12 Days of Culinary Holiday Gifts

Christmas Gift Lists

12 Days of Culinary Holiday Gifts

Are you one of those people that waits until Christmas Eve to go to the Mall to get Christmas gifts because you procrastinate or just don't have a clue what to get for your friends and family or those Secret Santa gift exchanges?  Do you break out into sweats just thinking about having to figure out what to buy for people?  Do you have Foodies in your life that you don't know what to get for them?  I can help you with this one and relieve some of your shopping stress.

Here are my picks for the 12 Days of Culinary Gifts that I think any budding Chefs or Foodies will love.  Prices go from $15 dollars to a few hundred dollars depending on your budget you can choose one of these amazing and drool worthy foodie gifts for those hard to figure out gifts.  To make it even easier I have chosen a few that you can order online and skip those crazy parking lots and packed malls.

Here are my picks for 12 Days of Culinary Gifts:


1.  AMAZING CLUBS  - You can choose a Gourmet gift of the Month from a whole list of different montly clubs like Chocolate, Cheese, Wine, Beer, Pasta and many more.  My pick would be cheese of the month so that I could always have different cheese to cook with, eat or entertain.

2.  FOODIE PAGES  - Foodie pages is a great Canadian company that curates great new products that you can have delivered to your door.  I have sent one to a grieving widow and have tried a couple of the Foodie Boxes myself.   The Foodie boxes start at $14.95.  You can get various sample boxes or choose specific boxes for your needs.   This is a one time delivery but you can probably set it up to get it every month.

Foodie P

3.  VITAMIX BLENDER in Christmas Red - This is the Rolls Royce of Blenders.  There are different models at different prices but I liked this Holiday Red version that you can order on Amazon.


4.  KITCHENAID Stand Mixer - This is the machine to get for the Bakers and Pizza makers in your life.  It can whip and knead and save your arms for hugging your loved ones.  I chose the Red one again to look good on the counter with the Red Vitamix Blender.  Make sure you get all the attachments.  The whisk, scraper and dough hook.  And if you are really nice you can get the pasta roller, meat grinder or ice cream maker attachments.  That's why this machine rocks.  Looks great, works great and does a whole lot of things.  I make cookies and bread dough with mine.



5.   LE CREUSET - Dutch OVEN in Cherry Red
My mom had this Dutch Oven for years and when she passed I kept it.  It is the most amazing pot.  It's a bit heavy but that's a great thing for cooking stews and even making things like caramelized onions which I used it for just yesterday.  You can put it in the oven and then right to the table.  It cleans easily and lasts a lifetime.  So instead of buying crappy pots and replacing them all the time invest in this quality Dutch Oven and pass it down to future generations along with the great recipes it makes.



6.  NESPRESSO Coffee Maker - This is one of the prettiest coffee makers that will look good with the rest of the items above but not only that it makes amazing coffees and has a separate frother that you can use with fresh milk.  This is the one that comes closest to the coffee house fancy coffees.   Cappuccino anyone?



7.  SUPER HERO APRON -  I found these Aprons on Amazon while searching for some things and I thought it might be a fun gift for that Wonder Woman or Super Hero in your life in the kitchen.  It's fun and not too expensive so it's a great gift for those Secret Santa gifts too.




8.  PROFESSIONAL CHEF COOKBOOK from the CIA - Culinary Institute of America's Professional Cookbook for anyone to brush up on great cooking techniques.




9.   DAVID'S TEA - HOLIDAY TEAS - Santa's Secret -  For the Tea lover on your list you can pick up one of David's Tea's Holiday Teas.  You can even order teas on their website and get Free Shipping on orders over $50.  To go with the red theme I chose this one.  It has peppermint in it which is a favourite during the winter months.

10.  CUTTING BOARD by Fred & Friends - OCD - OBSESSIVE - You need to have a solid cutting board to be able to dice and chop like a Pro.  Here's one for those people that want the perfect cut.





11.   CULINARY ADVENTURE from Culinary Adventure Co. OCTA - Book a Food Tour, a class or give a Gift Certificate for a Culinary Adventure like a Wine Tour or some other adventure in Ontario.   Run by a private chef and the owner of Cheeseworks.   A step up from just a gift, it's an adventure in food.




12.  GROCERY GIFT CARD from one of these premium grocery stores in Toronto. McEwan Grocery, Pusateri's or Whole Foods.    Let your foodie special person knock themselves out in the kitchen with premium ingredients from some of the high end grocery stores in Toronto.  Hopefully this will be the gift that gives back to you in a dinner invitation with a special menu prepared with the food from one of these great stores.


Happy Holiday Shopping... enjoy the fruits of your shopping labour.

Perfect Valentine's Day Gifts for Foodies

You have no clue what to get for your significant other or someone you fancy for Valentine's Day?

If they are Food Lovers or Cooks or Bakers then here are some suggestions for things besides the usual standbys of Flowers and Chocolates.   

Don't get me wrong, some people love flowers and chocolates but if you want to look like you have put some thought into a gift for the one you love then try one of these ideas.   If they are on a diet or hate to cook then there are still a few things on the list that they might like.



1. Le Creuset Red Dutch Oven -  with a cooked meal in it.  They get to enjoy the meal and any future meals cooked in this oven for many years.

2. Fancy French Macarons from Nadege or Sweet Escapes or a Class to learn how to make French Macarons with my friend Mardi Michaels from Eat, Live, Write - http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/classes/

3. House Cleaning or a Professional Organizer -  http://organizinglives.com/about-us 

I used this company when I had to sell my house and downsize to an apartment.  They also helped me organize my kitchen in my apartment after I moved in to maximize the limited space.

4. Dinner at a high quality intimate restaurant where the service is impeccable like RUBY WATCHCO  (Chef Lynn Crawford) or ICI BISTRO (Chef JP Chalet)  or FABBRICA (Owned by Chef Mark McEwan)

5. Cheese Club Membership http://leslievillecheese.com/cheeseclub/ or a Gift Basket from Cheese Boutique or a Class or Fondue at Cheesewerks.

6. Organic Food Delivery - http://www.mamaearth.ca/ or http://www.freshcityfarms.com/ or Front Door Organics

7. Private Chef to cook an in home meal. - http://www.cdnpca.ca/hire.htm or take a Knife Skills Class at a Community College or a private Academy like Cirillos or Aphrodite Cooks or take the family to Petits Chefs Academy

8. A great cookbook and some basic ingredients from their favourite Chef's cookbook, pick up some rare cookbooks at The Cookbook Store.
   

9. A beautiful tea set with samples of different kinds of GOURMET TEAS like great french tea KUSMI or Canadian Tea Company DAVIDS TEA, TEA EMPORIUM or another Fav is NUMI Teas.

10. Instead of Flowers get a Fresh Herb Planter that will last at least a whole season and will be used to freshen a space and add flavour to lots of meals.

                                      

The Key is to put some thought and effort to whatever you do and make it as special as you can for that special person in your life.   If you don't have a special person you can even share some of these ideas with a group of friends.

Spread the Love and Share the Food -  HAPPY VALENTINE"S DAY