But lately I've been trying to find new things to buy and experiment with. Here are two of my best recent finds: the first, a dried pepper bouquet. I gave this to my mom as a sort of hostess gift when she had an early Christmas (or late Thanksgiving) party at her house. I'm trying to stay away from the cut flower business-- and they tend to die anyway. ;) This will last forever, the peppers are still edible, and it looks and smells vibrant and delicious.
The second, from the Herbs and Spice and Everything Nice stand (across from Dojo Gelato), is lavender sugar. I had never even heard of this before my friend Jennifer mentioned it on Twitter. I talked to the ladies at the stand about it, and they suggested I try a tablespoon in a regular sugar cookie recipe. The result was phenomenal-- I got a lot of "oh WOW"s when people tried them at work. It's not a taste you're expecting-- floral is not something I usually associate with cookies. If you're feeling adventurous, throw a bit in your next batch of cookies-- no more than a tablespoon though, because a little goes a loooooong way.
