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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!

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts (In Fact I Lowkey Love Them)

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One of the Halloween things I collect are ghosts – love them to distraction. So, naturally the two wonderfully boo-tiful goodies shown here are (as we speak) haunting my Amazon shopping cart.

First up is the adorable Halloween Ghost Salt & Pepper Set (Amazon link) from Mud Pie. Mud Pie absolutely makes some of my favorite things – I  search for their name on Amazon as much as I search for anything!

The little cuties come with their own little wooden fence and I have no idea how I’ll be able to keep from leaving them out all year.

The set is 3 1/4″ x 4 1/2″ and, while perfectly “usable,” I’d never dream of doing anything but allow them to sit on the table and just show off.

I’m also very smitten with another Halloween beauty from Mud Pie and it’s pictured below.

The Mud Pie Ghost Pitcher Set (Amazon link) will, of course, sit right beside the salt and pepper set and (again) I have no idea how I’ll ever bring myself to pack it away for the season!

Mud Pie Ghost Pitcher Set

Wonderful Sandwich Cutters for Delicious “Uncrustable-Style” Sandwiches

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Uncrustable Style Sandwich Cutter

Sandwich Cutter (Amazon link)

If you have kids of any age in your family, you may already be familiar with the wildly popular, delicious, and… well… a little costly… Uncrustables. They’re sold frozen and you can conveniently thaw one or more as needed (they thaw VERY fast.. much to the pleasure of hungry kids). My oldest grandbabies absolutely love them. They fit in their little hands perfectly, allowing them to roam from one thing to the next to the next to the next.

My grandbabies love the peanut butter and jelly ones, so I buy the strawberry and grape varieties often. Only problem is, they don’t come cheap when compared with good old-fashioned jelly, peanut butter, and bread. But the sandwiches (even when cut into winsome triangles) don’t make these little cuties smile as much and, frankly, my world is consumed by making them smile.

I found something on Amazon that makes us ALL smile even more. Me because they’re fun, economical, and (most importantly) make my little buddies smile EVEN bigger because they’re involved with creating their own “Uncrustable-Style” sandwiches!

The Sandwich Cutter (Amazon link) allows you to choose your own fillings – just be sure you don’t overfill because the goodness will come through the roof! Peanut butter & jelly, Nutella – with or without the peanut butter, ham and cheese, cheese blends, pimento cheese, chicken salad, tuna salad… the options are nearly limitless.

The instructions are given very clearly and simply on the back and there’s even more information on the Amazon page when you click through.

One of the coolest things is you can use this tool to make up a LOT of handheld little sandwiches and freeze them. They’re just as good after being frozen as they are when fresh. It’s kind of magic, if we’re being honest.

The fact that kids can help you make them is one of the biggest attractions. I am ALL for getting girls and boys involved in food preparation and in making discoveries in the kitchen. These handheld sandwiches are IDEAL for school lunchboxes, taking to the office, afterschool snacks, and even a quick breakfast.

They’re available on Amazon….. Sandwich Cutter (Amazon link)… and can be used again and again and again and again. Each “again” adds up the money saved! This would make a wonderful gift idea for anyone on your list.

Uncrustable Style Sandwich Cutter Instructions

See Sandwich Cutter (Amazon link) for a lot more information and photos!


Have You Invested in a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Yet?! Here’s Why I Think You Should….

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Ironically, in spite of ALWAYS saying, “You’ll only be as great a cook as your tools and ingredients allow you to be,” I put off buying a KitchenAid stand mixer for years. And years.

The very person who consistently pays more for most ingredients and who grabs every new kitchen gadget that hits the market put off buying something because it, “… seems so high.”

If I didn’t do a great deal of baking, it’d be more forgivable but with a large family, there are always birthday cakes to make, homemade icing to throw together, candies, pies, and whatnot. And that in’t even counting Thanksgiving and Christmas – my annual grand finales!

I knew Kitchenaid stand mixers were gorgeous and knew the brand had one of the best reputations in the business but I  honestly assumed my handheld mixer could do anything it could and I knew it was far cheaper. More on the faulty assumption in a minute.

Earlier this year, my youngest daughter got a Kitchenaid stand mixer (Amazon link) and immediately began to rave about it. She’s one of the rare humans who does as much baking and cooking as I do, so when she recommends something, I listen. I decided to test her Kitchenaid out with something I make each week – Homemade Whipped Cream. My husband and I love it in our coffee (as well as on ice cream, cakes, cookies… heck, I’ve even seen him eat it right out of the bowl!).

(Continued Below the Whipped Cream!)

Homemade Whipped Cream

Homemade Whipped Cream (Recipe) 

First of all, I fell in love with the fact that all I had to do was put all of the ingredients into the bowl and that the Kitchenaid did the rest. My right arm marveled at something being beaten without it feeling the burden.

However, if the results had been the same, I would have stayed loyal to my handheld for the rest of my life.

The results were not even remotely the same. My homemade whipped cream has always been delicious but this time it had a MUCH better consistency – a consistency that made it look better and, somehow, even taste better. I remember picking it up with a spoon and thinking how much it looked like store-bought whipped cream. My handheld never did that!

Then it hit me… if the Kitchenaid stand mixer (Amazon link) makes this big of a difference with something as simple as whipped cream, imagine the difference it can make with cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, divinity, fudge… that was it. I was sold.

Yes, a Kitchenaid stand mixer  is more expensive than hand held mixers and, yes, for most of us, they’re somewhat of an investment. But here’s the thing, if the meals we make for our loved ones aren’t worth it, nothing is.

I would never recommend anything to my readers that I don’t absolutely love and use. I’d never suggest you buy something unless I knew you’d love it – I’m just not built that way.

I 100 percent believe you will love a  Kitchenaid stand mixer (Amazon link) and recommend buying one before Thanksgiving and Christmas show up in your home! From what I’ve read, other stand mixers do not hold a candle to the Kitchenaid brand, so I wouldn’t get sidetracked there, if I were you. Kitchenaid is a household name and know I know why.

See Also: Recipe for the Best Whipped Cream!

KitchenAid

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Halloween Dishtowels: Yes… My Mind IS Already on Halloween!

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How cute and colorful are these Halloween dish towels (Amazon link)??!! From everything I’ve seen (online and in stores), plaid is huge this year. Personally, I love it every year, but I’m seeing it everywhere this year – especially in black and white.

One of my biggest kitchen quirks and obsessions is dish towels. I celebrate each season with coordinating towels on the oven handle for show and in the drawer for go!

I can’t wait to add this set of three beauties to the rotation.  They’re 100 percent cotton, machine washable (tumble on low in a dryer) and measure 18×28 inches.

While I plan to use them in the kitchen, they’d also be ideal for a bathroom.

See Halloween dish towels (Amazon link) for a closer look and for more information. These are just so darn cute!

 

ADORABLE Halloween Candy Dishes

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It’s September 1st so, in my little world anyway, that means it’s officially Halloween Season! It’s such a deliciously fun time of year, why wait for October when you can start now and have TWO months of fun instead of one?!

This incredibly creative and adorable Witch Broom with Hats (Amazon link) set is available on Amazon and I couldn’t throw it into my cart fast enough. I, personally, envision candy in the little hat dishes but they’d be just as wonderful with pretzels, popcorn, nuts… just about anything you can imagine.

Features:

  • Perfect for a Halloween buffet or to sit out all autumn.
  • This great-looking, tabletop broom props three ceramic, pumpkin-shaped bowls for serving up all kinds of goodies from candy to popcorn.
  • Very unique… I’ve never seen anything quite like this!
  • It brings a fun and festive Halloween atmosphere to your whole home.
  • A beautiful, eye-catching addition to any room… okay, maybe not the bathroom… unless, of course, you put colorful miniature soaps in the hats.

See Witch Broom with Hats (Amazon link) for a closer look. You’re going to love this as much as I do!

Classy and Stylish Luli Bebe’ Monaco Snack Bags: Perfect for Going Back to School in Style

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Luli Bebe Snack Lunch Bag

Image Credit: Luli Bebe’

A few days ago I began working on a “roundup” style post of stylish, very attractive lunch bags for the series of back to school posts. That very day, I got an e-mail about Luli Bebe’s Monaco Snack/Lunch Bags and couldn’t help but be struck by the lovely irony.

I left the windows I had open and honed all of my attention in on the Luli Bebe’ Monaco Snack Bags (Amazon link). Luli Bebe Snack Lunch Bag

These bags are so exceptionally well-made and so ridiculously beautiful that any student (middle school, high-school, college..) OR any worker (office, factory, grocery store, hospital, coffee shop, restaurant…) would be honored to carry one.

They’re available in many gorgeous colors and, as you can see on the right, give ample room for a great meal and/or multiple snacks.

  • Designed in Los Angeles, the Monaco Snack Bag is crafted with Luli Bebe’s signature premium vegan leather, featuring a distinctive quilted texture front pouch and classic gold enameling.
  • Lightweight, fits in travel bags, and easy to carry one-handed. Removable and Adjustable Clip-on Shoulder Strap for over-the-shoulder or crossbody carry.
  • Made with the finest luxury materials, hardware, and premium YKK zippers. Lined with luxurious and wipeable insulated interior. 
  • The large center space is ideal for packing larger snack items, while an additional pocket expands to fit excess snack items. Front & back exterior pockets feature a magnetic clasp.
  • The Monaco boasts a padded insulated interior that will keep all snacks and perishables fresh and cool! 100% stain resistant exterior and smooth wipeable interior.

When I was in high school/college, I would have LOVED a great looking bag like this. Feeling kind of salty about the basic little bag I I had to resort to!

I’ll be honest, I’m so excited about and impressed by this particular bag, I’m giving it its own separate post, away from the roundup that’ll be published in a day or two.


Learn more about Luli Bebe’! (They make equally gorgeous diaper bags.)

Porcelain Butter Dish for Perfectly Spreadable Butter Every Single Time

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Most of the time I write about products, foods, or drinks I have already tried but ever now and then (like today) I have something on my mind I’m so excited about I have to tell you about it or bust.

The handsome Porcelain Butter Dish with a Bamboo Lid (Amazon link) you see here was just tossed in my Amazon cart with the flair of someone who spends entirely too much time on Amazon.

I can’t wait for it to arrive to put it to use. When it’s safe and sound in its new home, I’ll come back here and add photos and thoughts, but for now, I was simply eager to tell you about this beauty as well as butter dishes in general.

Butter dishes used to be a common thing in kitchens. I’m really not sure how or why we gravitated away from them! They originated sometime in the 1800s and, while it certainly didn’t go that far back (!!!), I remember them being used by both of my grandmothers.

I love the idea of butter being available to be used JUST as it should be used… completely spreadable! I’ve run into the cold butter blues three times recently:

  1. My youngest daughter made me some delicious gluten-free strawberry and blueberry muffins a few days ago (no idea how I got so lucky to have her for a daughter, but I’m never sending her back!). Even when the muffins were warm, the cold butter didn’t spread – it just sort of chucked itself on there. It was an even bigger disaster when I tried to butter a cold muffin. I had to break off pieces of butter and place them strategically onto said muffin.
  2. I had a piping hot bowl of oatmeal and, after adding butter, it was no longer piping hot but just kind of warm.
  3. Okay, three words: gluten-free bread. Or would that be two words?? Anyway, if you’re familiar with gluten-free bread, you know it’s not at all easy to live with. If (Heaven forbid!) you want to butter it, it will fall apart faster than a 13 year old girl who’s certain her life is over when her friend moves away.

Each of these situations would be completely taken care of with a butter dish – the butter will be room temperature and ready, willing, and able to be spread on bread, muffins, or biscuits or added to a hot bowl of oatmeal without giving it the big chill.

Anyone who (like me) only uses butter would never even think about asking, “Why not just use margarine?” but others unfamiliar with the superiority of the taste and health benefits of butter might be tempted to ask this very question. If you’re still in the margarine crowd, I beg you to start buying and using real butter. The taste is so superior it’ll blow you away.

A few of the things I love Most About this Butter Dish:

  • Perfect Groove for the Knife Right in the Lid. The knife is always handy to use when you need it, so you don’t have to go digging through drawers like a frantic kitchen elf. There are few roles I hate assuming more than a frantic kitchen elf looking for something she needs right now!
  • Large Size. I’ve seen some butter dishes where you’d do well to get half a stick inside – this one has more than enough room.
  • Porcelain. This gorgeous Butter Dish is porcelain, meaning it’s easy to clean and made to last.
  • Perfect for any Decor, or Color Scheme. I admit it, I change the “vibe” or “energy” of my kitchen often – each season and holiday brings with it its own special colors, knick knacks, and festivity. This great looking butter dish will go with cupid’s hearts, spring flowers, Easter eggs, summer bouquets, Fourth of July flags, ghosts and goblins, turkeys, snowmen, Santa, and everything in between. In fact, the notorious elf on a shelf might just use this for his first perch this season. Seems like something he’d do.

Click through for a closer look at the beautiful Porcelain Butter Dish with a Bamboo Lid (Amazon link).

 

Obsessed with this Gorgeous Tea Pitcher… Obsessed, I Tell You

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I drink a lot of tea – okay, that’s an understatement. Let’s try again. I am in the process of gleefully and systematically drinking tea each of my waking hours.

That’s better.

I have iced tea (usually either black raspberry tea or green raspberry tea) with my coffee in the morning, then I keep a large (we’re talking quite large) beautiful silver, shiny tumbler with a straw filled for the remainder of the day.

At several points during the day (around 4:00 when I’m making supper and 6:00 when I’m winding down) I also have a nice big mug of hot tea. The iced tea never leaves my side mind you, the hot simply joins us where we happen to be.

While I have endless mugs for my hot tea, my tumbler (aka my shadow), and tall glasses for mealtime, my iced tea pitcher leaves much to be desired. Okay, between me and you, it’s an old glass pitcher from a coffee maker I had, like, 6 years ago! For someone as clumsy as me to keep anything made of glass that long without breaking it is something of an accomplishment, but it’s simply time to upgrade the iced tea game.

I’m an embarrassment to myself and my daughter, the Crazy Tea Chick.

See the beauty pictured at the right? IT’s the HIWARE Glass Pitcher (Amazon Link) and I have invited it to join the family.

Features of This Gorgeous, Ingenious Pitcher:

  • This pitcher is made from borosilicate glass and withstands temperature 0 to 300 ℉, so you can pour boiling water into this pitcher safely.
  • The absence of lead guarantees 100-percent recyclable products; superior resistant to use, the pitcher is thicker than other brands in the market and has been double-annealed to give it extra durability
  • The lid with filter is made from 18/8 stainless steel, it is perfect for keeping the ice cubes, sliced fruit, tea bags inside the beverage. Specially designed with non-dripping spout and the ergonomically designed handle make it easy to hold and pour. Easy to clean
  • More natural and healthy (and better looking!) than using a plastic one. This pitcher is widely used for water, iced tea, hot tea, fruit infused water, homemade beverages, cold brew coffee, etc. It’s even suitable to leave in your fridge. 

See HIWARE Glass Pitcher (Amazon Link)

Wooden Salad Bowls: I am Completely on a Mission to Find One!

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Salad

Bacon Salad

One of the things most associated with me is my intense love for salads and soup. In winter and fall, it’s soup… in spring and summer, it’s salads. We are officially in salad season now, so my mind is utterly consumed with new vegetable and ingredient combinations and possibilities, new ideas for dressing recipes, etc.

This year I have something else consuming my salad-loving mind…. wooden salad bowls – large AND individual serving size. Basically I want ALL THE WOODEN BOWLS and I want them now!

I just bought a small set of wooden bowls on Amazon for food prep, yogurt, and sundaes. When they were delivered, I discovered that I loved them even more than I expected to. So… yeah… now I’m on a mission to greatly expand my wooden dish collection.

Below are a few of my favorite ones I’ve seen on Amazon. When you click through, of course, you will find a goldmine of others to choose from.





See why I’m so obsessed?!?!?!

Fun, Colorful Tumblers with Lids and Straws

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Okay, so I just found something on Amazon I have to order right away, if not sooner. Only problem is deciding how many to order. Not only am I OBSESSED with tumblers with lids & straws (especially in the summer), I have three daughters who are just as obsessed. The fun, colorful Color Changing Cups with Lids and Straws (Amazon link) comes in a set of 5, so I could conceivably buy one set and divide the cups between us with two leftovers for other members of the family.

BUT how much more fun would it be for each one of us to have our own fun set of 5? Pretty sure I’m officially leaning that way.

Things I Love About These Colorful Cups:

  • You can make the beauties change color by adding ice to your favorite beverage. Just watch the color changing cups transform before your eyes. These beauties would make great photos for Instagram or Twitter.. I mean, the rest of the world may as well see you while you’re living your best life, right?
  • The fun eye-catching phrases on these cups match whatever mood you’re working with that day: OK Boomer, Stay Woke, Spilling Tea, Adulting is Hard, and Sorry Not Sorry.
  • The reusable cups with lids are splash-proof. The snug snap-on lids fit each tumbler cup securely. One of the main reasons I love cups with lids during the summer is so I can take my glass of raspberry tea with me wherever I go, without worrying about it spilling on me OR allowing flies to use my tea for a personal pool party.
  • These cups are stackable, so storage is not a problem and they fit most cup holders.
  • They’re made of a high-quality durable plastic, so the reusable plastic cups with lids and straws lasts for many years.

If you use tumblers as straws as much as I do, you will absolutely want to find a straw-cleaning brush (Amazon link). I had been trying everything in the world to clean my reusable straws when my youngest daughter gave me one of these brilliant little brushes. I honestly had no idea they even existed but will never be caught without one now.

See Color Changing Cups with Lids and Straws (Amazon link) for more information, bigger photos, and even a video.