Eat Your Heart Out: Indulgent Eats for Holiday Treats

By: Finance Foodie

One of the most frequent question I get is: "As someone whose job is basically trying new foods, how are you not 300 pounds?" Truth is being a food writer has actually made me more disciplined about what I put in my body. Because of what I like to think of as my Type A "finance" personality, I was already very careful about working out and eating properly to maintain good health even before I started writing. Therefore, having the opportunity to test so many yummy (and not so yummy) products has made me even more aware about what actually taste good - and if I don't like it, I won't finish it.

Gimmme more (in moderation obvs)!

However during the Christmas holidays, I throw caution (i.e. calories and fat) to the wind . For 10-15 days, I have no regular workout schedule (unless you count sprinting from the sofa to the kitchen between commercial breaks) and imbibe in as much nutrient-empty fat-laden treats until I burst (or fall asleep). Below are some of the items on my must hit list - after all, holiday weight gain makes for great New Year's Resolution posts.

Sartori Gourmet Cheese

The Sartori family has been making high quality cheese in Plymouth, Wisconsin since the 1940s. Sartori is known for their primarily hard and Italian focused cheese – these beasts have won more than 100 awards in the most prestigious international cheese competitions around the globe.

One taste of the rich and creamy SarVecchio Extra Aged Parm (my fave out the ones I sampled) and BOOM – Heaven’s doors have opened! Unlike other parms (I’m looking at you Kraft), the Sartori cheese doesn’t have a heavy salty note – instead, it has a subtle fruity tone and ends with a caramelized parm flavor that gradually blossoms onto my tongue. I grate a little of this on everything – from my morning bagels to snack time nachos.

Enstrom's World Famous Almond Toffee

Enstrom’s World Famous Almond Toffee is a hand-crafted confection that, once tasted, is never forgotten. From its humble beginnings in a small-town Colorado candymaker's kitchen, Enstrom's toffee has become a world-class, internationally known confection.

Although they've expanded their product line to chocolates and dessert popcorn, their original Almond Toffee - made from a perfect blend of California almonds, sweet cream butter and pure cane sugar and covered in a generous layer of Guittard chocolate sprinkled with crushed almonds – is still tops in my book. The rich, buttery, melt-in-your mouth taste is all occasion fun – it’s the perfect dessert for any meal or as a midnight snack for those late night cravings.

Peligroso Tequila 

I’m not a big drinker, but when I do, I drink the classy stuff (no plastic bottled nonsense for me – kthanks). So when making festive and aggressive margaritas, my new go to alchy mix in is Peligroso Tequila. This 84 proof premium liquor is made with only the good stuff – as in 100% Weber Blue agave harvested in the highlands of Jalisco aged in real oak whiskey barrels from Tennessee. Peligroso’s 42% alcohol content is higher than the norm of 40% - which makes their tequila that much more Peligroso rock n’roll!

2012 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

For 30 years, wine lovers across the United States have eagerly anticipated the third Thursday of November and the grand unveiling of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau. And every year, Georges Duboeuf surpasses expectations as the new vintage arrives amid a flurry of excitement and spectacle. If there is any wine that deserves such a festive welcome, it is certainly Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau – the first wine of the harvest and the first taste of a new vintage.

November 15 might have passed, but I’m still celebrating with Duboeuf’s Beaujolais Nouveau. This vibrant, fruit-forward ruby red wine is dominated with flavors of fresh red berries that make you just want to get up and have a dance party. The wine is also delicious paired with holiday food and at only $9.99 a bottle (MSRP), there’s not need to share - you afford to let everyone have their own bottle.

****Giveaway****
Congrats Laurie (cheese) and Joy (toffee)!

Financefoodie.com wants our readers to get (ph)fat and happy too with a box of Sartori gourmet cheese and Enstrom toffee! Two lucky winners with receive:

Prize #1: Wooden BelloVitano Gift Box with five 4oz wedges of BelloVitano cheese (Balsamic, Espresso, Black Pepper, Raspberry and Merlot) - ARV $70

Prize #2: one pound of Enstrom's Famous Almond Toffee - ARV $30

There are THREE ways to enter
1. REQUIRED: In my comments section, tell me what is your favorite part of the holidays (mine is getting together with my family, whom I see only twice a year). Also please include your email address so I can contact you if you win!
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave separate comment telling me this)
3. Reblog / Retweet this giveaway (leave separate comment telling me this)

Contest ends Friday, December 14, 2012 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards!!

Full Disclosure: The prizes are being provided by Sartori and Enstrom. FFMP was not compensated for this post.