Avoid That "Not So Fresh" Feeling

Not so fresh is pretty much a negative for just about anything (ladies, any arguments here?). But for the venerable coffee bean, it's the kiss of death. And that, first thing on a foggy morning, is a tragedy of mammoth proportions.

Now you can avoid that "not so fresh feeling," at least when it comes to your coffee quality. Oxygen, you see, is very bad for coffee beans. It turns them nasty, leading to that cigarette butt coffee I've had to quaff at many an established coffee house. Since the air is, indeed, everywhere, what's the grand solution? This vacuum pack canister can save your beans! It keeps oxygen out and freshness in, so your little beans of caffeinated goodness are at their peak, every damn morning. Yay. And what a great gift for your favorite coffee junkie.

This gadget has been dutifully tested and approved by those dorks at Think Geek, so you know it works. And it's only forty bucks, leaving some moola left over for that extra bonus of a great bag of beans. Check it out at Summer's Eve, oops, I mean www.thinkgeek.com.

New Element Added to Toad! Annoying Poll!

Keeping up this country's obsession with all things poll-like, The Toad has designed one for this blog. Lucky for you, this particular poll doesn't ask you for overly simplistic answers regarding overly complex issues like health care, financial reform, immigration or your hair washing habits. No, this poll simply wants to know: who receives your gifts most often?

You'll find this tiny poll in the upper right. It will take you, oh, about two seconds to answer. And your precious time translates into a bounty of information for the Toad, helping her determine just which gift categories fans find useful. Imagine: a poll that will make things MORE efficient. Will miracles ever cease?

Thank you for participating.

The Toad

Break Apart Palace

As weather warms (not that you'd know that in Los Angeles today), entertaining comes to the forefront. Serving pieces, bowls and other food presentation pieces take on new appeal. But, storing this new gear isn't so appealing.

These porcelain pieces solve part of that problem. Each of these elegant black and white "palaces" contains serving pieces, plates, bowls and other crockery in a stackable form. And it's such an original form, too, both modern and retro, like actually useful dollhouse miniatures. Such breakable architecture looks like sculpture set up on the table or counter, but breaks down into actual service. From building to buffet in mere seconds! The one risk: someone's kid thinking these things would make great toys or props for a train set.

Running around eighty bucks per set, these, again, aren't super cheap. They would, however, make a rather nifty and reasonable wedding gift. These are brand spanking new. To pre-order, check out www.aplusrstore.com.

Plates for the Pig-Out Prone

Word of warning: this is a gift for someone you either love a lot, or can't stand. There's absolutely no in between, no wiggle room here. So choose your giftee with care.

These are the Intervention-ware plates, designed for those with less, well, appetite control. Yes, these are plates for pigs. The platter simply says: "Big Mistake." But the plate, well, the plate is just loaded with commentary, ranging from the relatively innocuous "Do you really need that second helping?" to the out and out insulting "For the love of god stop eating." Obviously, if your best friend's a member of OA, this might not be the most tactful gift. But for a best friend suffering from a dessert crisis or a work enemy with a multiple Hot Pocket addiction, this quality dinnerware might fit the bill.

A particularly evil way to present this present to someone is to pair it with a Mo's Bacon Bar. Just a thought. Find Intervention-ware at www.fishseddy.com. And remember: you might want to duck after they open it.

NEW item on Find A Tadpole!

Even little girls have stuff to haul around. Sometimes they need bags. And some bags are better (and cooler than others). Check out inexpensive metallic bags at Find A Tadpole!

Playing with Fire

As warmer days become the status quo, our natural predilection is to hang outside at night, too. Night time, however, at least in L.A., is never as warm as you think it should be. But there's a bright side to this: presenting manageable fire.

This tiny (7" diameter) firepit delivers campsite ambiance without undue pollution and brush fire risk (nothing spoils your outdoor dinner party more than a wildfire wiping out your hillside; nothing will earn you your neighbor's ire faster). Just plop it in the center of your table (um, if your table's wood, you might want to rethink that plan), light it up and enjoy the intimate warmth. It's even great for the kids, since it's ideal for marshmallow roasting.

It runs on flammable gel, so there's no fumes or mess to worry about. And it includes a snuffer just to keep the flames in line. At around $93, it's not very cheap, but still considerably less than wood firepits or super expensive propane heaters. This would be an excellent hostess gift if you've been invited somewhere for a rustic weekend, and well worth the expense. Check it out at www.lekkerhome.com.

Lemons Preserve Us

If you've been paying attention, you'd know that the blog entry before this one involved Moroccan tagine, and requires preserved lemons. But what are preserved lemons, and where can one find such an ingredient?

Preserved lemons are simply the citrus fruit preserved in salt. They break down, and the peel in particular acquires a salty, tangy taste that's VERY distinctive, and VERY necessary for a proper tagine (they're also excellent in a score of other recipes, but I'm getting ahead of myself). If you happen to have a lemon tree or a source for excellent organic Meyer lemons, you could preserve them yourself. Or not (I say not). Enter Saveurs, a company devoted to excellent ready to heat and serve French cuisine. Saveurs does the citrus hunting, gathering, packing and preserving for you, so all you have to do is eat them.

An added bonus for L.A. dwellers: Saveurs comes to a farmer's market near you every week (Brentwood, Larchmont Village, Glendale), so you can pick up a whopping quart of these golden globes of preserved glory for just $14. Just one jar will see you through many a tagine adventure. Alternatively, you can visit www.frenchsaveur.com and order some. They make a sunny gift along with the previously mentioned traditional tagine.