Saturday, December 5, 2009

'Tis the Season

With the holiday season in full swing, I thought I'd share some gift ideas from birthday presents I received this year. I think they'd be great for anyone who loves food!

For whatever reason, I find prep work (chopping veggies, measuring ingredients, deseeding a POM...) therapeutic :) Tasks in the kitchen are endless, so I greatly appreciated a cushioned anti-fatigue mat! I first saw these at Bed, Bath & Beyond for a pretty penny, but my mom picked one up at Home Depot for a good price. It wipes clean easily, too, so I don't have to worry about spilling beet juice all over the floor. Not that I've done that recently...



I am actually VERY excited for colder temps, so I get in the mood for some warm, hearty dishes like chili made with heirloom beans! From Rancho Gordo, a friend of mine gave me several varieties of dried heirloom beans and their cookbook (full of how-to's and wonderful recipes). I can't wait to give them a try :)



It might be a little late for farmers markets in some areas, but I think it's safe to say anyone would appreciate a local, hand-crafted product. My aunt had picked up a few varieties of Pappardelle's Pasta (in flavor like Southwest, Lemon Chive, Spinach Garlic, Spicy Thai, and Sweet Potato to name a few) that has been fun to play with!

Lemon Chive Pasta w/Zucchini, Goat Cheese & Sun-dried Tomatoes


Another option for hand-crafted gifts is Foodzie (a place for artisan food), where you can find items like the pumpkin and cranberry marshmallows, pumpkin pie caramallows, or passion fruit chocolates I got to sample at the Foodbuzz Festival. Oh, I can't forget Annie's drool-worthy cookies!!

Pumpkin Pie Caramallows from BonBonBar


Don't forget about your own two hands! I don't think anyone in their right mind would turn down some mini raw mounds bars (aka Katie's Chocolate Macaroon Babies)... unless they don't like coconut ;) Easy peasy, and better than my old favorite!

Mini Chocolate Macaroon Bars


Last but not least, a "cookbook" of sorts, The Flavor Bible. I first heard about it from Shauna, and it immediately went on my wish list. While it doesn't have any recipes, it lists ingredients in alphabetical order, and follows with flavors that work well as well as some good cooking techniques. I have fallen in love, and it has allowed me to get a bit more creative and come up with more of my own recipes (like the Roasted Pears w/Rosemary & Honey)!



If you're still looking for something, check out some of these ideas!

Averie is also offering up some Amazing Grass and Kay's snacks that would also make great gifts ;)

What's on your wish list??

30 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Great items!! And hey, if you want cold weather come visit here - it's in the low 20s already. Brr!

Kerstin said...

Great list! I really want to get The Flavor Bible. My friend recently told me about the book Ratio, which is supposed to help with creating your own recipes too!

chocolate-covered Katie said...

Oh you are way too awesome! And LOL I thought that mat was a chocolate bar when I first saw it!

Your Mounds Baby Bars look awesome-- definitely putting you down for 7 entries :)

Happy Winter, Shannon!

Erica said...

So many great ideas! I am going to check out the foodzie website now!!

vanillasugarblog said...

I have that book and I have to say it is AMAZING. It covers all food combo's. And everyone knows how much I love to combine foods.

Maria said...

Love your ideas!

Elina said...

Great suggestions! A few of these are going on my mile long list :)

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

Wow the Pumpkin Pie Caramallows from BonBonBar looks awesome as do your CCK recreation of mac bites. Num!!!

Thank you Shannon, too, for entering all 5689876789 ways available for my 2 contests! I love your enthusiasm and am glad you're trying your hand as some goodies!

Have a fantastic holiday season my friend. Lots of love to you!!!!
xoxoxo

Lauren said...

So many fantastic gift ideas in this post! I'm salivating over the goodies from Foodzie.

I am also looking forward to the colder weather. We just might be the only two in Boston ;).

Karine said...

I have Culinary Artistry, which was written by the same authors as The Flavor Bible. It is so worth it! :)

Joanne said...

This is an awesome foodie list. I love Rancho Gordo and Pappardelle's. I have been dying for The Flavor Bible and the Bread Baker's Apprentice. ALso a set of pastry tips.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful suggestions Shannon!

Um, nothing on my wish list is for the kitchen - I think my husband would fall over if I try to stuff one more appliance/kitchen gadget in the house!!

Emily said...

i just found out about foodzie, too, and it looks pretty amazing. i'm coveting those pumpkin pie caramallows!

Reeni said...

I love chopping veggies too - my favorite part of cooking! I love the Flavor Bible! I'm heading to Amazon right now!

Cate O'Malley said...

I've seen those mats, but not a big fan of the price. Will definitely take a look at Home Depot. How do you like it? Do you think it's worth it?

Anonymous said...

Great holiday gift ideas!

Triple Threat Ladies said...

I wish I would have come here before I started my shopping. You are awesome!

We Are Not Martha said...

Awesome list!! I really need to look into that Flavor Bible... And that mat is such a good idea!

Sues

Dawn (HealthySDLiving) said...

I saw The Flavor Bible yesterday at the store and was SO tempted to grab it!

Linda said...

Nice tips! If you don't mind, I would like to borrow this idea to share my foodie recommendations for the holiday season.

also fyi - I'm hosting my first ever foodie giveaway. please check it out if you have a chance. thanks!

Sharon said...

Love the gift ideas! I need one of those mats.

Anonymous said...

great gift ideas! I'm soooo bad on picking up gifts! thank you!!! :D
I really like that flavor bible, I should tell to my bf about that! ;)

Ricki said...

So many wonderful gift ideas! And those homemade bars look pretty awesome, too. I think I need to get me one of those mats!

chrystad72 said...

awesome gift ideas. I LOVE the flavor bible. It has the best pairings in it. That mat looks fabulous too. I might have to pick one up. Have a wonderful day!

Sagan said...

I blame you that I'm now hungry :D

My wish list: spiralizer, healthy cookbooks, sharp knife.

Anonymous said...

Everything looks good. I wish ppl knew how to give good gifts like these...I usually just get clothes...boring! Haha! And others (non-foodies) don't really seem to appreciate these gorgeous foodie gifts either...:-(

But that Pappardelle's Pasta varieties sound SO interesting!

Top on my wish list: DsLR!
Haha, dream on!

Rosiecat24 said...

The Flavor Bible rocks! My friends and I had fun playing games out of it while we were cooking. It's fun to listen to your foodie friends argue about flavor combinations ;-)

Hannah said...

Anyone would be lucky to receive such treats... I totally want the Flavor Bible too! I've taken it out of the library so many times, it might as well have my name in it.

Kelly B. said...

The Flavor Bible looks very cool! I definitely want that!!

Pumpkin said...

I always think that a few high quality vanilla beans (Penzeys.com has excellent ones at a very good price) or a couple bars of premium baking chocolate make great gifts for bakers. It's lovely to have really nice ingredients, and these are good "splurge" items.

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