Whether you’re shopping on a budget or you just need to scratch your Secret Santa off your to-buy-for list, there are plenty of options that don’t cost a ton but still feel like a real gift. Because the last thing you want is to drain your bank account, or make anyone feel shafted.
Here are 11 food-themed presents for $25 or less.
Dipped. Sliced. Baked.
Thumbprinted. Rolled. Frosted.
Glazed. Spiced. Dropped.
It’s December, and all the food magazines are chockablock with cookies.
How to make sense of this cookie-palooza?
We thought we’d share with you our 10 favorite cookie recipes from 10 different issues of December 2017 food magazines. Whaddya say? Cookie swap at our place?
When I’m cooking for a dinner party, at some point I tell myself, “Food tastes fear.”
Things have a way of not working out when I’m thinking about them too hard. It’s as true of first drafts as well as soufflés: Thinking has very little to do with doing, and “doing” goes poorly if it’s not the focus. (Side note: I would never make a soufflé for guests, unless I hauled them into the kitchen and we mixed it up together so we could all get silly and breathless about the results.)
It’s fascinating to see what Costco food courts serve in different countries. The facilities all look more or less the same from one Costco to another, but the food court menus vary pretty widely by location. In Canada the food courts serve poutine; in Britain the food courts serve stuffed baked potatoes and cottage pie. Even France has Costco, and the food courts there sell melty ham and cheese croissants with mustard that look positively delicious.
Stocking stuffers don’t usually extend beyond socks, toothbrushes, and scratch-off lottery cards. But we all have enough socks. And the dentist gives out toothbrushes for free! And people rarely win more than $2 from a pile of scratch-off tickets!
For all those reasons (and more!), we think you should stick to this list when shopping for this year’s stocking stuffers. They’re all sure to get an enthusiastic reaction and won’t break the bank.
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.