Friends – All Things Gourmet

Hey Shorty, It’s Your Day!

Next to any day celebrating any form of chocolate (which should be everyday), I would have to say that today is one of my favorite new days to celebrate! Today is National Shortbread Day! Horray! I have loved shortbread since I was a young thing – that buttery taste of bliss – there’s not much that compares to shortbread!

And when I want shortbread I am going to be reaching for the closest tin or box of Shortbread House of Edinburgh that I can grab! And sadly, I have to say, it’s something that goes quickly in my house, if I have it! Between myself and my sons, shortbread doesn’t stand a chance of having a long shelf life in my cupboards! There is good reason why for that – it’s because we can’t get enough of this delectable edible!

When I was first introduced to Shortbread House of Edinburgh, I was able to try some from a box of the Sicilian Lemon flavored shortbread.

Then soon after came the tin… with an even bigger piece of shortbread than the box! I found a tin of shortbread biscuits made with Warming Stem Ginger, and YES! Soooo good! So good with a cup of tea! Or just on its own! There are pieces of ginger in the shortbread and it’s just a perfect ratio of deliciousness! You can even see the ginger pieces in the photos below! I must have been good this past year because Santa had a tin of these in my Christmas stocking!

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I can’t even hide these from my kids anymore, my youngest is in love with the Original Recipe biscuits and he keeps asking for more “of those little cookies that taste really good”. Hey, what can I say? I try to make sure my kids get a taste of gourmet luxury when they let me! The Original Recipe is great for any beverage and kids also love the buttery flavor. These biscuits are handmade and you can tell, it’s easy to see and to taste the quality.

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So there you have it, Shorty! It’s your day! National Shortbread Day! Enjoy it! Embrace it! And if you can get your hands on it, get yourself a box or tin of Shortbread House of Edinburgh! Now, I need to get my hands on the Cinnamon & Demerara and the Aromatic Lavender, and then I may just be floating up in the clouds in pure delight!

Christmas Markets of the United States.

Christmas Markets have become a popular place to visit during the Christmas season. What does a Christmas Market entail? And when did it begin? Widely popular all throughout Europe, Christmas Markets have had a long tradition of being an important aspect of the season. Taking a look back at some history, Vienna, Austria, was first to have “December Market” in 1298. As for the Christmas Markets opening in Germany, there have been different answers: Munich 1310, Bauzen 1384 and Frankfurt 1393. From there the Christmas Markets spread across Europe and beyond. Below is a photo from the Christmas Market in Nuremberg.

Christmas Markets are also known as Christkindlmarkts, otherwise known as Christ Child Markets. This dates back to the days of Martin Luther where he wanted to take focus away from the Saints Nicholas and Martin. Before the 1530s, gifts were exchanged on December 6th (St. Nicholas Day) or November 11 (St. Martins Day). Martin Luther’s children received gifts on the 24th of December, from Christkindl or Christ Child, and as that continued some of the Christmas Markets called themselves Christkindlmarkts.

I’d like to make sure we give credit to German Girl In America for a lot of the data and information that I shared here with you all.

Christmas Markets have spread all across the United States and have gained popularity among larger cities. Just take a moment on Google and you can search the many markets across the States. I’ll list a few here:

Note that all the Christmas Markets have different operating dates, times and such. Do check out their websites prior to visiting and research what is available and open during certain times of the holiday season.

These Christmas Markets offer a variety of seasonal treats, foods, candies and an assortment of gifts, festivities and fun for families and friends to enjoy. Have you been to a Christmas Market? If you have, what are your favorite things to do, to see, or to buy?

If you are searching for a Christmas Market near you, try looking at ChristmasMarkets.com to help you with your search!

The photos that are seen throughout this post are all under Creative Commons CC0 and were obtained by Pixabay.

A Little Taste of Denmark.

It’s the holiday season. We have now celebrated Thanksgiving here in the United States and now we are on to all the holidays that await us in December. With the holiday season also comes the holiday party season. Some parties you may need to bring an item to pass, or something to exchange or maybe you just want to bring something along to gift your host. What do you bring? The possibilities are endless, and I can suggest one for you!

Why not bring a tin of delicious butter cookies? You can’t go wrong with butter cookies! Kids and adults enjoy a quick bite of a little butter cookie if you pass it before them! How do I know? I did just this exact thing the other day as I was thinking about writing this post! As I was visiting my brother and the rest of my family out on some wooded property in West Michigan, I brought along a Jacobsens cookie tin. Getting in the festive mood of the season, I had the cute Santa tin along with me.

Out of 11 people comprising of 2 children and 9 adults, I passed around the cookie tin and personally offered a treat. Out of how many people do you think passed on a cookie? NONE. Every. Single. Person… took a Danish butter cookie that was offered to them! You can’t say no to a butter cookie! (And then after you have one, you’ll want to eat another! And then more!)

Jacobsens of Denmark is known world-wide for their butter and chocolate chip cookies. They are light and baked perfectly, and I have to admit, they do seem to “melt” in your mouth when you take a bite! I can never just have one!

These butter cookies, as a lot of the products I feature here, bring me back to my childhood. Along with some other cookies featured here, these Danish butter cookies were always a staple at my grandparents house growing up. I even recall my grandmother using a cleaned out, empty tin for some of her crochet and other sewing supplies! It came in handy for additional storage after the cookies were gone!

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So there you have it! You can have your cookie and then use your tin, too! Some of the Jacobsen’s holiday tins you could reuse to fill other holiday baked treats and items. You could also use it for storing holiday cards and keepsakes! A perfect holiday cookie tin you can bring to share, exchange, or gift! Give the taste of Denmark as a gift to someone you care about this holiday season! Perfect with a nice cup of tea, coffee or hot cocoa!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all our friends and family that follow us here at Gourmet Nibbles a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving weekend! We are thankful to have you all here along for our gourmet journey and we are glad to be a part of your journey as well! A very HAPPY THANKSGIVING from us and of course Gourmet International! Be merry, enjoy your time with loved ones and share with us some of your Thanksgiving traditions!

Now, go NIBBLE on that turkey and stuffing…!!