holiday gift guide for foodies I howsweeteats.com

 

Happy holidays? It’s a little early for my liking but I wanted to share some gift guides I put together for you guys before black Friday. Some people are already finished with their shopping and that blows my mind because I’ll probably start December 10th.

Anyhoo.

I have a massive gift guide coming at you every day this week (minus tomorrow to make way for Tuesday Things) along with the third grade quality visual above, including these foodie gifts, gifts for him & her, gifts for the practical person, perfect hostess gifts and a homemade gift guide. ALL THE GIFTS.

This is large and in charge but I really wanted to share a bunch of ideas that I think are great. PUHLEASE leave your gift suggestions below!

1. Some crazy vinegars and olive oils. One of my favorite pantry items ever – note only are there cool gift sets but also perfect flavors like pineapple, chocolate, cherry and so on. I use these vinegars alllllll the time. (Note: if you order through Christmas you can still use the code HOWSWEET10 and receive 10% off of your order. This is not an affiliate link or code, it’s simply a coupon code they provided me a few years ago because I love their products so much.)

2. Any fabulous gift from Delallo. You guys know this is one of my local specialty stores and I’ve been shopping there my entire life. Come Christmas time, that place is packed. They have the BEST stuff, including antipasta sets and Italian Christmas baskets.

3. Fun jams and jellies and other stuff. Another one of my Michigan loves, American Spoon makes some of the best flavors of jam. We have gone through three jars of the triple berry conserve since August. The maple cream is to die for. I mean, honeycrisp conserve?! People always ask me what I recommend and honestly? Everything. In 20 or so years we’ve never had anything we didn’t enjoy.

4. The Flavor Bible. I would suggest this book for someone who is a serious home cook that loves creating their own recipes. It lists hundreds of ingredients and their complementing flavors. It’s one of my keys to recipe development when my brain is overworked.

5. Um, how about some ice cream? You know my favorite Jeni’s Splendid ice creams? Well you can SEND people ice cream! Yes. Do it.

6. The Gourmet and Gourmet Today Cookbooks. These are for the practical cook and consist of more recipes than you can imagine. They are some of my favorite cookbooks and always 100% reliable.

7. In less-practical-but-insanely-gorgeous books, I’d go with the French Laundry Cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home or the Bouchon Bakery book. If you know someone who loves to look at cookbooks in their spare time, read them like novels and display them either in their kitchen or on a coffee table, these are the best. You can also find them in box sets.

8. Mini cutting boards. I have been using these little guys since I got married and they are one of my everyday items. We use them to mostly cut fruit or even chop herbs if we don’t want to pull out a bigger cutting board. These are also awesome if you’re low on counter space. And… fun colors!! I can often find some at Target.

9. Anything from Harry and David. It should go without saying that their pears are to.die.for, but I love their gift baskets and treats that you can choose from. Last week I also tried their truffles and um – love.

10. While we’re on the topic of traditional mailed presents, I have to add popcorn to the list. It’s something that I never think to send, but my aunt and some of my dad’s friends will send cans of popcorn to my parents and we take it down in NO time. It’s so good.

11. A grapefruit spoon! Do you think I’m crazy? If you know a grapefruit lover, these serrated spoons are a must. They make the whole eating experience much more enjoyable. On top of that, I used these spoons to clear away the seeds and strings in squash and pumpkins.  Very useful!

12. Cast iron skillet. This is the one that I have but any size will do ya. My blog probably speaks for itself with how much use it gets, but the real selling point is that my mom uses her 100-years old cast iron skillet weekly. These are an investment. For real.

13. The perfect cube ice cube tray. Eddie put these in my stocking a few years ago and we think they are so cool. Pun intended. They make a perfectly square ice cube which is great if you’re photographing food/drink, but I’ve also had people ask me just in my home while having a drink how I get my ice cubes so perfect. It’s a little treat.

14. Trader Joe’s gift sets! These vary by location and year so I don’t have anything exact to share, but I find that TJs has the absolute best holiday food gifts. They make for great wrappable gifts, stocking stuffers or hostess gifts. In the past, I’ve got a flavored sea salt grinder set, chocolate truffle filled figs, multiple sets of festive chocolate bars, popcorn, gingerbread houses and the like. I’m sure they also have great deals on wine but unfortunately I don’t live in a state where I can get my wine at TJs. Boohoo.

15. Speaking of salts, I think any sort of gourmet salt is an awesome gift. I personally love this Falk Salt in the smoke, wild garlic and chipotle versions. It’s so pretty too.

16. Mini French press. I’m sure we can agree that this would come in handy for the coffee and tea lover, but um, hello? The colors! Such a win.

17. Cheese please! If you know someone who is a cheese freak like me, I would definitely suggest some Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog or Truffle Tremor cheese. You may need to keep it in the fridge before gifting, but you could pair it with a bottle of wine, a cheese board and a jar of jam.

18. Magazine subscriptions. This may seem too cliché and boring, but as a self-proclaimed magazine freak, you can’t go wrong. My favorite subscriptions are delicious, donna hay, the lucky peach and saveur. They are different than the regular old magazines you can find in every local grocery store.

19. Silicone spatulas. In my opinion, you can never have too many.

20. A pizza stone. This is something that I find a lot of people don’t want to spend the money on (I never needed to since my husband owned one before we got married) but once they use it, can’t believe they waited so long. It makes the perfect pizza crust.

21. Copper Moscow mule mugs. Even if you don’t love Moscow mules (which…how?!), these are super pretty and decorative. Definitely something that someone probably wouldn’t splurge on themselves.

22. Fancy ass towels and potholders. I know I sound like an old lady here but these are something I loathe spending cash on. My mom is the queen of this gift and every year gets me a set or two, usually from a local boutique or from a shop while on vacation. These tend to be more decorative towels instead of everyday use.

23. Fancy ass measuring cups and spoons. I think Anthropologie has nailed the game with these gifts, because who doesn’t want spoons like this? Eddie has also found me some really cute Martha Stewart ones in the past too.

24. Um, CHOCOLATE! More so, crazy chocolate. If you’re looking for crazy chocolate, I recommend Chuao. I can find the brand at Target and some specialty stores around me. My favorites are the popcorn pop, the maple bacon and the rocky road bar. For some classic but still foodie-esque chocolate, my favorite is Chocolove. I can find it at my local grocery stores and Whole Foods. Favorites are the almonds and sea salt and the peppermint dark chocolate.

25. A garlic press. Another kitchen tool that is used multiple times per day in our house. I don’t understand HOW people don’t have one of these. I can barely chop an onion to save my life, so attempting to mince garlic is a giant joke. I only and always use my press.

26. A food processor. That is the one I have and it is by far my most used *large* kitchen appliance, even over my toaster and stand mixer. I use it for nut butters, salad dressings, dips, doughs and everything in between.

27. This cordless 5-speed hand mixer/immersion blender. This thing is so cool and has taken the place of my handheld electric mixer. And that says a lot because I have never cared for immersion blenders. I especially love the whisk attachment! awesome possum.

28. Pretty plates and coasters. Again, Anthropologie wins this in my book because some of their pieces are quite unique.

29. Absolutely anything le creuset. Timeless pieces and gorgeous too. As a note, I can find pieces at a discount at Sur La Table, Homegoods and TJ Maxx. You don’t have to break the bank.

[I am not sponsored or affiliated with any of the companies or products mentioned above. There are a few amazon affiliate links included. Thank you so much for reading and supporting my site!]