Weekly Dish

I like Thanksgiving just fine — a holiday celebration that is all about food is one I can’t complain about too much. But, to be honest, I could do without it. Oh, yes, I love the food. But it’s rushed and harried and there’s never enough time to prepare and then it comes and it’s wonderful to share a nice meal with people you love, and then, whoosh!, it’s Monday again, and wow, are you tired. Especially when you live under the academic calendar, Thanksgiving holiday is just a big tease. The two weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks are perhaps my least favorite time to be in the college classroom — my students are stressed and tired, and all they really want is to be done. And I am also stressed and tired and all I really want is to be at home in my fuzzy slippers baking something. So, together, my students and I go through the motions of talking about the last book of the semester, but I can tell, our hearts aren’t really in it.

So, Thanksgiving? Take it or leave it, but I wish we could end the school calendar there. Because where my heart really is, come November, is not in turkey and dressing. It’s looking toward Christmas.

Because I love Christmas. I love it because, unlike so many other occasions, Christmas still warrants its own season, a building up to the actual day that brings weeks of festivity. For nearly a whole month, I get to actually prepare. Which, if I’m really honest, is where I do a lot of my celebrating: in the list-making, decorating, baking, partying, and, of course, shopping. Now, I am not the kind of girl who ordinarily loves to shop; in fact, when I’m shopping for myself (especially for clothes, bleh), I often loathe the experience.

Oh, but how I love to give gifts. I love all parts of it, from making my list of who to buy for, to thinking through what to buy for whom, to wrapping and ribbon-tying and card-writing. And so Christmas is the one time of year when I actually enjoy shopping. It’s purposeful and rewarding and brings me great joy. But I know there are those of you out there who do not share my zeal for holiday shopping. It can be a lot of pressure, especially if you’re trying to come up with just the right thing, and then there are the frenzied crowds, which can make shopping stressful. So, for those of you who do not share my love of gift-buying but need to do so anyway, just in case you have food-lovers to buy for, I thought I’d make you a little list.

For the culinary enthusiasts on your shopping list, here are some suggestions for how to make their holiday happy and bright:

Cute mixing bowls are always a good gift — useful for cooking and serving, the sets that come in a variety of sizes are particularly handy. (I would love to find some that have lids, but it seems that the sets I’ve found are more practical than attractive. If you find cute bowls with lids, please, leave a comment and tell me where!) Tie on a wooden spoon and a ribbon, and this gift is ready to give.

For the baker. I don’t have a cookie press, but I gave one as a gift to a co-worker who made cookies all the time, and she loved it. This one got pretty good reviews on Amazon (and my friend really liked it), but there are also stainless steel options (for a little more money). Cake decorating kits might also be a good choice for one inclined to make pretty baked goods.

For the hostess, versatile serving ware works well. Especially if you’re buying for someone whose taste you aren’t certain about, go with simple and white. These inexpensive pieces from Target would go with most anything, and for someone who entertains a lot, they would get a lot of use.

Kitchen tools make fun stocking stuffers or gift tie-ons for cooks, and these are some of my favorites. I use my microplane zester (a gift from my sister-in-law) all the time, for citrus, for cheese, for nutmeg; it’s a handy thing to have around. Heat-proof tongs also are an essential in my kitchen, and good silicone spatulas have been on my wish list for some time (and aren’t the glittery ones pretty?)

Cookbooks are such great gifts, but there are so many, how do you decide? Here are a few of my picks for different kinds of cooks:

• Sara Foster’s Casual Cooking is perfect for the busy home cook. Her recipes are a little fancier than just your run-of-the-mill dinner, but the book is full of fast and easy preparations for weeknight meals. One thing I like about this book particularly is that it’s also inspirational; in addition to recipes, Foster gives you lists of possible variations on quesadillas, egg dishes, uses for sausage, etc. When I need a dinner idea, this is the book I turn to.
• I don’t have Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours, but everyone I know who does swears by it. It’s been very popular among foodbloggers as well. If you know a baker, this book comes highly recommended by folks of the baking persuasion.
• Adam Roberts was one of the first foodbloggers I started reading before I started my own site. I have looked through his book (and read lots of reviews), and I think The Amateur Gourmet would be a great choice for anyone with a sense of humor (he’s hilarious), but also for people you know who are just getting into cooking.
• Shauna James Ahern is also a blogger I’ve been reading since before Weekly Dish, and when I first looked at her site, I thought, “Oh, this is about gluten-free cooking. The recipes won’t be useful for me.” I kept going back, though, first and foremost for the writing — I love her voice — and then for the food. I can’t wait to read the whole book, but from the reviews I’ve read (and from what I’ve learned on her site), Gluten-Free Girl is about living life joyfully by embracing the happiness food can bring; rather than focusing on what she can’t have, she makes the most of what she can, which translates into lots of creatively delicious ideas. This would be a great gift for anyone who’s struggled with food allergies, but I also think other food enthusiasts would find a welcome story in Shauna’s.

Often I want to buy kitchen gadgets for someone, but I don’t know what they have or don’t have. If that’s the case, then foodie t-shirts might be a good option. I like these from Cafe Press and this one from Threadless, but there are tons of options with food-related content. If you go with Cafe Press, some of the designs can also be printed on aprons. Which leads me to…

A girl who loves to be in the kitchen can never have enough aprons, and there are so many cute ones out there. I particularly like those with character; the one on the far left is made from a vintage tablecloth (the seller has a few of them available). Anthropologie has an adorable collection, and Jessie Steele’s super-girly ones are available at Amazon.
Coordinating kitchen towels and oven mitts are also available if you want to add something extra to this fashionable gift.

For the cook who has everything, get consumables. Package a bundle of vanilla beans (do a search on ebay; most folks like the ones from The Organic Vanilla Company) with a pretty bottle, some inexpensive vodka, and a print-out of Melissa’s instructions for making your own vanilla, and you’ll make some project-minded cook very happy. Salt may seem like a silly gift to many, many people. But for cooks who love to use the best ingredients, good salt is expensive and will be most appreciated (and used, which is the best part of giving a consumable gift.) Spices from Penzey’s will also be appreciated by cooks who like unique ingredients. Some suggestions: an assortment of different kinds of cinnamon, whole nutmeg with a tiny little grater, or a gift box with a variety of spices. And, of course, there’s chocolate. I am no chocolate expert, so if you want to buy nice chocolate for someone you love, here’s a look into the favorites of chocolate connoisseur, David Lebovitz.

For the philanthropist, donate in his name. Every year, food bloggers around the world collaborate to raise money for a good cause. This year, the proceeds will go towards a school food program in Lesotho, a tiny country entirely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa, where one out of twelve kids die before the age of five and 56% of the population live on less than $2 per day. You can buy a raffle ticket (or several) in the name of someone else, and if they win the prize, yay!, and if not, you’ve given money in their name towards a worthy cause. Check here on Monday, December 10, for more information about how to participate.

Well, clearly, I could go on and on (can you tell I like to think about what would make the perfect gift?), but that should be sufficient for now. Happy holiday preparations everyone!

Posted: Saturday, December 1st, 2007 at 9:08 pm Filed under: Holidays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.