I love this Michael Aram Menorah. Modern and beautiful.
Available at Macys.com for $199 and a free gift with purchase

I’m all for that, Keep Calm and Eat Latkes!
Just $9.99 at thekoshercook.com

Thanksgiving and Hannukah are around the corner and I’m already thinking of gift ideas. This one I spotted in a wine shop in a tiny town in Connecticut this summer and kept it in my files to share this time of year.

Sometimes, just sometimes, you do not finish a bottle of wine. The Savino Connoisseur helps keep wine fresh for another time. The sleep vessel holds 750 ml but it’s design is really smart. It’s shorter than a wine bottle for easier fridge storage, and it’s airtight float keeps wine fresh for up to a week and allows for smooth pouring. Great gift idea!

Available at Savino.myshopify.com for $59.95

Leek-proof, Hot and Cold, Food Jar – A School Lunch Essential
Available in 10 ounces and other 16 ounce options, these jars keep food hot and cold for up to 7 hours. They are perfect for soups, stews, yogurts, and hot and cold drinks. The have a non-slip base, are BPA free, and stay cool to the touch. Lastly, I love the wide mouth for easy filling and serving. There are other options available for larger amounts of liquid.

Available at reuseit.com
for $17.95

Adorable and Reusable Lunch Sacks

I love a cute item that is functional, reduces waste, and is adorable. These “lunchskins” are sized perfectly and are reusable. Perfect for a bagged sandwich lunch, they are dishwasher-safe so you can use it over and over again. They come in a variety of bright colors and patterns.
Available from www.crateandbarrel.com for $8.95

Love the packaging and varieties of this honey from BeeRaw.com
Beeraw honey produces raw, unprocessed, bee-saving honeys. They are pure and natural.

This gift box is made from Rooftop Bee Hives in NYC, how cool is that? Yes, NYC rooftop hives produce this honey.
♦ Hell’s Kitchen Rooftop Honey: It doesn’t get more raw or real than Hell’s Kitchen, home to cops, crooks, cooks and cabaret.
♦ Central Park West Rooftop Honey: For intellectuals, artists, authors, and their kids
♦ The High Line Rooftop Honey: Where fashionistas and fabulistas mix with turistas.
♦ Harlem Rooftop Honey: Where the soul of Manhattan meets its soundtrack.

The four hand-corked 1 oz. vials are sealed in beeswax and packaged with a beautiful American Oak block, in a ribbon-enclosed gift box.
A description of the flavors and origins is also enclosed with your gift.
Lots of options and varietals available at BeeRaw.com
This gift option is $45

Beeraw honey does not have kosher supervision but is pure honey and according to the Star K certification does not require a hecksher.

I love a cute item that is functional, reduces waste, and is adorable. These “lunchskins” are sized perfectly and are reusable. Perfect for a bagged sandwich lunch, they are dishwasher-safe so you can use it over and over again. They come in a variety of bright colors and patterns.
Available from www.crateandbarrel.com for $8.95

Hottest item of the summer, mason jars and colored paper straws. I love and have gone through dozens. They are adorable at BBQ’s, summer Shabbos afternoons, or just a fun way to jazz up a cold drink.
Colored straws are available at www.greenpartygoods.com $8 for 50
Or from Etsy.com in polka dots and lots of colors.

And Colored Mason Jars (clear are available everywhere from Bed Bath & Beyond to Target), are available at www.greenpartygoods.com

I need my fresh morning brew and I need it to be good. So I travel with this handy Aeropress. It’s compact, durable and makes a fabulous cup of coffee. And….the concentrate is so rich and fresh, it stays well for iced coffee later.

Just $26 on Amazon.com

While I’m grilling outside, I like to use my time well and start some of my slicing of vegetables and finishes while I am outside. That means carrying knives outside and then back inside and this can be dangerous. Edge guards made of hard plastic protect my knives in the drawer or while I carry them outside or to cooking classes.

$13.50 for a starter set of 3. Available at messermeister.com

Sharp kitchen shears for cutting chicken and meat are an important kitchen tool. This summer I discovered another tool I love, Herb Scissors. These sharp snippers are only four inches long so they are easy to maneuver between herb stems. A few weeks ago, I wrote about creating and herb garden and if you did, you might be enjoying your fresh herbs. Even if you buy fresh herbs, these scissors help with easy herb chopping. I chop them right into the marinade, dressing or sauce.

$15 at Williams-Sonoma.com

I love these ice pop bags! Now you can make your own squeeze ups at home. Fill them with any juice, smoothie, soda, or slushie. Tie the top and freeze. Just $10 for 100 from icecandybags.com
Get recipes for smoothies here
Strawberry Spinach Smoothie
Tropical Smoothie
Smopsicle
Easy Frozen Grapefruit Daquiris

Gimmicky grilling tools come and go, just check out your local Home Goods or TJ Maxx for all the items that sound good but are really unnecessary and DON’T buy them. Throughout the summer, I do try many new products though and love to share the best ones, like cedar planks and the Grill Daddy grill cleaner.

A few more must-haves include….

The Weber Style Grill Pan, made of sturdy, stick resistant stainless steel. It keeps small vegetables in place and still gives them a nice char. I tested many types and this was the hands-down favorite to maintain great grilling flavor while ensuring that the veggies don’t fall through the grates.

Available at Amazon.com for $20

Oversize tongs make it easy to grab anything, big or small.
Available at oxo.com for $15

Heat-protective gloves with a silicone grip, so utensils don’t slip and you don’t get burned reaching to the far end of the grill. I like these because they are not too oversized.

Available at weber.com for $35

Strawberry Huller $7.95 from Williams-Sonoma.com
Cute to look at, and perfect for summer salads, smoothies, fruit platters, shortcake, and stuffed strawberries. This fun kitchen tool quickly removes the leaves and stem from a strawberry.

Citrus Zeel-Peel $5.95 from Williams-Sonoma.com
Designed for best citrus peel removal, no bitter pith! It removes the peel in three simple steps. Just score your fruit with the peeler’s sharp hook, lift the skin with the tapered corner, then slip the peel through the round opening. Quickly and neatly peels whole citrus fruits. Ideal for grapefruits and oranges. Great for using the peels in iced tea, couscous salad, and sangria!

Want to keep it simple and easy? Try this attractive Barnwood Planter Herb Garden, complete with seeds for dill, basil, parsley, thyme, oregano and cilantro, plus soil. Just order, plant, and water and have fresh herbs in just a few weeks.
Available at Amazon.com for $39.95

Perfect for Dad on Father’s Day, Grill Daddy Pro, Best Grill Cleaner

Just add water to the handle, turn it on and the heat from the grill creates steam that cleans the grill grates in seconds. No more scrubbing and scraping. The stainless steel brush is safe on hot grills and this tool has made grilling and grill clean up so quick and easy. I’ve been bringing it to all BBQ’s and it’s a big hit.