Incredible Internet Gifts We Give Ourselves
While we love supporting local businesses, we also love the Internet and all of the abundance it provides. Large and small companies have embraced nation-wide shipping to create a dedicated following with their unique products and collections that delight their customers. We are steadfast fans of these creators and want to share our favorites with you.
Here are 11 amazing things to order from companies across the nation.
Amazing Fish!
Sitka Salmon Shares won our hearts over all of the other fish delivery companies (and we researched them all). Sitka Salmon Shares is an integrated boat-to-doorstep seafood company that encourages its customers to join a community of independent, family fishermen. Committed to integrity, community, and sustainability, this company guarantees the traceability of their seafood as well as their quality. Every catch is flash-frozen immediately on the boat after being caught to ensure the freshness is locked in - yes, you can eat it as sashimi. (sitkasalmonshares.com)
Spicing it up...
Founded in 1957, The Spice House is a purveyor of the finest spices, herbs, blends, and extracts to customers ranging from renowned Michelin-star chefs to home cooks everywhere. No subscription here, just very fresh spices. Their Cajun Spice Mix is absolutely on point. Their poppy seeds are fresh. Their Classic Chip Dip Mix will make you throw out the Lipton Onion Soup Mix for good. Even their website's recipes are amazing. Alton Brown is a fan. What other endorsement do you need? (thespicehouse.com)
For our furry friends...
Bark Box (barkbox.com) & KitNipBox (kitnipbox.com) are great for treats, toys, and overall pet--and human--joy. The boxes that come from these brilliant vendors are themed to the season. Howl-O-Ween Party, anyone? So they are entertaining for the fur-babies and for us. Plus, they are customizable for your pet's preference and size.
OMG. That food from that place!
Goldbelly gets it to you (goldbelly.com). Get a subscription (oh, so many choices!) or just order from your favorite restaurant that might be 2,000 miles away. We love the South (Put some South in your mouth!) with top food cities like New Orleans, Nashville, and Miami. We've been known to order Central Grocery Muffulettas and Gambino's King Cakes from New Orleans and Snow's BBQ from Lexington, Texas. If you know, you know.
We Love Flowers.
Bouqs is a great go-to. I mean, really, who doesn't love fresh flowers? They really lighten up a room. Bouqs (bouqs.com) sources freshly cut flowers from sustainable farms to keep your home full of floral joy. Up to 30% off + free shipping on subscriptions and discounts on one-time orders. Skip, cancel, or pause your subscription any time after your first order. Or you can go to a local florist for a subscription. Read our article HERE.
We'll Bring the Wine!
We are members of several wine clubs, to the point where we had to order another wine refrigerator. Our current favorites are from Relic (relicwines.com), Lewis (lewiscellars.com), Daou (dauvineyards.com), Clos Soléne (clossolene.com), Sextant (sextantwines.com), Justin (justinwine.com), and Pianetta (pianettawinery.com). The fact that we had to purchase another storage unit indicates that we have either too many memberships or are not drinking it fast enough. Either way, the wine makes us happy.
Danish Kringle.
Oh. My. Stars. This stuff is so good! Family members request this over cake on their birthdays. Yes, you can get it at Trader Joes around Christmastime, but you can get it all year round from OH Danish Bakery in Racine, Wisconsin. The Olesen family has been in the business of making these amazing pastries for over 65 years. They ship super-quickly (and even faster if you want), and we've never been disappointed with the quality. Our family favorite is the Almond Kringle. (ohdanishbakery.com)
Olive Oil.
The best wine regions in our state also make some amazing olive oil. We love Pasolivo for their variety of flavors and tips to elevate our cooking. This is the award-winning olive oil we use in our olive oil cake (get the recipe HERE), specifically, their citrus blend. Seriously, it is amazing in everything. We're members of the club and would get a shipment, but since Paso Robles is just up the coast, it's too easy to just stop in and pick out the bottles we want. (pasolivo.com)
Photo albums in book form...
The Mom doesn't really do computers, so we like to create photo books from our family vacation pictures. There are several really great platforms you can use to make these great gifts: Shutterfly, Mixbook, Snapfish, Mailpix, Blurb, Google Photos, and Walmart Photo are all great resources that can help you custom-craft a great photo album for your coffee table. The best, in our humble opinion, is Blurb (blurb.com).
Maple Syrup!
Our webmaster is from New Hampshire and used to make maple syrup when she was young. While she likes to support her local sugar houses, she personally recommends Runamok for an array of products from New England. Runamok is a family-owned, Vermont-based company that started with a foundation of premium, organic maple syrup and has expanded to an array of maple and honey-based products. "They thought outside the box when it comes to sap," she says. It's really amazing what they've created. (runamokmaple.com)
Fran's Chocolates.
Accept no substitute. Fran's Salted Caramel is the original, inspirational, and delightful treat that is the standard by which all others are judged--so much so that we'll go without rather than be disappointed. We love these so much that if this company closed its doors, we'd need a week to mourn. If you're in Seattle, check out their retail location; it's like walking in to a jewelry store. If you're not in Seattle, just order a box. You won't be disappointed. (frans.com)
Throughout writing about this list, we've dropped over a thousand dollars on our favorites. Shocker: fish is good for you and salted caramel can be an addiction that comes in a beautiful chocolate box.
We hope you love these companies and their products as much as we do.