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We're going to cop to a major sugar addiction. When we tried these cookies at the office, they were gone in a flash. They're the perfect Valentine's Day indulgence, made from scratch and boasting creative flavors like chocolate-covered strawberry, red velvet, and cinnamon bun. If you're like us, you might want to order double so there are a few left over to actually give away!

Price: $17.99/dozen

Purchase here

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Sometimes, it seems like the office motto is: Will work for chocolate. And we were very excited editors the day we got to design our own custom chocolate bars from Chocri. On their website, you pick your base chocolate—milk, dark or white. We, of course, picked several of each—the things we do for you! Then, you choose from a wide variety of toppings including cappuccino chocolate drops, hazelnut brittle and even real gold flakes. We used roasted almonds, silver pearls and cinnamon cornflakes. Don't you wish you worked here?!

Price: $7–$10, on average

Purchase here

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Atkins ruined our bagel-eating pleasure forever—we'll never look at a loaf the same way again! So, three cheers for Healthy Me Bagels. Six scrumptious flavors—plain, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, whole wheat, 7-grain and pumpernickel—come in high fiber or flaxseed. Plus, they're hand-made with all natural ingredients from unbleached seeds and flours.

Price: $6.99/pack

Purchase here

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Quick and easy cleanup combined with high style? The single-use WASARA set, with 100% biodegradable cups, plates and bowls, is the answer to a party girl's cleanup dreams. Designed in Japan, this contemporary kit is made from tree-free, all-natural materials that are as earth-friendly as they are fashion-forward.

Price: $18.00

Purchase here

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Let your drink lounge in style. These sleek coasters are from MoMA, one of our favorite gift sources. Featuring the chair designs of Charles and Ray Eames, the set of 4 coasters comes in clear acrylic with rubber feet—thus no breaking or scratching surfaces. We'll toast to that!

Price: $20

Purchase here

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Like to get a little loopy at parties? Then this is the perfect gift to bring. From MoMA, it marries functionality and fashion with a twist on the fruit bowl. Filled with fruit or even empty, the single piece of chromed-steel wire will look great on any table or counter, no matter the décor.

Price: $42

Purchase here

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We love a company that turns an ugly duckling into a swan. Enter these eye-popping cutting boards, with odes to everyone from Andy Warhol to Paul Smith. Available in sizes from 12" x 12" and 12" x 16", the cutting boards are odor, stain and heat resistant, dishwasher safe and made with nonskid glass and nonslip rubber feet. If we have to slice and dice, we'd rather use something pretty!

Price: $30

AskMelissa Special: Receive free shipping when you enter promo code NBCAM in the "comments section" in the shopping cart. Valid through November.

Purchase here

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Isn't it fun when something ordinary is made beautiful? Witness this stainless-steel bottle opener from Danish company Nuance. Inspired by the drop of a sparkling cold beverage, the ergonomic design coupled with a hollow interior makes this opener a pleasure to hold, no matter how many tops have to be popped.

Price: $32

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One of life's minor annoyances? Is it Gorgonzola or Roquefort, Brie or Camembert? Write on this slate tray with chalk or soapstone pencil to ID your hors d'oeuvres or wines. Backed with felt to prevent scratching surfaces, it cleans up easily with water and sponge. For the perfect personal touch, monogram with your hosts' initials. Cheers to no more mystery munching!

Price: $54

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Ditch the traditional pumpkin pie this year and show up at the party with these divinely delicious sugar cookies from janeyCakes NYC. Each sugar cookie, glazed with royal icing, is homemade with natural ingredients. The holiday and seasonal shapes are perfect for this time of year. But janeyCakes can bake every flavor, shape, size, color, quantity and theme under the sun, making these cookies perfect for every occasion. They also make cakes and cupcakes. Licking your lips already? We thought so.

Price: $3–$4/cookie, depending on design

Purchase here or call 917.750.5903

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You can never, ever have too much jewelry! So how excited are we to hand out house jewelry as hostess gifts? These agate plates come in rich colors displaying natural character. We love them for cheese, sushi or hors d'oeuvres, but they are also scratchproof and can withstand high temperatures to double as a trivet. There's that functional/beautiful thing again!

Price: $55, set of two small; $70, large

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To make your poker party diva worthy, here are some of our favorite finds from SoLUXE. You'll feel lucky with their monogrammed offerings in sophisticated patterns and colors. Buy them for yourself, bring them to your hostess—either way, it's a sure bet.

Purchase coasters, $35
Purchase tray, $120
Purchase cutting board, $39
Purchase plate, $20
Purchase cards, $55

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Sometimes a mint is not just a mint. Yes, these peppermint-flavor mini mints taste great and are perfect post-Starbuck’s. But it’s their sexy, stylish tins proudly sporting the pink ribbon that caught our eye. Part of their new Awareness Series, which will donate to a variety of causes, Hint Mints donates 25 cents per tin sold to the Avon Fund for Breast Cancer. Help spread awareness, one mint at a time.

Price: $29.40 for 12 tins

Purchase here

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Cheers! This special edition ONEHOPE Wine is a smooth, medium-bodied delight made from the grapes of sunny Sonoma and Mendocino counties in California. We love it with seafood or pasta. And it makes a great hostess gift, but order extra for home. You won’t want to miss out. Plus, 50% of all sales are donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, making this wine taste just that much better.

Price: $18.99/Bottle, $227.88/Case

Purchase here

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Toast for the cure with these stylish wine glasses from Riedel. We love their stemless design, which feels so good in our hand. These casual yet elegant glasses are perfect for a relaxed evening à deux or a chic dinner party, and each glass in this set of four comes in a different shade of pink, from light to dark. In celebration of breast cancer awareness month, Riedel donates 15 percent of every sale to Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

Price: $70.00

Purchase here

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Does wrangling with your child over an afternoon snack feel like negotiating mid-East peace? Were we relieved to find these "granola" bars for kids! Like Lego for snack food, your kids can build custom bars with everything from crispy puffed rice and pumpkin spice to blueberries and chocolate chips. Just go to the website and let them click away. As they build their bar, you can watch as an interactive nutrition label adjusts the calorie, fat and fiber content. Now, parents and kids can both be snack happy!

Purchase here

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Nothing says summer like an old-fashioned clambake. And your hosts can have them year-round with this cherry-red, 16-quart Le Creuset lobster pot with an adorable lobster decal. We love to make Ina Garten's stovetop clambake in ours. So, toss in her Barefoot Contessa Parties! cookbook, and you have the hostess gift with the mostest.

Purchase here

Purchase here

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We admit it—we're chocoholics (not that there's anything wrong with that). And if your hosts are too, this is the gift for them. In our vast experience with all things dark, rich and creamy, Teuscher is tops. From the champagne truffles to the buttercrunch to the adorable solid chocolate animals, this is the best we've ever had. No time to stop by their Manhattan stores as you leave town? You can order online and ship directly to your destination.

Purchase here

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After a day or two spent waiting on you, your hosts may prefer curling up with the Sunday Times to curating your next meal. Instead, bring our favorite waffle maker—along with waffle mix and all the trimmings—and make breakfast for them. We love ours doused with fresh berries, maple syrup and a healthy dollop of homemade whipped cream.

Purchase here

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Your hosts will scream over this ice cream from Il Laboratorio del Gelato. No need to trek to its Lower East Side outpost. They will ship directly to your hosts. The only difficulty? Choosing among their delectable flavors, from classics like mint chip, coffee and dark chocolate to exotics like honey lavender, ricotta, and toasted almond.

Purchase here

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Quick, easy and fun for the whole family—the SodaStream turns water into soda in under 30 seconds and offers over 60 flavors (regular, diet, fruity, natural, ice tea and more). Enjoy the drinks, and feel good going green eliminating bottles and cans from store-bought brands.

Purchase here

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The Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator is an Ask Melissa very best kept secret of the day. This clever product aerates wine to create a better bouquet. Easy to use, just pour wine through, and it breathes instantly, enhancing flavor and taste. The perfect gift for any wine lover, there is one for red and a brand new model for white.

Purchase here

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The Tracy Stern SALONTEA Sampler offer a sampling of teas handpicked from the finest estates throughout the world and custom blended. The Sampler gift package includes one serving each of the six salon tea blends and a stick tea infuser.

Purchase SalonTea Sampler here

The signature teas have clever names such as the musician, the writer, the romantic...The teas make for a great gift and are a favorite of many celebrity moms.

Purchase Signature Teas here

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Sweetriot treats are both good for you and your waistline. These dark chocolate Cacao "Peaces" are all natural, dairy free, gluten free and kosher too! They are filled with antioxidants and are only 1 to 2 calories each. The gift cube contains 12 tins that are 100% recyclable.

To purchase sweetriot Gift Cube, click here

Sweetriot also just came out with a new line of healthy dark chocolate snack bars.

Use the code: askmelissariot to receive a 15% discount.

To purchase sweetriot Snack Bars, click here

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Deluxe Honeydrop is a honey infused healthful beverage that combines organic fruit and honey to create a delicious, nutritious, and environmentally friendly drink. It is available in four flavors: Bee Good (Apple), Bee Alive (Blood Orange), Bee Calm (Chamomile), and Bee Strong (Blueberry). At 80 calories per 16.9 oz. bottle, honeydrop offers a healthy alternative to sodas and other soft drinks.

This delicious flavored water is sweetened with 100% USDA organic honey from the Amazon Rainforest. Honeydrop beekeepers sustain the natural life-cycle and habitat of honeybees without the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides. Honeydrop is both environmentally conscious and uses plastic bottles which are recyclable and free from bisphenol.

For more info go here
Available locally at Whole Foods.

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My favorite chocolates are anything from Vosges.Their incredible truffles are presented in beautiful purple boxes.This chic and delicious line is known for combining rare spicesand flowers into their exotic chocolates.

Three outstanding choices are the truffle collection heart box for $43, the exotic caramel collection for $37 and the organic candy bar library for $37.

Purchase here

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Another great gift for men is this unique ItalianValentine’s Basket from Italian Wine Merchants.This basket includes a bottle of red, white and sparkling
wine along with a vino buying guide. Purchase online for $100.

Purchase here

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My favorite gift for guys is The 30-Second Barista. It’s an espresso pod (one cup) machine that makes rich Italian coffee with frothy milk in 30 seconds. This sleak, modern design in red is $169.95.

Purchase here

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FOOD ALLERGY INITIATIVE provides insightful information on how to manage food allergies, in particular how to manage those more commonly found in children today. Since serious food allergies have been on the rise for the past ten years, particularly among children, companies have created facilities to produce foods that do not contain any trace of the most common allergens. A food allergy can be life changing, therefore FAI provides the most current information and latest allergy findings in order to make these allergies more manageable.

The Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) was founded in 1998 by concerned parents and grandparents. There is no cure for food allergies and strict avoidance of problem foods is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction. Even the slightest trace of the wrong food may trigger anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal reaction. Once an anaphylactic reaction begins, the only way to control it is emergency administration of epinephrine (EpiPen or Twinject).

FAI strives to make the world a safer place for people with food allergies through public policy initiatives and by building awareness among the media, health care workers, food manufacturers, education and childcare professionals, camps, and restaurants.

www.faiusa.org

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TAKE IN CASE When an allergic reaction breaks out, the EpiPen can be a life-saver. The Take In Case makes it easy and convenient to carry an EpiPen. The case slips onto the leg, which makes this a great product for children while at school or playing sports.

www.takeincase.com

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SELECT WISELY Explaining food allergies when dining out can be complicated, but even more so while traveling outside the U.S. Select Wisely have created food and travel translation allergy cards to ease the process. Each card has an image illustrating the allergy with a big "NO" circle through the graphic along with a translation of the allergy. The cards are available in a variety of languages.

The cards are aimed at adults traveling abroad, but are also useful for children with food allergies. The cards are also useful for your child's babysitter, can be placed in your child's backpack on the first day of preschool, or can be used as an alert card for school field trips.

www.selectwisely.com

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ENJOY LIFE FOODS has created allergen free cookies, granola, snack bars, chocolate chips, and chocolate bars. We recommend the Sunbutter Crunch snack bar, this crunchy, salty and sweet snack bar has a rich "nutty" flavor. The salty trail mix is a healthy and delicious snack option and free from peanuts and tree nuts.

www.enjoylifefoods.com

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DIVVIES Divvies popcorn is free from hydrogenated oils and made specifically for people with food allergies in a facility free from peanuts, tree nuts, milks, and eggs. The popcorn is available in the following flavors: caramel, chocolate caramel, and kettle corn. In addition, Divvies offers cookies and candy. A portion of every gift box of cookies purchased is donated to the Food Allergy Initiative.

www.divvies.com

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IZZI B'S ALLERGY FREE CUPCAKES Pam Nicholas's daughter, Isabella, was just about to turn one when she was diagnosed with an egg allergy. Determined to find a delicious allergy free cupcake, Pam began experimenting in the kitchen so Isabella could celebrate her first birthday with a cake.

Having trained at the French Culinary Institute, working along side of some of the most notable chefs, Pam founded Izzi B's Cupcakes. Made using agave and evaporated cane sugars and free from refined sugars, the cupcakes are mostly organic and vegan. They are also free of the following ingredients: honey, seeds, beans, apples, wheat, soy, eggs, gluten, dairy and nuts. Izzi B's Cupcakes taste just like 'real' cupcakes (chocolate is definitely a favorite), the frosting is incredible.

* Izzi B's Cupcakes are available starting May 15th.

To inquire about cupcakes for upcoming birthday parties contact Pam Nicholas at izzibcupcakes@yahoo.com