This holiday season when your guests gather 'round for a mood-lifting cocktail, consider throwing something really fantastic at them: rim their glasses with edible silver or gold. That'll get their minds off the recession. And with this line of edible Italian silver and gold leaf starting at $26, you don't need to take grandma's jewels to the pawn shop to pay for your little party decorations. More

"I do not believe that you have to spend a lot of money to eat well: it is hard to beat a plain old baked potato. But there are things it is worth spending money on.

After Sara Kate's post on the crazy All-Clad Tomato Slicer and in light of Faith's upcoming wedding, we thought we'd share one of our favorite wedding gifts... More

Hey, big spenders. This month, we've been picking up some spendy stuff.

We dug through our kitchen cabinets this morning so that we could 'fess up the prices:
• $4.25 for a 2.7 ounce lump of Mexican drinking chocolate
• $6 for a single heirloom tomato
• $11.99 for a jar of McClure's pickles
• $12 plus shipping for June Taylor's blood orange marmalade
• $17.15 for a little over half a pound of Vacche Rosse Parmigiano Reggiano.

This week, we've already read about piggy-bank raids to pre-order the world's most expensive ham. And mangosteens are going for $15 a pop in Philly.

We're sure some would laugh at us for spending twenty bucks for a lump of cheese and some pickles, but food's a priority for us. Many of these products are "slow foods" and all are created by small, artisan producers. We're happy to support these people when we can afford it.

We're putting our money where our priorities -- and our pleasure -- sit. We're wondering what ingredients you splurge on. Do you cut back on other costs to buy your favorites?