anjou pears, Fuji and Braeburn apples, ripe oranges, delicious snacks like cheese, flatbread, nuts, and more. It’s a great gourmet gift to send or receive without any food guilt!
Healthy Tips
Drink more water. Water is now your best friend! Drink a glass of water in the morning when you wake up to replenish oxygen to your body overnight. Water flushes out your system and clears out toxins. Water also makes you less tired, gives you more energy, plus it eliminates headaches and aids in hydration. It could also help you eat less when your body is confusing thirst for hunger. Tea is a great alternative for if you’re bored with water.
Start a simple diet change. Slowly incorporate more colors into your food if you’re not used to change in meal plans. Adding bright tomatoes, leafy greens, corn, beets, cabbage, and fresh fruits to your everyday eating will make it easier to transition to a healthier lifestyle. Also eat healthier carbs like wheat and whole grain. A handful of nuts is great for an on- the- go snack and will help build up your protein.
Don’t quarantine certain foods. Putting a mental block on certain foods can be more destructive along the way. When you’re not eating sweets or salty treats you enjoy, your body only wants these items more. Instead, try smaller portions of your favorite treats, and try to slowly take them out of your eating schedule. Smaller serving sizes are a great tip for all around eating. Especially if you’re going out to a restaurant or an outing with friends, try to split items or order smaller plate foods. Wrap up some of your food to go and listen to your body when you think you’re full.
Exercise. (Duh, Alex!) Even if it’s just going for a short walk in the mornings, during your lunch break, or after work, it’s important to get your body moving. I know that all I want to do when I get home from work is curl up in my bed, especially now that it’s winter. But this is prime time for shaping up, before we get to Spring and Summer and feel too defeated to do any real workouts.
Breathe! It sounds silly, but taking some time to literally breathe is more beneficial than you think! DTake some time out to do some deep breathing and replenish oxygen to your blood cells. It doesn’t hurt when it comes to eliminating stress or tension either!
Hope this list leaves all of you as motivated as it’s made me! In the comments section below (1-2 paragraphs) tell me what some of your New Year’s Resolutions are or ways that you like to stay healthy! I’ll be giving away FIVE of our Modesto Valley Fruit & Nut gift baskets to some lucky and random winners next week!
Happy New Year!
1800Baskets.com has a new monthly fruit club called “Fresh From The Orchard Monthly Fruit Club”! And as always, we want your honest feedback.