2014 Holiday Gift Guide for Domestic Gods and Goddesses (and a Giveaway!)
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PRESENTSSSSSS!!!
I love them.
I adore receiving presents, but I especially enjoy giving them. In fact, I find few things in life more glorious than watching someone open the perfect gift. My roommate is particularly awesome in this respect, as his reaction to unwrapping something badass is similar to this kid’s, except with a lot more expletives and bear hugging. It’s my favorite. (It’s also why I toy with the idea of giving him a puppy for Christmas every year. Then I remember we’d have to keep the puppy. Dammit.)
In case you have a chef/food lover/domestic god(dess) in your life, I’ve put together a handy list of fabulous things that are guaranteed to elicit that “OHMAHGODDDD!” response (and maybe even excitement tears). And if you’d rather receive these items, I highly suggest forwarding this post along to those shopping for you…
15 Epic Holiday Gifts for Domestic Gods and Goddesses:
1. Riedel “O” Stemless Wine Tumblers. Last year, I recommended Reidel’s classic stemware. This year, I’m going edgy with these stemless bad boys. I’m particularly partial to the “Cabernet/Merlot” and the “Big O Cabernet” glasses, which are lovely for wine, water and all manner of grown-up cocktails.
2. Laguiole Cheese Knives. Cheese rocks. And having these fancy knives to attack it with will really elevate the experience. You have your choice of three different handle finishes, but I’m partial to the ivory color. (Neutral is always a good choice.)
3. Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. You know how I feel about Ina. I bought this book for myself as an early Christmas present, and let’s just say that the queen does not disappoint. All of the killer recipes can be at least partially prepped in advance to help you feel like a domestic powerhouse (versus a sweaty hot mess) when you entertain. Hallelujah.
4. Le Creuset 4.5 Quart Round French Oven. I’ve received several queries regarding my favorite Le Creuset products, and this French Oven is my top pick. It’s perfect for everything from poaching chicken and braising short ribs to simmering soups and boiling pasta. It’s on the pricier side, but well worth the investment for its multi-tasking abilities.
5. Cheese or Meat of the Month Club from Murray’s Cheese. Murray’s Cheese is the greatest, and having a selection of meats or cheeses (or BOTH) delivered to your door on a monthly basis would be rather thrilling, no?
6. Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Hand Blender. My bestie gave me this magical appliance for my birthday last year. I’m now eternally in her debt, as it’s hands down the easiest way to purée soups (no more messy pot to blender transfers), whip cream, and blend all manner of fabulous vinaigrettes and sauces. It’s also infinity times easier to clean than a blender or food processor…
7. Glass and Stainless Steel Cookbook Holder. This will keep the pages of your beloved cookbooks pristine (instead of covered with oily fingerprints and sauce splatter like all of mine). Plus, it makes a rather chic addition to any kitchen counter.
8. Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker. I’ve been coveting one of these contraptions for a while now. It can cook rice in 3-4 minutes, beans and chickpeas in 20 minutes, and even the toughest of meats in under an hour. WITCHCRAFT!
9. 5-piece Nesting Mixing Bowl Set. Domestic success is impossible without a good set of mixing bowls. These ones are quite fetching, and the whole nesting aspect is convenient for those of you with limited storage space.
10. Emile Henry Pizza Stone. If you like pizza half as much as I do, you are going to love this fancy stone, which is known to produce exceptionally crispy crusts. Built to withstand extremely high heat, it can also be used on the grill or over an open flame for peeps who like to think outside the oven.
11. Michel Bras Grater Set. I know graters may not seem particularly exciting, but they’re one of my most prized kitchen essentials. And this set comes with three different blades, so you can tackle tasks from zesting citrus to grating cheeses, pureeing garlic/ginger, and shredding coconut with ease. Booyah.
12. Wine To Go Tote. This is probably my favorite item on this list (shocking, I know). Basically, you pour your wine (or cocktail) of choice into the tote’s airtight plastic sac, and then take it with you on all your epic adventures. It also comes in several other prints, but this one is definitely the most festive.
13. Hammered Cocktail Shaker. I feel very strongly that everyone should own a cocktail shaker. That is all.
14. Misono UX10 Petty Utility Knife. I know I’ve told you many times that you only need these three knives, but I’m going to make an exception for this one. It’s midsize, SHARP, and can be used for pretty much any task. You’re gonna love it.
15. The Pollan Family Table. As my girl Ina says on the book jacket, “This is the cookbook of everyone’s dreams!” It includes over 100 fresh and inspiring recipes from the kickass Pollan women, along with beautiful photographs and heartwarming stories. Lucky for you, I’M GIVING AWAY 3 COPIES. (Merry Christmas!) All you have to do is leave a comment with the best holiday present you’ve ever given or received, and you’ll be entered to win. Do it.
This giveaway will close on Wednesday, December 10, at 11:59pm EST. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Thursday, December 11. For shipping purposes, the giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only (sorry!).
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I ACTUALLY USE MY NEW BAKING PANS THE MOST AND I LOVE TO BAKE SO VERY NICE 🙂
Last year I got my boyfriend a custom made quilt. It’s huge and has 8-bit Link from Legend of Zelda on it. It’s the best. The best present I ever received was my cat 🙂
Thank You for the giveaway…best Xmas present was a green Schwinn Sting Ray bicycle that my parents gave me when I was a kid !
my mom loves to bake more than anything, but never buys herself anything new for the kitchen so I think the best gift I’ve given is when we gave her a kitchen aid mixer and a cupcake decorating class for Christmas!
HI! Oh how I love Christmas. If I win this cook book, It will be going to my roomie who used to work with America’s Test Kitchen and has no less than 40 cook books. She loves to make something yummy, cozy up in her chair and flip through them. ALL. So figured I’d do her a solid and add to the collection!
Best gift I’ve ever gotten and given is one in the same:
Last year instead of gift for everyone, I bought animals for my favs. Not like stay in your home animals, but animals, in their name and honor to a family in need in another country. The year before someone bought a cow in my name, and while at first I was offended, I got over it once I was told the deets. The deets are amazing.
Through a NPO that is striving to change the world (and who doesn’t love that) you buy an animal in someones name, then they give the animal to a family. They teach the family how to care for the animal, reap the benefits of this said animal and final how to market and sell the goods of this animal. Basically its a win win all around.
I felt like an amazing human. My friends felt wonderful about how we were doing good thing. Together we were supporting a NPO and A family gets a new pet that they can live off of and make money off of.
If you want to get on board this year, check it here:
http://www.heifer.org/gift-catalog/index.html?msource=KIK1K123443&gclid=CjwKEAiA-5-kBRDylPG5096R8mASJABqEdm40li2tEgTRoNdbs02bk_K4JsCpmvsi5nX-ibw-DuB0hoCI5vw_wcB
I gave my one friend a bacon press in the shape of a pig. He still swears to this day it was the best Christmas gift ever.
Joy, you WON! I’m very excited to send you your very own copy of The Pollan Family Table. Please email me at serenawolf@domesticate-me.com with your address (or use the contact form) and I’ll send it to you stat. And excellent call on the bacon press, I may get one for my roommate.
Last year I received a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited to get a gift in my whole life. 🙂
Best Present I ever gave was when I gave my BF tix to the Brooklyn Nets Christmas Day game. Hes was beyond excited!
My best (and funniest) gift ever was for a garden gnome. Still love it.
My best present was my first computer from my parents.
Brittney, you WON! I’m very excited to send you your very own copy of The Pollan Family Table. Please email me at serenawolf@domesticate-me.com with your address (or use the contact form) and I’ll send it to you stat. Happy happy holidays!
The best holiday present I ever received was a puppy.
The best present I ever received was when my husband was deployed to Afghanistan and surprised me by showing up on Christmas Eve. He flew 3 days straight just to get here. Just seeing his face made my Christmas wonderful and my heart melt.
My best gift was my parent’s came to visit for Christmas!
My favorite gift was the crappy diskman with a cigarette lighter hookup from my parents when I said I wanted a “sound system” for my car. There were tears at the time, but now it is one of our favorite Christmas stories and always cracks us all up!
My Vitamix blender!
My most prized gift was framed artwork my kiddos gifted me 🙂
Best Christmas gift is anything my kids make me.
I loved when I got my guitar!!
Best Christmas present: cooking class with my then boyfriend!
This year I gave a 3 course cooking class to my boyfriend – we are going together to learn how to make the basics 🙂
I’m currently needlepointing surprise personalized keychains for the whole family and I’m hoping they turn our to be the best presents I’ve ever given!
Best holiday present I ever received was from my boyfriend who framed a great picture of us in a glass frame. In the back of the frame he included the receipt on which I wrote my number for him several years prior. It was very sweet to know he kept it for so long.
My husband and I are giving each other an ‘experience’ gift this year (our first year married): a trip to London and Paris over Christmas/New Years. We leave in 12 days. We’re bringing the DomesticateME guides to eating and drinking in Paris.
My best Christmas gift was an antique emerald ring I treasure.
The best holiday present I’ve ever received is when my father who lives 1600 miles away showed up at my door Christmas morning. calvad at aol dot com
The best gift I received was a Nikon D60.
There started my love for food photography and the idea of a food blog and so on.
I still have it, 5 years later.
My favorite gift as a child was the ‘Flower Makin’ Basket’ – absolutely loved playing with that thing – mixing colors and spelling the dough..haha! The gift I am most proud of giving is one my sisters and I did for our Dad. We emailed all his friend and family asking for a letter about him, a favorite memory, first time they met or whatever, for his birthday – we gt over 80 letters!! I put it all together a memory/scrapbook for him!
The best Christmas present I’ve ever given was to my sister – a surprise trip to visit me, which included: a flight, a blowout, a shopping trip to by trashy gold clothing, lunch at sweetgreen, a 1/3 glass of champagne (she was 18!), a delicious dinner, and tickets to Beyonce!
Thing i’ve gotten that made me the happiest is a puffer vest when I was a kid. I wanted it so bad. Best gift I’ve ever given was a gift for my dad, my sister and I did a photo shoot and framed all the pictures for him.
The best present I’m giving this holiday season is a some-e-card page a day calendar for my hilarious friend who always loves a good laugh!
My parents bought a new house and for some reason all of the toilets are really low. It’s difficult for my dad to get on and off of them so we’re getting him a new toilet. Best gift ever? 😉
Great list! The best holiday gift I received was my camera – perfect for capturing all of our memories.
Love the list! One of the best Christmas gifts I received were fleece pajamas. Love sleeping in them.
A pair of Birkenstocks from my boyfriend! I told him once, years ago, how I have always wanted a pair, but could never afford them.
The best present gift I ever received was my red desk from Target that I had been coveting for awhile.
My KitchenAid mixer I got several years ago has been the best and most used gift I have been given.
My best Christmas gift was a great pair of boots from my husband the first year we were married. They need to be re-soled but the still look good!
My Le Creuset pot and a French beret when I was little!
I adore your blog and seriously lol (annoying I know) when reading each post! The best christmas gift I’ve every received is a big old le creuset french oven (just like the one in your post except in bright red) from my momma.
One of my favorite presents ever is a white jacket from my aunt. I still wear it to this day and it’s about 15 years old at this point!
Congrats Becca, you’re the winner of your very own copy of The Pollan Family Table! Please email me at serenawolf@domesticate-me.com with your address (or use the contact form) and I’ll send it to you stat. Happy happy holidays! (And I’m impressed you’ve managed to take care of a WHITE jacket lo these many years. That is quite the feat.)
The best Christmas gift I ever received was a Birchbix subscription! It’s a gift that keeps on giving every month plus I love the surprise element every month! Merry Christmas!
Best present ever. . . my son Jason Elden. He is now 35 years old! What? Has it been that long, yes but it’s the gift that keeps on giving! I now have a beautiful grandson also! My second best gift to myself was a kitchen aid mixer. Another gift that keeps on giving with all the attachments! Booyah!
Not a holiday present, but received a trip to Europe for my medical school graduation from my parents for my brother (who graduated from undergad a week earlier) and I. Definitely was great to get some sibling bonding time now that we finally get along and appreciate each other, before moving to separate parts of the Midwest to start our careers!
The best holiday gift I have ever given was when my sister and I bought my dad a sewn on football jersey – he went to the same store with my mom asking for a certain jersey about 10 minutes after my sister and I left the store with that jersey. On Christmas Day when he opened his gift his expression was priceless!
The best Christmas gift ever was the Sherlock Holmes novel “The Hound of the Baskervilles” that I got when I was a kid. Fast forward to fifteen years later, and I’m about to start a masters in Criminology!
Kitchen Aid Mixer!
best gift is my kitchen aid mixer!
The
best holiday present I received was Christmas of 2011. I received an annual parking
pass to one of my favorite hiking spots, the Los Angeles National Forest and a pack of Luna Bars. This was a Secret
Santa gift at work, nothing majorly big, but I truly loved it! My
secret Santa took the time to figure out what I liked and truly enjoyed the
gift to the max. It remains to be the most memorable gift up to date J Thank you Secret Santa!!
I got a piano this year. Its beautiful and I’m so excited!
My best Christmas present ever=easily my bright purple bike when I was 7 or 8 years old that had no gears, white trim/seat and in sparkles said “Sugar Bear.” My brother later rode it off jumps into the pool with friends. Michael Pollan is the greatest & so is your walnut-crumble banana bread
My best gift I ever got was “On Food and Cooking” by Harold McGee. It’s the science behind food- why eggs coagulate, what makes ice cream different from gelato, sorbet, what makes fish smell… it’s so nerdy, so detailed, and it’s just fabulous.
I love giving gifts too and the best present(s) I ever gave/give are “activity” presents like going to professional sporting events, cooking classes, and my personal fave, a BBQ smoking class for my brother.
Awesome post! Best Christmas ever was the year my oldest daughter was born. The hubs went all out and got me a new Dyson (because I morphed into a hormonal neat-freak once the newborn arrived) AND a string of pearls (to balance the blandness of giving such a practical gift). He’s the best!
Best present I have ever received was 11th row tickets to see Sting and Paul Simon in concert in Chicago! Love reading your blog and these ideas for my sister who is a domestic goddess 🙂
Best present I’ve ever received was my Canon Rebel! 🙂
Best present I have ever got was a trip to Scotland!
Love the blog as you know! You provide many meals at my apt! I think my favorite recent Christmas gift was cooking classes at ICE, so fun
Love your blog! You sound hysterical and I really enjoy your recipes! My fave Christmas gift is really a tie between my overweight beagle pup (now) and my set of nonstick calphalon pans. They are amazing.
Love your blog! You sound hysterical and I really enjoy your recipes! My fave Christmas gift is really a tie between my overweight beagle pup (now) and my set of nonstick calphalon pans. They are amazing.
I need that immersion blender in my life. I’m just going to buy it for myself and not even wait until Christmas. No joke, transferring soup from the pot to the blender is always the worst part of my day. I should say that everything my husband has gotten for me has been the best gift, but really, it was the giant, purple sled my mom got for me in 4th grade. It was the bombdotcom.
Love the list. Probably the best gift I ever received was from my husband when he refinished the wooden handles of my cheese knives because one of the set had gotten “chewed” by the garbage disposal. So thoughtful and I use these 20 year old cheese knives on a very regular basis.
Hi, Serena! Auntie Hope here! Your columns and the whole blog are to use one of your terms : TOTALLY BADASS!
I love Ina’s books too .. ! My fave prezzie came years ago from my housekeeper . She gave me a beautiful,footed silver serving tray that can be plugged in to keep things warm . I use it for hors d’ in the living room , to keep breads warm on the sideboard in the dining room, and even to keep a pot of cocoa and fresh cookies toasty for guests.
I hope you and your “roomie” have a fabulous holiday season!
Your posts are always a joy ! I pass them along to my foodie friends!
Bon appetit !!
XO AH
Great list! Will be getting at least one of these!
The best present I received was a tiger onesie. I asked for long johns for christmas for outdoor winter activities (skiing, pond hockey, etc.) and did not receive them… but two years later my mother gifted me a tiger onesie with feet and a hood with ears and everything. She said it was ‘pretty much the same thing’. Confusing, but it had come in handy for a lot of themed parties. Even better when she sent a zebra one to my best friend one year later.
Love this! I’m so excited, because my son’s girlfriend is attending a culinary school, so I think I’ll have some fun with her gifts this year!!
I am giving the absolute BEST gift this year… I cannot wait to give it to him/her… but I just can’t say what it is!! Freaking excited!!
I think the best holiday gift I ever received was about 10 years ago, when my husband and kids all got together and put lights on all of the evergreens in my yard…and when I was driving down the road that night from work…my yard was all lit up. It was the absolute best… <3
Love the blog as you know! You provide many meals at my apt! I think my favorite recent Christmas gift was cooking classes at ICE, so fun