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Sweet & Succulent Summer Bing Cherry Gift Box

June 12, 2012
cherries gift summer

cherries gift summerA 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

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups pitted sour cherries
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the butter in a 9×13 inch baking dish, and place in the oven to melt while the oven is preheating. Remove as soon as butter has melted, about 5 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and baking powder. Mix in the milk until well blended, then pour the batter into the pan over the butter. Do not stir.
  • Rinse out the bowl from the batter, and dry. Place cherries into the bowl, and toss with the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour. Distribute the cherry mixture evenly over the batter. Do not stir.
  • Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the cobber should come out clean.
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Gourmet Organic Gift Basket

May 29, 2012
gourmet organic gift basket

gourmet organic gift basketA gourmet gift basket that looks good, tastes good and IS good for you! The Gourmet Organic Gift Basket is USDA Organic and unbelievably delicious.  Continue Reading…

Customer Appreciation, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Summer Time Gift, Teacher Appreciation, Thank You Gifts

Thoughts of You Stationery & Tea Gift Basket

May 29, 2012
Thoughts of You Stationery & Tea Gift Basket

Thoughts of You Stationery & Tea Gift BasketA beautiful gift for your most thoughtful friend or family member! The Thoughts of You Stationery & Tea Gift Basket is definitely one of my favorite gifts from 1800baskets.

In a soft woven Lavender basket that is completely perfect for spring, is an assortment of stationary including a large notepad, small notepad, and 10 notecards with envelopes. All are decorated with beautiful purple and green spring prints and the cards are printed with a “Thinking of You” message, handy for thoughtful recipient who loves to let those close to them know that they are thought of.  Continue Reading…

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Wine Picnic Backpack Gift Basket

May 29, 2012
wine picnic backpack gift basket

wine picnic backpack gift basketAnother great, unique gift basket that is begging to be brought out! One of my most exciting gifts to review was definitely the Wine Picnic Backpack Gift Basket.  Continue Reading…

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Deluxe Balsam Gift Basket

May 8, 2012

Another decadent chocolate and candy gift basket for all you chocolate lovers out there! This time we’re reviewing the Deluxe Balsam Gift Basket with more than enough sweets and treats inside to deliver a smile.

All the chocolate and snacks are delivered inside a real dark willow hand-woven basket and completed with a hand-tied burgundy ribbon bow. This gift basket has a very stunning presentation when it is first delivered; color-coordinated gifts inside with a quality basket that will definitely be used around the home once the candy is gone! You could reuse this willow basket as a table centerpiece with fruit or napkins inside. The basket would also be great for functional storage in your living room, office or bedroom! Use the basket to store pens, markers, utensils; a place to organize and store remotes; a collective key holder; or store lotions and nail polish.

Of course, before I get to other uses for the gift basket, I have to enjoy all the goodies inside (see what I did there? “Have to” like it will actually be a chore!). Inside this sweet gift basket you’ll find Armaretti Del Chiorsto® Cookies, (one of my personal favorites) Ferrero Rocher® Chocolates, very rich and chocolaty Godiva® Gems® Truffles, Walkers® Olde English Royal Toffees, World’s Finest® Mint Meltaways Chocolates (which make awesome after dinner treats…or maybe I’m just trained by Olive Garden!), Fannie May® Cookies & Cream Bark, and one of my new favorite sweets Brown & Haley® Almond Roca® Buttercrunch Toffee. I will eat anything from Ferrero Rocher® and Fannie May®, but I seriously love the Cookies & Cream Bark; Cookies & Cream everything for me if we’re being honest. I could see putting this in some ice cream during the summer for an extra sweet treat. And the Almond Roca® Buttercrunch Toffee was amazing; I just wish I had about 50 more pieces. It has the perfect combination of sweet and buttery with a great crunch to it. There was too much candy and chocolate inside the gift basket for me to eat all at once , so I made a cute little candy dish out of the sweets to leave in the living room for everyone to grab at when they needed a little sweet fix! 

This deluxe gift basket also has Fannie May® Pixies® Cocoa and Ghirardelli® Double Chocolate Cocoa. These will definitely be great to set aside for a cool night or a rainy day indoors. If you need your chocolate fix immediately no matter what the weather says, try them chilled! Make your cocoa as you normally would with hot water, but then add ice cubes or blend it with ice and milk for your own at home iced beverage.

For all the chocolate and sweets inside the Balsam gift basket, the Honey Wheat Pretzel Braids and Smoky Mozzarella Mini Baguettes will be a great savory snack. Break out your favorite dips, cheeses, or just eat them plain! Maybe you’re like me, but I always enjoy something salty or savory after I’ve had a lot of sweets or chocolate. I think these two snacks make a perfect addition to this very sugary gift basket.

The Deluxe Balsam gift basket makes a wonderful thank you present, a sweet graduation treat, or a cozy housewarming present. With so many great treats inside and a reusable gift basket it’s at the top of our best gift list!

Feedback, Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Party!, Thank You Gifts

Mother’s Day Gift Guide & Quiz

May 3, 2012

Welcome Back!

Still stuck on what to get or do for dear ol’ Mom? Do our fun little quiz to help pick the perfect gift for your special Mom called: GUESS THAT MOM! Answer the questions below to figure out what kind of Mom you have and a special gift we’ve lined up for her. It’s simple and silly (and I was very close to just making this into a quiz about which Spice Girl we all were) but we’re almost at the end of the week, so it’s time for a little fun.

When you’re done taking our little Mother’s Day Gift Quiz, tell me in the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) which answer you got and come up with your own gift idea that would fit!

Q: What is the one object your Mom can’t live without?

A) Her gardening gloves
B) She’s named the oven
C) Her all new organic shower scrub and exfoliator kit
D) An always full chocolate dish in the kitchen

Q: It’s party time! Where is your Mom?

A) Setting up a beautiful floral centerpiece on the table
B) Cooking all the food and playing hostess to the guest
C) Sitting back and enjoying the party, grabbing treats as they come
D) Eagerly awaiting which desserts they bring out

Q: If your Mom had her own TV show, what would it be?

A) Redesigning yard spaces on HGTV
B) Move over, Giada! Mom has a new cooking special on Food Network!
C) Definitely a reality show
D) Think Anthony Bourdain, but with only desserts!

Q: What is Mom’s favorite holiday? (Besides Mother’s Day of course!)

A) Earth Day
B) Thanksgiving
C) Does Summer count as a holiday?
D) Halloween or Valentines Day

Q: What’s Mom’s favorite color?

A) Earthy Green
B) Fiery Red
C) Tranquil Blue
D) Warm Chestnut

Q: It’s Sunday afternoon, where is your Mom?

A) Out in the garden, of course!
B) Cooking up a gourmet brunch
C) At her spa appointment
D) Whipping up a sweet Sunday confection

Did you get…

Garden Tote with ToolsMostly A’s: She’s a nature woman! You can always find her out in her garden tending to the flowers or enjoying the greenery around her. We’re sure she’d love this Gourmet Garden Tote Gift with Tools.

 

 

 

Cucina Rustica BasketMostly B’s: A natural born chef, you really mean it when you say there is nothing like Mom’s home cooking! Get her a great gift that she’ll love to use like this Cucina Rustica Italian Gift Basket.

 

 

 

Apres Ski Spa Basket

Mostly C’s: No one knows how to be more relaxed than Mom. She takes “treat yourself” to a whole new level! We know that she’ll love this pampering Apres Rain Spa Gift Basket.

 

 

 

Spring Godiva Chocolates BasketMostly D’s: It’s no secret: Mom is an absolute chocolate lover! The best way to Mom’s heart this Mother’s Day is with her sweet tooth! (To be fair, all of her is pretty sweet). She’ll definitely love this Spring Elegance Godiva® Chocolates Gift Basket.

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Delightfully Decadent Tea Gift Basket

May 2, 2012

I couldn’t have come up with a more perfect name for this beautiful spring-time gift basket. The Delightfully Decadent Tea Gift Basket makes for the best tea-time gift set for anyone who enjoys the sweet spring season or a relaxing afternoon tea.

This tea gift basket is very striking at first sight, showing a softly woven lavender basket, with a gorgeous faux orchid floral decoration and pastel green ribbon bow holding everything together. It’s very feminine and embodies the spring season. Even better than its appearance are the many delicious and elegant surprises inside this gift basket holds inside. The most striking gift inside the basket is the 3-piece stoneware tea-for-one teapot, lid and cup set! I had no idea when I first saw the gift basket that it was an all-inclusive tea set; I thought it was only a decorated tea pot. This delicately decorated white and orchid tea set comes as a fitted set with the generously sized tea cup acting as base. I really enjoyed how the orchid decoration on the gift basket perfectly matched the detailed orchid decoration on the tea set. Also inside this lovely tea gift basket are Almond French Twists, which are small rolled cookies that go great with both tea and coffee. There is also a very helpful serving of DeBeukelaer® Pirouline® Wafer Rolls; a flaky and buttery outside with creamy chocolate centers. You’ll be happy they included so many wafer rolls if you’re sharing this tasty gift (like a certain nice product reviewer) or be glad there are so many cookies even if you’re keeping this all to yourself!

Inside the gift basket is a very large box of Eurostyle Biscuits, so buttery and delicious, and enough to fill up half of my cookie jar (after I ate about five of them)! Sticking with the theme of a delightful tea party in a gift basket, they’ve included Nikki’s® Teapot-shaped Sugar Cookies. So adorable and extremely delicious, these cookies make a perfect small sweet for your side of tea.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a tea gift basket without some delicious tea and honey! This gift basket includes a box of Twinings® Darjeeling Tea, which boasts a mild and relaxing flavor perfect for afternoon tea-time or a late night cup of tea. The Darjeeling tea is perfectly matched with the small Tiptree® Honey Jar that is also included, with a very sweet and organic taste.

The Delightfully Decadent Tea Gift Basket would be a really great gift for any tea lover or someone who is need of a relaxing afternoon. I could see this as being an excellent house warming present or better yet, an amazing gift for Mom! Add a nice bouquet of flowers, pastries, or extra boxes of tea to this tea gift set and make it an extra special bundle gift for Mother’s Day, Birthdays, or a “Thinking of You” present.

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Flowers of Spring Wine Gift Basket

May 2, 2012
wine gift basket spring

wine gift basket springAll I have to say about this wine gift basket is WOW! Okay, I have a lot more to say about this gift; otherwise the blog post would only be that sentence.

This is the Flowers of Spring Wine Gift Basket (and also one of the many reasons I love that my job is writing about gift baskets). It is a beautiful wine gift basket that comes with two bottles of Blair Family® Red Table Wine, Cheryl’s Dark Chocolate Chip cookies (yum!), Butter Crisps cookies, Chocolate Crème Filled cookies, Eurostyle Biscuits (aka more cookies), one big flower shaped, frosted cookie, and then some Lentil Chips and Cheese Spread for when you’re sugared out! All of these gift basket treats are nestled tightly inside a gorgeous white metal gift basket that has floral decorated cut-outs on the top of the container. Of course, I want to talk about some of the individual gift basket contents that I thought were really amazing.

Being the nice person that I am, I shared most of the gift basket with my family.  First we opened a bottle of the Blair Family® Red Table Wine. I’ll be honest; I have a limited knowledge of wine. I can look up pairing information and taste wines and determine which bottles I like and don’t like. So it’s always a relief for me when someone else does the pairing for me, which is exactly what this wine gift basket does. This red wine is a bit heavy and has a layered taste of warm vanilla and a hint of coffee. Lucky for me, it paired perfectly with the arrangement of cookies. My personal favorite pairing would be the Butter Crisps cookies. I could also see this as being good over a dinner involving beef or steak. It seems to be one of those very complementing wines to whatever you pair it with. A very tasty wine as well, which is definitely what you’re looking for in a wine gift basket. Once again, more than grateful that this wine gift basket already took care of the pairing suggestions for me!flowers of spring wine gift basket

Obviously, I’ll have to talk about the cookies and my restraint to not eat every crumb from the gift basket. I had a taste of each cookie and immediately put them all in a cookie jar so that I would not be tempted. Inside the gift basket is a box of Cheryl’s Dark Chocolate Chip cookies which are crunchy, buttery and absolutely divine with the mixture of dark chocolate chips. The Chocolate Crème Filled cookies were a great surprise with the chocolate inside chocolate more fudge like. The Eurostyle Biscuits make great butter cookies and I would suggest a nice glass of milk with them to take down the crunchiness of the cookie. The Butter Crisps cookies were delicious, a lot larger than I thought they would be, and I nearly finished them upon opening the gift basket. I was very surprised with the flower shaped frosted cookie that is featured in the front of the gift basket. I checked out the nutrition information on the back of the plastic and discovered that it was made with all materials that I knew by name! (So rare to find in a sugar cookie these days) Wheat, eggs, milk, sugar, and flour all top the list of ingredients, and you’ll find other ingredients you can recognize as the list goes on. A very impressive cookie!

I only tried a little bit of the lentil chips and cheese spread, but they too are a perfect pairing for the two lovely red bottles found in this wine gift basket. The lentil chips were light and airy and the cheese very creamy. It was a perfect combination and just the snack needed after a sugar overload!

If you have anyone with a birthday coming up, maybe a housewarming party on the horizon, this is a definitely go-to gift that I would highly recommend. And who knows, maybe they’ll be just as nice as I was and share with you!

Gift Baskets, Gift Baskets Catalog, Teacher Appreciation, Thank You Gifts

Spring Delight Godiva® Chocolates Gift Basket

April 30, 2012

Whoever said that diamonds were a girl’s best friend clearly never had a sweet surprise like this Spring Delight Godiva® Chocolates Gift Basket delivered to them!

Upon delivery, this beautiful gift basket is perfectly assembled (not a box out of place!) in an off white aluminum gift basket and protected by a tight seal and a glimmering green bow with a floral decoration to top it off. This chocolate gift basket has a very stunning presentation!

First things first, laying out all the chocolate that’s inside this gift basket. I slip off the hand-tied bow ever so carefully, so that I won’t ruin it and place it to the side. Tucked inside the gift basket is an array of chocolate bars, pieces, cocoa and more. As a proper product review, I know immediately that I have to taste every bit of chocolate in this basket (professional obligations of course!).

The Godiva® Dark Truffle Heart Biscuits are absolutely delicious. A sweet yet buttery cookie with a topping of smooth dark chocolate, this cookie is too good.

I set aside only one Godiva® Gems® Truffle, because I don’t have that strong of will power if I leave them all out. Another rich chocolate to eat, also more rich chocolate to hide from myself.

Inside this chocolate gift basket is Godiva® Caffe Chocolate Truffle Coffee and a packet of Godiva® Milk Chocolate Cocoa. It’s too late in the day for me to make either of these surely delicious beverages, but I know they will come in handy when the weather decides to randomly dip down about 20 degrees!

I’ve seen the Godiva® dessert bars and chocolates around a few stores or checkout lanes for a while but I’ve only bought one flavor as a special treat. The Godiva® gift basket contains one Godiva® Dark Chocolate Raspberry Bar that perfectly marries dark chocolate with sweet raspberry filling. I’ve read recently that dark chocolate is supposed to be good for you, so I’ll just count this as a healthy part of the gift basket (it has fruit; that counts right?).

There really is no health-conscious excuse for the Godiva® Strawberry Cheesecake Dessert Chocolate. It’s just amazing and tastes like they were able to fit a strawberry cheesecake inside a tiny chocolate casing. Maybe that could be my argument, this beautiful chocolate bar makes up for me not eating an entire strawberry cheesecake slice with chocolate drizzled over it. Sounds like a good excuse to me!

The last item in this bountiful chocolate gift basket is the small box of Godiva® Dark Chocolate Covered Raisins. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate covered raisins, but even I can’t resist eating a few because the chocolate enrobed over it is just too good to say no to.

The Spring Delight Godiva® Chocolate Gift Basket is basically the best chocolate gift to give for any and all chocolate lovers. There is more than enough chocolate inside this small gift basket to hold you over for a few chocolate cravings. They’ll love every content of this gift basket and can even use the container when they’re finished!

Birthday Gift, Customer Appreciation, Feedback, Gift Baskets, Product Designers, Thank You Gifts

Earth Day

April 19, 2012

Welcome back readers,

I hope you all enjoyed the picnic post, because I seriously loved reading all your own ideas and recipes (I will definitely be remembering that frisbee/plate tip)! I feel very confident that all FIVE lucky and random winners will be putting this picnic gift basket to good use. Congratulations to Melissa (April 12, 2012 at 1:40 pm), Sharon R (April 12, 2012 at 1:59 pm), Riyan (April 12, 2012 at 8:44 pm), Shannon Schulte (April 13, 2012 at 8:44 pm), and Diana (April 15, 2012 at 9:18 am)! Email your shipping info to me at amariscal@1800flowers.com and I’ll send out your picnic gift basket!

As I’m sure you all have starred on your calendars, Earth Day is this Sunday! It’s truly important for all of us to know and be aware of how we impact our home and figure out ways to be more environmentally friendly. At 1800Baskets.com, we try to be as environmentally conscious as we can be. We love that our gift baskets can always serve another purpose when the products are gone, and most (if not all) of our gift basket content can be recycled! We even try to sell eco-friendly gifts at affordable prices.

Recently I was looking around for a small cleansing gift for a friend, so I figured I would check out our spa gift basket section. I just noticed that we started selling products and gift baskets from Crabtree & Evelyn! All natural materials, very environmentally conscious, and they come in such cute and stylish containers. Obviously, I have to have these (especially the avocado products!).

We also have a ton of Source Vérité gift baskets in our spa gift baskets collection. I wanted something a bit smaller though, and I saw these eco-friendly soaps that I thought could be a cute host/hostess gift or just something I could add to my stock pile for Mother’s Day gifts.

If you want to have fun with this weekend (or even week!) check out our friends at Cheryl’s who have an awesome idea for an Earth Day Party!

Want to get started on how you can do small or large things to help the environment this Earth Day without having to drastically change your life? Small changes help just as much as large changes, and it will be easier to stick with when it doesn’t affect you or cause extra work! We found this cool list of how to help here, so I’ll just highlight the very simple ones:

  • Change your lightbulbs
  • Turn off electronics (especially computers!) at night when you’re not using them
  • Don’t rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher
  • Recycle glass products
  • Go vegetarian at least once a week
  • Use one less paper napkin when you go out to eat
  • Wash your clothes in cold or warm water
  • Recycle newspapers
  • Plant a tree!
  • Use cruise control while driving to get up to 15% better gas mileage!
  • And many more great ideas here at 50 Ways To Help

So tell me in the comments section (1-2 paragraphs) in what ways you give back the environment or ways that you plan to start! FIVE lucky and random winners will be taking home Crabtree & Evelyn Avocado Sampler!

Happy early Earth Day!