This post is presented by HomeAway. Discover the world’s largest selection of vacation home rentals with HomeAway.com. Let’s stay together.

Renting a vacation home versus going to a hotel often means foregoing the convenience of room service… and if you were to pick a gorgeous remote spot, you may not be able to find all your gourmet favorites either! But this doesn’t necessarily mean giving them up, instead, when we day dream a NOTCOT team getaway somewhere like Big Sur, we think it would be the perfect excuse to try all kinds of packable gourmet treats and condiments and other experiments on vacation! See some of the fun we’d love to play with on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Gourmet Getaway Goodies"! ----->

Tags: drinks - food - gifts - shopping - sponsored - travel

Bacon wrapped jalapenos, homemade golden brown sugar and the refreshing Cilantro Lime Tequila Spritzer are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

The anatomy of a good grilled cheese, homemade mint chocolate bars and a sip of cherry moon, are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

The magic behind food ads, London cocktails and reinvented Oreos are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each tasty post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

There seems to be an endless assortment of water bottle designs… and while i’ve played with everything from traditional Nalgenes and Camelbaks to KORs and Bobbles… i’ve yet to find the right bottle… until perhaps this Stanley Nineteen13 1-Handed Water Bottle. The design details of the whole Stanley Nineteen13 Collection is a nice modern twist on sleek metallic containers and canisters. The 1-handed water bottle in particular has a simple push button spout which can be drunk from 360 degrees, a nice rubbery ring and loop to attach to a bag, etc ~ and it even fits in bike cages and car cup holders. Take a peek at the water bottle details on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Stanley Nineteen13 1-Handed Water Bottle "! ----->

Tags: drinks - gifts - shopping - water

Easter egg brownies, tactical bacon and coconut raspberry mojito jello shooters are all part of this week’s delectable roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

The latest culinary adventure from our resident zoologist and London-based editor, Justine Aw. I never knew i needed tea cups with wine glass stems until now… see what she has to share about her adventure below!

Last night we were invited to a delectable feast of most unusual nibbles and tipples at the pop-up Dickensian dining room above the Ten Bells pub overlooking Old Spitalfields Market in East London. The feast was brought to us by Hendrick’s and The Young Turks, a culinary collective of James Lowe, Isaac Mchale and Ben Greeno. See more photos of the delightful pop-up dining room and our sumptuous meal and cocktails on the next page.

TO PAGE 2 of "A Dickensian Dinner For Two with Hendrick's Gin and the Young Turks"! ----->

Tags: drinks - food - london - popup - restaurants

Watermelon kegs, Blue Persian Salt Caramel Sauce and art in food waste are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

Elderflower Gimlets, Easter egg cupcakes and noisy jelly all feature in this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

Traditional Irish coffee, Momofuku Redeye Mayonnaise and homemade marshmallows are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

Bacon waffles, frozen egg whites and the story behind the Whiskey Smash are a part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

Just in from our Tasteologie editor, Jackson Stakeman, he got a taste of Kitchit, the new bespoke chef service that just expanded to Los Angeles (from SF) today. Here’s what he learned (and ate!)…

I’ve learned some things recently… dinner parties are hard. Eating and hanging out with friends is easy. The view off the roof of a condominium on Ocean Ave in Santa Monica is amazing. Especially at sunset. Having a Top Chef All Star (in this case, Marcel Vigneron) prepare you and your friends a private dinner is even more so. Kitchit, a new company which offers new ways of connecting diners with chefs, has just reached Los Angeles. They invited me up to the roof for a little get together in order to have a taste and to take a peak at what they’ve been up to.

Kitchit uses the power of the internet to illuminate the often murky world of catering and private chefs. It offers an alternative to socialite word of mouth, sketchy business cards, and random internet searches. Hosts can select from a wide variety of chefs, including some well known culinary celebrities, and book a private dinner as if they were ordering it off the internet… which they are. You can even use the site to split the bill amongst your guests. Take a peek at the adventure through pictures on the next page…

TO PAGE 2 of "Kitchit Dinner in LA"! ----->

Tags: cooking - drinks - events - food - los angeles - tasteologie

This week’s droolworthy roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious includes Boxberry cocktails, sea scallops in black tie and Cacao Bliss. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its indviidual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - tasteologie

Perfect momos, Meyer lemon margaritas, and luscious, honey-sweetened blood orange curd are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delicious post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

It’s not everyday that you wake up to a doorstep with a basket of cucumbers, roses, and gin. Hendrick’s Gin of course… they are calling it “a most unusual bouquet for a most unusual occasion” as “The World’s Most Peculiar Gin Makes Fitting Arrangements to Celebrate Leap Day”… to celebrate the rare 29th of February, they’ve sent a fun arrangement of roses and cucumbers and the recipe for a Scarlet Petticoat! Take a peek at it all on the next page…

TO PAGE 2 of "Hendrick's Leap Day Surprise"! ----->

Tags: drinks - food - gifts - liqurious - shopping

Bouncing jello shots, party balloon pastry pops and succulent roasted pork belly sandwiches are all part of this week’s mouthwatering roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delicacy, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

I’ve been obsessed with the adorableness of these little waters all over the hotel here in Rio. Aguas Ouro Fino ~ adorable nearly spherical little water bottles… reminiscent of the Ora Ito OGOs… turns out even their 5L jugs are big spheres! And you can even customize the minis… my favorite is that the “com gas” (bubbly!) red one looks kind of like baby squid/octopi… take a peek at them on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Red and Blue Water"! ----->

Tags: drinks - gifts - packaging - shopping - water

Chocolate margaritas, Domo-Kun heart cookies, and a goat cheese burger are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

This week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious features killer guacamole, lasagna soup and coconut lime margaritas. To find out more about each delectable post, click on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

Fun new Genevieve Gauckler Mugs for Publik ~ Live Joyfully, You are the master!, Throwing The Balls, and Path To Success. Fun new designs added to the collection by Genevieve Gauckler… see more pics on the next page.

TO PAGE 2 of "New Genevieve Gauckler Mugs for Publik"! ----->

Tags: drinks - gifts - home - shopping

Black + Blum’s new Eau Good filter water bottle - the new water bottle was spotted at NYIGF by Core77 and at IDS by TreeHugger. The concept is interesting ~ the piece of Binchotan active charcoal snaps into place when the bottle is squeezed (and you do the same to release it)… made of BPA free tritan, the bottle is closed with a simple cork. See more pics on the next page…

TO PAGE 2 of "Black + Blum's Eau Good"! ----->

Tags: drinks - gifts - shopping - water

Green tea cream puffs, delectable pho bo and ‘The Duck Fat Sazera’ are all part of this week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. Find out more about each delectable post by clicking on its individual image.

Tags: cooking - drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie

These made my day. Corkers are a design collaboration between Oded Friedland and Reddish Studio for Monkey Business are push pins that you can prick into wine/champagne corks to turn them into little creatures! The options are ‬Monkey‭, ‬Deer‭, ‬Buffalo‭, ‬Bear‭, ‬Bunny‭ ‬&‭ ‬Crow. The packaging turns it into a fun wine bottle hang tag/gift ~ perfect for the next bottle of wine… Take a peek at more details up close on the next page.

TO PAGE 2 of "Corkers - Pushpin Cork Creatures"! ----->

Tags: animals - drinks - gifts - packaging - shopping - wine

Exploring the culinary side of LA ~ our Tasteologie editor, Jackson, had a fun chat with Chef Andre Guerrero about their variety of speciality grilled cheeses and beer director Ryan Sweeney about their Belgian brews over at Little Bear. Here’s a look at his latest adventure:

I love grilled cheese. It is the combination of two of humankind’s oldest food products. As it is about ten thousand years old… we’ve had lots of practice in eating and making this comfort food staple. Little Bear, a new bar in downtown L.A., offers a quartet of interesting grilled cheeses to go along with its amazingly well curated selection of Belgian Beer. It is a fantastic addition to Los Angeles’s Arts District and fits into the growing local network of lofts, artists, artisans, film shoots, factories, and restaurants. Little Bear brings nuance and great attention to detail raising otherwise straight forward food and beer into a warm comforting embrace. I couldn’t resist sampling their entire grilled cheese lineup! See more pics on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "The Grilled Cheeses of Little Bear"! ----->

Tags: drinks - food - liqurious - los angeles - tasteologie

Liqueur caviar, homemade marshmallows, and eskimo kisses are all a part of our weekly roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious. To find out more about each delicious post, click on its individual image.

Tags: drinks - food - liqurious - roundup - tasteologie