Here’s a little gift guide we put together for the holidays. It’s an eclectic mix mainly focused around food, with a few other things thrown in. We’ve only included products that are near and dear to our hearts, made by us or friends, and no one is paying us to do any of it (though we get a tiny kickback if you order the kitchen gadgets on Amazon).
A Couple Cooks 2016 Daily Calendar
We’ve launched a 2016 daily desktop calendar with our favorite recipes from A Couple Cooks! We collaborated with an Indy-based publishing company (TF Publishing), and we couldn’t be happier with the result. It’s great for anyone who loves to cook, or is interested in cooking. ORDER HERE
Marge Granola
Our friend Megan runs a granola company in Seattle and makes granola that we are obsessed with (well, me at least). She’s also the kindest soul and just gave birth to a sweet little babe. Marge has a fun holiday collection of granola, or the “regular” granola would be a great stocking stuffer. ORDER HERE
Gourmet Cookie Mix (Not Without Salt)
Our friend Ashley Rodriguez has a beautiful blog and a fantastic salted chocolate chip cookie recipe (we made them here). It’s so fantastic she sells it as a mix, and also has as fun holiday variation! ORDER HERE
Driftless
Our friend Shelly is editor / brains behind this indie mag about how fabulous it is to live in the Midwest. (Holla!) We have a few recipes in it too. It’s an extremely well put together publication, and we are both huge fans…of her and the mag. ORDER HERE
Aeropress
If you have a coffee snob in your life, this new gadget is where it’s at. It looks a little space-agey, but it’s changed our lives. It makes a super high quality coffee FAST, with easy cleanup. And if you have questions about how to use it, we’re just an email away! We’re pros now. ORDER HERE
Pizza Peel (and/or Stone)
If you want to make homemade pizza, you must have two essential tools: a stone for cooking the pizza so the bottom gets crisp, and a peel to slide the pizza onto and off of the stone. Here are our recommendations:
PIZZA PEEL FANCY PIZZA PEEL PIZZA STONE
Food Processor
We’re big fans of the food processor and use it all.the.time. Hummus, pizza dough, cauliflower rice (coming soon), almond butter, energy bars, etc can all be made with this guy. A bit more of a splurge, but a necessity for any serious cook. ORDER HERE
Maple Cream
Who doesn’t love maple? We created a recipe for this family business a while back, and the maple cream was so good and they were so nice that we’re adding it to our gift guide–because we love it! It’s pure maple syrup condensed down into a cream you can spread on toast, apples, and the like. I know I’d be excited to see this in my stocking — or a big jug of maple syrup. ORDER HERE
Donation to Culinary Training Center
In my family, we’ve started to do donations instead of gifts. We love it, and it’s exciting to give back during this holiday season. If you’ve known us for a while, you’ll know we traveled to Cambodia to spent time at a cooking school that helps at-risk young women by teaching them kitchen and restaurant management skills. The program is run by a non-profit here in Indianapolis, Center for Global Impact (CGI), that employs people in Cambodia to run the show. I’ve been there twice and it’s an amazing place; the photo is of Alex and me with the students in March 2012. Human trafficking is a hot topic these days; here’s a chance to do something about it! Feel free to donate or let us know if you have more questions. Here’s more on my last visit to Cambodia. DONATE HERE
4 Comments
Jill
December 3, 2015 at 10:55 pmthe aeropress is not new! But it is a worthy addition to any household nonetheless. I love ours!
We haven’t made coffee any other way for years.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
December 4, 2015 at 9:13 amI have some of the maple cream! It is such a beautiful ingreindt and perfect gift!
Mindy
December 4, 2015 at 10:16 amI love my aeropress but I would love to know what technique you use!
Edlyn
December 4, 2015 at 11:51 amI love that your family donates instead of buying gifts. It’s soooo important and you truly are making a difference. Thanks for suggesting your favourite non-profit too. I always wish more bloggers would do this and I’m glad you did!!
The NWS cookie mix is also a brilliant idea. I’ve taken it to family once and they were all gone the same day. I suppose the Holiday Mix is just as addictive.