Too bad about the wine, I always give Clover Hill Spice Holiday wine or their Apple wine, which is out of this world. But I was told wine is expensive to ship when I went to their store at the farm market, which is why I schlepped it on the plane to MI for Thanksgiving. If they drink at all, they will love the apple wine, what's not to like. That stuff is heavan in a cup if you microwave it too. Some apple wine, apples and artisan cheese, OMG I may have to find someone to give this gift basket too!! I got a Penzey's gift spice box one year and I loved it. I love their Vanilla Sugar and Mural of Flavor seasoning mix. That and maybe some fru fru salt and one of their other mixes depending on what type of food they like. I like Penzey's Adobo seasoning, which is onion, garlic, oregano, pepper, a pinch of cayenne, and cumin. All the stuff for chili, Tex Mex and Mexican, except the heat! But then again if they are meat eaters they might like some of the grill rubs. I know some people here like the fancy cinnamon too. Here is a link that might be useful: Clover Hill Wines

rhome, I forgot you were cooking several batches - I probably would add a little more for each batch - depends on whether the wok looked oily or not. If not, then I'd add a little. Someone here, I'm afraid I don't know who, recommended "Breath of a Wok" and I got a copy for Christmas. Really helpful about technique, wok types and styles etc. Interestingly, the author makes it pretty clear that the inexpensive carbon steel woks are the best. I just heat mine until the oil begins to smoke a little. I've never timed it. I use Sclafani extra virgin olive oil. They are a local importer, in CT, and have been in the forefront of a campaign against 'adulterated' olive oils. The consumption of olive oil worldwide has skyrocketed, and the entire production of Italy cannot now possibly account for the amount being sold as "Italian". So CT is now testing oils, and discovered that several are only 10% olive oil, and the balance is groundnut oil - which is pretty serious for those with allergies. So, I'm confident with Sclafani, and their quality and flavour.

There was a scandal in the U.S. about EVOO a number of years ago because many imports weren't testing correctly, and they were calling it "counterfeit" and blaming the mob, when it was mostly just mishandled. That's incorrect. It's actually deliberate fraud. I've discovered how good California olive oils are and now buy them exclusively. "True extra-virgin olive oil comes exclusively from the first pressing of the olive harvest and contains no additives. "You know, when you see it there [in Italy], it's this almost luminescent green," Campanile says. "It looks like nothing you've seen before, and tastes like nothing you've tasted before." Unfortunately, by the time this heavenly liquid reaches American shores, much of it has lost its luster, often due to improper storage or tampering. Journalist Tom Mueller, who has researched the industry, estimates that half the oil sold as extra-virgin in Italy and 75-80 percent of the oil sold in the U.S. does not meet the legal grades for extra-virgin oil. The most common type of fraud, Campanile explains, is mixing Italian extra-virgin with lower quality olive oils from North Africa and around the Mediterranean. In other cases, a bottle labeled "extra-virgin olive oil" may not be olive oil at all, just a seed oil like sunflower made to look and smell like olive oil with a few drops of chlorophyll and beta-carotene. Major Sergio Tirro of the Italian Carabinieri police, one of the top investigators of food fraud in Europe, showed 60 Minutes' Bill Whitaker just how easy it is to make a realistic-looking fake. "Olive oil fraud has gone on for the better part of four millennia," Campanile says. "The difference now is that the food supply chain is so vast, so global, and so lucrative that it's easy for the bad guys to either introduce adulterated olive oils or mix in lower quality olive oils with extra-virgin olive oil." http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-overtime-how-to-buy-olive-oil/

I hope y'all know that fruity, green olive oil is not a good choice to use as a cooking oil. Like for sauteeing veggies or frying something in a skillet, etc. because it has a low smoke point. The olive oil suited for such use is pale in color, mostly tasteless, and still has a lower smoke point than better cooking oil types. Peanut oil, sunflower, canola, avocado oil, and the like are better choices for cooking. Arbequina purchased from California Olive Ranch is listed at $18 for 500 mL, half a liter. About Canadian $24.50. There are many far more expensive olive oils on the market but so far, I haven't found any with consistently better flavor I like better. Also, I know its provenance. There's a lot of lousy olive oil grown in countries around the Mediterranean and finding the better ones can't be done simply by label or origin. Also, while the authorities are cracking down, a lot of olive oil is illegally rebranded, origin wise, and cheap olive oil often gets repackaged to appear as if from a higher quality region and sold at higher prices than the original oil accurately branded would command. Edit to add - green olive oil is best suited to uses where its flavor enhances the food it's added to. Added to hummus or the like, drizzled over veggies or soup before serving, as a dip for bread, or, my favorite, as a dressing alone or with other things added before serving pastas or salad.