Healthy eating is on my mind. In fact, it’s on my mind a lot lately as I deal with some dietary issues for my eight year old son. We’ve never been truly unhealthy eaters, more that we rely on convenience. My own problems (which are different from my son’s) have to do with my weight and are more a matter of getting up off my fat butt to work out than stepping away from the chips. I wasn’t much of a label reader before The Boy’s food issues but I did make sure we ate our fruits and veggies and didn’t ingest stuff like fried Twinkies all the time.

Lately however, I’m reading a lot more labels.

Now, I’m not going to make any excuses for past bad habits. Most of us aren’t idiots. We know the types of foods we should eat, just as smokers know that cancer is just a puff away.  We know what we should be eating and we all have excuses as to why we’re not doing our best in that area. Here’s the problem as I see it: The best, healthiest foods are either difficult to find or they’re expensive. Yes, we should police ourselves, but it’s not like the stuff we need to eat is easy to find, either.

Kind of screwed up right?

Every week I navigate through the aisles of HoHos and Doritos, knowing that it’s never a problem to find crap. They’re displayed in kiosks and on sale right there in front of the store. We have reminders telling us to stock up and save. Funny how we’re encouraged to have a cupboard of crap but no one is posting big signs at the front of the store telling us not to buy hormone-induced milk or to have five servings of vegetable each day. In fact, the organic, whole grain, healthier fare is relegated to an aisle or two in some obscure, barely noticeable corner of the store.

Am I the only one who thinks something is wrong here?

Not only is it more difficult to find the healthier foods, but they cost a lot more money.  So I can buy liters of soda for .99 cents but if I want to buy juice that isn’t loaded with sugar or high fructose syrups I’ll have to pay $5.00.If I want to buy box of whole grain spaghetti I have to pay a premium, but I can find the white carbs on sale two for a dollar. People on a limited budget have a more difficult time finding the healthy stuff.

Granted, fruits and vegetables aren’t difficult to find, but most stuff found on sale at the supermarket is loaded with pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers and is heavy on the bruises. If I want to buy organic fruits (my rant about organic foods will be found under separate cover, so stay tuned) and veggies, again, I have to pay a premium.

You can educate us until kingdom come, but that won’t change the fact that it’s harder to buy healthier foods.  I want to know why the whole grain, organic, and crap-free foods are hidden in an area of the local supermarkets very few people even know exist. Stores such as Whole Foods provide healthier fare, for sure, but they’re not as convenient – we have to drive and, again, the food is a lot more expensive.

Now, I realize that it’s up to me to identify and buy the best foods for my family. I get that and gladly accept the responsibility. I’d like to see the supermarkets take some responsibility too. Let’s see some of those healthier food items get the same pomp and circumstance as the bad for us stuff.

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Behold: Cookerati’s Top 15 Food Fails

1. Velveeta

There’s a reason it melts better than cheddar, though we wouldn’t exactly tout that as a selling point. This over-processed,  greasy alternative to American cheeses is almost inedible, but it’s cheap and it melts and for some that’s all that counts.

2. Cheese that doesn’t need refrigeration

There’s a reason you find most cheeses in the refrigerated dairy aisle. If it’s not somewhere cold, ask yourself why -but whatever you do, don’t read the label if you have a bad heart.

3. Items with the word “product” or “food” next to them

The picture says it all, doesn’t it? Mmm….yummy.

4. Supermarket Cooking Wine

If you can’t drink it, don’t cook with it.

5. Fast food salads

Never mind that fast food salads are just as fattening as most regular fast food entrees. Most of these salads are suffering from a lack of creativity. Wilted, lettuce, some cherry tomatoes and some hunks of breaded chicken. Voila! Fast food salad

6. Frozen Pizza

No. It doesn’t taste like delivery, even with bread sticks.

7. Special Sauce

If you can’t identify it, or the restaurant won’t identify it, don’t eat it.

8. Canned Pasta

Sodium, sugar and fat in a can. Let’s encourage our kids to eat this for lunch each day.

9. Supersizing

We should all do our part in eliminating obesity. But first, would you like fries with that?

9. Stuff that has no business being deep fried

Artery clogging goodness.

10. Pork Rinds

Crackling, deep fried bits of swine. What else needs to be said?

11. Airline Food

Image via AirlineFoods.net

Makes it so tempting to fly coach, doesn’t it?*

12. Spam

Sometimes there’s no need for words.

13. Fast food ribs

Food that’s best slow cooked doesn’t translate well to “fast.”

14. Salad Dressing

Let’s lose weight by dressing our salad with something really fattening.

15. Boxed Wine

Party in a box.

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I don’t know what the weather is like in your corner of the world, but where I live we’ve been dealing with 90 and 100+ degree temps, with no rain. We have a brown, crunchy lawn and wilty flowers. While my family does seek relief with air conditioning and a swim in our pool, we also enjoy other ways to keep cool.

Here are our favorite ways to beat the heat without having to turn on the A.C. or don a swimsuit.

1. Water

Make no mistake, water is the most important thing you can take into your body on a hot summer day, and nothing will cool you better. Without water you will become dehydrated, and might even get heat stroke. Water helps to keep your body temperature at a healthy level.

Take your drinking water to a luxurious level by making “spa water.” Fill a pitcher of filtered water with ice, cucumber slices and lemon slices.  Drink it while lounging poolside and you’ll feel like you’re undergoing a day of pampering.

2. Watermelon

As soon as you buy watermelon, slice it up, put it in an airtight container and place it to chill in the fridge. Watermelon is delicious, quenches the thirst and even has medicinal properties. It’s rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants, and helps to reduce inflammation, and even aids those who suffer from asthma.

When my son and his friends are running around in the backyard, stopping to enjoy a slice of ice cold watermelon, while sitting at the table on our back deck cools them off and rejuvenates them for the next round of playing.

Check out Diana’s Watermelon Limeade for a truly refreshing beverage.

3. Iced Coffee

Iced coffee is a favorite summer drink as it means we can have our coffee and drink it too. I use leftover coffee from the morning, but if the weather is too hot I go for decaf as the caffeine can cause dehydration. My family prefers soy milk to regular milk and vanilla soy milk adds a little flavor to iced coffee. Enjoy it out on your back deck while reading a good book or catching up on your magazine subscriptions.

4. Lemonade

Is there anyone who doesn’t enjoy lemonade? Made right, it’s a delicious treat that will cool off the hottest of days. Add strawberry or raspberry syrup for flavored lemonade or add iced team for an Ng family favorite – Lemonade Iced Tea.

To really cool off, add the juice of a couple of real lemons (so it won’t get too diluted) and a bunch of ice and toss in a blender for frozen lemonade, add rum for a icy grown up treat.

5. Homemade Ice Pops

Growing up, my mom made ice pops using Kool Aid and ice pop molds. I prefer healthier drinks for my family and use fruit juices to make our own ice pops. My 8 year old and his friends enjoy making different flavored ice pops to enjoy.

6. Salad

When I was a kid back in the day, my family cooled off at dinner time by eating dinner under the shade of an old maple tree. As we didn’t have air conditioning, we ate foods that weren’t too heavy, because heavy foods just made us feel hot and bloated. As a result we ate lots of grilled foods and salads. We ate Traditional salads, pasta salads, tuna salad, egg salad and potato salads. They were made in advanced and cooled to perfection. My family doesn’t eat so many “mayonaisy” type salads but we do enjoy cool salads on a sultry day.

7. Ice Cream

Whether you buy it in the supermarket, head for the ice cream parlor, flag down the truck or make your own, ice cream is everyone’s favorite summer treat. Mr. Ng likes to make mint chocolate chip ice cream with our ice cream maker using a vanilla ice cream recipe and adding chopped bits of Andes Mints. It’s delicious – even Grandma D. approves.

Mix vanilla ice cream with some left over coffee and blend for a frozen coffee treat or freeze ice cream between two big cookies for ice cream sammiches.

8. Smoothies

Smoothies are our summer breakfast. Low fat Vanilla yogurt, berries, mango, kiwi, banama, pineapple, and peaches plus some ice make a cool, nutritious meal everyone enjoys. Add carrots and no one will know the difference.

My family doesn’t know this but I also toss in a handful of flax seed (not too much or the smoothie will turn thick and lumpy) and Omega-3 fish oil for some healthy brain food. If I’m making breakfast smoothies to order, I’ll grind in each person’s respective vitamins.

9. Iced Tea

I prefer my iced tea brewed and unsweetened as I find today’s “Sweet Teas” way to sweet for my liking. I also choose flavored herbal teas such as peach or raspberry to make Sun Tea. We put about a dozen tea bags in a clear gallon jug and leave in the sun to brew. For a grownup treat add a splash or rum or vodka.

10. Frozen Grapes

Place a bunch of grapes in the freezer for two or three hours, when you retrieve them you’ll have a sweet snack. This is a Weight Watcher trick I learned. When I want to nosh, I suck on some frozen grapes instead. They’re sweet, cool and keep my mouth busy so I don’t over indulge. Kids enjoy frozen grapes as well.

What are some of your favorite cool, summery treats?

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Everyone has a few tried and true favorite BBQ dishes they cook up for a party or bring to share. My tortellini salad is one of my Barbecue staples.

Before I share the recipe, I want to discuss pasta salad fails. These are, in my opinion, common pasta salad mistakes:

• Pasta is way too al dente. It’s one thing if it’s being served hot and will cook to perfection once sauce is added. It’s a whole other story to under cook. Hint: Pasta should not be crunchy.
• Pasta is too soft:  Pasta shouldn’t be mushy, it should be firm. When boiling pasta remove when it just starts floating to the surface. For a pasta salad, rinse with cold water to stop cooking. It should never bloat to three times its original size.
• Using cheap pasta: I’m a frugal gal, but I also believe we get what we pay for. Cheap pasta yields cheap results. If using tortelli or ravioli take care to buy a premium brand. Fresh pasta is the best.
• Mayonnaise: Mixing pasta with mayonnaise does not a pasta salad make. It’s just fattening, artery clogging, mayonaisy pasta that you’ll have to throw away after an hour of leaving out anyway. Use your imagination and stop mixing stuff with mayo and calling it salad.

So, keeping this in mind, let’s move along to the recipe. Note that I don’t have amounts listed – that’s because it’s a matter of preference. Some folks like more veg and less tortellini and some want subtlety. In any event, it’s in the eye of the beholder.

Deb’s Tortellini Salad

Ingredients

• Tortellini – For this one I used a mushroom tortellini which added a whole other level of yumminess.
• Cherry tomatoes
• Avocado – Cubed
• Artichoke hearts
• Black Olives
• Chopped garlic
• Mozzarella – If you didn’t splurge for the premium mozzarella, then you may as well just use Velveeta. Fresh, homemade is the best.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

The Nitty Gritty

I shouldn’t even have to tell you this, but here goes:

Cook pasta and toss with EVOO so it doesn’t stick together. Add the rest of the good stuff and salt and pepper to taste. Chill, baby, chill.

Note: The pasta may absorb the oil before serving time, so you may want to add a bit more and give it a toss just before serving.

Enjoy!

Will you be trying this recipe? Tell us what you think – especially let us know what kind of medications you made.

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Who doesn’t appreciate  a good burger?  If made and grilled correctly a burger can be more flavorful than filet mignon. It’s not always ladylike, but my eye is always drawn to the sandwich side of a restaurant menu first, because I like to see the burger list first. More than likely, that’s where I’ll make my decision.

I also feel that both home and professional cooks need to be careful of the type of bread used to hold the burger. I’ll opt to eat a bunless hamburger half the time if only because I feel as if the bun takes away from the flavor of the meat. Sometimes I’ll toast a quesadilla wrap and use that as a bun. It’s thin and crunchy and allows the flavor of the burger to shine through in all it’s glary.

If I order a burger, I want to taste the burger, not the bread and not 100 million condiments. With that said, I do enjoy topping my hamburgers with guacamole and pepper jack cheese.

To celebrate July 4th and America’s love for the hamburger, and to celebrate how many of us will be grilling up burgers this weekend, I thought it would be cool to round up the best burger recipes on the web and bring them to you.

25 Best Burger Recipes

1. The Pioneer Woman’s Best Burger – A woman after my own heart. Check out the finished product and tell me your belly isn’t making happy gurgling sounds.
2. Bacon Swiss Burger with Tomato and Avocado – This one has all the elements. For example, bacon.
3. Green Chili Cheeseburgers – This is a Bobby Flay recipe so you know it has kick.
4. Cuban Style Burgers
5. Best Hamburger Recipe Ever! - That’s the name of the burger – I didn’t give it the title. However, if you try it and you believe it to be the best burger recipe ever, do let us know. If you’re not feeling it? Let us know that too.
6. The Juicey Loosey – Hat tip to Danielle Lillig @DLillig who shared on Twitter.
7. Blue Cheese Burgers - Calls for french rolls, but I think that’s a little too thick, personally. I want to try this as I think the snap of the cheese will make for an interesting treat.
8. Tex Mex Burgers with Cajun Mayo – A one two punch of twang and bite.
9. Best Hamburger Recipe – Another claim to greatness. This one has step by step instructions and may I just stay that raw ground beef isn’t very attractive or appealing when using it to illustrate a recipe on the web.
10. Best Hamburger Recipe from TExasBarbecue.com – Step by step instructions for crafting the perfect burger with a couple of good recipes to test it out.
11. Spanish Burgers with Machego – Rachel Ray’s recipe.
12. Paula Deen’s Bo Burger – A surprisingly simple recipe but in this case, I think it’s about the fried egg topping.
13. Masala Burgers with Tamarind Sauce – Yummy.
14. Ground Venison Burger - Dare to be different.
15. Bacon Wrapped Burgers - Bacon. ‘Nuff said.
16. Beer Burgers – The only thing better is if there was bacon too.
17. Stuffed Bacon Cheddar BBQ Burger – From an Emeril Challenge. I’d try it but I’d have to jog 45 miles the next day to work it off.
18. Gingered Burgers with Lime Slaw - You had me until slaw.
19. Classic Bacon Cheeseburger - Can I get an Amen?
20. Inside Out Cheeseburger Recipe - Inside out, upside down, outside in, hell, I’ll take it either way.
21. Andouille and Beef Burgers with Spicy Mayo and Carmelized Onions -I’ll be trying this one, though I’m not feeling the pecans?
22. Steakhouse Burgers with Horseradish Sour Cream – This would get Mr. Ng’s vote. He looooves him some horseradish.
23. Beef Burger and Peanut Chipotle Barbecue Sauce – Another Bobby Flay burger.  Thus, chipotle.
24. Martha Stewart’s Classic Cheeseburger – It’s a good thing.
25. Cuban Burger – I’m intrigued.

Tell us about how you like your burger. What seasonings and toppings do you like best?

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I like Sandra Lee. I have this fantasy that we’re neighbors and she invites me to all her color coordinated barbecues and parties where I drink specially paired cocktails and no one knows the hors d’eovers are courtesy of Betty Crocker. I have a feeling she’s the hit of the neighborhood.

I like Sandra Lee because she’s not ashamed of convenient cooking, thus, neither am I.

The Inconvenience of Time

Though I work out of my home full time, I’m a busy mom. I don’t have time to whip up a beef bouginon or  cheesecake from scratch for dinner every  night. I buy roast in the bag chickens and enjoy quick breads. Most days my culinary experimentation involves throwing a bunch of ingredients into a crockpot or opening a box of something. No, it’s not the same as cooking from scratch, but it does us well enough, thank you very much.

I’m admitting it on my food blog, I’m big on convenience.

It wasn’t always this way. Before my I began writing full time , I had more time for meals. I still enjoy taking a few hours to whip up something truly awesome. However, I’m not a full time food blogger and I don’t have all day – or even an hour  – to cook. And though I admit to being a little annoyed by the chirpyness of Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee’s almost lecturing  “next I want you to…” tone, I’m also the first to admit both these ladies rock because they tell me it’s OK to take shortcuts and that I’m not a bad mom for wanting to cook my spaghetti from a box or adding a few fresh ingredients to a jarred sauce when I don’t have time to prepare a full throttle Julia Child inspired meal. I don’t mind shortcuts. Indeed, anyone with a microwave, crockpot or dishwasher takes shortcuts.

You couldn’t be more of an opposite of June Cleaver than my Mom, who raised six kids on powdered milk, boxed spaghetti and these huge cans of mashed potato flakes. We bought what we could afford and sometimes our family cook (usually Diana, sometimes one of the other sisters) experimented a bit with those boxes and mixes to make them a little more special. I was raised semi-homemade.

I can’t judge.

Sandra Lee taught me that if you use strawberry soda in your boxed pink cake mix it tastes way better than just adding water. She also taught me that you can whip up tasty batches of Christmas cookies for all and not have to spend the entire day in the kitchen.  But you know what I appreciate the most about Sandra?

Sandra Lee creates recipes.

I don’t create recipes, I follow them. I’ve never been the type of person who can look at a bunch of random ingredients and whip up a batch of something. Well … something edible anyway. I’m very good at following recipes and sometimes I can make them my own, but not usually. I admire cooks and foodies who know the best herbs to use or how to add a splash of this and a dash of that in order to add more flavor to a dull recipe.

Mostly I follow the directions on the box or in the book and I make something wonderful that way. That someone can create something tasty out of something boxy, convenient and …eh..shows a kind of talent in my opinion.

Food is Subjective

As a writer, someone who is creative, it would make me very sad to see someone take something I wrote and invite everyone to make fun of me. It’s happened before without invitation and I wouldn’t wish it on the worst writer…or cook. I mean, yeah, it’s no secret I’m not a fan of the Twilight series, but that doesn’t mean I would invite everyone to gang up on Stephanie Meyer. She’s a person and fellow writer. I know what it’s like to be passionate about something and have other people rip it apart.

That’s kind of why I’m not down with the Sundays with Sandy movement. Sandra Lee worked hard to get where she is. She may not take a traditional approach to cooking but she’s showing many of us there’s no shame in convenience. Some people aren’t very good or patient about creating meals or decorating for dinner parties. I’m kind of glad Sandra Lee is around to show me it’s OK to take shortcuts and I’m not a bad mom or wife for buying cheese that’s already shredded.

Also, food is subjective. The best chef in the world could make something I find truly awful and receive five stars from a noted critic. And while I’ll admit to upping my eating standards since starting this food blog, I can tell you that there are foods and recipes more refined palates consider crap that I find truly tasty.

There are plenty of celebrity cooks and chefs I’m not into, but that doesn’t mean I feel everyone should rip them to shreds. I’m more of the live and let live variety.

How about you?

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Even though I work out of my home, I don’t always have time to cook a really nice meal. Yeah, I can whip up some spaghetti or a stir fry, but sometimes I want my man to come home to something a  little more special. My crockpot pot roast is a little more special than our average week day meals, but it doesn’t take a whole lot of extra time to make.

As this is my own recipe, I can’t give you exact measurements, but I’ll try and get as close as I can. Besides, cooking is all about tweaking and making your own.

Ingredients:

• 1 roast suitable for potting (I’m using a top round)
• A couple of cups sliced mushrooms
• Half dozen shallots, sliced very thin
• 4 to 6 large carrots
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup dry red wine (I’m using a Cabernet today)

The Nitty Gritty:

1. While heating up a frying pan (make it really hot, folks) cut fat off the roast and rub in some salt and pepper. Add some olive oil to the hot pan, let it sit a bit, then add the roast, browning all sides at high heat.
2. While roast is browning, add wine, beef broth, shallots and mushrooms to the crockpot and turn on high. When roast is browned, add that to the pot as well. Leave on high for one hour, then shoot it to low for a good six to eight hours until tender.
3. At just about two hours left, make a roux by melting two teaspoons of butter and mixing two teaspoons of flower to form a paste. Mix it into the gravy to thicken. Chop carrots and add to the pot.

That’s it. Cook until tender. I sometimes add potatoes, but we also like to make mashed potatoes and use all that tasty gravy.  Note: If yo have a seven year old son, he’ll probably prefer canned gravy or ketchup.

Now, if Diana was making this, she’d probably shred the meat. I’m not a big fan of shredded meat, however. So I slice it and arrange it on a platter with a healthy drizzle of the gravy over top.  If you make it, tell us how you served it for your family and friends – and how well it went over.

Enjoy!

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A few weeks ago, a client sent me a turducken as a holiday “thank you” gift. Though it’s very much appreciated, it serves 25 which is way too much for our family of three. Instead of roasting it right away, I kept it in the freezer until Christmas when I defrosted it so my large, extended family could all enjoy.

What’s that? You don’t know what turducken refers to? My friend, are you missing out!

A turducken is a deboned chicken stuffed with cornbread stuffing wrapped in a deboned duck, stuffed with cajun sausage stuffing, stuffed inside a turkey rubbed with cajun seasonings. If you haven’t enjoyed one of these tasties, I’m going to insist you save your pennies and invest in this holiday treat for next year. It’s divine.

My family didn’t know what to expect but most were curious. Some folks were afraid it might be too spicy for their delicate palates, while others weren’t sure they wanted to eat a bird stuffed inside of a bird stuffed inside of a bird. I’m happy to tell you everyone thought it was delicious. My Mom has a little reflux issue and couldn’t really take the Cajun seasonings, but, for most of us, it wasn’t spicy in a bad way.

My problems with spicy foods is that the heat overpowers the flavors and all you can taste is heat. The turducken is perfectly seasoned. It’s not spicy in an overpowering sort of way, and I didn’t even find it hot. I found it to be seasoned with the right amount of everything. The sausage stuffing probably was the spiciest part of the dish, but again, more flavor than heat.

On the whole my family and I enjoyed the turducken. My mom even suggested I stay on good terms with this client so he send me another turducken next year. If you ever get a chance to sample a turducken may I recommend you jump at the opportunity. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Diana’s response: The turducken was delicious. I’m not big on sausage stuffing, but I tried it and it tasted like sausage stuffing. The biggest problem was that we wanted to try the duck and had to dig to find it. According to my husband the duck had an earthy flavor. My sister in law didn’t like the duck part, but the rest of us did. It was still way to much food for all of us, and Deb ran off with the leftovers so we didn’t get cold turducken sandwiches as leftovers darn it. I’m with my mom, stay friends with the client and hope for another one next year. Visually, it’s not as pretty since the bones are out, so it’s kind of a flat turducken. Tastewise, we loved it. Turduckens rock.

Deb’s response to Diana’s response: Darn tootin’ we ran off with the leftovers. I’m all about sharing, but I don’t mind telling you when the sharing is done. We went to my mother in law’s for Christmas and missed out on the leftover love there. You can bet I’m going to make up another turducken dinner tonight complete with smashed potatoes and some steamed broccoli. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Well, at least for another day or so anyway.

A big fat P.S. Our turducken came from Pfaelzer Brothers and comes highly recommended.

Another big fat P.S. Turducken is even better the second time around. Leftovers rock. You know how turkey leftovers are sort of a hodgepodge of turkey bits? Well turducken leftovers (plus stuffings) are sort of a leftover trifecta. The duck, turkey and chicken are all mixed together and make a divine combination. We have more for another night or two as well. My son ate 3 helpings before I cut him off.

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Congratulations to Sonya, who, besides winning, introduced us to a new awesome blog, “Sanity is for Those Without Children.” She should win for her clever title alone.

Congrats, Sonya. We’ll be in touch this week or send your name and address to cookeratiblog@gmail.com.

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I’ve been remiss in my gift giving suggestery. All this hall decking and fa-la-la – ing is keeping me from my laptop, which really isn’t a bad thing when you think about it. However, Diana sent me a note today suggesting I post something because her busy-ness is more important than my busy-ness and I’m obliged to oblige. Besides, I feel bad for her because our parents loved me best.

I have a couple of cool gift suggestions for folks who enjoy their just desserts. Mind you, I do have to get my disclaimer on and advise you that I’ve received samples in exchanged for me getting my review on, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be honest in my findings. Allow me to share:

Baklava and Enrobed Macroons with Almonds from Sinbad Sweets

I still haven’t come down off the sugar high I obtained after enjoying the Baklava. Ooey and gooey, they’re everything good baclava should be. I always found these Greek pastries to be a little on the sweet side so I brought them to my husband’s family Thanksgiving dinner and they were enjoyed by all.

We sampled two different types of baklava. The traditional, be-triangled variety and mini chocolate drizzled squares. So yummy.

Also popular were the Enrobed Macaroons with Almonds except I didn’t share them as much. I love coconut and coconut and chocolate is simply decadence. I let the inlaws share a couple, but I hoarded most for myself. Whereby I immediately went into sugar shock followed by a week straight on the treadmill.

Each set of treats arrived in an elegant gold box. Simply tie a ribbon and you’re good to go.

About Sinbad Sweets
Sinbad Sweets is the country’s foremost specialty baker of the Mediterranean delicacy baklava and many old-world style pastries.  Their baklava varieties, nut tarts, and macaroons are hand-crafted by a team of highly skilled artisan bakers. The unique combination of old-world recipes and proprietary innovations allow Sinbad Sweets to keep their assortments of sweets consistently delicious and authentic.

Sinbad Sweets’ holiday line up priced at from $16.95, $24.95 and $26.95 (shipping included). Check the website for more details.

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