Holiday gift ideas for the food lover in your life!

This is one of my favorite posts of the year to work on. I love sharing foodie treats that I adore and that have my Annie stamp of “this kicks ass” on ’em.

I also think it’s fun to give gifts that give an experience to be had as opposed to a doo-dad to collect dust. I’m always inspired when I’m gifted foodie treats – I can’t wait to dive right in and whip something new up.

Also, I’ve got to give a shout out to my fellow foodie pal Laura, who gifted me several of the items below. I love being able to nerd out with her on how good certain beans are (yes, seriously) or which panetonne is the best in the land (answer is below).

Give my list a little look, and I’d love to hear from you guys too – what foodie gifts are you giving this year?

Here are my favorites that I’ll be gifting. Happy shopping!

1. Organic Herbs & Spices from Bloom Organics

I fell head over heels for these herbs and spices! Because they’re all natural and organic, the flavor is amazing – truly bold and bright and light years better than the preservative-packed stuff I had in my cupboard. Having these tasty seasonings on-hand inspired me to make this chive + garlic mac and cheese as well as this turmeric and ginger pork tonkatsu, which are some of my new favorite dishes. I also love supporting Midwestern small businesses as I am so inspired to see people with passion creating something great. And just in time for the holidays, they’ve launched new gift boxes! Get your shop on here.

2. Vietnamese Food Any Day / The Food Lab / Zahav

These are the books I turned to most frequently this year. Andrea Nguyen’s Vietnamese Food Any Day was such an awesome addition to my cookbook shelf. She writes with a charming wit and presents her recipes in approachable lingo that made me think, I can do this! Her wontons with gingery broth is in heavy rotation at our house. Highly recommend!

While The Food Lab has been around for awhile, it is still such a good resource to have around. If anyone in your life loves to cook, this is like THE food bible they must have. I turn to it often for techniques on how to cook certain cuts of meat (definitely look up the fast-cooked hanger steak recipe), how to carve nearly anything, vinaigrette ratios, rules of blanching, AND tons of fabulous recipes! Gift this y’all!

Last, I am just smitten with Zahav. From seven different recipes for hummus to shakshouka and the awesome Israeli picked vegetables I made this summer – this book has SO many tasty dishes. It’s one of those books that is just fun to sit down with and read through, I’m always inspired by it. Definitely a fun one to share.

3. Rancho Gordo Heirloom Beans

Beans for Christmas? YES, PLEASE. My friend Laura introduced me to these beanies and to call it a new obsession would be an understatement. They are just simply the best darn beans I’ve ever had! I recently used the yellow eye beans for my smoked turkey stew and they were perfection. I also love this company’s mission to support local agriculture to provide a top-notch product. Head on over to Rancho Gordo and get you and some friends some of these tasty beans, hominy and more.

4. Della Terra Pasta

This pasta is fabulous! Laura gave me some of this last year as a gift and I couldn’t wait to dive right in as she swears by this brand. Well I’ve ordered it for myself several times since then and basically have it on hand at all times. It is that good. This pasta is drawn through bronze dies which helps create a coarse surface that allows sauces to cling to the noodle perfectly. I use this pasta for Ina’s penne with vodka sauce and it is delish. Give this to the pasta lover in your life! You can buy at Della Terra online.

5. Fiasconaro Panettone Italian Cake

Oh you guys. This cake is sooooooooo dreamy. It’s pillowy and buttery and just a delight to eat – in fact, I had three pieces yesterday! This cake would make a lovely hostess gift as it’s fun to put out and just nibble on. And since it’s made in Italy – you know this is the real deal. You can even get it on Amazon – how easy is that?!

Alright, I’ve got to sign off of this here blog so I can go eat some more cake. 😀

Happy holidays!