Showing posts with label Holiday Shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holiday Shopping. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Holiday Gift Guide For Foodies


Have you started your Holiday shopping yet?  Honestly, I do most of my shopping online these days.  After all, circling around the shopping mall parking lot looking for a parking spot and lining up long queues at the cashiers aren’t exactly my favorite things to do around the holidays!  I would rather spend the time with my family or bake up a batch of holiday cookies like these and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa!  If you love shopping online like I do, I have a few wonderful picks for you to surprise the foodies in your life (or if you want to treat yourself to a wonderful gift this holiday)!  Just a quick note, I do own most of the products that I listed here and love their quality.  These products either make my life easier, or they’re just simply cool!  For your convenience, simply click on the title or the image and it'll take you to the product page.    

1) Joseph Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin
Perfect for the OCD baker in your life who wants everything perfect and in precision!  After all, it’s much nicer if your sugar cookies come out in even thickness than lop-sided!  I totally understand the frustration.





2) Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker

It’s the latest trend for the home cook who is a restaurant chef “wanna be”!  Well, pretty much anyone who wants to produce restaurant quality food without paying the high price or dining out!  I got this as a birthday gift and totally love it!   After all, I think my brother knows me well!  I love that you can connect to the app on your phone to control the settings and browse for hundreds of recipes that go along with it! 



For the foodie who owns every single piece of small appliances in the kitchen!  This is a wonderful gift for the Asian cuisines lovers!  I use it almost every single day.  You can program it to cook regular rice, brown rice, sushi rice, mixed rice, porridge, etc.  Never have to burn another pot of rice on the stove or wash up the sticky pot!  The bowl of this rice cooker is super non-stick!  Perfect for someone who loves rice but hate washing dishes!

This stylish and unique Cast Iron Teapot set is perfect for the clumsy tea lover!  I used to have many sets of ceramic and glass teapots and somehow, they don’t last long in my kitchen!  I have a cast iron teapot since my college year and I still use it until now!  Beside being unbreakable, I also love the heat retention of the cast iron. 




For the sophisticate whisky and cocktail sipper who like to keep their drinks perfectly chilled without diluting it too quickly, you’ve come to the right place.  I personally love these ice molds and use them all the time.  Check out this cocktail, it’s perfect for the holiday too!



A fine gift for the adventurous foodies!  Take them to experience the Japanese tea ceremony without a plane ticket!  There are many benefit of drinking matcha green tea.  I found that the tea ceremony is very therapeutic as well. 


For the serious cupcake bakers who love taking their cupcakes to the next level but hate fondant decorations (a.k.a.: ME)!  This complete Russian Piping Tips Set has everything you need, and then some.  I’ve tried a few of these piping tips and totally love them.  So easy to use and the result are gorgeous.  You can check out my recipe and tutorial here: Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Flowers


These Bubble Waffle are one of the latest trend on snacks!  You can serve them as is, turn them into a cone for ice cream, or break them apart and add to other desserts.  No matter how you serve them, they are fun to eat and very delicious.  Plus, who needs boring regular shaped waffles when you can eat Bubble waffles? Check out my recipes here: Chocolate Bubble Waffle Cone Ice Cream and Classic Hong Kong Bubble Waffle 


French Mille Crepe Cakes are the most gorgeous and most fascinating (probably most time consuming too) cake trend in the baking world.  That’s why the infamous crepe cake bakery can sell their cake at almost USD$100 and people still line up for it!  I like to make my own as I can control the flavor and ingredients that I use.  With this Crepe Maker, it’ll make the whole process much easier!  Check out my Mille Crepe Cake creations here: Unicorn Rainbow Mille Crepe Cake, Mango Mille Crepe Cake, and Vanilla Mille Crepe Cake


We all can use a little bit more flavor in life!  This Himalayan Salt Plate is so much fun to use and add so much flavors to your food!  You can cook it on the stove, in the oven, or even on the grill!  You can serve your food directly on the salt plate as well.  It’ll be a nice conversation starter to any party! 



11) French Pastry Cookbooks: Modern French Pastry, Patisserie French Pastry Master Class, Bachour The Baker
For the baker who is ready to take the next challenge!  You’ve got to check out these cook books and cook along!  You might be the lucky taste tester someday when you give these cookbooks as a gift!   Not a bad return, right?

                                











It’s a perfect starter kit for someone who loves science and loves to ask why all the time!  Just kidding!  This is a fun starter kit to get into the molecular cooking.  It sure is fascinating and exciting to get your hands on these fun tools!  A perfect starter kit to cook with the curious kiddos as well.



I love my infrared thermometer and I do use it quite often.  I use it when I temper chocolate, make my ice cream base, or when I make candies (yes, ditch the candy thermometer, that thing is a pain to wash!) or when I want to look cool and professional in the kitchen.  But seriously, it’s so convenience that you won’t go back to the traditional thermometer!


You might not think much of kitchen scales (unlike their cousins, a.k.a. bathroom scales), but it is a must-have in my kitchen.  There are quite a few recipes that calls for weighting ingredients (especially in baking) rather than using measuring cups for precision.  I measure all my ingredients when I make the French Macarons!  When I need to divide batters for multi-layer cakes, or bread dough for buns, having a kitchen scales will make your life much easier.  If you know someone who loves baking or getting serious about baking, this will make a wonderful gift!






If you want to make someone really happy, you can’t go wrong with gifting a KitchenAid mixer!  I use mine often and they truly last for a long time, definitely worth the investment, in my humble opinion.  Since it’ll probably be sitting/residing on your (or the lucky someone’s) kitchen counter (it’s way too heavy and bulky to store in the pantry or move around), I suggest that you pick a color that matches the rest of your/their kitchen appliances.  I tested out both the Bowl-Lift style (Professional Series) and the Tilt-Head style (Artisan Series), I would definitely recommend the Professional Series.  Not only it is more powerful, it's also more steady compared to the Artisan series.  Best of all, it has a bigger capacity on the Professional Series.        




I hope you enjoy my recommendations.  They are all unique and fun gifts that foodies will enjoy!  Which one is your favorite so far?  Leave me a comment below and happy shopping!


Disclosure: uTry.it is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Holiday Shopping and Promotion from Fekkai



I can’t believe there are less than ten days before Christmas! It’s been busy and hectic for me in the last couple of weeks. With holiday shopping, baking orders, activities with kids, etc. I hardly get some time to rest and relax.

So the big question is. Are you almost done with your Holiday shopping? I guess I’m 80% done, but I still got a few online orders that I’ve placed and still waiting for them to arrive. If you are “still in progress” on your Holiday shopping, or have someone who has everything and you’re not too sure of what to get them, I have a great news for you and some suggestions.

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Fekkai is having a wonderful Holiday Promotion. You’ll receive 10% off your total order and a complimentary exclusive holiday headband with $50 purchase (while supplies last) Use Promo Code: HEADBAND (please see picture below). Here’s the link to their site if you need more information.


 
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Isn’t the headband gorgeous? I’m sure that it would be a nice hair accessory when you attend your holiday party. ;) Or, it could be a wonderful stocking stuffer as well.

According to their website, Frédéric Fekkai collection was developed to meet the particular needs of different hair types.  In addition to providing exceptional professional results, Fekkai’s products feature luxurious textures and invigorating scents. The hair care line is divided into regimen “families”, including: Advanced Care, Color Care, Curl Care Glossing, Repair, Styling and Styling Tools. Before his products are marketed to the public, Frédéric and his staff personally test every formula in his world-renowned Frédéric Fekkai Salon to ensure the highest quality and performance.

That gorgeous headband and the discount definitely made my purchasing decision a lot easier. I hope you’ll give their products a try as well.

Stay tuned for a Holiday Cocktail recipe on my next post. Until then, Happy Shopping.







Thursday, December 1, 2011

O OLIVE OIL & eRecipeCards Recipe Contest – Part 1 Product Review & Taste Test

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I’m sure many of you, my foodie friends, had heard of O OLIVE OIL or even have a bottle or two of their products in your pantry.  Recently, I was selected to participate in the O OLIVE OIL recipe contest hosted on the blog of eRecipeCards.  Let me take this time to introduce you to these two awesome companies. 

First, the O OLIVE OIL.  According to its web-site, it is the original maker of specialty organic citrus-crushed olive oils since 1995 and the maker of the premium barrel-aged wine vinegars since 1997.  Greg Hinson, the co-founder and president, created the extra virgin citrus olive oil by crushing whole organic citrus with fresh California Mission olives.

These oils are neither infused nor flavored after pressing.  Do you know that it takes about 1½ lbs. of fresh, whole citrus to make each bottle of oil?  I’m really amazed and impressed by that.  No wonder the citrus flavor is so intense!  I’ll share more about the taste test in a bit.

In 1997 Hinson turned this same respect for simple natural process into hand crafting varietal wine vinegars.  O OLIVE OIL uses the old world Orleans method of natural aging in wood barrels rather than force-aging the vinegars mechanically.  To learn more about the products and the company, please visit their site here.

Up next, the wonderful recipe site that I love and visit often, eRecipeCards.com.  It’s a place where you can browse different recipes, share your own recipes, and have all your favorite recipes highlighted in one location.  Here is a sample of all the recipes that I have submitted since eRecipeCards first started the site.  You can drool/glance at all the recipes in a single page and click on the ones that catch your attention.  You can also save and store all your favorite recipes in your own personal recipe box for future reference.  Isn’t that a lovely idea?    Winking smile

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Now, let’s return to the O Olive Oil and Rice Vinegar.  Besides that elegant and hip packaging you see from the top picture above, I also love the fact that the bottle used to store both the citrus oil and the rice vinegar are seal shut by a cork, and not just a screw cap.  Similar to a bottle of quality wine, the corks help maintain the flavor and aroma of the products for a longer time.  That is, if they last that long in your house.  As soon as I pop open the cork (which involves a simple pull, and the cork/cap can be easily pushed back into the bottle for a tight seal for future use), I can smell that crisp and refreshing citrus aroma came rushing out of the bottle.

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The package I received included a bottle of O Tahitian Lime Olive Oil and a bottle of O Ginger Rice Vinegar.  I was suggested to do a simple taste test with some bread.  But before I do that, I really couldn’t resist tasting them as is, with a spoon.  Yup, that’s the true taste test, in my opinion.  Smile  I was so glad I did that.  The Tahitian Lime Olive Oil was packed with that bright and crisp lime flavor.  The light green color of the thick and velvety citrus olive oil is just beautiful and smooth.  The rich and wonderful flavor of olive and citrusy lime aroma lingered at the back of my throat.  Simply heaven and it tasted like summer in my mouth.  

The O Ginger Rice Vinegar is pungent and the earthy gingery taste is undeniable.  I can totally taste the warmth and slightly lemony of ginger in the rice vinegar.  It’s fragrant and bright with a hint of sweetness as well.
     
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ahhh.….so good!  I can have a shot glass and enjoy another shot of each!  Seriously!

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Now, let’s taste them together with some bread.  I don’t know about you, but whenever I dine at an Italian restaurant, I always asked for some bread with vinegar and olive oil to be served before the entrée.  In this case, I wanted more bread simply because I wanted to enjoy more olive oil and vinegar!  The O Tahitian Lime Olive Oil and O Ginger Rice Vinegar truly compliment each other and go so well together.  I can taste the citrusy from the Tahitian Lime, the earthiness from the ginger, the tartness and sweetness from the olive oil and vinegar.  It was a Summer party for my taste buds.

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I was so glad no one was watching when I did this taste test….it would be embarrassing if someone saw that I “licked” the plate clean!  Smile with tongue out 

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I know the holiday season is coming up.  This O Tahitian Lime Olive Oil and O Ginger Rice Vinegar set would definitely be on my shopping list for some of my foodie friends and family.  The packaging is simple, elegant, and hip. Most importantly, I love the high quality of the products.  O OLIVE OIL is offering a 20% discount on ANY order until the end of the year.  Plus free shipping on any order of $60 or more (after discount).  If you’re interested, simply use the promo code “e-recipecards” at the check out.  Don't forget, click here to "Like" them on Facebook.  Smile

Please stay tuned for the recipes that I created using these fine products.  Winking smile

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*Disclaimer: I received a set of the O Tahitian Lime Olive Oil and O Ginger Rice Vinegar for the purpose of this review post and recipe challenge post for a chance to win a prize (rules and details here).  I was not compensated in any other way to write this post.  All opinions are 100% my own and always will be.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Holiday Shopping Made Easy and Fun

Have you heard of One Kings Lane?  I’ve been a big fan since I came across this site.  With two young kids and a hubby to take care of, it’s really a lot easier for me to shop online these days.  Not only that I can compare the prices and deals before I buy, online shopping also eliminates impulsive purchases.  I can enjoy shopping in the comfort of my own home, which save me some travelling time and gas money as well.

Back to the site, One Kings Lane.  They carry top-brand and designer furniture, decor, art, gifts, cookware, serve ware and vintage items up to 70% off.  Here are a few items that I love from their site.  You know….the foodies essentials. Winking smile
2.5-Quart Oval Casserole, Red

2.5-Quart Oval Casserole, Red by Bonjour at $24.00


Glass Teapot w/ Infuser & Bamboo Stand
Glass Teapot w/ Infuser & Bamboo Stand at $29.00
Nachtmann Bossa Nova Bowl, 12
Nachtmann Bossa Nova Bowl, 12" at $17.00

Olive Serving Spiral Plate

Olive Serving Spiral Plate at $19.00River Shell Salt & Pepper SetRiver Shell Salt & Pepper Set at $19.00

These are just a few that I came across lately.  Not only me, I think my foodies friends would love to receive these as gifts this holiday season as well.  One Kings Lane have different deals and discount items updated on a daily basis.  For sure you’ll find something that you love.  Smile   Best of all, you’ll get $15 credit to spend at the site when you sign up through this link here.  So, hurry and sign up while the deal last.  Honestly, I don’t enjoy the Black Friday chaos shopping at the stores at all.  So, guess where I’ll be making most of my holiday shopping this year?  Yup, online from the sites that I love.  Enjoy and have fun shopping.

 (Photos on this post are from One Kings Lane)