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Best Gift Idea for Foodies and Cooks

Looking for the best gift ideas for the foodies and cooks in your life?! On the following pages, you'll find the best kitchen gadgets, gift baskets, food gifts, small appliances, dishes, and more. We're always on the lookout for gift ideas that'll blow your foodies and cooks away!

Fill Your Home (and Life!) with Colors You Love

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Purple Placemats

Purple Placemats

The beautiful purple (“Eggplant”) placemats (Amazon link), above, are a recent gift from me to me. Purple is my favorite color and, since it makes me deliriously happy, I color as much of my world purple as I can.

I think of adding color to our worlds this way: If our life were a giant live-action coloring book, we would be able to choose many of the colors used on the pages. OUR coloring book… OUR rules! Sure… stores, nature, restaurants, and other people’s homes come pre-colored but we can darn well determine the colors we wear into them!

Our homes… our turf… is most definitely in our control. As you’d expect, purple is a recurring theme in our home and yard. I also love red (What is it with me and loud colors?? Don’t answer that…), so beautiful jewel tones of red an purple accompany one another frequently.

2020 has been a bust, to say the least, and it has all but drained me emotionally. As someone who is INSANELY empathetic, I cry as I see or read stories of sickness and loss. I’ve also been extra, extra worried about my family – 4 of us are in the “high risk” group (health conditions such as asthma) and one is pregnant! My third grandbaby is due any day and worrying about him and his mommy (my oldest daughter) has been a full-time job.

Recently, I ordered the gorgeous placemats, kind of as a mood lifter I suppose and they have brought so much happiness to me. Sounds crazy, I know, but each time I see them, I feel good. In a year like this one, we all need MORE of these kinds of things in our lives.

After I ordered these placemats, I saw the purple and white dish towels pictured below. I pointed them out to my husband and, because I married a sweetheart who just manages to get sweeter each year, he ordered them for me and surprised me with them a few days later.

 

Purple and White Kitchen Towels

Purple and White Dish Towels

The dish towels and placemats each come in a wide variety of colors and are very, very reasonably priced. I’m very, very impressed with the quality of each. You can mix and match the beautiful colors or do as I did, and simply go with your favorite color in the world.

Here’s the thing… while these are simple, simple purchases, the effects they have on your psyche are anything but simple. Every now and then it’s absolutely magical to do something out of the ordinary, completely self-serving, and fun. Not only does it make your world more colorful and fun, it lifts your mood and makes your psyche dance.

How are you going to beat that?!

See dish towels on Amazon.

See placemats on Amazon (The things I love the most about these placemats is the perfect size and the fact that they’re round! You can easily fit six on a table, without worrying about the edges touching… I’m just anal enough to be bothered by such things).


EDIT: I just found matching dishcloths on Amazon – and they’re available in even more colors than the beautiful towels are…. the yellow and red ones are just gorgeous!

Purple Placemats

Bamboo Pig Cutting Board…. Yes, Please!

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I have always had a total, complete, and all-consuming love for pigs. If my cats (the one animal I have an even greater affection for) allowed it, I would have one – a female I’d name Patsy Swine. Come on, how could I not?

I often blog about pig collectibles and kitchen items on the food blog because I’ve heard from so many readers who love them almost as much as I do. I say almost because none of y’all have a name picked out for a pig you’ll never have.

This gorgeous bamboo pig cutting board is from Amazon and I am in love with it. It speaks to everything my own kitchen’s decor is about – a rustic/whimsical approach, heavy on pigs.

Here’s the thing – I have always loved pigs greatly. I even began “collecting” pigs for the kitchen over 12 years ago. Then something happened that made me fall even further in love with them and made me want to have them outside of the kitchen as well as inside of the kitchen…. this “something” that happened is a precious, lively, adorable 2 year old named Maddox and he (along with the rest of my family) makes my world go round.

Since he was about 6 months old, he has LOVED pigs and cats (I keep telling people he IS my spirit animal). While he loves all animals, there is a certain, palpable joy that comes over his face and into his voice when he sees a pig or cat (real, stuffed, drawing, figurine…). If it’s a cat, he laughs and meows. If it’s a pig, he laughs and oinks.

Why wouldn’t I want more of that in my life??!


Adorable Kitchen Gadgets for Kids who LOVE Dinosaurs!

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I was on Amazon earlier (full disclosure, I’m never really officially off Amazon), looking for dinosaur-related plates for my grand-babies. I have three grand babies and they’re all little boys – one is 2 years old, one is almost 6 months old, and the youngest? Well, he isn’t officially here yet, but he IS officially loved!

I found three WONDERFUL Dinosaur Food Holders from Funwares:

The TriceraTaco (the triceratops is one of kids favorite dinosaurs) is pictured on the left. It can hold tacos – or sandwiches, waffles, toast, English muffins, fish sticks, chicken nuggets, etc.

On the right is another one I’m kind of freaking out over, the NachoSaurus. I love that he comes with his little food dish for dunking and dipping. He could be used for fries with ketchup just as easily as chips with salsa or cheese. He could also hold candy, carrot sticks, or other snacks.

Last, but in no way least, is TacoSaurus Rex (pictured below). This guy can hold tacos, sandwiches, bagels… whatever the little “boss” has consented to eat that day!

I can’t wait to whip these out on my 2 year old grandson – he is WILD WILD WILD about dinosaurs and will love these.


How a Captain Named Rodney Can Make Your Chicken Extraordinary….

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One of the things I often preach on the food blog (as well as in person, of course, but most of you will miss that rousing “in person” performance) is this:

If you want to be an extra special cook (and who would want to settle for okay when they can be extra special??), you need to get creative and step out of the ordinary. This means trying new kitchen tools and gadgets, cooking your favorite foods in new, exciting ways, and trying new sauces, seasonings, and ingredients. Not only is it a creative way to approach cooking… it’s a delicious way to approach life.

While there’ll be times you try something that makes you whisper to your cat, “That never happened,” other times you find something that’ll become a kitchen staple – something you’d no sooner allow yourself to run out of than you would salt and pepper. Captain Rodney’s Original Boucan Glaze (Amazon link) has been such a staple in our kitchen for many years.

It is OUTSTANDING. Sorry for yelling, but it is that extraordinary. Captain Rodney’s makes several seasonings, sauces, and glazes (click here to see their entire collection on Amazon).

The “set” pictured on the left is one I have my eye on – you get two bottles (which last quite a while, as only a little bit is necessary for the “rock your world” flavor) and a silicone basting brush. I’m a sucker for a basting brush.

How I Use Captain Rodney’s Original Boucan Glaze (sorry to keep using the full name, but I want to differentiate because there are several):

  1. This glaze is delicious when you add a little to cooked, hot rice. It takes it to the next level.
  2. I love to pour a little on top of a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers. Buttery Ritz or Ritz-type crackers are the best for this.
  3. Hamburgers – A little Captain Rodney’s on a burger with sauteed onions is out of this world good.
  4. It’s wonderful on pork chops. It just takes a little to get that wonderful, “I’ll never let myself run out of this stuff” flavor.
  5. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken.
  6. Chicken.

Continued Below…

Captain Rodney's Original Boucan Pepper Glaze

Captain Rodney’s Original Boucan Pepper Glaze

My favorite way to cook chicken is as follows:

I take chicken tenders, salt and pepper them, then marinate them in Italian Dressing (bottled or the kind you make with a mix) and a little honey. I try to let them marinate in the fridge in this mixture for at least 3 hours.

I heat my iron skillet on medium-high and add a mixture of butter and olive oil (the olive oil keeps the butter from getting too brown). Don’t use too much butter/olive oil – you want enough for the tenders to sizzle but you don’t want to drown them. When the skillet is hot, I cook each side for about 4 minutes (always use a meat thermometer when cooking chicken – you want 165 F).

When I put them on the serving platter, I go ahead and add a little Captain Rodney’s Original Boucan Glaze (Amazon link). Makes them feel good about themselves and makes the tenders disappear off of said platter likety split.

Skillet Chicken Tenders with Captain Rodney's Glaze

Chaffles 101: A New Obsession for MANY Reasons

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Chaffle Waffles

Chaffles with Blueberries… Delicious!

Have you ever heard of Chaffles? Whether you eat Keto, gluten-free, or simply love trying out fun, delicious new food trends, you’re going to love these!

First of all, what is a chaffle? The basic chaffle is simply 1 egg (beaten) with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (usually mozzarella, because it’s neutral in flavor, for a basic chaffle)… combined and cooked for 3-4 minutes in a waffle iron or chaffle maker.

Why I, Personally, am OBSESSED with Chaffles:

  1. I have to eat gluten-free (health reasons) and chaffles (even when you add extra ingredients) are gluten-free. However, unlike most gluten-free waffles, breads, etc.. they don’t cost an arm and a leg. Heck they don’t even cost one limb. Shredded cheese and an egg. That’s it.
  2. I have been experimenting with “Keto” recipes because I’m cutting into the number of carbs I eat. I’m not cutting them out, mind you, but I figure I can at least cut back on the number of carbs I consume. The best way I’ve found to do so is to experiment with Keto recipes. Chaffles are Keto-Friendly.
  3. They are crazy fun to make and to experiment with. The options are endless. If you’re making chaffles as “waffles,” you can try a lot of different fruits and/or nuts. My favorite is blueberries but other berries are delicious as well. If you want your chaffle to serve as bread, add a little garlic powder. When I make them for pasta, I use a little extra mozzarella (makes them crispier) and add some garlic powder before cooking. I also make a melted garlic butter for dunking them in. I promise… the flavor is exactly like garlic cheese bread. Before I had to give up gluten/wheat, one of my favorite things to make was garlic cheese bread – French bread with butter, garlic, and melted mozzarella cheese. When I first took a bite of chaffles made with garlic, dipped in melted garlic butter, the flavor took me right back to the French bread. Without the large carb count OR gluten.
  4. I happen to have a hiatal hernia which doesn’t normally cause problems. However, because of this guy, I need to eat frequent, smaller meals and dense food can be a problem. Gluten-free bread and certain other gluten-free food is about as dense as dense gets. Chaffles provide a softer, far less dense way to enjoy waffles, sandwiches, ‘toast,” etc.

The Original Chaffle Recipe by It’s Creator (Not Me)

The video below is the original Chaffle recipe and video from the creator of the chaffle, Kat Keto Doss (link to her YouTube Channel). Unfortunately it is not me.. I’d love to have been that clever! I felt it only fair to include the creator in an article about chaffles. Many have taken the premise and have come up with new techniques, new flavors, new creations, etc. but this is the brains behind the entire food craze.

(Continued below…)

When making chaffles, I, personally, combine the cheese and beaten egg and place it directly on the waffle iron on in the chaffle maker. Simple as simple gets. I don’t follow a strict Keto diet, either, so I never weigh my cheese – I use 1/4 cup, plus usually a tiny bit extra down on the bottom of the iron and a little extra on top of the egg mixture before I close the iron. This adds a little extra crunchiness and I just appreciate the golden brown color.

Chaffle Waffles with Blueberries

A Few Personal Tips of the Trade When Making Chaffles

  • I’ve found that I prefer finely shredded cheese over the traditional shredded cheese, but I guess it’s a personal thing.
  • If you like for them to have a firmer texture, allow them to sit a minute or two when you remove them from the waffle iron or chaffle maker.
  • While I do have, use, and love a chaffle maker, I use my Hamilton Beach Waffle Maker more than the Dash chaffle maker. The chaffle maker is ideal for making one (or even two) chaffles if you’re cooking for one person and I use it for my own lunches throughout the week. However, if you’re using chaffles for making several sandwiches or if you’re cooking for several people, the traditional waffle maker is much faster. The waffle maker also makes them larger, obviously, so there is more chaffle to nom on! However, the chaffle maker make a super cute size for small sandwiches (extra delicious with sausage and egg).
  • Chaffles EASILY replace waffles. Just be sure to use mozzarella or the taste will be way off. Basically, you don’t want your cheese to bring any flavor with it, which is why mozzarella perfect for the job. When you add a little butter and syrup, I promise you, you’ll be convinced you are eating good old fashioned waffles. It honestly just blows me away.
  • I love pizza chaffles – they’re an ideal way to conquer pizza cravings. I make them as I would a normal chaffle, but add a little oregano before pouring into the iron. I always add a small amount of mozzarella to the iron as well. While the chaffle is cooking, I warm some pizza sauce (my favorite is Classico, but any will do). When the chaffle comes out of the waffle iron or chaffle maker, I add a little sauce and Parmesan. I normally top mine with sliced olives, but any toppings will do. It’s usually best if you warm the toppings up first, as well as the sauce.
  • You can add a little coconut flour, gluten-free flour blend, rice flour, or almond flour to give your chaffles a more bread-like consistency. I’ve done this before when my chaffles were pulling garlic bread duty. It’s excellent also for pizza chaffles.

Whether you eat keto, lazy-keto, gluten-free, or simply want to cut unnecessary carbs, you’re going to love chaffles. I hope you’ll try them asap. You’ll be hooked!

Below is a keto, gluten-free (and delicious) way to enjoy chili dogs without bread – I made chaffles with cheddar cheese and piled the hot dogs, chili, cheese, and onions on top. It was seriously, seriously good!


Multi Hard Boiled Egg Peeler: One A-Peeling Kitchen Gadget!

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Ingenious! This Multi Hard Boiled Egg Peeler is going under the 2019 Christmas Gifts for Cooks Guide category but, let’s be honest here, this is something most of us will want… not just before Christmas, but also before Thanksgiving. Kangaroo Eggs (Deviled Eggs to most of you, but one of my daughters started calling them Kangaroo Eggs when she was little and they’ve been Kangaroo Eggs in our family since. Come on, how could they NOT be?) are a staple of our family gatherings. Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fourth of July – hmmm, now that I think about it, they’re at get-togethers as much as I am.

The only thing I hate about making Kangaroo Eggs (Deviled Eggs) is the peeling. Hate it with a passion. Some have a beautiful gift for shelling a hard-boiled egg without causing any damage to the egg, itself. They’re peels even look like works of art. My youngest daughter, Stephany, is the world’s most gifted egg artist. Every egg, perfect. Every peel, long and glorious. She doesn’t even chip a nail in the process.

I do NOT have this gift. Like, at all.

That’s why I am very excited about the Multi Hard Boiled Egg Peeler, on the left.

I’ll soon be making these popular eggs and everyone will think Steph made them! I may or may not let them in on my secret.

Multi-Hard Boiled Egg Peeler Description:

  • Peels 1-3 eggs in under ten seconds. Quick, simply & no mess.
  • Egg Stripper spins and rotates in water to loosen and remove egg shells.
  • Simply fill the egg stripper base with water up to the water fill line. Add hard-boiled & chilled eggs. Close & shake it up and down (but not too hard!) for about 5 seconds.
  • Seeing the white of the egg indicates that egg shell was loosened enough and the egg will be ready to slip out of its shell.

The Multi Hard Boiled Egg Peeler is available in two sizes – the small allows you peel 3 eggs at once, while the larger one accommodates 5 eggs. Since I make mine in batches of 12, I’m just ridiculously anal enough to go with the smaller one, as 3 is a factor of 12…. 4 spins around the block will get the job done.

And they thought I never paid attention in math class. Obviously I did…. that day.

For those who want to REALLY make Kangaroo Eggs (Deviled eggs) as simple as is legal, check out the Dash Egg Cooker.


Gorgeous Pfaltzgraff Football Platter

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The gorgeous Pfaltzgraff Football Platter shown here isn’t just on my gift-giving list this year, it’s at the top of my, “Buy for my own darn self” list as well.

My family celebrates any and all seasons, days and occasions as we can. What can I say? We love to eat, love to laugh, love to make a lot of noise and look for a reason to do all of the above at once.

Football season was made for families like this one!

Whether it’s college football or the NFL, weekends just become a lot more fun this time of year, don’t they?

Product Description from Amazon

  • This rectangular Football Platter will be a big winner on game day
  • Designed to look like a football field, this platter is perfect for serving your guests lunch meat and cheese, hors d’oeuvres and more
  • Football platter measures 17 inch long x 11 inch wide
  • Crafted of ceramic
  • Use & Care: Microwave and dishwasher safe

I’m picturing so many delicious things on this gorgeous platter…. pigs in blankets, cookies, brownies, sandwiches, chips, cheese and crackers… and, just like that, I’ve made myself hungry.

See Pfaltzgraff Football Platter for more information and a closer look. This is a beauty.


Kicking off the Christmas Gift Guide with a Sloth in a Coffee Cup (Because Why Wouldn’t I??)

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I have good news and bad news for you… the window of opportunity for Christmas shopping is now officially wide open! You can shop for Christmas gifts now without being looked at like you have three heads. That’s the good news.

The bad news is this window begins closing a little bit each day, until it relentlessly slams shut before you know it!

That’s why I’m beginning the 2019 Gift Guide for Cooks and Foodies today. I may not have the graphic for the sidebar yet (soon, soon) but I have a fun gift to kick things off with – the Feeling Slothee, Need a Coffee mug you see here.

Crazy cute!

For whatever reasons, gifts like this are my favorite to give AND receive – the deliciously unique and fun variety. The kind that makes the recipient smile ear to ear as they show it off to everyone in the room.

  • Designed exclusively by Geek Details and shipped exclusively from Geek Details.
  • The imprinted design is beautifully displayed on both sides of the mug and looks as pictured. It stops approximately 1 inch from both sides of the C-handle.
  • The premium full color sublimation imprint creates vibrant, long lasting, lead-free designs.
  • Microwave and dishwasher safe for your convenience.
  • Eleven ounce white ceramic coffee mug also holds a great cup of tea and includes a large, easy to grip C-handle.

I love everything about this adorable coffee mug, especially the fact that it is an exclusive design (there’s that uniqueness that floats my boat). I also love the fact that the design is on both sides.

See Feeling Slothee, Need a Coffee for a closer look. SO DARN CUTE!


FUN Pig Molds for Pig Collectors

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  I have a few things I love to collect and pigs are one of them. Not the real kind, unfortunately. My cats draw the line at sharing their food, attention, cuddles, or beds with anything that snorts.

When I found these adorable Pig Molds on Amazon, I knew I had to tell y’all about them because I’ve heard from many of the food blog’s readers who love pigs as much as I do.

First is Piggy Pop (pictured to the left).

Piggy Pop makes Pigs in Blankets easy peasy.
Product Description

  • Use any dough or pancake batter
  • Fast, fun and easy
  • Dishwasher safe
  • Easy as fill, insert and bake!
  • BPA free

Piggy Pop provides a cute and creative way to make Pigs in a Blanket and then some. This is a silicone baking pan that bakes 12 pig shaped treats at a time. Simple and easy to use, you simply fill each of Piggy Pop‘s molds with pancake batter or dough, add the cocktail franks and bake.

Piggy Pop comes with a recipe guide that includes 12 tasty recipes. The baking pan is oven safe and heat resistant up to 500 ° F.  I love the fact that it’s dishwasher safe.

Pig-Shaped Pancake Molds

Next up – Silicone Pig Pancake Molds (pictured to the right). I love these just as much as Piggy Pop. My grandbaby, Maddox is absolutely obsessed with Pigs (and with adorably making the “oink” sound!) and I cannot wait to make him pig pancakes!

Product Description

  • Make breakfast more fun with pig-shaped pancakes; bake 2 at a time with this set
  • Stainless steel curled tail functions as a stay-cool handle; folds flat for storage
  • This silicone mold is heat resistant up to 500F, BPA free
  • Dishwasher safe so cleanup is a breeze
  • Designed in the USA

Candy Molds

Last, but not least, the Perny Silicone Pig Candy Molds (left). Again, I am SO anxious to make Maddox pig candy. It’ll be the first Halloween candy I make and you bet it’ll be used for many Christmas candies!

With these adorable molds, you can make 20 pig-shaped candies (or chocolates, jell-o, ice cubes…) at once. The molds are BPA free and made from high quality 100% food grade silicone.

These are safe for use in the oven, freezer, microwave, and dishwasher.

Simply pour your favorite recipe in the mold, prepare, and cool completely. Then turn it upside down, this flexible silicone candy molds offers a non-stick surface that allows the sweets to pop right out with a little push from the bottom.

If you prefer another animal, when you click through, you’ll find other animals and shapes available on Amazon.


Winco Hamburger Smasher and Turner: Perfect for Diner-Style Burgers

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Winco Hamburger Smasher and Turner

I love burgers. There, I said it. I love them more than words can even say. In fact, I wouldn’t spend too much time searching for words because that would be time taken away from eating burgers.

My favorite way to fix burgers is “diner-style,” just a food blogger cool way of saying, “burgers that are smashed into an iron skillet.”

Before we found  the HANDY as HECK Winco Burger Turner above (or as I call it, my smasher), it was a headache to smash the burgers into the skillet. I’d try to get my spatulas to go along with the plan, but they just weren’t built for it. You should’ve seen me, holding the spatula in one hand and placing a mug on top of the spatula with the other hand. The spatula took a beating, the mug felt anxious, and the cats laughed. Embarrassing.

This crazy cool and inexpensive little tool has made life a lot easier. It’s also perfect for the grill – gets the burgers nice and flat. This makes them cook quicker and, in my opinion, makes them tastier.

Product Description from Amazon

  • Stainless steel construction
  • Wooden handle
  • Winco products range from tabletop to kitchen utensils to food preparation supplies
  • Winco products are used by all foodservice and hospitality industry experts worldwide

See Winco Burger Turner for more information!