If you are shopping for a foodie this Christmas (or even if you are not) here is my broad guide to great Christmas gifts for the kitchen.  It’s a series of things that I love that make life in the kitchen better.  If you have any comments on things that I have listed or have things that I have missed, leave them in the comments.

Inexpensive Christmas Gifts & Stocking Stuffers: Under $25 

Wine Aerator

Adding air and slowing down the pour of your wine enhances flavor and bouquet. This unique aerator by slows the flow and gently adds oxygen into the wine by funnelling it through a series of channels inside.

Wondering if a wine aerator is worth the money and hassle?  It depends on the kind of wines that you drink.

Red wines intended to have earthy flavors or age for years in a cellar (and often cost more than $10 or $15) can get to their optimal flavor faster with aeration. Inexpensive and fruity red wines are often fruitiest and most enjoyable directly from the bottle and either don’t improve or taste worse with aeration. White wines (especially fruity white wines) generally don’t improve with aeration.

• Available from Amazon | $6

Soapstone Whisky Chilling Stones

Don’t let melting ice water down your drinks.  Instead use cold frozen soapstones to keep your whiskey cold and preserve it’s rich taste.

• Get it from Amazon | $3

Silicon Pastry Mat

Silicone's is both flexible and things won't stick to it.  It's ideal for rolling pastry and cookies.  It not only makes things easier on you but it means you can use less flour, resulting in a more delicate and tender product which means everyone wins.

• Purchase from Amazon | $10

Thoughtful yet Inexpensive Christmas Presents:  $25 to $50 

CucinaPro Pasta Fresh machine

Nothing beats a plate of truly fresh pasta. And now it's easy to roll out your own at home. Whether the craving is for spaghetti or fettuccine, this sturdy machine handles the job with efficiency and style. CuninaPro pasta maker looks great on the counter and is easy to use--there's nothing to plug in as this is the tried-and-true hand-crank variety.

The easy-lock adjustable dough-dialer rolls thick or thin pasta, and it comes with spaghetti and fettuccine cutters. Cutters for tagliatelle, ravioli and angel hair pasta are available separately

• Purchase from Amazon.com | $29

Aeropress Coffee Press

It makes one of the best cups of coffee you'll ever taste. This innovative uses the ideal water temperature and gentle air pressure brewing to produce coffee and espresso that has rich flavour with lower acidity and without bitterness. It makes 1 to 4 cups of coffee or espresso (enough for 1 or 2 mugs), features a micro filtered for grit free coffee, and takes just 1 minute to make coffee (actual press time takes only 20 seconds).

 Here is how it works

• Purchase from Amazon | $25

• Find it online at Amazon.com for $23

Belgium Waffle Iron

Enjoy delicious fluffy Belgian waffles with the Hamilton Beach Belgian Style Flip Waffle Maker. Made with easy to clean non-stick grids to bake the perfect waffle with deep pockets to hold butter and syrup. The indicator lights let you know just when to add the batter and the removable tray and grids make for easy clean-up.

• Purchase from Amazon | $35

Oxo Kitchen Scale

A scale is really necessary if you're going to do serious cooking because wherever possible, you should measure your ingredients by weight, not by volume. 

A given mass of flour can vary a lot in volume, depending on things like humidity, temperature, and how long it's been sitting.  A weight indicator shows the capacity left on the Scale before maximum capacity is reached. Press the zero button to offset the weight of a container or to set the weight back to zero to add additional ingredients. The display features large, easy-to-read numbers which measure in 1/8-ounce and 1-gram increments and the platform can be removed for cleaning. The Scale has a 5-pound capacity and two AAA batteries are included.

• Purchase from Amazon | $25

Cusinart Immersion Blender

Don't buy a cheap one--stick with Braun, Cuisinart, or KitchenAid.  They aren’t cutting edge but if you don’t have one, you don’t know what you are missing.  I use mine for my making Caesar Salad Dressing, mixing up packets of mix and pureeing soups

• Find it at Amazon | $35

With a stylish design and durable stainless steel carafe, this 8-cup coffeemaker is perfect for home, office or practically anywhere you want hot, fresh coffee at the touch of a button. All this, plus an easy-clean control panel and dishwasher-safe removable parts for effortless cleanup.  The advantage of the carafe is that you won’t be stuck with hot burnt coffee in case you don’t get it off the maker in time.  The coffee will be as hot and fresh later as it is right now.

• Purchase from Amazon | $48

• Available from Amazon for $57

The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

 

With more than half a million copies of their books in print, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François have proven that people want to bake their own bread, so long as they can do it easily and quickly. Based on fan feedback, Jeff and Zoë have completely revamped their first, most popular, and now-classic book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Responding to their thousands of ardent fans, Jeff and Zoë returned to their test kitchens to whip up more delicious baking recipes. They’ve also included a gluten-free chapter, forty all-new gorgeous color photos, and one hundred informative black-and-white how-to photos. They’ve made the “Tips and Techniques” and “Ingredients” chapters bigger and better than ever before, and included readers’ Frequently Asked Questions.

This revised edition also includes more than thirty brand-new recipes for Beer-Cheese Bread, Crock-Pot Bread, Panini, Pretzel Buns, Apple-Stuffed French Toast, and many more. There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread to fill a kitchen with warmth, eager appetites, and endless praise. Now, using Jeff and Zoë’s innovative technique, you can create bread that rivals those of the finest bakers in the world in just five minutes of active preparation time.

• You can get it for $19 from Amazon

 Alcohol Dispenser for Vodka, Whiskey, etc

For centuries, whiskies have been aged in wooden kegs. The charring on the inside of the keg helps to filter the beverage from impurities while also giving whiskey its unique, brown color. 
To celebrate the advent of the slow, smoothing, and character building process of aging liquors, here is a handsome glass keg decanter complete with a wooden resting cradle. 

• Find it at Amazon | $60 

Lodge Pre-Seasoned Sportsman's Charcoal Grill

If you are a griller who loves to cook on charcoal, you will want to check out this cast iron hibachi grill.

• Measures 19 by 10-1/4 by 8-1/4-inch; limited lifetime warranty.
• 2 Adjustable heights temper cooking speed; wash by hand
• Draft door regulates heat; coals accessible behind flip-down door
• Cooking grate measures 17-1/4 by 9-inch; seasoned and ready to use
• Rugged, charcoal, hibachi-style grill made of durable cast iron

• Purchase at Amazon.com | $95

Bodum Tea Press

A lovely way to brew tea to your exact preference, the Bodum Shin Cha tea press combines elegant shaping with crafty functionality. The spherical glass pot features a stainless-steel plunge infuser inside and a stainless-steel lid. Fill the infuser with loose leaf or tea bags, add hot water, wait the desired amount of steeping time, then plunge. The plunger pushes the tea below the infuser holes, so brewing stops on a dime and tea does not over steep to the point of bitterness. To clean up, the unit goes safely in the dishwasher. With its glass spout, body, and handle, the Shin Cha showcases tea colors beautifully but does require somewhat careful handling. 

• Purchase at Amazon.com | $67

Burr coffee grinder

For grinding larger quantities of coffee beans for a coffee-drinking crowd, Capresso's commercial-grade Infinity grinder handles 8-1/2 ounces of beans at a time. Sixteen different settings--four each in the four categories of extra fine, fine, regular, and coarse--let you adjust the grind to the specific blend of coffee and method of brewing. The finest setting is ideal for preparing Turkish coffee, which is a rare feature to find in a grinder.

A built-in timer sets the grind for anywhere between 5 and 60 seconds so you can walk away without having to constantly press a button to continue the grinding process. The Infinity has an advanced conical burr design made of steel that is usually only found on commercial grinders. This burr design slows down the gears and reduces the amount of friction and heat to preserve coffee's flavour and aroma. The coffee container holds up to 4 ounces of grounds and remains sealed during grinding. For safety, the bean container also needs to be locked into place for the Infinity to operate. For easy cleaning, the bean container and upper burr lift off so you can clean the grinding chamber with the included brush and wipe down the exterior housing.

• Purchase from Amazon | $100

Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler

Yes you have a George Forman grill but this is so much more than that.  The Cuisinart Griddler is actually five appliances in one. A hinged, floating cover and one set of removable and reversible cooking plates turn the Griddler into a contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, or half grill/half griddle. Dual temperature controls and indicator lights make this product easy to use.

Kitchenaid Convection Oven

It’s a great replacement for the stove in the summer and a supplement to the oven when you are making a big meal or for parties.  I am surprised how much cooking and baking I can do with it.

• Purchase at Amazon | $130

Kitchenaid Stand Mixer

The Professional 600 TM has a powerful motor that is crafted for commercial-style performance, the direct drive, all-steel gear transmission delivers unyielding power for professional results. The mixer can effectively mix up to 14 cups of all-purpose flour per recipe and produce up to 8 pounds of mashed potatoes. The Soft Start mixing feature helps minimize ingredient splatter and flour puff with gentle acceleration to selected speed after start-up. Electronic Speed Sensor monitors operation to maintain precise mixer speed. Commercial-style motor protection automatically shuts off the mixer when overload is sensed to protect the motor. Durable all-steel gears provide reliable service. The mixer includes a 6-quart-capacity stainless-steel mixing bowl with a contoured handle, as well as a professional wire whip, a burnished flat beater, a spiral dough hook, and a one piece pouring shield. Its multipurpose attachment hub with a hinged hub cover flips open to allow for easy installation of attachments. The Professional 600 Series bowl-lift design raises the bowl into the mixing position, and its solid, truly seamless one-piece motor head design is easy to clean and comes in a variety of fashionable colors.

• Purchase from Amazon.com | $329

• Full tang extends the length of the knife, adding balance and strength
• Triple-riveted, ergonomic handle ensures comfort and control
• Satin-finish, stainless steel blade provides precise cutting, peeling and slicing
• 18 Pieces Forged Premio Knife Block. Set Includes 3 inches paring knife, 5 inches serrated utility knife, 6 inches utility knife, 7 inches santoku hollow edge, 8 inches chef's knife, 9 inches sharpening steel, 8 inches bread knife, 5 inches boning knife, kitchen shears.Stamped Steak Knives (8 Pieces) Hardwood Block

• Find it at Amazon | $200

If you are looking for a set of knives a step up in quality, check out the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 19-Piece Knife Set with Block for $330.  If you want to go nuts on a knife set, you will want to look at the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Pro-S 18-Piece Knife Set with Block

The J.A. Henckels Twin Professional S (or Pro S) knife series features trustworthy quality and classic three-rivet styling--it’s a line of knives admired by both professional chefs and home cooks of all skill levels. The Twin Pro S line contains knives for all tasks, including the following open stock knife types: parer, bread, peeling, sandwich, utility, carving, steak, chef’s, Granton edge slicer, santoku, and others. Twin Pro S knives are also available in a range of block sets and gift sets, to be sure that your cutlery needs are covered.

 

Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens

• Get it locally at McNally Robinson or from Chapters/Indigo for $25.

Canon Powershot S120

 

For the Foodie and food reviewer on your list, check out the Canon Powershot S120 camera.  Why do you want it?  It’s compact and great in low light which means that your food shots in a restaurant or even in your own home won’t need a flash.  No more washed out looking meals or annoying waiters and those around you.  Great photos also mean better reviews and more traffic to your blog.

If you are looking for more or past Christmas Gift Guides, check out my husbands excellent series of Christmas gift and idea guides that he posts each year on his website.  If you think I am missing something, let me know in the comments below.

Safeway has some great tips

I am a lover of charcuterie boards, or as the less cosmopolitan among us call it, a good old fashioned meat and cheese platter. Charcuterie platters are a great way to put together an appetizer (or a meal) of delicious tasty food, without too much preparation on your part. While you can always just slam some of your favourite meats and nibbles onto a board and call it a charcuterie plate, putting together a truly spectacular board is worth the effort. Here are the elements to make your next charcuterie offering a show-stopper:

1. Meat

The meat needs to be the star of the show — the word “charcuterie” refers to the preparation of the meats. Don’t skimp out on quality here, look for specially prepared sausage and deli-meat and go for a variety of interesting flavours. Choose at least one fairly spicy meat, something milder, and a couple of things in between. Aim for traditional charcuterie varieties like dry-cured salami, prosciutto, or chorizo. You don’t have to go crazy, but make sure you have enough meat for all of your guests (about 55 to 85 g per person) and enough variety to keep everyone happy. If you’re feeling adventurous, add in a nice terrine or jellied meat.

2. Cheese

Again, the keys here are quality and variety. Choose both cheeses that are mild enough to complement the meat and those that are strong enough to be eaten on their own. Have at least one soft cheese and one harder cheese and make sure you include something blue.

3. Breads

This is the last absolute must-have: you need a vehicle for the meats and cheese to find their way to your mouth. Fresh sliced baguette is a good choice, as are artisanal crackers with fruit or nuts baked in — though make sure the flavour of the crackers won’t overpower the other ingredients.

4. Condiments

Here’s where we get fancy! A little smear of mustard or a dollop of fig or berry jam will elevate the flavours of the meat and cheese. Put a couple little pots of condiments on your platter, or if it’s a thick mustard, smear it directly onto the board.

5. Olives and pickles

A little bit salty, a little bit sour, olives and pickles make a great addition to a charcuterie board. Choose plain green or black olives, olives stuffed with garlic or peppers for some extra zip, or an olive tapenade to spread on the crackers. When it comes to pickles, super high quality cornichons are my favourite.

6. Go wild!

From there, feel free to put anything sweet or savory on your platter that will draw out flavours in the meat and cheese. I’ve seen charcuterie boards with pieces of honeycomb, pistachios, roasted almonds, figs, slices of pear and apple, prosciutto-wrapped melon, and even chunks of chocolate.

This isn’t playing well in Scotland

Whisky expert Jim Murray described the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 as a drink of “near incredible genius”, awarding it 97.5 marks out of 100 in the 2015 World Whisky Bible.

To add insult to injury it is the first time in the Whisky Bible’s 12-year history that a Scottish malt has failed to make the top five drams. It is also the first year that a Japanese whisky claimed the highest accolade.

Mr Murray, who oversees the review that samples over 4,500 different whiskies, labelled the results a “wake up call” for Scottish distilleries, claiming the winner was “a single malt which no Scotch can at the moment get anywhere near”.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces of cheese per person.  Many suggest English Cheddar but feel free to experiment.
• Jar of Chutney
• Baked Virginia Ham, thickly sliced  Other deli meats work as well.
• Crisp apples, cut up
• Celery stalks, cut in half lengthwise
• Soft Hard-Boiled Eggs (see below)
• Baby carrots
• Loaf of crusty bread, thickly sliced (or your favourite cracker)
• Unsalted butter, softened

Soft Hard-Boiled Eggs:

• 6 extra large eggs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Carefully place the ingredients on a serving plate and serve.

Soft Hard-Boiled Eggs:

1. Place the eggs a large saucepan and cover them with cool tap water. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
2. Remove the eggs from the saucepan and immediately place them in a bowl of cold water until they are completely cool.
3. Remove the shells, slice each egg in half lengthwise, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Ingredients

• 1 t Butter
• 1/2 Apple,peeled,cored,
• And thinly sliced.
• 2 t Sugar, divided
• 2 Eggs
• 1 t Water
• 2 T Shredded Cheddar
• Or Swiss cheese.
• Cinnamon Sugar or Granulated
• Sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In an 8-inch nonstick skillet with sloping sides, melt butter over medium heat. Add apple slices in one layer. Cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar and cinnamon to taste. Cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
2. In a small bowl, combine eggs, 1 tsp sugar and water. Beat with a fork until eggs are just blended. Pour over apples in skillet.
3. Stir with spatula to allow egg mixture to cover bottom of pan. Use spatula to gently push cooked portions to the centre, tilting the skillet to allow the uncooked egg to flow into empty spaces. When egg is almost set on surface, sprinkle cheese over half of omelette. Slip spatula under unfilled side, fold over filling and slide onto serving plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve immediately.

Some ideas for this year's Super Bowl Party.  Whatever the outcome (go Ravens!), it should be a good party.

• Bacon and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
• Cheesy Nacho Dip Recipe
• Baked Spinach with Three Cheeses Recipe
• Buffalo Chicken Wing Recipe
• Crab Dip Recipe
• Hot Pizza Dip Recipe
• Creamy Curry Dip Recipe
• Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
• Fiery Thai Salsa Recipe
• Hot Crab Spread Recipe
• The Original Buffalo Wings Blue Cheese Recipe
• Crunchy Mini Crab Cakes Recipe
• Neptune Lasagne Recipe
• Pizza Roll Ups Recipe
• Stuffed Jalapeño Recipe
• Buffalo Hot Wings Recipe
• BBQ Poppers Recipe
• Cheese Ball Recipe
• Mushroom Neptune Recipe
• Stuffed Jalapenos Recipe
• Jalapeno Puff Recipe
• Seven Layer Dip Recipe
• Nacho Potato Skins Recipe
• Smoky Cheese Ball Recipe
• Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
• Joe’s Crab Shack Blue Crab Dip Recipe
• Chi Chi’s Seafood Nachos Recipe
• Blue Cheese Garlic Dip Recipe
• 7 Layer Mexican Dip Recipe
• Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe
• Seafood Nacho Dip Recipe
• Spicy Potato Skins Recipe
• Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

The entire collection can be viewed at Yahoo!

For those of us who will be entertaining this holiday season, here is how you plate your dishes like a pro with some tips from the Most Interesting Academy.

1. Color. Monochromatic dishes are not appetizing. Nobody wants to eat an all-white meal. Adding color will almost always improve the look of a dish, as long as you’re not overdoing it. Not to mention that foods that are brightly colored often have more nutrients. Think about herb oils, juices, and broth reductions. They’re great ways to add lots of color and flavor without heaviness.

2. Crunch. When adding a crunchy element, always save it for the last minute and find the food with the least amount of moisture to prop it up on, so it doesn’t wilt.

3. Observation. Start to notice the plating when you go out to eat. Analyze the different elements, and then try to replicate some at home. When you really look at how a chef puts a course together, you start to get an idea of the way colors, shapes, textures, and temperatures can fit together to make an interesting dish.

4. Plates. White is standard, and my personal favorite, because I like the way that brightly-colored foods contrast with the white space. But whatever plate you use, it will affect the way the dish looks. Try different colors, sizes, and shapes to figure out what works with different foods, and with your personal style.

5. Negative Space. Negative space is your friend. Negative space helps the look of your food pop off the plate. Visual clutter is unpleasant to the eye.

6. Practice. You might not hit on the right plating idea the first time you do it. Try a couple different combinations of elements to see what looks best. Even if you’re not doing a practice run of the meal, you can plate, rearrange, then put things back to heat up again. Or practice when it’s just a casual meal you’re making yourself, just to get your skills up. The more you do it, the more ideas you’ll have.

It’s May Long Weekend (Victoria Day Weekend for you monarchists out there) and I have been busy putting together recipes for our weekend with friends and family at the lake and since many of them came from The Cooking Blog, I thought I would post them here.

• First of all, you need to learn how to grill the perfect steak.
• Grilled Steak and Blue Cheese Sandwich Recipe
• Barbecue Beef Tenderloin Recipe
• Fried Bannock Recipe
• BBQ Poppers Recipe
• The Original Tommy’s Burger Recipe
• The World’s Best Pancake Recipe
• Beer Barbecued Chicken Recipe
• Chocolate Cherry Brownies (@ 101 Cookbooks)
• Coffee rub for whatever you are planning to grill this weekend
• Beer Can Chicken Recipe :: You can use near beer, a can of grapefruit pop full of spices, or just water and spices as well.
• Grilled Corn on the Cob with Dill Butter Recipe
• Cheesy Barbecue Corn on the Cob Recipe
• Cattle Boyz Burgers Recipe
• Classic Chef's Salad
• Thai Steak Salad Recipe 
• The Shake Shack Burger Recipe 
• Grilled Pizza Recipe :: A great meal on a warm night that doesn’t require adding any more heat to the cabin.
• Quiche Lorraine Recipe :: A favorite breakfast at the cabin and pretty easy to make.
• Parmesan Potato Skin Chips Recipe
• Seven Layer Salad Recipe

Let me know how your weekend turned out in the comments below!  Also, if you have any favorite summer recipes that I am missing, send them to me and I will add them to the site.