SMORGASBORD: Flavor nut . . . Fever pitch . . . Fresh and fermented . . . Tonic and gin . . . Flavor helpers . . . 'Essentials' cookbook

Flavor nut

Sometimes packaged cashews turn almost chewy, but Yumnuts flavored cashews (tasters tried Cajun, toasted coconut and chocolate) maintain a fresh crunch without any artificial add-ins.

Buy a pack of four 5-ounce bags for about $20 at yumnutsnaturals.com.

Fever pitch

When delicate little bottles of Fever Tree started showing up with increasing frequency on the shelves of bars and lounges here in the states, many knew the British bubbly water had successfully leaped the pond. Most commonly paired with gin, Fever Tree's tonic water is a welcome upgrade, thanks to its slightly bitter citrus bite and balance.

Buy a case of 24 6.8-ounce bottles for $32.46 at amazon.com.

Fresh and fermented

Add a little alcohol-free sparkle to your beverage cart with Cascal handcrafted natural sodas. The fermented sodas are whipped up at a microbrewery and come in a variety of unique flavors, such as Crisp White (pear, apricot and magnolia), Honey and Malt, and Ripe Rouge (cherry, chocolate and rose).

Visit cheerscascal.com for retail information.

Tonic and gin

Named for creator Tom Richter's childhood moniker, Tom's Handcrafted Tonic is authentically rust colored, thanks to natural ingredients including the bark of the cinchona tree: the original source for quinine. Distinctive and delicious, Tomr's is on the brink of release, destined to repurpose G&Ts as T&Gs.

Preorder a 6-ounce bottle for $7.50 at tomshandcrafted.com.

Flavor helpers

Whether you're looking to perk up your coffee or enhance your next cake recipe, Nielsen Massey has pure extracts that are up to the task. Try one of their many flavors, such as almond, chocolate and peppermint.

They are about $9.99 for a 2-ounce bottle at kitchenkapers.com. See nielsenmassey.com for other retail locations.

'Essential' cookbook

Six years in the making, "The Essential New York Times Cookbook" (W.W. Norton & Co., $40) covers more than 150 years of cooking, whittled down to 1,400 recipes.

It's an ambitious book by Amanda Hesser, a Times food columnist. More than just republishing the best recipes in the Old Gray Lady, the 932-page tome also tracks what we ate over the decades.

About a century ago, Americans ate pigeons and game birds. Then, we ate chicken. A lot. In the '90s, we ate a lot of duck. In recent years? Not so much.

Hesser has chronicled how the American diet has changed as we moved from hunting to raising and processing food.

1/2: Sometimes packaged cashews turn almost chewy, but Yumnuts flavored cashews maintain a fresh crunch without any artificial add-ins. (McClatchy Tribune)

2/2: Whether you're looking to perk up your coffee or enhance your next cake recipe, Nielsen Massey has pure extracts that are up to the task. (McClatchy Tribune)