Friday, December 14, 2012

Gift Guide: The Cook

Via What Katie Ate
Whether a simple salad or a six-hour stew. Time in the kitchen is her joy. Gift her with indulgent ingredients and useful tools with a minimalist manner that allows her concoctions and creations to shine.

A dash of deliciousness to sprinkle on everything. Bourbon Smoked Sugar from New York Mouth.


A classic crock, whether put to its original purpose (pickling) or for corralling spoons and spatulas. From Sadie & Emma Pottery Co.


A small and special workhorse kitchen knife. Carbon steel blade, handmade in Spain. Pallares from Quitokeeto.


A sweet-smelling beeswax salve. To keep wooden utensils and cutting boards looking their best. From Herriott Grace.


A mini-measure for little liquid amounts. From Amazon.


Instead of another bottle of olive oil, why not adopt an olive tree. For around $50 a quarter you get your own olive tree enjoying life in sunny Italy plus all of the oil it produces for a year. Now if only you could go live with your olive tree. Nudo.


Blueprint place mats for getting dinner parties just right. Cake from West Elm Market.



Skip the scoop and try this ice cream 'stacker' or more like, ice core creator. Cuisipro Ice Cream Scoop and Stack on Amazon.


A beautiful butter dish. From Pigeon Toe Ceramics.


Ridiculously delicious goats milk caramel sauce. Fat Toad Farm from Kaufmann Mercantile.


Post-dishwashing hand cream. In geranium. Aesop from Mill Mercantile.


A clean classic apron. From Valerie Rice.


Basic bakers in a variety of sizes and muted hues. From Anthropologie.

Chef's pencils. From Amelia Presents.


No longer just a cook, now a cheese-maker (monger). Make your own cheese kit from Belle Chevre.


And for keeping the cheese. Who knew these were a thing.  Cheese Bags from Terrain.



A dual-purpose serving tray, for dishes hot & cold. From A+R Store.

A perfectly balanced spoon, for tasting and basting. From Michael Ruhlmann on Open Sky.


Simple and stunning cutting and serving boards, handmade in Pennsylvania. Lostine from Anthropologie.


A cool caribou tea towel. From Gingiber on Etsy.




My two most coveted cookbooks of 2012. Smitten Kitchen and What Katie Ate.


A sleek winter cooking essential, for all of those stews and braises. Korbenstyle dutch oven from Crate and Barrel.



A goat cheese baker. What could be more delicious? From Williams Sonoma Agrarian.


Salt. For everything. From Anthropologie.



Some crazy amazing jam. Tomato-raspberry, Blackberry peach, Strawberry-tarragon. From Chez Pim.



Finally the ultimate foodie fantasy (at least mine). A gorgeous chicken coop complete 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Gift Guide: That Guy

Grumpy Cat
He's your internet-meme-finding, ever-funny, debauchery-seeking favorite. Give him gifts that feed his need for kooky and crazy without getting him in too much trouble. 


A camo shark top loader rucksack. To keep his gear looking tough. From Sprayground.



A bluetooth controlled desktop rocket launcher. He knows what it's for. From ThinkGeek

So he'll never have to tie his shoes again. Hickies elastic laces.



Plastic critter thumb drives. For his files. I'm also partial to the platypus. From Hemingwayfun.


The ultimate capture the flag prize to deck the walls of his pad. From Restoration Hardware.



A giant ice cube tray. For his bourbon, scotch or capri sun. From Amazon.



A beard can coozie. From Arms and Ink on Etsy. Not his style? Try this glow-in-the-dark option.


A fresh take on freshener. To clear out the funky smells and replace them with 'distillery', 'European sports car' or 'hunting lodge.' From Archer.


Ping pong - for reals. From Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum.


For the distillery in his bathroom. Homemade Gin Kit.


A rad t-shirt, no apologies needed. From PL Shop.


Really delicious chocolate-coated pretzels in flavors like PB&J, banana cream and whole wheat pumpkin pie. From Fatty Sundays.
Drinking game coasters. For inspiration and keeping that coffee table clean. From Izola.


Foosball dude wall hooks, for more of his gear. From Design Public.


For the keys to his beach house, the golf cart or the office. Secret Club Tags from Three Potato Four.
The perfect plastic board. A throwback, Nickel Skateboard by Quicksilver.
Should he ever wear a suit (french cuffs as well), lock-picking cuff links. From Sparrow Lock Picks.


Star Wars Ultimate Action Figure Collection. Because it is amazing. From Amazon.


The extremely expressive cubebot. For his desk, for the coffee table. From Poketo.


A serious slingshot. Made for men, not boys from Montie Gear


Low overhead additional lighting for his pad. Just stick and go. Sticky Lamp by Droog.



A painted portrait of his one true love. From Emerald Sun on Etsy.


For more inspired adventures. A go anywhere travel guide, from Third Drawer Down.


A collection of weird and wonderful Soviet architecture. Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed from Taschen.


Pirate socks, in simple stripes. From the Pirate Supply Store.


The best/funniest collection of canine photography. Underwater Dogs on Amazon.


The essential tool for leaving his mark on filthy surfaces everywhere: windshields, traffic signs, garage doors. The Grime Writer on Amazon.


Finally a classic Caulkin Christmas message. From Chitown Clothing.