Good Things Candle Co.: Kristen Sala makes these clean-burning palm wax candles in her Windsor home. They have cotton wicks, and her “culinary collection” comes in food- friendly aromas such as cardamom, oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, ginger and thyme ($9.95 and $16.95). |The Cupboard, Fort Collins; Cottonwood Cupboard, Promenade Shops at Centerra, Loveland; Lafayette Florist; Lux of Loveland; Cottonwood Florist, Greeley; Cascades Cabin, Winter Park.|Kristen Browning-Blas
Indulge Bakery: Oh dear, time to think holiday desserts but no time to make them. So thank Linda and Thomas Willetto for opening Indulge Bakery in Lafayette. Their made-from-scratch pies and cakes evolved from hours of perfecting fine-dining recipes for restaurants and catering clients. Now they have their muffins, cookies, fruit tarts, scones and croissants in their own shop. Indulge in their Italian gelato while you’re there. Monday-Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 6 a.m. to noon.|1377 Forest Park Circle, southeast corner of Arapahoe Road and 95th Street, 303-926-1676 |Ellen Sweets
Reserve List: Long live the neighborhood wine shop! Reserve List, a small, well-edited store in the Platt Park neighborhood, is an excellent new local vintner, with a small but smart collection of affordable juice. Bonus: Frequent wine-tasting classes, available to all for a small fee. Hit reservelist.com for more info.
|1886 S. Pearl St., 303-722-5478|Tucker Shaw
Lily’s Kitchen and Garden: Looking for special sugar for your special sugar? This small, family-owned shop carries demerara and brown muscovade sugars and Steen’s pure cane syrup, and other culinary gifts.|Lily’s Kitchen and Garden, 3455 W. 32nd Ave., 303-561-3025|Kristen Browning-Blas
Wine of the week
Nino Franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Rustico, about $14
There’s no such thing as one-kind- fits-all in the wine world, but good Prosecco – northern Italy’s answer to champagne – comes close.
With frothy, festive bubbles and an ethereal peach and bitter almond flavor, a wine like Nino Franco’s Rustico makes a welcoming pour for drop-in guests as well as festive toast at parties. Its combination of bubbles, high acid and ripe fruit make it a terrific brunch pour (splash some into the fruit salad, too) as well as a dinner companion to fruit-stuffed pork loin at dinner.
So why is it so affordable? Chalk it up to the Italian sense of la bella vita.|Imported by VinDivino, Chicago|Tara Q. Thomas
Beer of the week
Oskar Blues Gordon Double IPA, $10.99 a four-pack
At first glance, Gordon’s looks like any can of generic beer. Inside is anything but.
Named after the late brewer Gordon Knight, his namesake is a dry-hopped double IPA bursting with hop aroma and an eye-catching deep reddish-orange color.
It’s alcohol content, 8.7 percent by volume, is down slightly from last year’s version. It’s a little sweet, thanks to six malts, with a noticeable-but-smooth hop finish. Perfect for the season.
Gordon is the third year- round beer in cans from Oskar Blues. The others are Dale’s Pale Ale and Old Chub.
Gordon is sold in 13 states.
Oskar Blues Brewery, 303 Main St., Lyons 80540; 303-823-6685; oskarblues.com.|Dick Kreck
Cookself
“Paula Deen Celebrates,” by Paula Deen with Martha Nesbit (Simon & Schuster, 2006, $26)
The latest made-for-TV book from Paula Deen, the Food Network’s doyenne of Southern cooking, covers good (though rarely good for you – see the Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding) eats for all manner of celebrations, including Elvis’ birthday.
It’s hard not to like Deen’s food. What’s to dislike about ham hock pizza and country-fried steak with gravy?
These heart-stopping recipes are bookended by stories from Deen about celebrations from her life and the food that went with them. While the stories sometimes verge on over-the-top cute, that’s a huge part of why fans adore Deen.|J.M. Hirsch, The Associated Press
More online: Reviews of cookbooks by Jamie Oliver, Tyler Florence and other celebs. denverpost.com/food
