November 14, 2011

Holiday Gift Guide…The 25 Days of Doughmesstic Christmas

Oh, sweet, sweet readers. I’ve been working hard for you. I do hope you will appreciate it.

Below you will find just about ALL of my favorite things (I spend a LOT of time in the kitchen, as I imagine you do, too, so expect foodie things). Most of these things I own, many of these things I WANT (Hint!) and ALL of these things I wish everyone could have. In fact, I want you all to have them so badly, just about EVERYTHING you see below I will be giving away between now and Christmas.

That’s right, EVERY Monday thru Friday for the next 25 days, I will highlight one of the items on this gift guide, and offer it to one of YOU. It’s like Christmas without having to spend any money of your own. I’ve got signed cookbooks, Le Creuset, incredible kitchen gadgets, even the brand spanking new 7 Quart KitchenAid Mixer that has the Foodie World going gaga.

(No, I’m not going to tell you in advance which item I’ll be featuring each day, you’ll need to keep checking back!)

So let’s get started.

Le Creuset

I, along with just about every other foodie I know, ADORE Le Creuset. It’s a rare day that I don’t use one of my pieces, be it the large Dutch Oven, the smaller sauce pot, or even one of the silicone utensils. I love and appreciate the quality of each and every piece. Here are a few of my favorites…all of which would make ideal Christmas Gifts.

Revolution Utensil Tool Set from Le Creuset – $80
Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Roasting Pan from Le Creuset – $250
9 Quart French Oven from Le Creuset – $305

Edgeware Tools and Gadgets

I am lucky enough to say I own each of these, and I love them all. The knife sharpener is amazing – I mean, why buy a good set of knives and then not keep them sharp? This machine takes care of that and in glorious fashion. The Mandoline? I’ve gone through at least 4 cheap (and pricy) slicers in my kitchen, and each one failed me, usually from the get-go. Not this one. It’s worth the extra to get the best, and folks, this one is it. Lastly, the zesters are SO great. Got a foodie (or yourself) to buy for but not a lot of cash? These zesters are available separately, so buy one or buy all – you’ll not regret it.

Edgeware Ceramic Edge Electric Knife Sharpener – $149
Edgeware Mandoline Slicer – $179
Edgeware Better Zesters/Graters – Set

Cookbooks

I’ll be highlighting a few of these great cookbooks as the days go by, but just know, these cookbooks are my Go-Tos. Dorie’s Baking book is the one key to getting where I am today, as a baker, cake designer, and all around blogger. You should see my copy – my is it used and abused. Salty Sweets has a ton of wonderful recipes for the dessert lover; Karmel’s Soaked is the ideal cookbook for any grill lover (my husband loves this book to pieces, literally), Hudson Valley Mediterranean has meals and sides I have thoroughly enjoyed making. La Cucina? I’ve only gotten to caress this gorgeous book in the bookstore. I want, I want, I want. The revised Betty Crocker Cookbook. 1500 Recipes. BINDER form, which I love. This is the cookbook everyone needs, as it covers the basics on just about every thing you’ll ever want to cook. Sometimes? You just need to know where to start, and this cookbook is it. Guy Fieri – did you know I got to talk to Guy on the phone one day? I did! He’s a sweetheart, a real family man. And, he’s one of the few celebrity chefs I can watch on TV and not want to hurl. This book has some incredible recipes in it, and while I love it myself, it would be a great gift for the man in your life. Okay, so you can’t choose? How about a gift card to Magazines.com? They have about the best deals I’ve ever seen on subscriptions. Magazines are awesome – especially foodie magazines. All those recipes? All those pictures? Having something to look forward to each and every month? Yessss.

For the Baker

The 7 Quart KitchenAid Mixer. I don’t need to say anything about it that you don’t already know. KitchenAid rocks, this mixer rocks, and if you do any amount of bread or cakes or icing – well, this updated, meaty size is exactly what you want.

Chicago Metallic Ribbon Pan. You know I love this, and you know you want it. it takes breads and cakes over the top. Gorgeous.

OXO Beater. I got one of these at the Food Blog Forum in Nashville, and love it. It looks like the old fashioned egg beaters, but it’s sleek and super functional. I just made whipped cream with mine, and it’s quite the whipper. Love.

Crosby and Taylor Measuring Cups. Paula Deen loves ‘em, y’all. I must say, so do I. Pewter, detailed, uber fancy without being pretentious. And hey, they measure, too.

Chicago Metallic Cupcake Plunger and Muffin Pan. Why a muffin pan? Because this one is the best. Trust me. And that plunger? It took me a long time to open it. So stupid of me. It is amazing when it comes to filling cupcakes. It removes the perfect circle of cake, you add your filling, and the circle goes back in just as it should. So clever.

Coffee, Tea, and On The Go

I cannot tell a lie. I do not like coffee. Still. But I do love my Keurig. We have one, my mom, Jon’s parents, my sister, my cousins – I don’t know a soul who doesn’t love it. This one is fantastic – the Platinum edition. Lots of great features (even Iced Tea & Iced Coffees), and of course, buy some Apple Cider for this thing. Dear Lord.

Once you’ve gotten one, you’ll want one of these OXO LiquiSeal Travel mugs. Believe it or not, I filled mine at home with cider, and 2 hours later it was STILL hot. Not kidding.

Appliances

I’ve mentioned how much I adore my Westbend Versatility Cooker, as it doubles as a hot plate/griddle. I love multi-function! Great price for the quality, and would make a very useful gift. This Cuisinart Combo Griddle is also a cool find. The plates are reversible, do you can use the flat or the ridged side, depending on what you are making. Perfect for burgers, or pancakes! Jon is wanting this Masterbuilt Electric Smoker. He spends most of the winter smoking a variety of different things, from venison to chicken. This one has a remote, so it would be ideal for snowy weather, as no need to tromp outside to check on it!

Gifts of Food

So what do you give a foodie that already has everything? Ingredients. Things that run out. I know if someone bought me any of these things, I’d be in heaven. it’s so much fun to be able to create new things, and having great ingredients on hand is SO nice. Here are a few of my favorites:

Beanilla – Where I buy every bean. Great bulk prices, great quality. Also a wonderful selection of vanilla infused products such as salt, sugar, and of course, extracts.

Nudo – Olive Oil like you’ve never experienced. I especially love the infused varieties, like Stone Ground with Garlic, or Basil. The Chili version disappears like mad around here, but they are ALL amazing.

ScharffenBerger – All I can say is yum. Try it in your next pan of brownies and tell me you don’t notice the difference. Nice gift set of tasting squares, too, but baking bars and chunks are where it’s at for me.

Biscoff – Biscoff Cookies are incredible. Biscoff Spread is some kind of wonderful. Biscoff has a huge variety of gift sets, and I’d like one of each. Thanks.

SaltWorks – Did you know there were a gozillion types of salt? Well, SaltWorks offers ALL of them. Smoked salt, Merlot salt, no salt they don’t have. I especially love the Maldon and the Fleur de Sel. SO wonderful for baking.

iPhone Junkies

Stickygram. Genius. Magnets made from your favorite Instagram Photos. I so wish I had thought of this. $14.99 for 9 – so a good price for fridge art.

Casetagram. Another Instagram bunch of genius. Cases for your iPhone, made from collages of your most loved Instagrams. I just can’t decide which version of my cover I want to order! great price, too – only $35. And it’s art. You made it. Awesome.

Everything Else

The VTech Phone with a headset. Food bloggers? You get this. Handsfree. You’re baking, covered in flour and sugar and sticky stuff. But you need to talk! This phone is fantastic. Great for men in the workshop, too, or for those who are just the busy busy busy type. I love mine – so many great features.

The Vapur Water Bottle. Perfect for backpacks, for joggers, for the beach, for anywhere, really. Just fill it up, and when you’re finished it flattens, and you can roll it up or tuck it in your purse. Environmentally friendly – no plastic to throw away – and lightweight. Really, just a cool, cool water bottle all your friends will ask you about.

Build-A-Sign. So many things on this site for a blogger. They’ll take your photos and turn them into canvas art (I have one of Seven in my kitchen), as well as window clings and stickers for you car (I love the one I made for my Trailblazer that shows off my website). They also have sticky labels you could customize to place on your baked or canned goods – why not dress up those masterpieces?

Little Pim. This one is for the kids. Several different language lessons. We’ve got Italian for Seven, and the idea is for Jon and I to study our Rosetta Stone, and let Little Pim take care of Seven. I have a good idea Sev will be further along than I will.

Day One…The Giveaway

Oh, it’s so hard to choose. But let’s start it off with a bang, shall we?

Today I’m giving a way the Le Creuset Utensil Crock. I love these things. High heat, high quality, and darn it, they LOOK GOOD sitting on the counter. And they’re Le Creuset, so that’s the kicker.

To enter to win, just comment here letting me know you want them.

For one additional chance (just choose one) – Share this post link on Twitter or on Facebook. return here to let me know you did, and now you’ve entered to win TWICE.

Two total entries per person, max. All extra comments will be deleted.

Open to US Addresses Only (so very sorry Internationals, I do appreciate you, though), and is courtesy of and shipped by Le Creuset. Giveaway ends November 18, 11:59pm EST.

The BIG DEAL

See that 7 Quart KitchenAid? I know you want it. I certainly can’t blame you. So, to keep it fun and interesting, I’m giving you LOTS of extra opportunities to win it. For every giveaway you enter during my 25 Days of Doughmesstic Christmas, if you’ll go comment on THIS POST (Click thru!) saying “I entered to win the …” (you know, whatever you entered to win), you’ll get a BONUS entry to win the mixer. That’s 24 additional chances to win that bad boy. So scoot! Go enter to win today’s giveaway, and then visit THIS POST to comment for your bonus entries on the mixer.