Holiday Foodie Gift Guide

Hope your Christmas shopping is going well! For those go-getters out there, it must be quite satisfying to sit back and relax while you watch the rest of us scurry around in a frenzy. While I am not quite finished, I have never been more grateful for the internet. Since most of our gift recipients live elsewhere, I've come to rely on the internet for 99.99% of my shopping.

For anyone with a foodie on their Christmas list, here's a few ideas that personally leave me salivating, intrigued, or feeling guilty because its the season of giving, (not gift giving for myself!):

Lava Lake Lamb
Lava Lake Ranch raises 100% grass fed free-range lambs. And when I say free-range, just think that these guys have grazing lands that extend over 800,000 acres! I was lucky enough to try the Rosemary Garlic Lamb Sausage and let me tell you it was heavenly. The seasonings were just right to compliment, but not detract from the meat. Served with some veggies and Crash Hot Potatoes, this was just about a perfect meal.


The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Though I consider myself fairly educated about what I eat, the virtues of sustainable farming and slow food, I was nonetheless utterly fascinated by this book. Pollan's book forces you to face the fact that so few of us really consider what we eat on a daily basis.

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer
I'm not sure if I need to give a testimonial for the true greatness of this mixer, but if you're still in the dark you must buy one! There are quite a few models to chose from - ranging from the simple to the fancy schmancy.



Ebelskiver Filled-Pancake Pan
If you're really loved by someone, buy them this pancake pan and wait around until they make you a tasty morsel. I mean, how could you say no to fluffy delicious-ness. I've been coveting this guy for quite awhile now.
Magnetic Spice Rack Board
If you're any type of foodie, you probably have an absurd number of spices, artisan salts and rubs. If you're anything like me, you probably have spices falling out of drawers and lazy susans and you're continually asking yourself "where the hell is the {insert spice name here}?!" This magnetic board comes to the rescue. Not only is it cute, but no more cussing needed.


Hearst Ranch Grass Fed Beef
I'm not what you'd call a meat eater, but I can certainly appreciate some good looking steaks. If I'm buying you a present this year and you're reading this guide, you uh, may or may not be receiving some cows in the mail. Along with aged steaks and hamburgers, they also sell artisan sauces and jerky. Yum!

Happy Holidays to you and your favorite foodie!

Fun Finds for the Wine Lover

A couple of fun things for your favorite wine lover...or yourself. Happy Friday!

Ever dream of becoming a vintner? Crushpad has come out with a fabulous gift for the wine lover: Fusebox, a do-it-yourself wine blending kit that allows you to recreate tried & true Cabernet blends, or take a stab at creating your own custom blend. The kit comes with six bottles of Napa's finest blending wines, and a 'mystery' vino to liven up the party.

Take the guesswork out of decanting wine with the Vinturi Wine Aerator. Though pretty, aerating wine with a decanter can be a time consuming process, especially if you only need a glass or two of wine. Mixing the right amount of air with your wine, the Vinturi allows your wine to breathe instantly and provides for a smooth finish. We were first introduced to the Vinturi during our Napa Valley trip and have loved ours.



Lastly, we came back from Napa & Sonoma with more than just a couple extra pounds on our bodies from all the drinking and eating - a fortune's worth of wine to be exact! Our wine tower has run out space for all of our lovely wine, so short of drinking it all very quickly or constructing a wine cellar, I've been on the hunt for some nice wine racks. I found this one from Etsy seller anthony david oliver that I think is sleek, modern & simple.

Have a Tea Party

While perusing the web for a hostess gift for an upcoming party, I happened upon the most intriguing tea set, Teaposy Flower Art Tea Medley, that I am tempted to gift to myself. A blooming tea pot! "Each teaposy is made from premium Silver Needle White Tea leaves and whole dried flowers that are hand-crafted with natural cotton thread. Add hot water and watch the teaposy slowly unfurl, revealing a flower that blossoms from within the tea leaves. The delicate and complex tea is a treat for your taste buds as well. Each blossom medley includes six individually vacuum-sealed blooming teas: heart of love, falling water, butterfly, calendula, lady fairy, and noble essence." Here's a better picture of what the tea flower looks like:

Now that's a conversation starter! It's like the Chia Pet of tea, but only a little bit classier :)

Dress Up Your Wine

...literally. How absolutely adorable are these kimono wine holders? I received these as a gift and they instantly made me smile. The little man has a hair braid and his lady friend looks slender in her slim fitting 2 piece kimono. I am not sure where my gift giver purchased these but I did a quick search on google and found a similar (though not quite the same) item here. I can't find any with the man's beanie top, though!

I think these make adorable hostess gifts. imagine getting a bottle of wine in a kimono instead of the boring gift bags they're usually adorned in. I'm in love with his braid so I tried to take another picture. These really don't even do them justice.

Jazz Up The Kitchen!

Check out these cool new gadgets for the kitchen and entertaining:

Saint & Sinner Wine Stoppers from wrapables.com. How cute are these? I must say, the stopper with the cork has a slight resemblence to a pig. Cute hostess gift in any case.

Ice Kebobs would be an absolutely delightful treat on a hot summer day with a cool cocktail. Ahh, summer. If you dream, does it make it come sooner?

Last, but not least...Todd Oldham has designer ziploc bags now. Love it.