Pignolli cookies

If you are in New York, it is worth stopping by Veniero`s pastry shop http://www.venierospastry.com/ at 11th street, and buying yourself a healthy helping of pignolli cookies.

The dough is nice and soft, with great texture and taste, and the pine nuts make all the difference after all.

You can actually buy it online, if New York is not on your travel plans any time soon. believe me, you will not be disappointed.

Jarlsberg Cheese

For most people, choosing new cheeses can be a daunting task, for there seem to be thousands of different types. So people stick to what they know.

This is, of course, an exaggeration for there aren't that many cheese types after all.

However, if you are looking for something different - I am assuming you have never tasted it - the Norwegian cheese Jarlsberg is a great bet.

To me, it is an improvement over the already excellent Swiss cheese. The tast is not very harsh, it is not all smelly, and not awfully expensive as well. It will be a success in any party, believe me.

You can actually buy a 2-pound chunk of it at Costco for a mere 10 bucks.