Fourth of July

Independence day is a wonderful summer holiday. There's no better way to enjoy the warm sunny day and watch fireworks at night than surrounded by family and friends while eating some delicious food. After all, it isn't a 4th of July party without food, so fire up the grill, put on your red, white, and blue, and get ready for a great time!

One of the more popular choices for a cookout are burgers and hot dogs. Mackenzie and Chesapeake Bay both offer the Dry Aged Burgers. We describe these burgers as "steaks on a bun" because they're made from choice cuts of dry-aged beef. In fact, one customer called them "the best burgers money can buy" in his product review.  For a burger with a twist, we recommend the Stuffed Burgers from Mackenzie. They come in five flavors: bacon cheddar, lamb, steakhouse, Asian, and Black & Blue. Now comes the hard part- picking out what flavor you want!

Dry Aged Burgers

For desserts, in addition to refreshing frozen treats like ice cream, it's important to have other types of sweets as well. Chesapeake's Pear Raspberry Tart screams Fourth of July with its star cut-outs. Another summery choice is the Berry Tiramisu from Mackenzie. It's filled with raspberries and blueberries, making it a colorfully festive cake for Independence Day.

Left: Pear Raspberry Tart
Right: Berry Tiramisu

Be sure to take a look at some of Mackenzie's other grilling items here. From salmon to steaks to ribs, you'll find something that will please almost anyone. Happy Fourth of July from all of us to you.

Easter Brunch

The third and final post in our Easter series. Read post 1 on entrees here and post 2 on desserts here.

There's nothing like a nice brunch on Easter, especially on a beautiful spring morning. If you are lucky enough to be outside (given that Mother Nature cooperates), you can enjoy a brunch on the patio with loved ones while watching the kids hunt for treat-filled eggs around the yard. Our brunch selections allow you to spend less time in the kitchen. From salmon to sweets, we offer an array of options.

Hash Brown Casserole

Our new Hash Brown Casserole is simply oozing with flavor and makes for a delightful brunch dish. Hash browns are combined with peppers, bacon, just a little kick of spice, and rich Cheddar cheese. Your guests will want seconds!

Is something sweet more your style? We have the classic Belgian Waffles- choose from maple or vanilla, but we recommend trying both. Another classic is the cinnamon buns, a true comfort food. The Cinnamon Cheese Blintzes are also delicious- delicate crepes, tender and slightly crisp, are filled with lightly sweetened cheese and rolled in cinnamon. Brunch isn't complete without some sweetness!

Left: Cinnamon Buns
Top Right: Belgian Waffles
Bottom Right: Cinnamon Cheese Blintzes

Of course our salmon is an excellent choice not only for brunch, but for any meal. Our samplers offer the perfect variety, guaranteeing that everyone will be happy. The Seal Point Smoked Salmon Sampler includes the following: 8 oz of our Mackenzie Scottish smoked salmon, 8 oz. of Ducktrap River Kendall Brook smoked salmon, 4 oz. of Ducktrap River Pepper & Garlic smoked salmon, and 4 oz of Ducktrap River Pastrami smoked salmon. The Ducktrap River Georges Bank Sampler offers more than just salmon. It comes with 6 oz. smoked mussels, 6 oz. smoked scallops, and 8 oz. Kendall Brook smoked salmon.

Be sure to browse our other brunch items here. There are so many choices to make your Easter or springtime brunch absolutely perfect.

Seal Point Smoked Salmon Sampler

Easter Desserts

This is the second part of a three-part series on Easter meals. Read part 1 here.

UPDATE: All Easter desserts (Waddles, Cake pops, Petit Fours, and Easter Delight Cookies) are now SOLD OUT! Feel free to check out our other dessert offerings.

So we all know that Easter is filled with chocolate and sweets. Walking around the grocery store this time of year means seeing aisles upon aisles of Easter candy. Chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, egg shaped candies...the list goes on and on. Even with so many choices, the candy will soon be picked over and the shelves wiped clean the closer we get to Easter. You need to shop early in order to have the best selection.

In addition to all of this candy, it's still necessary to have other desserts for Easter gatherings. That's where we come in. We have terrific dessert options for Easter. However, we also recommend that you order your Easter treats early before they sell out!

Waddles

Back this year are the popular Waddles. Pictured above, these milk chocolate treats are simply adorable. Inside each egg awaits a flavored candy duck in yellow, pink, green, or blue. They almost may be too cute to eat...almost.

Another item is our Easter Delight Cookies. They would add a burst of color to your dessert table. They are shaped and decorated as eggs, bunnies, and chicks in pretty spring colors. Our Easter Cake Pops are a wonderful accompaniment to the cookies. The chocolate cake eggs and vanilla cake chicks assure that everyone will be pleased.

Top Left: Easter Delight Cookies
Bottom Left: Flower Petit Fours
Top Right: Easter Petit Fours
Bottom Right: Easter Cake Pops

We also offer the Petit Fours. We have two options- Easter themed or flower themed. Both varieties come in an array of flavors coated in pastel icing. The Easter Petit Fours are adorned in flowers, bunnies, and carrots while the Flower Petit Fours are decorated with what else, flowers. They are bite-sized and delicious.

Looking for something without an Easter theme? We recommend the Carrot Cake, Limoncello Cake, or the Strawberry Smith Island Cake. These cakes provide the flavors of spring in something a little more classic.

Any one of these desserts will be perfect for Easter. On what will hopefully be a warm, sunny spring day, we want you and your guests to indulge in something sweet. You won't have to sneak a piece of candy from the kid's baskets when you have one of these desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Don't forget to check out the post on Easter entrees and stay tuned for the next post about Easter brunch.

Left: Limoncello Cake
Top Right: Carrot Cake
Bottom Right: Strawberry Smith Island Cake

Easter Entrees

This is the first post in a three part series on Easter meals.

It was a brutal winter and even though it may not feel like it yet, spring has officially arrived. Soon enough, the temperatures will grow warmer, flowers will bloom, and people will be spending time outside again. 

With spring also comes Easter. Children will be anxious to wake up and see what goodies the Easter bunny dropped off. Little girls will be hunting for eggs in their pastel colored dresses and bonnets. And adults will be busy preparing a wonderful meal. 

When most people think of Easter dinner, they think of ham. An Easter staple, ham is a delicious centerpiece that you can't go wrong with. Another great option is lamb. Our Leg of Lamb Roast makes dinner easy- all the work is done - it is boned, butterflied, trussed, and ready for cooking. A different option however, is our Stuffed Pork Crown Roast. It's dramatic, elegant, impressive, and of course, delectable.

These are just a few of our favorites for Easter. Make sure you check out our other entrees here. No matter what entree you serve, you and your guests will be satisfied. So let us know in the comments, which main dish is your Easter favorite?

Remember to stay tuned for our next post about Easter desserts.

Left: Stuffed Pork Crown Roast
Top Right: Smithfield Honey Cured Ham
Bottom Right: Leg of Lamb Roast

Holiday Gift Ideas

It's that time of year again. A month filled with holiday cheer, desserts galore, time with family and friends, and gift giving. Although this time of year is wonderful, with it brings crazy shopping days. Stores are packed with people, it's impossible to find a parking spot, and you can spend hours searching for the right gift. It can be so hard to shop for all of the people on your list. You don't know what people like and you don't know what they already own. But there is one gift that someone will always enjoy...and that gift is food. Food is the perfect gift for someone that has everything.

Avoid the craziness this holiday season and shop from the comfort of your home. Sitting by the fire with a warm drink sounds a lot better than venturing outside to the madhouse that is the mall, right? So sit back, relax, and browse our website or catalog for the perfect gift.

Chesapeake Bay Crab Cake's and More offers several gift tins of our famous crab cakes with fresh crab meat, herbs, and spices. The Crab Cake Gift Tin comes with four 4 oz. Perfect Crab Cakes. The Baby Cake Gift Tin is packed with twenty-five of our Baby Cakes, the smaller version of our Perfect Crab Cakes. We also have an Hors d'oeuvres Gift Tin with twelve Baby Cakes, twelve Crab Puffs, and twelve Lobster & Crab Swirls. Excellent gift for a crab lover.

Baby Cake Gift Tin

You could also gift one of Mackenzie's salmon gift baskets. Try the Salmon Sensation Gift Basket or the Simply Gourmet Gift Basket, both come packed in a picnic basket with salmon, spreads, and crackers. Just need a simple hostess gift? Try the Stilton & Walnut Stars- the rich, blue tang of Stilton married with the warmth of walnuts makes a great savory combination in an all-butter biscuit. They go perfect with a dark ale or English cheese and fruit. 

Salmon Sensation Gift Basket        Stilton & Walnut Stars

You could also give someone the gift of a complete meal. Impromptu's Dinner for Two's are wonderful gifts that come with an appetizer, entree, side, and dessert. Wonderful for someone who is always on-the-go and doesn't have time to prepare meals. 

European Flair Dinner for Two

Don't know what type of food someone likes or afraid of food allergies? Give them the the chance to pick out what they want to try by giving them a gift card. Chesapeake Bay, Mackenzie, and Impromptu all offer gift cards.

Remember, you can gift other items on our websites as well. There are too many gift ideas to write about, but you can check out some more here. Anything you find on the website can be used as a gift for that special friend, family member, or hostess. You can also get items shipped directly to the recipient's home. Remember- food is the perfect gift for someone that has everything. Happy holidays!

Thanksgiving Favorites

Thanksgiving is almost here and this holiday is a food-lovers dream. The aromas of delicious foods fill the air and you are surrounded by people you love. This is the time to bring out the family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Everybody has their holiday favorites, but it can sometimes be too stressful to cook so much food. We can help with that.

Thanksgiving isn't complete without a turkey. Mackenzie's Roasted Turkey is the perfect centerpiece for your dinner. We also offer several stuffings to compliment the main dish. Impromptu's Traditional Stuffing is rich with aromatic flavors of celery and onions, and a traditional poultry seasoning. Mackenzie's Cranberry Sausage Stuffing adds a twist to your meal. The traditional bread stuffing, rich with aromatics, is given a gourmet lift by the addition of cranberries and rich pork sausage.

Roasted Turkey

Try one of our stuffed turkeys for something different. The Stuffed Turkey Roast combines the classics into one fabulous dish. Premium turkey breast is butterflied and rolled with delicious raisin, apple, and sage stuffing, making it a snap to carve. We also make a Turkey Roulade with Dried Cranberry & Apple Stuffing. Tender and moist, the turkey is stuffed with a mouthwatering dried cranberry, apple and sage bread stuffing and rolled up for an alluring presentation.

Turkey Roulade with Dried Cranberry & Apple Stuffing

Take the fuss out of your holiday so you can have more time relaxing with family instead of cooking. Having one to two less dishes to cook will help make for a stress-free holiday.

October Dessert Ideas

Fall is here. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and leaves are changing from green to the colors of a sunset. Sandals and bathing suits are being replaced by boots and sweaters. No longer iced tea and lemonade, but apple cider and pumpkin-spiced drinks. Barbecues with hot dogs and watermelon are fading away, turning into parties with pumpkin pies and apples.

Every season has certain foods, drinks, colors, and events associated with it. Fall is filled with pumpkin flavored things, warm colors, and of course, Halloween. You may remember going trick-or-treating as a kid, dressing up in your costume for school, and getting yelled at for eating too much candy. Halloween changes as you grow older, opening up opportunities to host Halloween parties, bake goodies, and give out candy. Hosting a party can be a lot of work, but cute touches and fabulous food will make your guests say, "WOW!"

Some desserts that you could include at your party include Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins from Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes & More. These muffins are the ultimate fall delight. Mackenzie Limited's Pumpkin Smith Island Cake and Apple Trio would also be wonderful additions to the dessert table. The granny smith apples coated in chocolate and caramel are divine. The Spooky Collection Cookies would also be a popular item for all ages. The vibrant colors and fun shapes will add a pop of fun to your party. Having kids at this party? Try the Halloween Haunted Gingerbread House. You don't have to wait until December to enjoy a gingerbread house, they can be enjoyed any time!

Having a well-stocked dessert table will make your Halloween party top-notch. What better way to take advantage of the season than by enjoying Halloween and fall foods with friends and family? And after all, who doesn't like desserts?!

Pictured: Top Left- Pumpkin Smith Island Cake; Top Right: Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins; Bottom Left: Spooky Collection Cookies; Bottom Right: Apple Trio

New and Improved

Chesapeake Fine Food Group is very excited to announce the launch of our new websites!

Now you can shop all three of our gourmet catalogs online and check out from a single location. Using the tabs at the top of each homepage, you can easily navigate and shop Mackenzie Limited, Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes & More, and Impromptu Gourmet, and add all your gourmet goodies to the same shopping cart with one low shipping price.

While we urge you explore our new online home, please stay tuned and check back as we revamp our blog. After a long hiatus, we are eager to bring pen to paper and deliver to you our insider finds and insights.

Bon Appetit from all of us at Chesapeake Fine Food Group!

A Healthy New Year To You

This time of year I make promises to myself on what I'm going to do differently in the coming year. At the top of my list is to each a healthy lunch, something I rarely do in between tastings. And as with everything I eat, be it healthy or not, the standard is pretty high in terms of my taste and quality expectations. I don't think anyone would disagree -- I'm a very picky eater!

This past Christmas season, when time is at a premium, I tried something I've never done before. I ordered 10 fresh made lunches from a unique company, Personal Chef to Go. I was somewhat skeptical as to what I would receive as their website promised a lot: fresh, healthy, delicious meals delivered to your door, guaranteed to stay fresh for 8 days.

I am happy to say that they lived up to their lofty promises. I found each meal unique and delicious, even considering the ideal calorie/fat/carb ratio. I wasn't sure that something so healthy could taste so good. The only downside is that you do not get to pick your meals, but some that I tried were something I would not have ordered but did thoroughly enjoy.

Equally surprising was the incredible manner in which they were packaged. The box arrived in absolutely perfect condition, right on time. And true to the promise, the meals stayed in perfect condition for exactly 1 week. You are also able to freeze what you can't eat, which I did do also with great results.

So in the New Year I will definitely be utilizing the amazing services of Personal Chef To Go, and if your goals are anything like mine I encourage you to give them a try!

Last Minute Holiday Treats

With Christmas only 3 days away, you might think that it's too late to order in your favorite foods. Not true! Many gourmet food retailers understand that they'll be working and shipping packages until the final moments, which this year means December 23rd at 3pm. So as long as you don't mind paying for expedited shipping (I've not found many customers that mind the extra charges when they've waited so long to order) you're still in great shape for Christmas deliveries.

That is, weather permitting. This year is particularly challenging as there are pockets of storms throughout the country, and if you can't get around, then neither can Fedex and UPS. You may not realize that the major hubs for air freight carriers are located in places like Memphis, TN. So even if you're in San Fransisco and it's sunny and 60, your package might well be delayed because of weather the day before in Memphis. My advice is don't be afraid to order late, but have a backup plan in case your package is delayed.

Here are 2 last minute treats that I'll be ordering for myself today, things that I think no holiday should be without: great quality bacon and a show-stopping dessert.

Let's start with the good stuff, bacon from Nodine's Smokehouse. Lean, flavorful, and semi-thick cut, all the qualities I've come to love in a good bacon. My personal favorite is the Applewood Smoked, however you can't go wrong with any flavor, including the nitrite-free.

Let's get to the show-stopping dessert, and when I say that I mean a dessert so beautiful that it literally will delay the post-meal indulgence by an hour. That's what happens when I serve a cheesecake from Elegant Cheesecakes. Not only are they beautiful fully edible creations, but they are equally as delicious, and are guaranteed to arrive overnight in perfect condition. I was dubious that such a masterpiece could be shipped cross country and arrive in good condition, but I assure you that we've been shipping these for years with not one complaint.

The one to pick today (or tomorrow if you're feeling daring!) would be the Traditional Elegance Giftbox cake, a personal favorite of mine. They keep these made and in stock as a "rush" item, ready for all the last minuters.

Here's wishing you great Holiday entertaining, and as always, good health, good friends and family, and good food!

Holiday Shipping

With the holidays fast approaching, the shipping window for foods becomes smaller and smaller, making planning critical. This may seem obvious, but it's all too important. Over the years I've seen and heard too many stories of packages not arriving on time and spoiling celebrations. Most mail order companies do their very best to get every package out, but the reality is that this time of year many are processing 10 times the volume they usually would. Add to that temporary package delivery employees and unpredictable weather, and it all can spell trouble.

The simple advice is: order early! Next week is the busiest delivery week and also the busiest sales period of the year for food shippers, so I recommend placing orders by this Friday to give them time to process. Most foods will arrive frozen or with a shelf life of at least a week, so they will still be in ideal condition for Christmas.

There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as caviar, fresh baked goods, and fresh cut cheeses. I recommend requesting a delivery date of December 23 on these items, which may mean paying for overnight shipping. It's clearly worth it in the case of caviar (and if you're spending the money for good caviar, a bit extra on shipping to assure freshness is a minor addition), but I also believe it's important for most cheese as well. The highly regarded cheese-mongers have cheese cellars that keep fine cheeses in much better shape than the average household refrigerator.

One cheese in particular that I have come to love (and dream about) is Serra da Estrela from Portugal. Dating back to the 12th century, this DOP cheese is a sheep's milk cheese from the Portuguese mountains. It is considered the "king of Portuguese cheeses." Handmade in small batches using wild thistle to coagulate the milk, the curds are broken by hand instead of being cut. Typically, only two or three are made each day. The cheese is luscious, soft, gooey, and herbaceous. It pairs well with spicier reds like Syrah and Pinot Noir.

Serra de Estrela can be hard to find most of the year, but around the holidays it can be found at fine shops like Artisinal in New York. Be sure to order a whole cheese in order to keep it with the traditional linen wrapping. To serve, bring the cheese to room temperature and cut open the top. I enjoy this cheese best scooped out with a spoon and served with Portuguese Tomato Jam.

Stay tuned for my next post... Gourmet Food Gifts under $ 30.00!!