Special Delivery from Taste of Home is a quarterly subscription box that delivers recipes, kitchen gadgets, and other products that are selected by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen experts. They guarantee to bring "a little fun and whimsy to your life!"
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is of the $39.95 a quarter box.
About Special Delivery From Taste of Home
The Subscription Box: Special Delivery from Taste of Home
The Cost: $39.95 a quarter or $49.95 for a single box + $5 shipping
The Products: "Taste of Home cookbook, exclusive recipe cards, exciting new kitchen gadgets, and more!"
Ships to: U.S. for $5.00
Special Delivery From Taste of Home Fall 2017 Review
Inside you will find an information card with a special note from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen. This month's note is all about the Fall season and everything that comes along with it! On the back, you will find a detailed list of each product featured in the box.
Let's take a look at what is inside!
Taste of Home Cookbook: Holidays & Celebrations - Retail Value $17.99 (found here for $10.23)
This cookbook is enormous! There are recipes for every occasion that you could possibly think of. I was very excited to see a cookie exchange section as well as I was just invited to an exchange in my neighborhood! The book has 112 recipes, plus, the writing is a larger text size that makes ready super easy as you cook. This is the type of item that I know I will use and keep around for many, many years!
OXO Good Grips Dough Mixer With Blades - Retail Value $11.99
A handheld dough mixer is key for making flaky pie crust or even certain cookies. This mixer is awesome because it has stainless steel blades and a rubber grip that makes it easy to hold. I think I got a mixer like this a few years ago when I moved into my first home, but I have since misplaced it. I am very happy to have this awesome tool on hand for the next time I make some dough!
Fire & Flavor Turkey Perfect Herb Brine Kit, 16.6 oz. - Retail Value $7.89
I have a confession, I have never made my own turkey. My Mom's classic turkey is just too good for me to take over cooking during the holidays. This kit might inspire me to finally make my own though! The kit has everything you could possibly need to brine a turkey, including a premium gusseted brine bag. The herbs included in the mix are rosemary, thyme, sage, and marjoram making enough for a 25-pound turkey. Wow, this makes cooking a turkey look easy!
Tovolo Precision Pie Cutter - Retail Value $10.00
Have you ever seen those beautiful pies with fun designs and leaves on them? Well, this is how they do that! This little tool will help you make a loose wave, tight wave, scallop edge, or a straight edge. There are four parts to it that will help you make precise cuts and designs to make your pie beautiful. Honestly, I am not the biggest baker, mainly because my husband doesn't have a sweet tooth so if I made a pie I would end up eating it all myself. I have a good friend who is a food blogger so I decided to gift this to her. She knew exactly what it was and was so excited to use it!
My Spice Sage Cinnamon Sticks, 1 oz. - Retail Value $3.00
These My Spice cinnamon sticks are high quality and super fragrant. Each stick comes in one-inch cuts that make it perfect to add to a dish or beverage. I used some of these in the hot spiced cherry cider recipe that you will read more about later, and then I used the rest to make a mixture on my stovetop that is different scents to fill my house!
Collective Goods Small Silicone Baking Mat - Retail Value $9.99 (found here for $8.20)
This baking mat is perfect to use for cooling cookies fresh out of the oven! Just place a few cookies here for cooling instead of using bulky cooling racks. You can also use it for roasting a meal at up to 480 degrees, or even as a plate to freeze food on. Cleaning is a breeze and you can use the mat up to 3,000 times!
Gustus Vitae Gourmet Salt: Lemon Rosemary, 2.90 oz. - Retail Value $7.99
I love this mixture of lemon and rosemary, it is so fresh and fragrant! This blend was developed exclusively for Special Delivery from Taste of Home, so you can't find this particular blend online to purchase. How special! The monthly card notes that this is great to use on roasted chicken, fish, or on any vegetable. I can't wait to use this with all of my cold weather cooking.
Special Delivery from Taste of Home Recipe Cards
Each quarter you will also receive an envelope of seasonal recipe cards! I received a total of seven this month, all with a wonderful Fall theme. Each recipe ranged from difficult to easy so you can always pass along any that you decide aren't for you and keep any that you love or want to test.
Hot Spiced Cherry Cider
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
I decided to try the Hot Spiced Cherry Cider. My husband is obsessed with warm cider drinks, and I knew that this would fill my house with wonderful smells of the season.
This recipe cooks entirely in your crockpot so it is extremely simple. All I did was add a container of fresh apple cider from a local farm near my house. I added some cinnamon sticks for spice. The recipe called for three, but I added a few handfuls because I love a good cinnamon flavor. All you do next is close the crockpot, place it on high, and let everything simmer for three hours.
After the three hours is up, I added my cherry gelatin. I decided to add some fresh cherries as well for some extra flavor. Look at that beautiful red color that they made! You want to let this cook for one more hour on high. I did turn my crockpot to low for the last 30 minutes only because mine was really boiling.
There you have it, an incredible hot cherry cider! We drank this warm and it was the perfect drink for a cold evening. The tart apple and cherry flavors mixed so nicely with the cinnamon spice, I was really happy I added extra cinnamon sticks to cut through the tartness a bit as well. This recipe made so much of this yummy drink that I was able to pack some up to send with my husband to work for his office to enjoy!
Verdict: This was my first experience with Special Delivery from Taste of Home and I was very impressed with the quality of products! I received a total retail value of $68.85, that isn't including the envelope of recipe cards. I love that this is a quarterly box that matches the season we are in. This Fall box felt so warm and cozy, providing so many things that I will need for the upcoming holiday season. Each gadget was such high quality that, even if it was something I knew I wouldn't get a ton of use out of, I was able to gift it to friends that were extremely excited to receive such unique kitchen products. I can't wait to see what the Winter Special Delivery from Taste of Home box has to offer!
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No, order now to get the Winter box!
Value Breakdown: At $44.95 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item: 68.85
- Cookbook: $11.75
- Dough Mixer: $7.83
- Turkey Brine Kit: $5.15
- Pie Cutter: $6.53
- My Spice: $1.96
- Baking Mat: $6.52
- Gourmet Salt: $5.22
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What did you think of the Fall 2017 Special Delivery from Taste of Home?
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