San Diego Gift Basket Creations » Tips

Quick And Easy Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Linda Gorin — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:26:48 +0000

I love Halloween! parties and festivities, decorations, fun, creative pumpkin carving, people watching.

The costume selections at the Halloween stores are endless, but an elaborate costume can end up costing a fortune.

Lately I have noticed more and more really clever costumes that can be made quickly, easily, and for just a few dollars. Sometimes it is the simplest ideas that deliver the most humor and fun! So if you are invited to a Halloween party that you haven’t had time to prepare for, here are a few iclever ideas we got online.

Be the Alfred Hitchcock Movie, The Birds! Cut birds from black posters. Attach to hands with rubber bands, to hair with bobby pins, and clothes with safety pins. Wear a scary look on your face!

With just some white posters, scissors and markers, you can become a You Tube Video page. Make your own comments, etc. Just cut out a square and hold it over your face. Unique and easy!

: You Tube Video Page

Identity Theif

This is so simple and so funny! To become an identity theif, Just go to Office Depot and get a package of paper name tags. Write down all your friend’s names or put the names of celebrities and stick them all over your clothes. Some play money pouring out of your pockets could add to the humor!

You could wear a hat that says Identity Theif or just let them guess what you are.

I saw a couple come to a party as the King and Queen of Hearts. They just used white poster boards hung over their shoulders (one in front and one in back) decorated like the King and Queen of Hearts !

They each had a crown on their head. They dressed in red under the cards. It was clever and striking!

Bingo Card

Here is another idea just using white poster board and colored markers to become a bingo card.

What clever, easy and inexpensive costumes have you seen or made yourself? Please share!

Let us know if you need any last minute Ghoulish Gore-Met baskets! We will custom design it for you and deliver on Halloween.

Happy Halloween from Linda, Barry and The Best To You Team!

Give Mom Breakfast In Bed

Linda Gorin — Tue, 03 May 2011 07:25:58 +0000

STUFFED RASBERRY AND CREAM FRENCH TOAST

Here is a delicious Mother’s Day breakfast idea. It would be a spectacular breakfast in bed selection to surprise Mom, or could be an elegant featured brunch for the whole family to share.

The video tells exactly how to make it and it’s easy! Click this link to watch the video: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/raspberry-stuffed-french-toast-custard-95161.aspx

What are your favorite breakfast or brunch recipes?

Spring Holidays

Linda Gorin — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:35:06 +0000

Mark Your Calendars!

The Best To You is busy designing festive gift baskets for all the upcoming Spring Holidays! Stay tuned for updates on new gift basket designs, unique gift items and fun to share tips on each holiday. Here are some dates to mark on your calendar.

April 24th Easter
April 27th Administrative Professional’s Day
May 5th Cinco De Mayo
May 8th Mother’s Day
May12th - Nurses Day

In addition to the new gifts and gift baskets we will be featuring for each holiday, we also custom design to match any personality! Order online or call 858-578-2740 to arrange holiday delivery.

Executive Dog Gives Pup-Pie Two Paws Up!

Linda Gorin — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 09:13:33 +0000

Pup-Pie is a Sofi Silver Finalist

We have been taking products that are Silver Finalists for the Sofi Awards to some of San Diego’s top executives to taste and comment on. The Sofi Awards are like the Academy Awards for the Specialty Food Industry.

Pup-Pie Is A Tantalizing Treat For Dogs!

Then we came across a finalist product for dogs called Pup-Pie from The Lazy Dog Cookie Company! It looks like a pizza pie and is made out of healthy, all natural, low allergen ingredients for dogs. It is wheat and corn free (they use organic oat flour) and topped with naturally colored sesame seeds. Each pie contains ten bite sized slices and a “Happy Birthday” sign. They are soft baked and great for dogs of all sizes.

Cole’s Dog Ben Kept Insisting On Another Taste…And Another

Coles' Dog Waits for Tasty Treat

We arrived at Coles’ Carpet just as President, George Coles, wrapped up the filming of a commercial. Ben, his striking and stylish black lab, made his appearance fresh from the groomer and looked stunning in his shiny coat and colorful scarf. We did have to do a few takes with the tasting and the photos, until George Coles had a talk with Ben, who really just wanted to devour the entire Pup-Pie. After that the well behaved lab waited patiently for George to release the next tasty treat. The anticipation was quite visible until George gave him another taste.. and another! It was clearly a tail wagging, two paws up vote for the finalist product.

George Coles is President of Coles Fine Flooring, and as Executive Dog, Ben comes to the office at least three times per week! Coles is a winner of the prestigious Torch Awards, presented by the Better Business Bureau for market place ethics. The company has been an industry leader since 1947. The store is elegant and impressive with a large inventory of gorgeous carpet and flooring choices. Visit the Coles Fine Flooring website for more information and locations.

Cole’s Dog Ben Kept Insisting On Another Taste…And Another

Darin Andersen Joins The Best To You Tasting Board

Linda Gorin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:08:43 +0000

China Mist - A Sofi Silver Medal Finalist

Each day we have been visiting top San Diego Executives and CEO’s who are members of our “Tasting Board”. We thought it would be interesting to have them sample and comment on some of the products that are competing for the Gold Sofi Award. The products we have chosen are silver medal finalists, who were chosen from thousands of other products, to be the best of the best. For more information on The Sofi Awards read my previous post on the awards .

Lotus Pear tea, by China Mist, A Sofi Silver Finalist, comes in a beautiful, custom shaped, recyclable glass bottle. The green tea is from select tea gardens of Asia and is brewed with pure filtered water. It is the perfect union of the fragrant Lotus Flower, succulent pear and top quality tea. It is 100 percent natural and organic, without sugars, carbohydrates, calories, or artificial flavors or preservatives.

Darin Anderson, Kim & Celeste Taste Lotus Pear Tea

We are very excited to announce that Darin Andersen, COO of ESET, has joined our Executive Tasting Board. We already knew that Darin and his entire team are very health conscious. So the Lotus Pear beverage by China Mist seemed the perfect choice to have him sample. We did the tasting session in their beautiful meeting room which has a gorgeous view of San Diego.

Two top staff members, Kim and Celeste, joined the tasting. We poured the beverage over ice. Kim, who has a sweet tooth, said she would probably add a little sweetener to it, but thought it was good. Celeste, a real health nut, loved it and loved the fact that it did not contain sugar or artificial sweetener. Darin said he really liked the beginning aroma and the finish. He liked that there was no metallic or artificial taste, which so many beverages have. Instead, he said, there was a nice aroma with hints of pear, and that it was very light and smooth with a great after taste. They all said they would definately use the beverage.

ESET develops software solutions that deliver instant, comprehensive protection against evolving computer security threats. They pioneered and lead the industry in proactive threat detection. ESET NOD32 Antivirus is their flagship product, and consistently achieves the highest accolades in all kinds of comparative testing. ESET employs over 500 people globally, has 100 million users in over 160 countries, which total global sales of $200M. Worldwide Distribution headquarters is in San Diego.

Ken Andersen Tastes The Cheese Crisp!

Linda Gorin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:00:56 +0000

Crisps - A Silver Medal Finalist

The Rosemary Parmesan Crisps by Kitchen Table Bakers is today’s featured finalist. The crisps were created in 2003, on the kitchen table as a delicious snack for the family. Soon friends and local merchants discovered the delicious creation, loved them, and Kitchen Table Bakers was born. In 2009 they won the Sofi Gold Medal for their products. They have also been featured on Rachael Ray! They are going for the Gold again in 2010. These are the only crackers that are made entirely from cheese! They are made from the highest quality Parmesan and seasonings. They are gluten and wheat free, transfat free, sugar free, and rich in calcium and protein. They are also low in calories and carbs! Rosemary Parmesan Crisps are great as a canopy, for dipping, or as a delicious snack with a glass of wine.

We passed all the beautiful flowers as we entered Andersen Nursery and soon Ken greeted us and took us to his office. He had told me he prefers savory to sweet, so I thought this product would be a good choice for him to taste. His wife Melanie also joined us at the table. They were surprised to learn that this cracker was made entirely from cheese. Ken took a bite first, concentrating on the flavor a moment before commenting. Then he said “It’s really good!” “It has a great quality cheese flavor and the Rosemary is subtle and not overpowering.” He also commented that it was nice and crisp. Melanie took a bite next and commented that they are more substantial than they look, nice and crisp, rich tasting, delicious, and that it would just take a few to satisfy you.

Walter Andersen Nursery has been one of San Diego’s most popular nurseries since 1928. Ken is Vice President and General Manager, and Melanie is Marketing Director. There are two locations, one in Point Loma and one in Poway. Be sure to visit their website to learn about products, services and upcoming events.

David Oates Tastes Tates Cookies

Linda Gorin — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:42:49 +0000

Top San Diego Executives Join The Best To You Tasting Board

Tates Dark Chocolate Cookie -Silver Finalist For Best Cookie

Dark Chocolate Whole Wheat Cookies - Silver Medal Finalist

Tate’s Bake Shop is no stranger to big awards! There have been more awards than I can list in this post! Founder, Kathleen King started selling cookies in 1971, when she was 11 years old! She launched Tates in 2000. Her cookies were rated number one out of fifty tasted by Rachel Ray magazine. The dark chocolate cookie is loaded with bittersweet chocolate chips and the whole wheat flour in the recipe creates a wonderfully light and less sinful cookie. Visit Tates Bakeshop online to see their other products.

David Oates Samples Tates Cookies

David Oates of Stalwart Communications samples the Tates Dark Chocolate Cookie.

David Oates is founder and President of Stalwart Communications. But more importantly, he is a dark chocolate lover! He eagerly took the dark chocolate cookie I offered and took a bite. His first response was that he thought it would be hard and brittle, but it had a wonderful texture and was not overly heavy. He said, and this is a common comment when Tate’s cookies are sampled, that he never would have believed these came out of a bag, had he not seen it! He then commented that it was a great dark chocolate taste without being over powering, and that he is a big fan of dark chocolate, but felt that even people who are not dark chocolate fans would love this cookie.

Stalwart Communications is a San Diego based Pay-On-Performance PR Agency. David Oates, founder and President of the popular firm, was a Finalist for Influence San Diego’s Agency Of The Year Award. Follow him on Twitter at Stalwart.com. His firm is shaking things up in the PR Industry by ensuring that they profit from their clients ONLY when they generate results! For more information on Stalwart Communications visit them online.

Clinton Swaine Gets Into Jam!

Linda Gorin — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:12:36 +0000

Sofi Silver Finalist - Peach Pecan Amaretto Preserves

Top San Diego CEO’s Taste & Comment On Sofi Silver Finalists

The San Saba River Pecan Company

The San Saba River Pecan Company is actually a Silver Medal Finalist in two different categories! That is very impressive! For this post we are going to talk about their delicious (oh my gosh, it is so yummy) peach, pecan, amaretto preserves. First of all it is visually beautiful. There are chunks of peaches mixed with pecans and amaretto and it looks lovely and tempting. The peaches used are only top quality and the pecans come right from the companies own orchard. They boast over 10,000 pecan trees in a park like setting bounded by the San Saba River in the hill country of central Texas. They have already won numerous top awards for this product and are going for the Sofi Gold Award for 2010. The winners will be announced on June 28th, at the red carpet ceremony in New York.

We Are Proud To Have Clinton Swaine On Our Tasting Board

As my husband, Barry, and I entered the training room, we were delighted to see that it was break time, and we would have Clinton Swaine all to ourselves till the seminar resumed. Clinton is the genious CEO of Frontier Trainings, the number one company in the world teaching business through experiential games.

Clinton is licking his fingers to get the last luscious drop of the Peach, Pecan, Amaretto Preserves. He said that he doesn’t usually like peaches. He spent a week picking peaches on a friend’s farm when he was younger and grew very tired of them. However, upon the first taste of these preserves, he commented on the delicious flavor. He also noticed the freshness of the pecans and the subtle taste of the amaretto. He said it was a very good combination. For more information visit San Saba River Pecan Company .

If you want to learn more about Clinton Swaine, his amazing cast of characters, and experience his brilliant and life changing trainings, schedule yourself for one of his free introductory seminars coming to San Diego. Visit his Play To Win website for more information.

Tomorrow we will post about another Sofi Silver Finalist and another San Diego executive taster! Let us know which products you think will win the Sofi Gold!

Rock And Roll Marathon Baskets

Linda Gorin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:39:55 +0000

The Best To You is designing energizing and healthy gift baskets for participants in the Rock And Roll Marathon. The gifts include fresh fruit, energy bars, assorted nuts, protein water and healthy snacks. They are then topped off with a jazzy musical note bow. This is a great type gift for anyone competing in any type of sports event or marathon, or even someone preparing for a test or major interview!

The event is this Sunday and there are over 30,000 participants. Keep in mind that some roads will be closed during the event.

The Sofi Awards – Best Of The Best

Linda Gorin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:19:31 +0000

What The Heck Is A Sofi?

Sofi stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation. The Sofi Award is the most coveted honor in the fancy food industry. You might say it is a Gourmet Acadamy Award! Winners get the revered Sofi award statue and national recognition.

What Is A Fancy Food?

Fancy foods, otherwise referred to as specialty foods, are foods and beverages that exemplify quality, innovation and style in their category. These specialty foods represent more than sixty billion dollars in US sales and are purchased by over 138 million consumers. Cheese and cheese alternatives is one of the largest categories. Every year there are thousands of new product introductions with the largest growth in chocolate, confectionary products, desserts, ice cream and alcoholic beverages.

When Will We Know The Winners?

The 2010 awards competition is already under way! From 1,570 products judged, 125 silver finalists, in over 30 categories have been announced. The finalists are named by a nine-member panel of specialty food experts. These silver medal finalists are then judged by about 300 top industry buyers at the summer Fancy Food Show in New York. The Fancy Food Show features over 180,000 products. The gold medal winners will be announced at a red carpet ceremony on June 28th at the Fancy Food Show put on by The National Association For The Specialty Food Trade (NASFT).

Must We Wait To Hear About These Amazing Products?

Stay tuned! We will be featuring different Silver Medal Finalists over the next few weeks. We will be taking samples of these products to some of San Diego’s top Executives and will post their comments and descriptions of the products. We will post the results of the Sofi Gold Medal winners when they are announced at the end of the month. It is going to be a very fun and yummy couple of weeks (I will be tasting everything too!)