Scary Treats and Good Eats from GourmetGiftBaskets.com

 These BOOS are Best From GourmetGiftBaskets.com! Trick or Treating a little different this year? Send your favorite kids and loved ones a gift from GourmetGiftBaskets.com! Specialty candy, popcorn, nuts, cookies...even a special Brews Boos for your adult friends with beer, popcorn and candy. 

GourmetGiftBaskets.com, which was honored as a top food site by Newsweek earlier this year, has just unveiled some new offerings for Halloween that are SCARY GOOD. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!).

 

These are the TOP FAVORITES flying off the shelves at this family-owned company already...

 

BRAND NEW: EAT, DRINK & BE SCARY BEER BUCKET, $69.99, SKU 4757 

Hey, given this challenging year, parents sure need something to make them happy this Halloween and THIS GIFT is a step in the right direction. 

Super delicious treats like handcrafted Kettle popcorn, peanut butter cups, and Halloween Junior Mints, the fun & functional black cauldron pail holding everything is loaded with 6 great drinks. 

Most of them have Halloween themes:
Magic Hat #9, Crisp Apple Hard Cider by Angry Orchard, Oktoberfest by Sam Adams, and Pumpkinhead among others. 

 

BRAND NEW: BOO BAKED GOOD GIFT BOX, $29.99, SKU 8980

Nothing feels better during the fall than some fresh baked goods, and do we have some great items in this very affordable gift box. 

This includes delectable, chewy chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownies and Candy Corn crispy rice treats (shaped like Candy Corn). 

You need to see it to be sure your eyes aren't tricking you. Anyone would love this gift for Halloween. 

 

BRAND NEW: GOBLINS GRUB POPCORN TIN --
2 Gallons Of SALTY-SWEET GOODNESS, $59.99, SKU 7240A -- This wonderful tin includes three yummy, small-batch popcorn flavors created by our Popcorn Aficionados: White Chocolate Candy Corn, Worms In The Dirt (chocolate-covered popcorn with gummy worms), and the taste bud-tantalizing Caramel Apple popcorn, only offered during autumn. 

Food Drive, VFTCB’S Freedom from Hunger, Raises Equivalent of More Than 20,000 Pounds of Food

The Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board’s (VFTCB) sixth annual Valley Forge Freedom from Hunger Food Drive has collected a total of $4,658.77 – at a rate of .23 cents per pound – that’s the equivalent of 20,256 pounds of food.

Since the drive began in 2015, the VFTCB has collected more than 45,000 pounds of food to feed the hungry in Montco, and still working!

Due to the additional need, and high demand, caused by COVID-19, the organization will continue to keep the Valley Forge Freedom from Hunger Food Drive donation link open, and push promotions on social, through the end of the year to help those struggling through the holidays. To donate, visit www.valleyforge.org/hunger.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! We seriously can’t say enough how grateful we are to Montgomery County folks,” said Mike Bowman, President & CEO of the VFTCB. “This annual commitment to our community is so important. Our neighbors need us now more than ever. We can’t let this virus stop us. We must rally, and work together to fight COVID, and hunger.”

The VFTCB again partnered with the MontCo Anti-Hunger Network (MAHN), a coalition of hunger relief organizations working together to keep families stable with food assistance. MAHN provides resources to food pantries that feed more than 15,000 households a year, and serve the more than 80,000 people who are food insecure in the county. And, participation at many of those locations has been much higher than normal due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to MAHN officials.

“Dollars generated from this year’s Valley Forge Freedom from Hunger campaign will support MAHN’s COVID 19 response work,” said MAHN Executive Director Paula Schafer. “Thousands of Montco families are struggling to stay stable right now. Our goal is to channel as many resources to them as we can through our food pantry network. The visibility we get from Freedom from Hunger will equip us with more dollars and tools to do that.”

The Freedom from Hunger Food Drive benefits all people accessing food pantry services. COVID-19 has caused that number to grow. Those without the financial cushion required to manage a layoff, kids missing out on school meal programs, and seniors without means who are vulnerable to the virus are all in critical need of community support right now.

Since recovery from the public health pandemic could take years, more people than ever before will be relying on the charitable food network for assistance. This year’s donations will strengthen that network for people who need it today and tomorrow.

This year’s drive took place solely online with a goal of collecting 15,000 pounds of food. Monetary contributions to purchase canned goods, and other foods, were accepted instead of physical donations. To donate, visit www.valleyforge.org/hunger.

The donation link had been open since the pandemic hit Montgomery County in the spring, closing schools and businesses. Until the fall, the drive had raised almost $2,000, which translated to more than 7,000 pounds of food. The September push collected another almost $3,000, or an additional more than 13,000 pounds of food.

So far this year, 73% of 34 MAHN member food pantries have seen an increase in volume, in some cases double, or even triple, especially when nonessential businesses were shut down. At that time, the increase at high-volume pantries in Norristown and Lansdale saw as much as a 200-300% increase in client numbers, officials said.

Some of MAHN’s COVID-19 response work includes direct to pantry delivery of 56,710 pounds of COVID-19-prompted food donations, dollars for wholesale food purchases, and operating equipment needed by food pantries to keep up with demand, and stopgap distribution assistance to pantries temporarily closed for virus remediation, according to MAHN’s Executive Director, Paula Schafer.

The Valley Forge Freedom from Hunger Food Drive was created as a farewell “gift” to Pope Francis in when the Pontiff stayed in Montgomery County at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary during the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. To date, more than 45,000 pounds of food have been collected!

*The Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB) is a nonprofit, membership-based sales and marketing organization that actively promotes Valley Forge and Montgomery County, PA as a convention site and leisure visitor destination by encouraging patronage of its 600+ member hotels, restaurants, attractions, and services. The award-winning website links visitors, meeting planners, tour operators, and residents to a diverse portfolio of brands focused on reasons to visit the region.

Enjoying Cafe Spice is a Culinary Adventure at Home

 Craving restaurant-quality Indian, Mexican and Thai food, but don’t want to pay delivery fees and tips? Cafe Spice’s internationally acclaimed chef has developed authentic meals with bold flavors that can be enjoyed from the convenience of your home, in just minutes. 

You can indulge in a fine-dining, award-winning meal without leaving your home during these unprecedented times because Cafe Spice is now available through Amazon Fresh! 

Escape your mundane go-to meals and take your taste buds on an adventure.

 

Cafe Spice’s internationally acclaimed, award-winning Culinary Director, Chef Hari Nayak, brings a new, modern outlook to global cuisine without abandoning the authentic flavors, wonderful aromas, or rich culinary history in each meal.

 

What I love about Cafe Spice is fresh flavor in their dishes with bold and exotic flavors that let me feel like I’m having a culinary adventure from my house. Try them today!

Cafe Spice offers a wide range of heat-and-eat meal, appetizer and snack options on Amazon Fresh, including these great entrees:

• Chicken Tikka Masala with Saffron Rice, Indian Meal
• 2020 Silver sofi Award winner
• Potato Samosas with Chutneys, Indian Meal, Plant-Based
• 2018 Gold sofi Award winner
• Chicken Vindaloo with Lemon Rice, Indian Meal
• Chicken Curry with Lemon Rice, Indian Meal
• Vegetable Bhajias with Chutneys, Indian Meal, Plant-Based

• Butter Chicken Meatballs with Saffron Rice, Indian Meal
• Red Chicken Curry with Thai Fried Rice, Thai Meal
• Tomatillo Chicken Quesadilla
• Beef Massaman Curry with Thai Fried Rice, Thai Meal
  
  
  
• Tomatillo Chicken Burrito
• Channa Masala with Lemon Rice, Indian Meal, Plant-Based
• Aloo Gobhi Curry with Saffron Rice, Indian Meal, Plant-Based
• Yellow Tofu Curry with Thai Fried Rice, Thai Meal, Plant-Based
• Saag Paneer with Saffron Rice, Indian Meal, Vegetarian

Available in 16 ounce microwavable, BPA-free packaging, each meal is prepared fresh and can also be found in the deli and prepared foods section at your local grocery store.  

For more information on Cafe Spice and their full line of adventurous, global cuisines, visit CafeSpice.com.

Engchik Eats Newest Podcast! Listen Now!

 I've got new podcasts! Check it out! Featuring Laura Vernola-Simpson, co-owner of Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville, PA on Fall eats, hot drinks, and their nanobrewery!

https://anchor.fm/engchikeatsbychristinet