As expected, the holiday season was busy and fun not just with events but some cool products that I got to try out. This month I actually had more private dinners/event invitations at venues such as Acanto, The Allis and Pastoral Artisan Cheese. Since I will be writing about each of these separately, the list below is a little shorter than normal. No worries though because I always have lots to share, so keep reading!

Fairmont Chicago Cookie Exchange

Fairmont “Chocolate and Cheer” Cookie Exchange– So here is one of the coolest concepts I have heard of for the holidays: a gourmet cookie exchange for all us busy urbanites that don’t have the time (or desire or skill) to bake dozens upon dozens of cookies for the festive season. Instead, you can come sip wine and champagne, taste many varieties of decadent cookies baked by the Fairmont’s exceptional pastry team, pick out your favorites and have them beautifully packed up in gift boxes to take to your next event or savor for yourself! I had the pleasure of attending the Fairmont Chicago’s first ever cookie exchange and I thought it was a brilliant idea. I loved trying little sample sizes of all the cookie offerings and then picking out my absolute favorites (just so you know, all of my three dozen cookies were brought to the office for my co-workers to enjoy…too dangerous to have those delicacies sitting around at home)! I can’t wait for the Fairmont to throw next year’s cookie extravaganza; until then, my mouth is watering for their amazing spiced hot fudge (which, by the way, was the office favorite). Keep your eyes peeled in December 2015 for the next cookie exchange.

Porthole Infuser By Crucial Design

Porthole Infuser– Love this story: a kickstarter campaign to help fund the Porthole Infuser (an infusion vessel that can be used for cocktails, oils, teas, or any infusion imaginable), started as an idea when mixologists were preparing for the opening of The Aviary in Chicago. The idea was to develop “fast infusions, ” which are cocktails that evolve during the course of time it takes to serve them. Not only did the kickstarter raise over $700K when the ask was only for $28K, but the Porthole Infuser gained significant attention being featured in dozens of publications and magazines, including the cover of Food Arts magazine.  Today at the Aviary, the Porthole Infuser is used to create and serve a variety of time-lapse infusions for seasonal cocktails (and interestingly, many people have actually stolen the Porthole Infuser from the Aviary because they wanted it so badly). I was invited to an awesome event featuring the head mixologist from the Aviary who showed us how to create our own concoctions with all kinds of fun teas, fruits, herbs and spirits. I created my own beautiful and tasty gin infusion with pear, apple, cinnamon, black tea and dried mango. It was delicious!!! What a fun product that is available for anyone to purchase, not just high-end restaurants and bars. It’s a great gadget, especially for all you mixologist wannabes out there!

iCoffee Opus Single Serve Machine (picture credit: iCoffee)

iCoffee Opus Single Serve– Now, I’ve never considered myself a coffee connoisseur. But, I do know when I have a great cup of coffee, and the coffee I made from the iCoffee machine was awesome! The wonderful thing is that the iCoffee machine doesn’t limit you to one type of coffee capsule; instead it accepts all brands including all K-Cups, RealCup capsules, OneCup and Treehouse private label cups and even works with your favorite bean using the included reusable cup. Also, iCoffee’s SpinBrew technology supposedly helps eliminate the bitter and acidic aftertaste often associated with single serve coffee makers. All I know is I liked it when I made it and that is good enough for me! I think this is the perfect machine for us busy folk who want to make good coffee at home and not have to run to the local coffee shop. Time and money saved, which is always a win-win in my book. The iCoffee is available exclusively at Bed, Bath and Beyond, so check it out!

Please Note: While I was invited to these events or provided with products to try, all opinions are my own.