The snow has fallen (better late than never), the hot cocoa is warm, and the lights are up along the Magnificent Mile. You know what this means? The 2015 holiday season is here and in full swing! As a result, I’ve been on a search to find the best gifts to get your foodie friend, significant other or relative this holiday season.
From gourmet chocolate to my favorite cookbooks, I promise that you will find exactly what you need for the foodie in your life.
Whenever I eat or drink anything from Terlato Kitchen, it always makes me feel like I’m a part of their family. Maybe it’s because the Terlato family puts the same care into their products as they do with the food they eat at their own dinner table! The box has many goodies for the foodies in your life – Pomodoro sauce, Arrabbiata sauce, Vodka sauce, Strawberry preserves, Dark Maple Syrup, Tart Cherry, and Pistachio Soft Biscotti along with a porcelain Terlato Kitchen travel cup! This amazing gift is only $89.95 and is a great way to try a lot of the Terlato Kitchen food products!
2. Try the World’s Holiday Box
For your foodie friend with an international palette, this is the PERFECT gift. Every two months, your foodie will receive a package filled with eight authentic gourmet foods from countries all around the world. Each box is curated by a culinary expert. For the holidays, they are doing a special box that was put together by food and wine expert, David Rosengarten. This box holds holiday food treasures like cookies, spreads, and condiments from France to Thailand.
If you just want to purchase JUST the Holiday Box, it’s $39.95. If you decide you want to splurge and get your foodie a subscription, a year is only $198 (6 boxes).
Loni Swain has truly out-done herself with some of the yummiest, salty-sweet-chocolate clusters I’ve ever tasted. I absolutely adore these bite-sized delights (and the fact that they are are only 134 calories per serving doesn’t hurt either). Loni Loo’s has an emphasis on making candy using the freshest ingredients possible! I honestly thought it was too good to be true. And then I took a bite…
Order a selection of dark, white, or the original chocolates for $30 or go for an assorted option for $40.
4. Electric Milk Frother – Epare
Looking to froth up your beverages holiday seasons?! Well, this gadget is a must have and the absolute best frother on the market! You can use it to froth milk for your morning coffee or get a little crazy and use it to make a fun holiday cocktail! This Electric Milk Frother from Eparé is handheld and battery-powered to help aid in the process and prevent your hand from cramping. If you have a barista friend or someone who is looking airate their beverages or ingredients, I recommend picking this bad boy up! At $12 a pop, you may want to pick up one for yourself too!
This holiday bundle from Farm to People is made up of quality goodies that’ll ensure a smile on any foodie’s face (even if they are a bit of a health nut). With Vanilla Bean Marshmallows, Chunky Truffle Raw Chocolate, and Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce, it’s sure to knock your socks off. Are you drooling yet? This sweet, homegrown and naturally flavored gift is impossible to resist. Trust me.
The All you can Sweet bundle is only $70. All of Farm to People’s goods are small-batch produced, have no artificial flavoring, no GMOs, and you can guarantee that all of the animals are humanely raised. Now that’s a gift I can get behind!
6. Fig & Olive: The Cuisine of the French Riviera
Last year, I gushed over their truffle oil and this year I’ve died and gone to cooking heaven with this French Riviera-style cookbook. Take home Fig & Olive’s decadent dining options and treat your foodies taste buds to simple, fresh, and flavorful options accented with its signature olive oils.
Fig & Olive: The Cuisines of the French Riviera is the first cookbook produced by the restaurant. It is also already sitting on my kitchen shelf…
Wherever you are, give the gift of home for the holidays! If the receiver of your gift is from the Midwest, obsessed with the Midwest, or just a lover of local treats, the Taste of the Midwest basket by Provenance and Wine is for them! It is sweet and savory with items that you just can’t pass up! It features Veruca chocolates, Lillie’s Q Bar-B-Q Sauces, Salted Caramel Sweet & Savory Confections, and a whole bunch more! This basket is $60.
8. Spoon Me Necklace, by Jamie Otis
Two of my favorite things in life are cooking and being in love. Why not combine them both with this ADORABLE necklace? My friend, Jamie Otis, created this piece that celebrates both of my favorite things and I haven’t taken it off since buying it!
Guys, this high-quality, sterling silver necklace is the perfect gift to get your foodie girlfriend, fiancè or wife! It has a double meaning! It shows that you recognize her passion for cooking/food and you love to spoon with her! I mean…talk about brownie points!
9. Sweet Breakfast – Dean & Deluca
Holiday season means a lot of parties, get-togethers, and dinners. What about the morning after all of that amazing food? Keep the delicious ness going with this Sweet Breakfast basket by Dean & Deluca. It has Honey Buttermilk Pancake mix, Strawberry Organic Fruit spread, and Buttermilk Biscuit mix. If you’re shopping for a foodie, this is the perfect gift. I’ve already ordered a handful for my friends and family! The Sweet Breakfast basket is $75.
10. The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie
Bring on the pie! This nearly 400-page pie cookbook is a necessity for anyone looking to enhance their pie-making skills. The Chicago-based pie company produces the some of the most taste bud tickling desserts I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Try your hand with custard pie, turnovers, and farmer’s market finds, all laid out for you in The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie. At less than $30, this cookbook is a steal!
Let’s face it, it is impossible for me to find and sample all the possible foodie gifts out there, so, I want to hear from you! What places, boxes, towers, desserts have taken your taste buds to foodie bliss this year!
Love always,
Erica
