There are certain foods that are so elemental to the way I eat that I rarely take time to really appreciate them. French baguettes from Zingerman’s Bakehouse had been one of those products for a while, until I recently had an aha! moment and realized that I seriously look forward to every single bite. Our French baguettes are so good that I always bring one to meetings as an accompaniment, even if the pairing is with another type of bread. I could eat one every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of them. They ARE my desert island food. The bakehouse has been hand-rolling them for a while now, and they’ve got it down perfectly. Bakehouse baguettes: a thin crispy crust with a good chew, a perfectly airy interior, slightly sweet, and pointy ends that you could use as a weapon in a dark alley. From 4 simple ingredients they become the backbone to any picnic, appetizer, or sandwich. It’s easy to think of as a background food, something to hold up a piece of salami or cheese, but a baguette all on its own will help you recognize it as the pillar of civilization it is. Our baguettes are so good they make me break out in extreme hyperbole.

Pepperoncini Tondi are my favorite accidental find at the deli. They’re spicy peppers from Calabria, a region of Italy known for its peppers. I was first introduced to them when I accidentally opened a new jar that I thought was a sample jar. I felt guilty and bought them (don’t ever feel that way at the deli∑I just have an especially strong guilt reflex. Thanks, mom!), and it was one of the best decisions I have made for my pantry in a while. Honestly, my boyfriend and I just pop them in our mouths and eat them like very spicy popcorn, but you can do amazing things with them. They’re really easy to hollow out, so you can fill them with cheese (try the city goat) or tuna for an easy appetizer. Keep the filling for mixing into pasta sauce, or even a spicy pico del gallo salsa. They’re a cool pizza topping. Roast ‘em up with other veggies. There’s tons of ways to eat them. When you’ve eaten all the peppers, don’t despair! You have a jar full of amazing spicy oil that can add zing to pastas, salads, and soups for months to come!

At the Deli, I love proudly pointing to the entire row of cheese that’s made by Zingerman’s Creamery, in Ann Arbor, from Michigan milk. Lately, the Manchester has been my favorite. It’s a mold ripened cows‚ milk double cream cheese, so it’s really rich and it has a perfect tang to complement the creaminess. It comes in an adorable round and is pretty firm textured, so in the summer I can slice it into little pie pieces and drizzle it with honey for a lazy afternoon snack. Now that it’s getting colder, I like to bake it in the oven at 350, for about 20 minutes. It maintains it’s shape, but gets just oozy goozy (yes, a technical term) enough to spread on toasted slices of baguette. The crunch of baguette and the smoothness of the cheese is a great texture combination. It can be the perfect appetizer for a dinner party or the perfect late night snack for sitting in front of the TV.

It’s November at Zingerman’s! Cranberry Pecan bread is here! When I started at the deli, I was always getting requests for the mythical cranberry pecan bread, but I had to wait a couple months to get my chance to try it. Now I understand why guests will pine for a freezing November day in the middle of June — this bread is delicious! I love our raisin pecan bread, too, but the cranberries add a tartness that gives the loaf a “pop” of flavor I’ve never tasted in bread before. The crust is thin and crackly, and the pecans give it all the crunch you could ask for — it’s like trail mix in bread! I love it with butter, I love it more with our cream cheese, and I love it most as french toast (and not just because that rhymes). We only get this bread November and December every year (and weekends in July), but it freezes really well and you’ll be glad to defrost a loaf in March or April, right along with the snow outside.

Today my favorite is Zingerman’s Bakehouse graham crackers and vanilla marshmallows with Claudio Corallo 80% chocolate. Yes, a s’more. I’m going to bring them to my little cousins at a family reunion, but I predict adult migration to the kids’ table just to get a bite. Think you’re too grown-up for s’mores? Try them with these ingredients–the graham cracker package even acknowledges that they’re “a secret adult addiction”. The graham crackers are thin and crispy and cinnamon-sugary, the marshmallows melty (when roasted) and sweet, and the chocolate is just super-duper, with more cacao flavor than sweetness. These ingredients are really good separately, too. Try the graham crackers with peanut butter, or drop a marshmallow in your morning coffee. Chocolate, of course, is good anytime, anywhere. But really, I’m glad that (at 24 years old) I still sit at the kids table so I get first dibs.