Yesterday the UPS guy dropped off a highly-anticipated package — the collection of artisanal honeys my sister bought me for Christmas.  Just in the nick of time too — I’m almost out of Tupelo honey.

I’m guessing these three jars should last me ’til, oh, 2014.  That’s a lot of honey!  Naturally, I’ve already dug in and sampled all three…

Wild Oak Honey: Spanish honey with a glossy, dark color that makes it almost too beautiful to eat.  It looks like the Guinness of honeys.  The texture is rich and smooth and the flavor is incredible.

Girasole: Tuscan honey with a yellowish-amber hue.  Thick and creamy with a floral, almost pollen-y flavor.

Langnese Forest Honey: Intensely sweet and silky German honey that I bet would go great in tea.

That was a fun taste test; toast never tasted so good.  I think my favorite’s the Wild Oak, but I’m looking forward to making like Winnie the Pooh and working my way through all three jars.

Another great Christmas gift from my sister — the Presto PowerPop microwave multi-popper.

I don’t like the processed taste of microwave popcorn, air-popped is kinda bland, and making popcorn the old fashioned way on the stove tastes great but is a lot of work.  The PowerPop solves all those problems and is a breeze to use: Pour in a tiny bit of oil (optional) and the kernels, sprinkle salt on top and put the popper in the microwave.  3-4 minutes later you’ve got a huge bowl full of fresh popcorn with the salt evenly distributed over each piece.  Throw in a Netflix DVD and enjoy your popcorn.

In conclusion, it’s nice having a sister who gets you great food gifts.  Thanks Jen!