Poppin Good Times

Growing up, the holidays always included watching Peanuts' Thanksgiving and Christmas specials on TV.  As a child, I secretly fantasized that our Turkey would burn and we would have Popcorn/Jelly Beans/Toast for dinner ala Snoopy in the Peanuts' Thanksgiving!

To honor your Thanksgiving host(s) for their hospitality (and provide some good football watching snacks) give them this handy Microwave Popcorn Popper from Sur Le Table.  It fits right in the microwave, and pops fresh kernels for movie style popcorn (much better than those burnt microwave bags).  This popper is glass, reusable, dishwasher safe, and has a handle for ease.  It also has a top that allows you to drizzle butter and other  fixings while it pops. 

This gift is perfect for Thanksgiving, Hannukah/Christmas, New Years Eve/Day host gift, Birthday or Graduation.

Spice It Up:  Include a jar of kernels, and add these delicious toppings to make gourmet popcorn.  They have several seasonings, but the Asiago Pepper flavor is tops!

I've always loved caramel corn, and this topping allows you to mix and melt over the popcorn a quick Buttery Caramel Drizzle popcorn treat.  Delish!


Even better--they are all Gluten Free!

For those serious popcorn lovers, add this recipe book "Popcorn Treats" by Hannah Miles which has detailed recipes to make a variety of popcorn snacks.  

Or, include a DVD of a favorite movie for the perfect Movie Watching night.

Alternative:  For those college kids living in dorm rooms or New Yorkers who simply don't have the storage space, try this alternative popper by Lekue at Sur Le Table that is collapsible and pops up like the old jiffy pops in the microwave. 

P.S.: This gift is so easy and perfect for so many different friends and age groups.  I liked it so much I bought 4 of the glass poppers yesterday, and have them stacked in my closet ready to give for Christmas gifts!

Where to buy: Sur Le Table carries all of these items.  Glass Microwave Popper $24.95, Jar of Kernels $6.95, Seasonings $5.00, Drizzle Topping $4.95, Lekue Collapsible Popper $25.00.  "Popcorn Treats" Book is available at some Sur Le Table stores and at Barnes & Noble $12.95

Squirrely Nuts

What to get your boss or client that is a nice remembrance and fits well on their desk?  Vagabond House's squirrel nut bowl with acorn scoop is a handsome piece that is well crafted, and has a touch of whimsy with the pewter squirrel perched on the side of the bowl.

The wood bowl fits easily on a desk or coffee table, and the acorn scoop is especially nice for keeping germy hands at bay.

Spice It Up:  Squirrel Brand nuts are deluxe Southern style nuts with the most amazing flavors.  From Crème Brulee Almonds to Crème Caramel Pecans to Fleur de Sel Pistachios, these gourmet nuts are a generous addition to your gift.  Your recipient will be able to pour them right in the bowl and enjoy!

In addition to being a lovely corporate gift, this is a great gift for all the men in your life, any host/hostesses, your parents, yourself etc.   I liked it so much I bought one for myself and it's sitting in my den!

Where to Buy: 

Squirrel Nut Bowl & Scoop - is made by Vagabond House and can be ordered direct from them or found at multiple stores/sites including Neiman Marcus, Frontgate and Amazon.  $79.00 - $85.00 per bowl & scoop

Squirrel Brand Nuts – produced by a Plano, TX (Dallas suburb) company called Squirrel Brands/Southern Nuts, they can be purchased directly online, or found at many specialty stores.  $19.99-$27.99 depending on size (18 -36 oz) and flavor/nut

Tip:  Sam’s Club carries (in-store only) the Crème Brulee and other flavors regularly—a nice way to bring the price down on the nuts and saves you the shipping cost. $10.48 for small box 28 oz.

 

Countdown to Christmas

Are you stressed yet?  We are 6 weeks away from Christmas.  It’s time to start prepping for the holiday!

ü  Holiday Checklists – Avoid sticky notes which tend to get lost and get organized by downloading these well thought out Christmas planners from Organized Home Christmas.  These 6 week organizing plans provide checklists that are particularly useful as you can size and print them to fit your Day planner.  Best of all, the planners are FREE!

ü  Holiday Treats Test Run - Once you decide what treats you plan to make as gifts for friends/hosts/etc. be sure to do a practice run before Thanksgiving.  
A few years ago, I planned on making a candy bark recipe from a famous Food Network chef.  Though the bark looked pretty, the end result was not very tasty.  Seriously frazzled at the last minute, I threw out the bad batch and switched to another recipe.  Avoid my mistake by making a practice batch this weekend.  Then, you will know if your holiday recipe is successful and you will have ample time to adjust.

ü  Personalized Gift Boxes & Tags
   Chefs Medallions – Order these beautiful stickers from Felix Doolittle to place on the tin or wrapping of your homemade goods.  My friend Angela N. tipped me off to these darling medallions.  Felix Doolittle is a online stationer with lovely paper products including gifts, stationery, calling cards, and return address labels.  You may even find them at your local stationery store, though it is quicker to order online.  $25.00 per 20 labels

   Personal Embosser – William Sonoma carries a custom designed Embosser.  Engraved with your name, this allows you to use it year round as gift tags for homemade goodies.  I have one, and I use it regularly.  $39.95 per embosser

   Gift Tags & Labels – If you are short on time to order custom tags or you run out of the current batch, head to Staples to grab extra tags from the Martha Stewart Staples Collection.  Martha Stewart partnered with Avery Labels to help you create your quick labels, tags, or handwritten chalkboard labels. Prices range from $3.99-$14.99 depending on selection/quantity/size

   Pastry Boxes – These monogrammed French pastry boxes are exceptional in detail.  With swirls and monograms, the boxes will protect the baked goods while making a beautiful gift presentation.  BakingBoxes.com offers both regular boxes, and ones with cupcake dividers and candy trays.  BakingBoxes.com is the original supplier to the Williams Sonoma site, so going direct will be a bit more affordable!  Prices range from $23.00 for 10-14 boxes depending on size

ü  Gift Wrap - Most any holiday wrap will work whether you favor styles from Container Store, Target, Walmart, Michaels, Joann’s, etc. Alternate fun and affordable gift wrap sellers are at your local Holiday Crafts Fairs and specialty stores. 

In Dallas, the Chi-O Christmas Market always offers up a great selection of holiday wrap, ribbons and boxes.  I have been known to make an extra stop at PollyDuPont in Richardson because they have custom wrap in house (items purchased in-store only). 
I like to give each person in my family at least one beautifully wrapped gift at Christmas.  Sadly, I am not a skilled bow maker and Neiman Marcus gave up its beautiful holiday wrap years ago.  St.Michaels Exchange has a selection of 12 or so elegant and whimsical wraps.  They will wrap items purchased in-store or you can bring something you bought elsewhere.  In addition, SME will ship to any desired location. Be sure to drop your gifts for wrapping soon as the queue backs up approaching Christmas.

ü  Holiday Cards – Try to order your photo cards now—it will be significantly cheaper if you don’t have to place a rush on them closer to Christmas.  Select a pretty family photo, or a few fun ones from the past year.  My favorite sites for Holiday Cards are TinyPrints, Minted, and Shutterfly, and Peartree Greetings.  Be sure to look for discount codes as most all sites have promo rates during the holidays.

Ginger, Spice and Everything Nice

Too busy to bake homemade cookies or treats for the holidays?  This is one of my favorite quick gifts for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas:  Nyakers Ginger Snaps from World Market.

As soon as you open the tin, the wonderful smell of ginger wafts out enticing you to munch!  These thin cookies are delicious and crispy like Moravian cookies, and are the perfect holiday flavor of ginger.  Nyakers' tins are oversized (almost double the size of a standard cookie tin), and generously include 180 cookies per tin!  No scrimping with this gift!

Spice It Up:  Add a Pumpkin Dip in a holiday bowl or ramekin to complement the cookies.  This is the perfect treat to set out when company drops by unexpectedly throughout the holidays, to snack on while watching the big game on tv, or to enjoy a simple dessert after a heavy meal. 

Consider these festive bowls I found at Tom Thumb grocery:  one a pumpkin bowl/Thanksgiving theme and the other a snowflake/Christmas theme.

Though the pumpkin dip recipe (see recipe at bottom of page) takes less than 5 minutes, an alternate idea if you are short on time is to pair the cookies with a package of Hot Chocolate or Hot Cider. 

Ultimately, kids will love the cookies for a snack and the dip is positively addictive.  As for adults, don't even start me on how divine it is with spiked egg nog or milk punch!

Where to Buy:
Nyakers Cookies - available at World Market year round.  The tins change patterns/colors depending on the season.  The cookies stay remarkably fresh once opened.  $12.99 per tin of 180 cookies.



Ramekins from Michaels

Bowls/Ramekins - available at most stores including Container Store, Crate & Barrel, Target, Joanns, Michaels, Dollar Store, Tom Thumb Grocery, etc.  I recommend buying at your local grocer or with a coupon at Michaels/Joanns--it's not worth splurging when there are plenty of inexpensive ones that are as pretty as the fancy stores' bowls.  It will also help keep the overall price of your gift down. $0.99-$4.99 per bowl/ramekin


Creamy Pumpkin Dip Recipe

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese softened
• 2 cups (16 oz.) confectioners sugar
• 1 (15 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 capful of orange extract

In medium bowl, blend cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Gradually add pumpkin incorporating each small portion.  Lightly blend in spices and extract.  Chill and serve.
Yield:  4 cups

Family Tradition

Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with family.  Each year, my mother prepares our Thanksgiving meal from cherished family recipes.  Though I’d love to relieve her of the duty, she is an amazing cook and there would be a mutiny if she didn’t make our beloved dishes!

Whoever hosts the turkey dinner in your family, here is a meaningful gift to bring to your host or cook as a thank you for their arduous work preparing the house and the meal for the family gathering:  a recipe carving board from 3D Carving. 

Grab your great-grandmother’s turkey dressing recipe, or Great Aunt Millie's special green bean casserole recipe and make the tradition permanent on the etched carving board.

I love this idea, because it warms the heart to see a loved ones’ handwriting--you can almost picture them there with you.  The carving board commemorates a time honored recipe to pass down through the family.

This gift works well for holidays, newlyweds, grandparents, parents, in-laws, friends, BBQ kings, etc. Alternate ideas are to scan children's artwork, or a love note, etc.

Spice It Up:  Whether you are a turkey or a ham fan, Ham I Am has the best you have ever tasted.  I have been buying from them directly for going on 20 years, and they have the highest quality meats.  My favorites are the Lemon Pepper Turkey and  the Pepper Ham—to die for! 

Neiman Marcus is one of Ham I Am’s loyal clients.  Ham I Am products are featured each year in their holiday food catalogs.  This high end retailer is known for exceptional quality, so you know if Ham I Am meets their discerning taste it is a remarkable product.

Even if you don’t plan to eat it right away, it is a wonderful gift to have in the house around the holidays as you can eke out several dinners and sandwiches from the ham.  In addition, Ham I Am makes a terrific corporate gift for clients.  Easy to ship, and everyone loves a generous tasty food gift. 

Where to buy:  Order the carving board now so that you can receive it in time for the holidays.  You will need to scan in your document.  If you do not have a scanner, any FedexKinkos/Office Depot/Staples can scan it for you.  3D Carving on Etsy features several styles which vary by size (8.5x11 to 9.5x13) and price $30.00-$78.00.

Ham I Am website features several options of Turkey, Ham, Bacon and their famous Hogwash.  Prices range from $39.95 - $54.95 depending on product/size/sliced or whole.

 

 

 

M&Ms...Mmm Mmm Good!

You’ve probably seen the ads for personalized M&Ms, and I’m here to tell you they are even cuter in real life! 

M&Ms make a great Hostess gift, Thank you gift, Birthday, Bar Mitzvah, Co-Worker, Grandparents, Teens, Kids, Anniversary, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, Valentine’s,  party favor, etc. 

With Thanksgiving approaching, think of the festive color combinations you can order to make for a Hostess gift for your Mother-In-Law, Sister, or Friend who will be toiling over the turkey dinner!  For Thanksgiving, try Orange/Brown/Red or Orange/Yellow/Red with clip art of a Turkey, a maple leaf, and “Happy Thanksgiving” or “Gobble Gobble.”

As for me, I gave this gift for Father’s Day, and as a Thank You/Hostess Gift.  For Father’s Day, I picked Blue/Green/White M&Ms.  Then, uploaded a photo of my niece, a photo of my father’s dog, and the words “Happy Father’s Day.”

For a Thank you gift, my friend loves all things French, so I picked the colors of the French Flag (Red/White/Blue).  Then, uploaded a Fleur-De-Lis logo, an Eiffel Tower Clip Art, and the word “Merci.”
If you are stumped for creative ideas, the M&M website provides a great “idea gallery” to help you come up with gifts for your particular occasion. 

Spice It Up:  You can search for a container on your own, or (on the M&M Website) select one of their candy dispensers to add to your order.  The dispenser is well designed because it is relatively small (though it holds a large bag of plain M&Ms) to sit nicely on a desk, and won't clutter up your space while keeping the candy fresh.

Dispenser Size Comparison

Where to Buy:  Go to the website at My M&Ms.  Prices vary depending on the items you select.  Personalized candy only runs $6.99 for 7 oz. to $159.99 for 10 lbs.   The combo of a candy dispenser with 1 lb bag of personalized candy varies from $49.99-$69.99 depending on your selection. 

Tip 1:  I recommend picking a 3 color combo you like as it makes the gift more distinctive than mixing more colors in together.  If you choose to go with the dispenser, pick “white” as one of the M&M colors at it will look nice with the dispenser and will make the other colors pop.

Tip 2:  M&M is strict when it comes to trademarked logos, so you cannot upload your own logo from your favorite sports team if it is trademarked.  They have available on their site most major league teams to pick from, but they charge you more to use them snice they are trademarked.  M&Ms has some college teams, but not all.  I was able to upload a longhorn logo that was not an official UT Austin Longhorn pic, but I had to work at finding a clip art that was not an official trademark.

Tip 3:  You are allowed to choose 2 photos /logo/clip art + 1 word combo, or 1 photo/logo/clip art + 2 word combos at the standard rate.  When uploading photos you have to pick a headshot or it won’t come out clear enough.  M&Ms is very good about emailing you quickly to tell you if your pic or word selection will not fit on the M&M--be prepared to have a few alternates handy.

Tip 4:  The candy arrives in bags packed alongside the dispenser.  I recommend shipping to yourself so you can place the candy in the dispenser to present as a gift.