It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Sidewalks have been converted into tree shops, it hasn’t stopped snowing, and your mother has called you nine times to confirm you’ll be bringing dessert this year.
But – oh wait – you haven’t gotten around to that gift thing, have you? With one week to go, shopping can seem like a frightening task. This year, we’re here to make your life a bit easier. Here are our nine gift picks for 2013, divided into “food,” “fun” and “for the person who has everything.”
___________
Food
Ultimate Dessert Gift Box from Good Eggs
Good Eggs has been in Brooklyn for, like, a minute, and we already can’t stop talking about them. The delivery service, started in the Bay Area, makes shopping for local, sustainable food as easy as possible. For the holidays, they’ve teamed up with Krumville Bake Shop to create the ultimate dessert gift box. No need to change out of those Christmas Jammies – you’ll get Chocolate Amaretti Cookies, Petite Chestnut Spice Bundt Cakes, Nougat Sables and Chocolate Ganache Sables delivered right to your door.
Liddabit Sweets Seasonal Treats
For a few months each year, Liddabit debuts their line of seasonal sweets. There’s a lot to love about their pecan-brown sugar brittle and their pumpkin pie bar, but with Thanksgiving behind us, we’re reaching for The Humbug, a cocoa sablé cookie topped with creamy, pepperminty dark chocolate ganache covered in a white chocolate shell and sprinkled with organic peppermint. Read our profile of Liddabit Sweets here.
Even More Denmark Chocolate Stout and Truffles
Whole Foods Third and 3rd opened this week, and boy do they have holiday treats for you! Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Evil Twin Brewing has collaborated with Fritz Knipschildt of Chocopologie to create a beer-chocolate pairing that’s exclusive to Whole Foods: an Evil Twin Smoked Chocolate Chestnut Stout and a beer infused chocolate truffle. Aren’t gifts more fun when they include chocolate and/or alcohol? Read even more about Even More Denmark here.
___________
Fun
Mason Shaker Cocktail Kit
The Mason Shaker – a mason jar plus cocktail shaker – is one of those “why didn’t I think of this first!?” novelties. It makes a great gift on it’s own, but for the serious cocktail aficionado, we’d recommend gifting their W & P Cocktail Kit. The kit contains everything you’d ever need to bring your booze on the road – a canvas and leather bag, the mason shaker, a muddler, a jigger, cocktail napkins and two cocktail coupes.
Turnstile Tours’ Immigrant Foodways Tour
Are last year’s gifts still sitting, unused, on the counter? Perhaps an experiential gift is the way to go this year. Turnstile Tours’ Immigrant Foodways Tour explores Brooklyn’s rich culinary history with a taste of Caribbean and Latin American food culture. The tour includes food and drunk from Moore Street Market, a map of the area, and traditional recipes to try at home. Be sure to buy your recipient two tickets so you can get in on the action too. Read our story about Moore Street Market here.
Roberta’s Cookbook and Roberta’s Cooking Class at Brooklyn Kitchen
Cookbook gifts are the best for foodie friends. Roberta’s new cookbook shares recipes, photographs, and stories that capture the vibe of the “slacker Pizza shop.” Take the gift a step further and pair it with a spot in Brooklyn Kitchen’s “Homemade Pizza with Roberta’s” cooking class. Act fast, though – the class is sold out until February and spots are filling up! Find Roberta’s Margherita Pizza recipe here.
___________
For the person who has everything
Set of School Gardening Tools from GrowNYC
This year, support GrowNYC as a gift to your gardening and greenmarket-obsessed friends. You can donate directly to any of several initiatives, but we love the idea of helping out our neighborhood school gardens. With a $50 donation, a school can purchase a brand new set of gardening tools.
Sustainership Gift to FoodTank
With the gift of a Food Tank Sustainership, you can help fund research on food justice issues like hunger, obesity and sustainability. Your gift will also include a call from Danielle, Ellen or another food tank editor; free entrance into Food Tank events like Food Waste Free NYC; and the chance to participate in quarterly webinars with food system leaders.
Donation to Slow Food with Heritage Meat
A donation to Slow Food NYC is the perfect way to slow down and think about where your abundance of food is coming from during the holiday season. Since your recipient will obviously be a good food lover, why not pair your donation with a hunk of Heritage Meat? And better yet, why not wrap it all in some steak wrapping paper?
