Christmas Gift Guide: Food Edition

               

                It feels like just yesterday I was writing all about Pumpkin and now it’s time to switch gears completely. The leaves are gone, the snow is here, and it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. With just 3 weeks until the big day, the task of shopping for family and friends can seem a bit daunting. Lucky for you just as I love food and nutrition, I absolutely love shopping (no need to remind my husband of this.) So today instead of talking calorie count on Christmas cookies, we are going to talk all about the perfect kitchen gadgets and gifts to add to your list or to give to a foodie in your life.

 Immersion Blender

Without a doubt, one of my absolute favorite kitchen gadgets is my immersion blender. Also known as a stick blender or handheld blender, this tall slender gadget is an absolute must during soup season. This is the tool that takes my soups to the next level, getting them silky smooth in consistency. The nice thing about this blender is that it can also be used to make salsa, pesto, salad dressings, and even homemade mayo. You can find them for under $30 and they are thin enough to fit in a stocking! Find immersion blenders here, here , or here 

Electric Pressure Cooker

As I am slowly taking on the new identity of the “Instant Pot Lady”, it seemed wrong to not add this to the Christmas list. Let me preface and say that an electric pressure cooker is not for everyone, but man I love mine. If you have someone on your list who loves to use a crockpot or wants to diversify their dinner time routine, get them an instant pot. The 6qt size is great for smaller families, 8qt medium, and 10 qt is for larger families. If you would like to give a recipe book and worksheet guide with the instant pot, contact the Extension Office for a copy of the handouts I use during my Instant Pot 101 classes. This is the instant pot that I have! 

3.       Family Cookbook

I’m moving away from “stuff” around the holidays and love receiving and giving different kinds of gifts. Without a doubt my favorite Christmas present I ever received was my family cookbook from my mom. She compiled all of our family favorite recipes and put them into a book that included stories, pictures, and recipes. It’s more like a scrapbook than anything else, but it is without a doubt my most used cookbook. Give the gift of your favorite recipes. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy but try to include why you love, use, or when you last made the recipes to give it a personal touch. 

4.       Food Thermometer

For under $5 you can give the gift of food safety! A food thermometer is a great gift for friends, families, hostesses, or coworkers. To be honest, this is what everyone on my gift list is getting this year. No it is not the most exciting of presents, but they will thank me later when they aren’t suffering from a food borne illness. As a reminder steaks, roasts, and fish need to be cooked to 145 degrees while pork, ground beef, and eggs need to be cooked to 160 degrees. Finally all poultry needs to be cooked to 165 degrees. Here is great one to throw into stocking stuffers but this is the one that is catching eye!

5.       Favorite Foods

I am not sure that I have shared in depth Charlotte’s dietary quirks (that’s a whole other article) but she has loved Jimmy Dean’s breakfast sausage forever. One year, I wanted to fill her stockings with her favorite things so she got a mini peppa, some fruit snacks, and it dawned on me…why not sausage? She absolutely loved it. To keep this favorite foods tradition going, I try to fill Adam and Charlotte’s stocking with a food I know they will absolutely love. For Adam, I love to get him pub mix and lots of snacks. Charlotte prefers breakfast sausage and some cantaloupe. Sometimes the best gifts are the most simple. Bake up some sugar cookies and give the gift of homemade…or you can give breakfast sausage. 

Season’s Eatings!