Holiday Gifts for 2016!

HOLIDAY GIFTS for 2016!

If I'm being honest, I'm kind of in a panic with holiday shopping! I'm traveling the week before Christmas and am down to the wire in picking out gifts and getting them delivered in time. I should have started planning before Thanksgiving (which is kind of insane...). In any case, I wanted to share my picks for the holidays, many of which are on my own wish list....

DOUBLE DUTY: WALNUT HANDLED PIZZA ROCKER

Though God knows I'd get enough use out of this cutting through pizza, I would actually love this rocking knife for my daily prep, namely mincing things like garlic, onions, or herbs!

UNIQUE POTTERY: STEM VESSEL

I love pottery, and this vase is so amazing! Perfect for getting individual stems and creating your own unique arrangements for your house.

ONE-OF-A-KIND: SPALTED MAPLE CHEESE BOARD

Hand-turned, one-of-a-kind pieces in upstate New York - boards, espresso tampers, bowls, stirrers. They even do custom pieces, and their instagram is gorgeous!

SKIN SAVERS: THE ASSEMBLY

I’m loving this new line of oils and soaps from Leland Francis, and now they have all three as a little gift package. Such a great way to pamper your skin in the cold winter months!

SMART AT-HOME SOUS VIDE: JOULE

There’s nothing better than being able to cook food perfectly all the way through. There's nothing worse, in my opinion, than over-cooked steak or under-cooked chicken. But this little kitchen gadget allows you to cook anything perfectly, restaurant-style,...AND you can use an app to control the process!

THE ULTIMATE SPLURGE FOR THE COOK: CUT TRAY

This set is like the ultimate gift for the home cook and a true splurge. Luckily, you can buy most of the items standalone - they are all artisan-made and many have lifetime guarantees.

EXOTIC INTERIORS: MOSAIC STANDING LAMP

I love mosaic anything, and these lamps are just gorgeous with all their color! If you are in the NYC area, you can check out their booth at the Bryant Park Holiday Market.

COOKBOOKS BECAUSE. COOKBOOKS!

It’s a known fact that I have an obsession with cookbooks! You can never have enough inspiration surrounding you! Here are some of my faves this year.

GIVING = GIVING BACK

Gorgeous, fair trade, artisan-made, All Across Africa has an incredible mission and beautiful products as well. From baskets to jewelry to kitchen goods, you really can't go (or do!) wrong shopping here.

Happy Shopping!

Holiday Gifts for 2015!

HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR 2015!

It’s that time of year again: Gift-giving season! I.e time to stress out about what to buy that family member that has everything or is extremely picky! (Literally, I've been putting off finishing this post because I am in a panic to pre-order some personalized gifts - ah!) Like last year (and will be making this an annual tradition) below are some gift ideas for this holiday season. Enjoy!

WILD OLIVE WOOD TRIPLE SPICE BOWL & SERVING SET | CONNECTED GOODS

This set of bowls and serving utensils are so cute for hosting guests. I usually fill the bowls with different types of salts (Himalayan pink, black or Maldon) or finishing spices for guests (think Aleppo chili flakes) to season their meal as they like. Love this store in general for all of their goods being artisan-made and the fact that they adhere to Fair Trade practices.

BARREL-AGED SRIRACHA | UNCRATE

Sriracha aged for a year with brown sugar, garlic and salt in whiskey barrels...need I say more ?!?

LADY M GREEN TEA MILLE CREPE CAKE | LADY M BAKERY

Honestly, there are a lot of perks to living in NYC and access to some of the greatest food is pretty much top of my list. All of Lady M's handmade cakes are amazing, but this green tea mille crèpe cake, a delicate cake made up of layers and layers of crèpes separated by fresh cream scented with green tea, has to be my favorite! Thankfully, they ship.

TOM DIXON SCENT DIFFUSERS | TOM DIXON

I usually have the diffusers around my house with the tall skinny sticks, but I am in love with the look of these ones! Nothing is better than walking in to a room with a warming, amber scent (the Fire one).

THE FOOD LAB, PERU THE COOKBOOK & NOPI | AMAZON

You can never have too many cookbooks in the house to reference for inspiration and these are just a few of my “must-haves” this year!

PORCELAIN SPICE FUNNEL | FOOD52

Last week, I was at the opening of Food52's amazing pop-up holiday market in Union Square (seriously, check it out if you are in NYC!) and saw this genius invention. I just assumed wrestling with peppercorns and spices and settling for spilling them EVERYWHERE was the nature of things. This has changed my life.

MAILLE BLACK TRUFFLE AND CHABLIS MUSTARD & AGED MODENA BALSAMIC VINEGAR | MAILLE

Which cook wouldn’t enjoy a gift like this! Black truffle and chablis mustard with an aged balsamic vinegar just opens the door for amazing salad dressings, marinades, and a yet-unheard-of popcorn flavor. And these are just a sample of the different varieties of mustards and vinegars that Maille has to offer. I could spend all day in that store!

LEATHER SAGITTA JOURNAL | ANTHROPOLOGIE

Journal's make such sweet gifts - they open up endless possibilities and inspirations - note-taking, recipe documenting, recording the best moments of the day. I love this leather one with a place holder - it's durable and stunning.

KIT: THE PERFECT POUR OVER COFFEE SET | GEAR PATROL

For a coffee lover, having everything at your fingertips to make good, artful coffee is as good as it gets. And this kit gives you everything you need.

FEED PAINTER BAG | FEED

This is the only bag I don’t feel guilty splurging on! A great bag for a great cause. The large tote makes the perfect beach bag; the smaller ones work for farmers' market shopping. If you aren't familiar with Feed, please check out their website. Everyone of their bags has a number stamped on it (25, 80, 100, etc…) that signifies the amount of meals or micronutrient packets provided to children in less wealthy countries with its purchase (and, at the same time, uses environmentally friendly materials).

Happy holidays to you all!

Holiday Gift Ideas for the Cook, Food-Lover (or Yourself!)

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS FOR THE COOK, FOOD-LOVER (OR YOURSELF!)

It is certainly the most wonderful time of the year, and I wanted to share with you all some gorgeous and fun gift ideas. Some of these I have and others are fantasy gifts (hint, hint hubby), but I think any cook or food-lover would be thrilled to receive these. Enjoy!

HANDMADE OLIVE WOOD SPICE SERVER & ETCHED IRON DISH TRIO | Connected Goods

I came across Connected Goods some time ago and have been addicted ever since. The website carries unique and beautiful items that range from handmade quilts and baskets to jewelry and kitchen accessories like these. But the best part is that everything on the site is artisan-made, either locally in the States or internationally, where they employ strict, Fair Trade practices. Each item can be sourced back to the maker, which makes this type of shopping all the more sweet. I personally use this spice server every day!

HAND PAINTED ENAMEL TIFFIN | Connected Goods

It was hard enough to only choose three items from this site! But I do think this Kashmiri tiffin is a lovely addition to anyone's kitchen. Throughout South Asia, tiffins are used as lunch boxes for working individuals or children at school - the beauty is in the fact that it has a number of compartments to keep your food separate AND hot. These are fun to take for a picnic or even to use as serving bowls at dinner. I'm also a fan of stainless steel over plastic any day...

Food52 Mexican Hot Chocolate Gift Set.jpg

MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE GIFT SET | Food52

Food52 has outdone itself in its Provisions section - I literally can't visit it without finding 10 things I MUST have for my kitchen. This is a great gift for the chocolate lover and comes with a little woven basket full of cinnamon-y Mexican chocolate, a traditional frother, and clay pot. I personally always have tablets of Mexican chocolate lying around to make thick and luscious Mexican hot chocolate (spiked around the holidays...)

AMBATALIA UTENSIL WRAP | QUITOKEETO

This is another site that acts as a dream kitchen wishlist....This linen case is perfect for those of us that don't want to use (and waste) disposable flatware. Carrying around your own silverware just became stylish and chic (and environmentally-friendly!).

TORTUGA RUM CAKES | TORTUGA

Not too long ago, I took a truly amazing vacation in Barbados with great friends. All of the low-carbing to fit into my suit went out the window, and in the airport on the way back, I ate 2 of these out of the box. Truthfully, I just placed an order for a silly number of cakes to give away to friends and family (the chocolate and coffee ones) for the holidays and picked up some chocolate rum balls too. You won't regret these - they are everything you want in a good, boozy rum cake.

AGED TIN CAKE STAND | CANVAS INTERIORS

And while on the subject of cakes, here is the perfect stand to display your rum cake. Tiers and cake stands are great for holiday parties and summer entertaining alike, and I'm always looking for ones with a bit of edge - not too perfect, a bit antique. This one is a standout, and hopefully my friends are reading this because I don't have it yet!! :)

MASANOBU KNIVES | Korin

Great knives are second to none for someone who likes to cook, and these are the ones I use day in and day out. Love these because they are forged from Japanese steel, keep their edges, have great balance and weight, but are also Western-style. As a gift a few years back, my husband got me three of them - a Santoku, a slicer, and a pairing knife - and that's pretty much all I need. Needless to say, that made Christmas for me!

MOROCCAN TAGINE | LE CREUSET

When I was in Morocco a few months back, I learned the art of the tagine. Sure, I had been cooking them for years, but this was the real deal. The traditional tagine is made out of clay which retains heat amazingly well and lends itself to long slow cooking. Usually, it's all done on the stove top. What I love about this modern version is that it's cast iron, which means it too has great heat retention and is excellent for braises, but you can also sear right on the stove top and then transfer to the oven - braised short ribs, lamb shanks, stewed chicken all would be incredible in here.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED FIGS | ZINGERMAN'S

Zingerman's is THE go-to for mail-order foodstuffs - from Italian wild cherries to global breads to truly gorgeous gift baskets. I can always get hard-to-find ingredients and spices here, and they also offer delicious monthly clubs (including a bacon club). I don't think chocolate-dipped figs really need any more explaining...enough said!

HAND-BLOWN DECANTER | ahalife

Simple and elegant, this decanter crosses design boundaries and easily fits on anyone's dinner table. Quite frankly, I'd serve water in it too if I had non-drinkers at the table.

GLENNA SERVEWARE | ANTHROPOLOGIE

When I was cooking and photographing my cookbook, any time I needed a little culinary accessory, a plate, a Moroccan tea glass, whatever, I would run into Anthro. They just have beautiful stuff, plain and simple. I'm loving the bowls and platters here.

DAYNA DECKER CANDLES | DAYNA DECKER

When the holiday cooking is done and you want to clear the scents out of the kitchen, these candles do the job. All of the scents are transporting, and they burn forever. Plus, the wick makes a little sounds like a small fire burning, a crackling. Love.

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