Tasting, experiencing and writing about new food and drink is not just my livelihood. To me, it's in the top five of life's greatest pleasures... to be enjoyed slowly, purposefully, with all of the senses.

Next time you treat yourself to something as divine as home-baked shortbread, why not try this:

1. Find a softly lit, secluded spot where you can be alone with just the shortbread. Take a moment to breathe deeply and engage all five of your senses.

2. Gently lift the parcel of buttery goodness. Peel the protective wrap away, and behold the golden confection... ahh, shortbread. Simple. Elegant. Perfect.

3. Close your eyes, and lean in. Deeply inhale the gentle sweetness... the aroma of creamery butter... the unmistakable whiff of homemade freshness that delights your appreciative nose. With the tip of your finger, slowly and deliberately trace the baked-in heart and flower motif. Observe the way the pattern feels against your skin. Imagine how the same texture will soon be received by your tongue.

4. Break off a small wedge of the shortbread. Lift the bite ever so slowly to your mouth, and prepare to welcome the thin layer of sweet raspberry jam, sandwiched between layers of moist, buttery, decadent cookie. Smile in knowing anticipation of what's to come.

5. Again, close your eyes, fully engaging all of your senses. Take a deep breath for one last pregnant pause... then deliver the shortbread cookie to its rightful home... your eager mouth! Inevitably, time will seem to stop as the shortbread melts upon your tongue, spreading its luxurious flavor. You may find that an involuntary groan slips from your gratified lips.

6. Resist the urge to gnaw off inappropriately large slabs of this sinful treat and gobble them with reckless abandon. Instead, repeat steps one through five, savoring every precious second of the shortbread sensory experience.

In all likelihood, your shortbread session will be totally orgasmic.

Copyright 2006 Ann Zuccardy. All rights reserved. This article edited by www.Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing Services.

Ann Zuccardy

Simmer two decades of professional writing experience with a dash of creative, independent spirit, blend together with love and imagination and bake slowly. That's what Ann Zuccardy did when she launched Vermont Shortbread Company back in 1996.

Ann altered a traditional Scottish shortbread recipe to produce a slightly moister version of this age-old favorite. The result: one-of-a-kind, melt-in-your-mouth Vermont Shortbread that hints of old-world authenticity even as it pleases the American soft-cookie-loving palate.

Surrender to the ecstacy that is Vermont Shortbread... crumbles of cookie goodness bursting with creamery butter that will more than satisfy your yen for "a little something" with your afternoon tea.

When Ann's not in her bakery inventing new shortbread flavors, she bakes with words. Ann enjoys a long and successful career as a freelance writer covering a buffet of topics from high tech software documentation to copywriting and food writing.