Summer is just around the corner, as is Father’s Day. Instead of another tie or a box of hankies, why not surprise your father with a cooking tool—as well as a delivery of sustainable seafood and organic meats to go with it? Even if he isn’t the cook in the house, he may very well take on this role after seeing delicious ingredients delivered straight to home and experimenting with some innovative appliances to make gourmet food preparation a breeze.

STARTING WITH THE BASICS FROM VitalChoice

Seasoned chefs know that the success of any meal depends on the quality of the ingredients used to prepare it. Make it easy for Dad to achieve culinary success by providing him with the finest sustainable seafood and meats. And the best thing is, he won’t have to drive around town in his quest. He just has to open his front door!

We couldn’t believe our eyes when our VitalChoice box of seafood, which contained an amazing variety of vacuum-packed options (lobster tails, halibut, sea scallops, giant crab slaws, deep water shrimp, free-range beef burgers,and even an Alaskan salmon filet) was delivered to our home! Everything was packed efficiently in recyclable thermal padding and dry ice to ensure the shipment arrived to us in perfect frozen condition.

For a Father’s Day gift he will never forget, consider giving Dad the joy of preparing wild seafood and/or organic meats. You’ll not only make Dad happy beyond belief, you will support sustainable fisheries and free-range farms in the process.

ZAVOR CRUNCH AIR FRYER OVEN

Gone are the days when Dad would throw in potatoes into a pool of grease to make French fries. There is now a better, and healthier way, to create a delicious, low fat meal using just one appliance. And that is, the ZAVOR AIR CRUNCH FRYER OVEN.

This appliance literally provides the convenience of seven kitchen appliances in one unit. It replaces a traditional air fryer, grill, rotisserie, dehydrator, and more to offer a multifunctional solution to all your food preparation needs. We made the most delicious air fried potatoes and although they tasted fantastic, we were delighted to know they were healthy, as they were made without the use of cooking oil. We added sea salt, garlic powder, a bit of rosemary, and some ground pepper. Next, we were ready to indulge without concern.

We’re still discovering all the recipes we can create with this air fryer plus we are looking forward to dehydrating our summer tomato crop in this unit, too. There’s nothing better than sun dried tomatoes in winter from your summer garden.

SEARBQ GRIDDLE

As long time photo journalists, we have the opportunity to learn about many things, and cooking is one of them. A few years ago, in a cooking class conducted during a press trip, we learned the secret of cooking a perfect steak. We couldn’t believe it, but the process started IN THE OVEN.

The chef used a high quality griddle to press and cook the steak at 500 degrees in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Then he placed it on the stove top griddle and cooked it to perfection. We never forgot that culinary advice, but never quite perfected the method.

That is, until we made the acquaintance of the SEARBQ griddle, made of pre-seasoned cast iron (one part griddle/one part press). We were able to recreate our chef’s recipe, resulting in the most delicious steak we ever prepared. We also achieved excellent results grilling all sorts of vegetables and our delicious VitalChoice seafood—as well as the best portobello mushrooms we ever made! This is a utensil that begs the question--what took us so long to discover this?

SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT WITH THESE STORAGE SOLUTIONS

With all the cooking Dad will be enjoying with these products, there undoubtedly will be leftovers. And what better way to keep them fresh and healthy than in the U-KONSERVE line of stainless steel food storage containers? This trusted line of containers is the perfect eco-friendly solution for storing leftover food.

If Dad is a camper or on the road often, he might also enjoy one of the ECOVESSEL stainless steel containers such as THEMETRO, which keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 6, or THEBOULDER, a rugged 24-oz container --which includes a strainer for tea, fruit, or ice-- that keeps drinks cool up to 74 hours and hot for 14. The company, based in Boulder, Colorado, is committed to protecting the environment. It partners with Water for People to bring safe water and sanitation to millions of people in the developing world. Additionally, it donates 5% of total sales to various environmental nonprofits.

Disclaimer: Please note that the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and will not receive any future compensation based on sales arising from my recommendations. My goal is to share my favorite travel tips with my followers, in an effort to improve the travel experience for us all.

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My first encounter with feather beds goes back many decades, when I joined my fellow students and university professors on a 6-month foreign exchange program in Europe. It was the dead of winter, and I recall how we all were mystified at the bedding we found in the many places in which we over-nighted. It didn’t take long for us to notice that these unusual “feather” beds kept us deliciously warm in that bitter European winter. The standard sheet and blanket bedding, as was prevalent in the US at that time, would certainly never have done the job!

That was when my love affair with the feather duvet and pillow began.

It took a few decades for America to embrace the concept of this centuries-old bedding, and now the duvet comforter has become among the most popular choices for Americans to enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep, in all weather conditions.

For years I depended on big box stores to pull together all the elements in an attempt to emulate that exclusive European bedding experience of my youth --but somehow I never came close. The comforters were mostly too heavy on the body, and the pillows did not allow your head to sink in for that heavenly feeling of resting on air.

Serendipitously, I recently discovered Down Etc., a company spearheaded by the passion of founder and CEO Rebecca Litwin, who followed her dream to provide all the components to make the perfect (and I DO mean perfect) bedding experience. While her company specializes in providing bedding for luxury hotels, the average consumer can bring Rebecca’s dream into their bedrooms with the click of a mouse.

As she quotes in her book, Roll Into A Perfectly Made Bed: I wrote this book for the workers around the world who make beds every day for a living, as well as for the homemakers who make beds every day for their families. I firmly believe a great night’s sleep is the best medicine for the tired body, soul, and mind.

We couldn’t agree more.

As travel journalists, we’ve slept in “heavenly beds” in upscale hotels and on luxury cruise ships for years. That being said, we never thought the average consumer could create such a bedding experience--until now. Just a click on the Down Etc. web site opened up a whole new world of how we average consumers can put together the elements to create a heavenly bed to our personal specifications.

For us, the process of creating our new bed was a lesson in what I was doing wrong over the years. First of all, I’ve never even thought of adding a feather bed over my mattress. It was surely the secret to a dreamy sleep experience, as we immediately discovered as we slept in this glorious “fluff” (as my husband lovingly calls his mattress bedding).

Add a super light, but very warm and cozy goose down comforter to the mix—as well as goose feather pillows-- and you’ve recreated a scenario that is about as near to a luxury hotel experience as you can get.

And right there in your own bedroom!

Every night is a luxury experience here in our bedroom, thanks to the Down Etc.aromatherapy silk pillowcase. I don’t know how I ever lived without it!

On a final note, I splurged on an Aromatherapy pillowcase, as I have heard about the benefits of sleeping on silk for both the skin and the psyche. What was I missing all these years? My experience with this company’s silk pillowcases has spoiled me. In addition to the wonderful soft feeling on one’s skin, the pillow has a pouch that contains a lavender potpourri that helps calm you from the day’s stresses and sends you into Morpheus’ (one of the Greek Gods of sleep and dreams) arms.

When the day comes when we can travel again, I will definitely take this amazing pillowcase along on my journeys (it comes in a satin travel bag) to ensure a restful night’s sleep, no matter where in the world I lay my head.

Now, after a week of sleeping on his heavenly “fluff,” my husband told me today that he has never slept so well since he was a kid. Coming from him, always a restless sleeper, this is the most sincere testimony to this outstanding source of exceptional luxury bedding.

On a side note, the company offers a wide range of other products, from comfortable and efficient copper face masks to plushy robes and sheet sets, in addition to many more items to help you have a good night’s rest….something all of us need in these restless times, for sure.

Disclaimer: Please note that the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and will not receive any future compensation based on sales arising from my recommendations. My goal is to share my favorite products with my followers, in an effort to improve the shopping experience for us all.