Рецепт 2015 Holiday Gift Guide
2015 Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide
This is the second installment of my gift guides for the holiday season. Last week, I shared with you tons of bestselling cookbooks and kitchen toys, and this week I am sharing a huge collection of gift ideas, from the kitchen and food to cookbooks, beauty products, things for the house and even some baby items . Many of them are unique, a little quirky and definitely fun. I hope you enjoy browsing and get some additional gift ideas!
Kitchen and Food Gifts
These are some of my favorite kitchen items and finds…
AHeirloom – You can get personalized cutting boards with monograms, engravings, in the shape of your state, and a bunch of other very cool customizations.
David’s Tea – I’ve been buying this for my mom for a number of years now and she’s always so excited to try the new flavors.
Fleur de Sel – Sometimes all you need is a little sprinkle to take brownies from good to great.
Man Crates – If there’s a man in your life who is also a foodie, gift him one of these awesome crates – there are a ton to choose from so no matter what his tastes are, you’ll be covered!
OXO Food Scale – I use this pretty much all day, every day and highly recommend it if you’re looking for a kitchen scale.
Pastry mat – Another kitchen staple for me, I use this to roll out dough, knead dough, shape and cut scones… it’s extremely versatile and another “must have”.
Sarah’s Stands – These cake stands are absolutely beautiful – stunning and really unique.
Thermometers in the kitchen are another must! I use my Thermapen for all of my food and candy temperature-taking, and rely on my oven thermometer to make sure the oven is always at the correct temperature before I start baking (my oven runs hot!)
Vanilla Beans – So much cheaper to buy in bulk vs those little grocery store jars!
Cookbooks
I have a serious cookbook collection, but I have a handful that I go to time and again, that are stained and flour-coated… Behold my all-time favorites!
I am completely in love with The Baked series – Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, Baked Explorations, Baked Elements, and Baked Occasions. Each new book is just as good, if not better, than the original!
Baking: From My Home to Yours – This classic from Dorie Greenspan really got me into blogging recipes on a daily basis and it will forever remain a favorite.
I have baked countless recipes from the original Baking Illustrated cookbook – it was the first place I turned whenever I wanted to try a new recipe. A new version of the book – The Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book – has since been released and it’s just as good as the original.
I own every single Ina Garten cookbook and love them all – she creates recipes that are simple, comforting and yet impressive, which is right up my alley. Here is her lineup: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Barefoot in Paris, Barefoot Contessa at Home, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That?, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, and Make It Ahead.
The Bread Baker’s Apprentice got me started making homemade bread and I still use that bagel recipe exclusively.
The America’s Test Kitchen DIY Cookbook is full of amazing recipes like bacon jam and homemade Nutella. I pretty much bookmarked every single recipe in this book.
The Perfect Scoop was my introduction to homemade ice cream and I have made dozens of recipes from this book. An absolute must in your library if you make homemade ice cream.
Vintage Cakes – I bought this on a whim at Anthropologie and I fell in love with every single recipe. Lots of old-fashioned recipes and delicious cakes.
The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom – Because balance, right? I did a Whole30 over the summer and ended up using a ton of recipes from this book; our favorite is the cauliflower fried rice!
Fashion & Beauty
Beautyblender – I started using this about a year ago and it makes for the absolute perfect application of foundation. It’s seriously flawless!
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara – My new favorite mascara, it creates amazing lashes without any clumping.
Delicacies – A jewelry line created with Andrew Zimmern that showcases single ingredients… Love bacon? Choose a pig! Coffee addict? There’s a coffee bean for you.
Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment and Sugar Shine Lip Treatment – The best lip moisturizers, hands down. I use the advanced therapy lip treatment as my regular balm and I love the sugar shine treatment as a subtle lip gloss when going out to run errands (tulip is my favorite color).
Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil – Pretty much the only lotion I will use since it’s not greasy, doesn’t feel sticky, and I can put on regular clothes after I use it. There are a ton of different scents to choose from, but I’m partial to vanilla apricot.
Lisa Leonard Designs – I love this jewelry that’s designed with moms in mind – lots of engraved pieces and items that incorporate multiple birthstones.
stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner – My go-to eyeliner… it stays put ALL DAY – no exaggeration. The applicator is super precise and never smudges, I love it.
Stitch Fix – I’ve talked about Stitch Fix tons of times – I love that I can get some personalized clothes to choose from right here at home. A gift card would be a fantastic gift for anyone who loves clothes or loves to shop!
Sword & Plough – An accessories company that takes military surplus and repurposes it into handbags, backpacks, tote bags and other apparel, all while employing veterans. I love everything about this.
Personal & House Gift Ideas
Adult coloring books – My sister bought me Enchanted Forest and Secret Garden for my birthday, and I currently have Lost Ocean on my wish list. These are so gorgeous and I’ve enjoyed watching a black and white sketch come to life as I color in all of the minute details. (I use this colored pencil set.)
Bark Box – For the furry friends in your life
Herb Garden Jar Planter – I am in love with this idea!
Roku Streaming Stick – We bought one of these for my in-laws last Christmas and one for my mom for Mother’s Day and they all love it! They can access Netflix, Hulu, even Pandora… now everyone is hooked on Blacklist
Roomba – We absolutely could not live without this – we run it every night after we go to bed to keep the dog hair to a manageable level.
RuMe Medium Tote Bags – These are awesome bags for grocery shopping!
Sonos – We fell in love with the Sonos sound system at our previous house and are still using it – being able to control tons of different music from your phone is just flat-out awesome. We currently have a SONOS PLAY:1 in Joseph’s room and a SONOS PLAY:5 has made the rounds between the kitchen, our basement, and master bathroom. Great sound and really easy to use.
Tervis Tumblers – These are pretty much the only thing we drink out of at home (and in the car!) – they keep drinks cold for hours and they come in countless different designs.
Vintage board games – I started buying these for my husband quite a number of years ago and so far have purchased Risk, Stratego, and Monopoly. The original boards are awesome and the boxes are so nice that they can be displayed as part of your decor. (The Scrabble version is on my wish list!).
Baby Gift Ideas
aden + anais Bamboo Swaddles – We never actually used these for swaddles but they are incredibly soft and perfect light blankets for when Joseph was in the swing or in the car seat.
Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym – Joseph loved laying under here before he started rolling and crawling – he would bat at the toys and kick the dangling ones to make the music start.
Little Blue Truck – This is currently Joseph’s favorite book and has been for some time.
MAM Pacifiers – Joseph never used pacifiers consistently, but we went through a phase around the 2-3 month mark where they would help to soothe him if he was fussy or had some trouble falling asleep, and these were the ONLY ones that he would keep in his mouth!
Munchkin Twisty Figure 8 Teether – We’ve been going strong on this teether for months – he loves to chew on it and he plays with it in the car quite a bit.
Sassy Wonder Wheel – We keep this affixed to Joseph’s high chair and it keeps him entertained while he’s eating – he loves spinning it!
VTech Roll & Surprise Animal Train – My grandparents bought this for Joseph about six weeks ago and it immediately became his favorite toy. He loves to push the pop-up animals back down, he rolls the train to make it sing and he dances to the music. It’s a HUGE hit.
VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker – This is a relatively new purchase that we got once Joseph started pushing boxes around and walking behind them. He LOVES this (until he runs into a wall, ha).
Uncle Goose Classic ABC Blocks – These blocks were such a great purchase… I did some research on different sets of blocks and these received outstanding reviews – the wood doesn’t splinter and the paint doesn’t chip. Joseph loves to knock over towers, throw them and chew on them. Such a classic!
Whew! That was a big list! What do you have on your wish list, or what are some of your favorite gifts that you’ve bought for others?
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