Hi all!

Well, it’s that time of year again.  My FAVORITE time of year!  I love everything about the Winter holiday season–Thanksgiving, cold weather, hot tea, snuggling up under fuzzy blankets, cheesy Christmas specials on tv, cooking up big pots of hearty soups and stews, and most importantly an abundance of time with my loved ones.  And yes, I love presents.

It is a strange tradition, to show people you love them by buying them things, but I take it as an opportunity to show people not only that I love them but that I KNOW them!  I actually take a long time to think and plan and purchase for each person on my shopping list.  It’s important to me to pick things out that I know they will like, but that they might not necessarily pick out for themselves or treat themselves to, or even know about.  I like to be creative, have fun, and be thoughtful, and while it might be partly selfish, I love seeing that look on their faces when they unwrap their goodies.

All of that being said, my list of holiday gifts centers on food-related stuff.  I am almost willing to bet that all of us know somebody that is handy in the kitchen; either somebody who loves to cook, loves to bake, loves to entertain, loves to own pretty serving ware and keep their kitchen looking like something out of a catalog, or loves to EAT!  I think I have something on my list for all of them, so I hope this helps!

(If you click on each image it will take you directly to the item’s site!)

1. For the foodie who’s a chef:  The Fireside Cookbook by James Beard

James Beard is the father of American gourmet.  For a long time, anybody who was anybody in the cooking world had to be cooking food that came from Paris, France, and James Beard made it okay for Americans to cook American!  His Fireside Cookbook is a true classic in the cookbook world.  The chefs and food historians in your life will love this book!

2. For the foodie who loves to entertain: Garden Party Drink Jars by Terrain

I mean…if you’re not sold by that adorable photo, I don’t know what good my description will do.  But you shall have it anyway.  This precious drink set comes with mini mason jars, perforated lids, and pretty paper disposable straws.  Trust me, if you know the person who would love this set, you probably thought of them instantly.  All they have to do is whip up a batch of cocktails and then this drink set will steal the show!

3. For the practical foodie: Pyrex 8-cup measuring cup with lid

I feel like there is a rule somewhere about buying this sort of practical stuff for somebody for a present.  Like, don’t get somebody a blender, or a set of tea towels, or a vacuum (okay, I understand the vacuum).  But what if they are always making frozen drinks and homemade soups?  What if they love changing up their kitchen décor and you score some pretty little monogrammed towels?  The rule never made sense to me.  That would be like saying, well this person I know loves to read, so I WON’T buy them books.  Or, they like doing handyman jobs so I will NOT get them a gift card to Home Depot.  So if somebody likes to cook, can’t you get them stuff that they can use to cook??

Now that I’m off my soap box, about this Pyrex.  It’s AWESOME!  I bought it about a month ago, and I just love it.  It’s seriously gigantic, and perfect for everything.  You can make a cake batter right in there, then easily pour it out.  Or how about pancake batter? Or that moment when you are making soup and need to pour 3 cups of water, 3 cups of chicken stock, a can of diced tomatoes, a tbsp. of brown sugar, and several herbs into the pot all at once, and all you have is the dinky 2-cup measure?  Or how about when you have to strain a stew into a heatproof bowl and discard the solids?  The list of usefulness goes on and on.  Pick up a gourmet pancake mix at Williams-Sonoma, throw it in the pyrex, wrap a ribbon around it, and you will be a hero for this and many holidays to come.

4. For the quirky foodie: Etsy gift card

I tried picking out something on Etsy for this list, and I just couldn’t do it.  There were too many great options, and the options are so varied! We’re talking homemade serving ware, antique milk glass canisters, embroidered kitchen towels, copper accessories, vintage wine glasses, etc. etc. So then I figured, what’s better than an Etsy giftcard?  If there is somebody in your life who’s an Etsy-addict, then you probably already know who they are.  Give them the freedom to shop with this!

5. For the cocktail foodie: Cocktail Mixers Starter Set

This has been on my wishlist since last Christmas, and you can probably see why.  This awesome cocktail starter set comes with sloe gin, falernum, orange bitters, blue curacao, triple sec, and orgeat.  It’s an awesome present if you have any wizard-like mixologists in your family.  Plus you can benefit too, think of all the yummy drinks you’ll have every time you visit!

6. For the cutesy foodie: Anthropologie apron

NOBODY makes a prettier apron than Anthropologie (pictured above is the Dotty Match Apron, one of my faves).  If your sister, girlfriend, wife, mom, bff, loves to cook or bake, they will love to do it sporting one of these feminine and lovely aprons even more!  I strongly urge you to check out their selection!  (My boyfriend got me one in our early years of dating and now we’re married.  I’m not saying…but, I’m just saying.)

7. For the wino foodie: Copper wine bottle coaster

I just recently put this on my own wishlist!  I love the look of this coaster; instead of being flat and ordinary, it has the look of a cute little rustic copper pot!  It is the perfect way to show off a wine bottle, and the copper will look great with basically any table setting.  Stick a bottle of wine in there and slap a bow on top, and this is the perfect present for the grape-lover in your life.

8. For the cheesehead foodie: Glass and marble cheese dome

If you know somebody who is an entertainer AND a cheese lover, this is your ace in the hole.  I love the look of the pretty glass dome, which also creates the perfect atmosphere for the cheese while it’s inside.  Not to mention the subtle gray and white marble is the perfect surface for cheese.  Can’t you just picture a slab of brie and a hunk of manchego nestled happily inside?  Mmmm…

9. For the decorator foodie: Lovlig Vases

Oh Ikea, you’ve done it again.  I am a little obsessed with the colors of these vases, from the bubblegum pink to the burnt orange.  I also love the subtle patterns in the glass.  These pretty vases are 3 bucks each, which means you can pick out a few, mix and match colors depending on the gift-recipient’s décor, and you can even deliver them with a couple stems of flowers in each one.  These are the perfect thing to light up a kitchen windowsill.  Someday, when I have a kitchen windowsill, I will invest!

10. For the foodie who just plain loves food: Of The Month Clubs

I found out about amazingclubs.com several years ago.  My husband-then-boyfriend was living in Missouri at the time and in lieu of being able to hand deliver presents to him on his birthday I enrolled him in a barbeque sauce of the month club!  Three months, and he received three bottles in the mail each month, really awesome regional American sauces from around the country.  You need to check out this site, because they don’t just do bbq sauces.  They do everything!  Cheese, beer, BACON, coffee, dog treats, olive oil, hot sauce, and on and on and on.  Be warned, these clubs are pretty pricey, but it is truly a fantastic gift to get somebody who just loves food and appreciates it on that next level.  And as they say, it is the gift that keeps on giving.

I hope this list put some great ideas in your head, or at least allowed you to add to your own wish list. ;)  Happy shopping!

~Lauren

P.S. Be sure to check out Kaitlin’s list too! (and check it twice!)