My favourite part of the holidays is that almost everyone gets time off.

Which means that you can hang out for extended periods of time with people, see people that you don't get to see for the rest of the year and really catch up with those folks that you really enjoy.

I also love having friends, family and neighbours over for drinks and apps. Here are some fantastic items I'll be relying on this season:

**Two Leaves and a Bud**

This clean-tasting, delicious whole leaf tea is top notch and beautifully packaged in biodegradable cornstarch-based nylon pouches (it won't disintegrate in your mug like those other ones...), so you can give it as a gift as well as enjoy it at home with guests.

I love all the unique flavour combinations such as Tropical Goji Green, African Sunset (Rooibois with Lemongrass) and White Peony.

For my caffeine kick, I turn to their Assam Tea. It's so refreshing that I now have 2 or 3 a day! And because I'm all about acai and pomegranate this year, I'm loving their Acai White Tea and the fruit-infused Pomi-Berry.

This tea is totally different that that supermarket stuff you' been buying for years. Don't you deserve a cup that totally satisfies?

Absolutely!

**Summer Fresh Salads Inc.**

I have been using Summer Fresh Salads Inc. spreads for years. Their Baba Ganouj, Roasted Red Pepper Dip and Spicy Hummus have been mainstays in my kitchen forever.
And now they have some great new products that are perfect for entertaining this season.

We recently had a party where we featured their new Cheese Toppings, which are kind of a new trend in entertaining, and our guests buzzed around the cheese trays we'd laid out for quite some time. They dove into the Maple Walnut, Fig & Balsamic and Cranberry Pomegranate with verve!

These add a little oomph to the usual cheese platter you'd serve.

Try it for yourself and see the frenzy that occurs.

Summer Fresh does it again!

**Essential Cane**

This is seriously one of the best ideas I've ever seen - naturally flavoured cane sugar!

And with all the baking and cooking you're going to be doing this season, it's a welcome change from boring ol' sugar!

You can put them in your hot drinks, mix them into sauces and sprinkle them on your home-baked cookies. The possibilities are endless - as are the flavours!

Vanilla Bean is an obvious winner for this season, as are Cinnamon and Clove.

Recently, I made a Shrimp Thai Curry and I added in a little Ginger and Green Chili that elevated it to a whole new level, and I rubbed a pork tenderloin with Sweet Onion and Lime. It was so unfreakinbelievable, we almost polished off the entire roast in one sitting!

I'm adding Habanero to our Bloody Marys this holiday and Espresso to our after dinner cocktails.

I love the versatility and possibilities with Essential Cane.

I'm declaring them a pantry must-have, not just for this season, but all year long!