PRACTICING GIVING
I thought I ought to offer up some thoughts on holiday gift giving, both for feeders and from a feeder – one feeder to another even! I may be in the minority, but I love trying to decide what to give family and friends on special occasions and at the holidays. Well, except those pesky teens, for whom you either nail it or are way off with, and gift cards just feel like a cop-out. Half of my family always swaps holiday wish lists, and deviating is considered heresy (what was the point of making a list?), in which case I just make the most of choosing.
I have a few favorite offerings that I’ve found are one size fits all, so to speak. For years I have known that a perfect hostess gift is dishtowels. Did you just fall asleep? Well, that’s the thing. While working at the fancy kitchen shop back in the day I was ever suggesting them, especially to young women who were going to “meet the parents” and needed a gifty. Every mother I ever met loved me, and I know the dishtowels had at least a little something to do with it. jump to recipe
The “basketweave” version that the shop sold are some of the best I’ve found. They last just about forever and if you are a much of a feeder at all, you go through several dishtowels a week. As a gift, technically they aren’t terribly exciting, except that’s the point – buying them isn’t a thrill either. Having enough, or at least a few decent ones, is though, and I was always well thanked for a set of four. I think the moms thought I must be sensible, which is a good thing for your boyfriend’s mom to consider you, and the friends I gifted felt like legit feeders to have four matching dishtowels. Gift mission accomplished.
If you get that dishtowels are a “good thing,” but want to fluff them up, as it were, I am a proponent of spiced nuts. Open a can, toss contents into a heated pan, add seasoning, warm through, and ta-da! As gifts from the kitchen go, it doesn’t get much easier. If you have a jar that’s slightly attractive, fantastic, but a bow or some ribbon or wrapping paper will do wonders for any vessel.
If there’s an enthusiastic feeder on your list, or you’re looking for something to put on your own list for others to give you, I’ll say that I love my spiralizer, use my Japanese mandolin often, and used to play a fair amount with my kitchen torch (it’s actually now gotten lost in the shuffle, and I may put it on my list) as three suggestions. The spiralizer is a great choice for those wanting to eat more veggies and fewer carbs. You could also do a stocking stuffer cheat with a julienne peeler, that many find easier to play with. The mandolin needs to be used with care since you are waving your fingers over a blade (and the guards are nearly impossible to use), but the piles of perfectly sliced and julienned veggies are immensely satisfying to any feeder.
Although it may feel like the aforementioned teen cheat, it will be just as well received to give a well chosen gift card. Your local co-op is a culinary wonderland, and even some farmer’s markets have gift certificates these days. At the farmer’s market you can gather quite a nice assemblage of local food and crafts that will be well received.
It really is the thought that counts, though. Personally, if I am having fun thinking, “hmm, what would they like?” I often come up with a good idea. The whole point is to practice giving, and practice makes perfect.
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed nuts
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. mild chili powder
- 1-2 tsp. sugar, optional
Instructions
- Put nuts in a large skillet over moderate heat. Mix spices together, then sprinkle over nuts. Toss the nuts several times while heating for a few minutes. When evenly warm, remove from heat and let cool in pan.
