It’s annual Gift Guide time. In true fashion, it’s last minute and preceeded by a post professing my Grinchy-ness about the over abundance of this holiday. It usually takes making these gift guides for me to get in the spirit of giving thoughtfully and minimally. This year, we have gift guides for the person who works from home, the coffee lover, the dinner maker, and the threenager. I’ve placed an asterik* next to all the things we own. (They’re tested and loved!) For more ideas, check out years past: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and Edible Gifts (add Homemade Nutella and Molly’s Chocolate Halva Spread to the list too). Read more
If you’re related to me, stop reading. Especially you, Hallie (the twonager). Your Christmas gift is below. I’m teaming up with Giftry again this year to inspire your last-minute holiday gift buying, and hopefully eliminate all the stress (minus the wrapping). I’ve got lists for the Copper Shopper, the Pizzaiolo (pizza chef), the Plaid Lover, the Mixologist, the Stocking Stuffer, and the Twonager. If you’re not already familiar with Giftry, they are a gift-giving and list-making app. So when your mom, mother-in-law, sister, mister, and brother ask you for gift ideas, you make a Giftry wish list. Send that same list to each of them. Make them create one too. (I’m talking to you, Mom.) When the gift is bought, mark as purchased. No more wandering aimlessly around the mall or spending hours in the return line post Christmas. Save time. Make christmas cookies instead. Read more
I’m certain it was Maggie, founder of Eat Boutique, who turned me on to gifting food. Aside from trading turkeys made from Keebler Fudge Shoppe cookies, Rolos, and candy corns with neighbors growing up, the idea never crossed my mind. Two years ago, when we still lived on the east coast, we made the trek to Boston for Maggie’s annual Holiday Market. (Boston locals, it’s going on now! Details here.) The shelves of the market were filled with thoughtful, beautifully packaged, small batch food items. In that same spirit, Maggie recently published her first book, Food Gift Love. It’s full of homemade recipes for gifting—from pickled cucumbers to limoncello to candied blood orange rinds. I dog-eared her Salted Dark Caramel and prayed it was the caramel sauce recipe I’d been waiting for. The one I could actually replicate. It’s been my achilles heal since the first day I stepped foot in the kitchen. Not to sweet, almost burnt in flavor. That’s how she describes it. That’s also how my first successful caramel tasted. It worked! Read more
Are you as last minute and scattered as me? For your sake, I hope not. But just in case, I’ve prepared a little gift guide for the foodie on your list. Here are a few of my favorite things from this past year. Read more