We all have one of those friends — the college roommate who’d eat candy for every meal if she could, the neighbor who throws dip-only dinner parties (you know who we’re talking about here!) This year, get your quirkiest friend a holiday gift that’s just as wacky as she is.
You can spend years perfecting your skills in the kitchen and amassing an arsenal of supplies, but what good are they if you lose the most important tool of all?
It was last December and, although the holiday season’s inevitable craziness was getting to me, I was the good kind of exhausted. I was the baker for a small, beloved cafe and my calendar for the next year was already filled with cooking classes and workshops I was going to teach, exciting collaborations with local artists, and even a trip to my homeland of Georgia.
If you’re anything like us, your kitchen is also your karaoke practice room and your dance stage. Playing music (or, if you’re feeling less dance-y, a podcast) while you cook makes a fun activity even more fun. And it makes washing dishes not so terrible.
That’s why we’re so excited to see the Echo Dot on sale today for just $30 (it’s usually $50), plus it qualifies for Prime shipping. It’s oh-so-handy in the kitchen.
During the winter months, it’s easy to forget how much fun being outside can be. And if you have someone in your life who’s always throwing BBQs, pool parties, or arranging camping trips, she’s likely spending her winter checking off the days on her calendar, waiting for warmer months to arrive.
Help her amp up her al fresco entertaining arsenal with any of the items on this list, and make that first outing of the season even more special.
Whether you bake it in the oven, zap it in the microwave, simmer it on the stovetop, or forget about it overnight in the slow cooker or the fridge, oatmeal is the queen of breakfast foods. Despite the myriad ways oatmeal can be prepared, the holy grail of oatmeal has always been elusive. I want a hot breakfast in the morning without dirtying the kitchen, and there needs to be enough to serve a crowd or to simply last me through the week. Baked oatmeal is all of these things and, above all, it is supremely flexible; with a few smart swaps it can suit vegan or low-sugar diets.
Whether you’re in the market for something to up your holiday hospitality game for out-of-town guests or you’re looking to give a gift that nearly everyone will enjoy (read: the gift of caffeine), this Bialetti Moka Pot is a good choice.
Whether you’ve been naughty or nice this year, chances are you’re getting some well-deserved time off in the next few weeks. Ideally, you’ll be able to use that time to go away somewhere. What’s that? You’re feeling strapped for cash because of holiday shopping and other expenses? These Airbnbs are all under $100 a night. And they’ve all got beautiful kitchens to boot. If you don’t go now, start looking at early 2018!
Saturday pancakes do double duty in my house. Their first job is to fill our bellies on Saturday morning, between cartoons and snuggles, but the leftover pancakes have a second life as a quick weekday breakfast during the week. When a double or triple batch of pancakes yields an abundance of extra flapjacks, this is how we prep them for freezing and then reheat them as needed.
If you’re looking for stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, and dinner ingredients, chances are good that you can get everything on your list at Trader Joe’s. They have a huge selection and the prices are great, but what makes Trader Joe’s so great for gifts is their packaging. Everything in the store is so artfully packaged in Trader Joe’s signature old-timey style that it all feels like a gift. You could give someone a package of sponges or toilet paper from Trader Joe’s, and they’d take one look at the line-drawings of well-dressed Victorian people on the wrapper and say, “Wow, this is a fancy gift!”
Virtually everything in Trader Joe’s that can fit in a stocking would be a great stocking stuffer. To help you narrow it down, however, here are 10 of our favorite stocking stuffers to pick up at Trader Joe’s.
Every December, my nearby nieces and nephews join my two kids at our house for a cookie-decorating party. On the surface this seems like a fun activity for the little ones, but in reality it’s just an excuse to drink wine with my sister-in-laws. I make a big batch of sugar cookies and royal icing and supply several bags of varying colors of icing for the kids to share.
In the past, I’ve bought small piping bags or squeeze bottles, and I’ve even used zip-top bags in lieu of piping bags; each has their own set of advantages and disadvantages. This fall, however, I was super excited to find an inexpensive and easy piping bag alternative.