I've heard from a few of you that the 2007 Short Orders Gift Guide was a bit lean on nifty munchies, although that tawny port from Dow is a meal in itself.

Well, have no fear, friends! Here I am to drive away the gloom of winter and give you something to enjoy while you wait for the feeling to return to your extremities. Heck, get hold of some of these goodies and you'll forget that there will be no new "CSI," "Heroes" or "Chuck" episodes until roughly 2013.

For Your Valentine

This Valentine's Day, give your beloved a big box of mice. Chocolate mice, of course! From Burdick Chocolate comes what has to be the most giggle-worthy confection I've seen in a long time. These mice, with sliced-almond ears and silk tails, aren't just gimmicks, though. The chocolate and flavorings are world-class! They come in a very attractive wood box with lovely wrappings and ribbon.

Burdick Chocolate is one of the most exciting chocolatiers I've come across in a long time. Their creativity is amazing, but they have not lost their grip on the fact that they must maintain quality to match it. The chocolate is flat-out stellar. The attention to detail is amazing, and any company that has a special whiskey-based chocolate for Robert Burns Day gets bonus points!

Quick, But Tastes Slow

The "dinner in a jar" concept has been around forever. You buy your meat, you buy your jar of glop, and you follow the directions. Eventually, you end up with something moderately edible.

Well, the folks at Good Clean Food have taken that concept and turned it into something you'll actually want to eat. Their simmer sauces for chicken and seafood, with one small exception, deliver outstanding flavor with incredible ease of preparation.

My favorite? It's a tough call. The Mediterranean seafood sauce, redolent with garlic, onions and capers married with sun-dried tomatoes by a white wine base sauce, turns even the most dispirited chunk of frozen fish into something that will vanish from the plate.

On the chicken side, the Maine Cider sauce smells so good while cooking that you'll find it very difficult to keep your fingers out of the pot. This may be the most marvellously fragrant prepared sauce I've ever tasted.

The one off note in the collection comes on the seafood side, with the Creole sauce. It just doesn't quite have the kick one would expect from something identifying itself with the fine (and spicy) culinary traditions of Louisiana. It's tasty, just in need of some serious hot sauce additions, even for my self-proclaimed "spice wimp" better half.

All in all, though, the Good Clean Food sauces are yet another shining example of what happens when food enthusiasts commit themselves to producing top-notch products. Thanks to the Internet, they don't die on the vine waiting for some big grocery store to pick them up and give them six inches of shelf space.

Poppin' Great Stuff

I don't know what it is about the Midwest, but the popcorn entrepreneurs there have just about cornered the market on great flavors. My new pals at Chicago Popcorn Works add a wrinkle to the recipe by using air-popped popcorn, which is free of hydrogenated oils and trans fats. I've never been a fan of air-popped corn, finding it to be very similar to packing peanuts in mouth feel, but the Chicago folks have somehow conquered that problem.

And the flavors? Wow!

They have the usual caramel and cheddar corns, both outstanding and among the best I've tried, but my favorites of their line are the Chicago Mix, a blend of caramel and cheddar corn that may be the most addictive on the planet, and the Chipotle Cheddar, which has an awesome spicy kick. Like with the best spicy treats, your mouth will be on fire but you won't be able to stop eating. By the time I finished my sample bag, my forehead was dripping with sweat and my tongue was covered in tiny flames ... and I still wanted more.

Looking for something beyond the usual bowl of "cheezy popcorn" to adorn your Super Bowl party table? Get yourself some of this!

Got a question? Comment? Topic you'd like to see covered? Drop me a line, anytime!