This year, I want to make each holiday gift really count, as I’m being frugal AND thoughtful. I’ve got to be careful and really teach the bebes about the value of money and the art of selecting the perfect gift for each person.
I’m not doing a great job, as yesterday I gave Andrew $33 to shop for me, Scott, Nathan, Mimi and Papa. His elementary school had a fundraiser where they had an entire set-up of useless gifts that you’d never buy yourself but feel like a cheap-ass if you don’t buy something because the school that is responsible for teaching my child things that I can’t (like math, following directions and assembling !$(*&!% toys) is underfunded. Though honestly, I’d rather write a check for $300 and give that to the school than to spend $300 on useless crap (ugly wrapping paper? too-sweet chocolates? magazine subscriptions that I don’t need?) and only have 10% of that end up going to the school. But I digress.
So Andrew comes home with 6 little gift bags in his backpack and runs to me clutching his $2.80 in change in his other hand. He proudly says to me, “Mama, I picked out perfect presents for everyone!” And then he started stuffing our stockings with the presents.
Hmmm…I couldn’t resist the curiousity and copped a feel (no peeking of course, that’s against the rules…but FONDLING? totally appropriate). The object in my stocking felt suspiciously like a new set of round, bouncy boobs.
Now THAT’S the type of fundraiser I’d totally lay down for.
But then on second thought, $6 might only buy a coupla rubber super bounce balls.
A Few of My Favorite Things
I’ve tested, tasted and played with lots of toys this year, and here are my absolute favorites that would make fantabulous holiday gifts. I’m giving away a bunch of gifts to you – just for commenting – so make sure you enter the random drawing to win:
Contest is over! Here are the winners…
- An 8×4x2″ Himalayan Pink Salt Block from The Meadow
- A New West Knifeworks Super Bread Knife
- A box of 4 Kobe Beef Burgers from Palm Beach Prime (U.S. winner only)
- The Ultimate Sampler from Sterling Silver Premium Meats (U.S. winner only)
- A dreamy Sacred Glo Body Candle from Sacred Glo
- A bottle of Mission Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Mango Champagne Vinegar from Global Gardens
- A single photo canvas from Canvas R Us
(I’m sure I’ll be adding more gifts to giveaway in the next few days too)
Himalayan Pink Salt Blocks and Plates
As you know, I’m totally obsessed with all things salt – from making your own Asian finishing salts to salting your steaks and it’s even an accessory to cheating on my husband.
The Meadow has gorgeous Himalayan Pink Salt Plates and Blocks from Pakistan that are so unique. You can use the glowing pink plate to grill, saute, chill, bake, serve and cure. Instead of salt on food – this is food on salt, and the Himalayan Pink Salt Plate imparts its delicate saltiness onto and into the food. When you’re done, just rinse, dry and store for next time.
Flatiron steaks on a large salt block
I’ve chilled the salt block for a couple of hours in the refrigerator and then used it as a serving platter for carpaccio, cheeses and fresh fruits. Any food that has a bit of moisture will pick up some of the salty goodness!
I’ve also placed the block on the outdoor grill and sauteed wild mushrooms on it – the salt block seasoned my mushrooms perfectly. The plate heats up to 500F and sears the food beautifully. I’ve yet to try steaks, but will be playing with that this weekend.
The prices are very reasonable – I’m eyeing this 
Sushi Slab for $19.95 and this 
Salt Grater plus Himalayan Pink Salt Rock for $16.95
Plus, owner Mark Bitterman is awesome – he’s the first person I’ve ever met more passionate about salts than I am! Just a great small business based in Portland, Oregon that I hope you’ll support.
The Meadow is giving away a Himalayan Pink Salt Block (8×4x2 inch)
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The Snazziest Bread Knife in the World
Okay, time to get off the salt thing and move onto knives. I’ve raved about New West Knifeworks before and just can’t say enough great things about them. They’ve just announced their newest product, the Super Bread Knife – though personally I would have named it Kiss-Yer-Mama-Bread Knife because it’s so pretty you just wanna….eat bread.
If you’re giving a knife away as a present, my Mama told me to tell you that in many cultures, giving away a knife is bad luck. BUT hang on there – it’s not a “gift” if you make the recipient give you a penny back in return. So, just make sure that the recipient pays you a penny, quarter, whatever so that you’re not cursed with whatever knife god you’ll piss off, okay?
From New West Knifeworks, my choice for a gift would be either the above Kiss-Yer-Mama Bread Knife ($129 on sale now!) or the Phoenix Petty knife ($99). The Phoenix is the perfect size for most small kitchen tasks, from vegetables to fruit to cutting open packages (omg, just kidding! I worship my knife!)
I’m giving away a Super Bread Knife!
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Kobe Beef Burgers
Palm Beach Prime sent me a box of Kobe Beef Burgers ($27.95) to try and OH MY !(#%*&!(*%!% BURGERLICIOUS BUNS! They win. There is no other reason to buy any other burger than these. You will not have lived a fulfilling life unless you have sunk your drooling teeth into these Kobe Beef Burgers. Yes, my teeth do drool. They also are craving a Kobe Beef Burger right now too.
Palm Beach Prime is giving away a pack of 4 Kobe Beef Burgers (U.S. only)
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Sterling Silver Premium Meats
OOOHLAALAA! Sterling sent me their Ultimate Sampler which included Two 6 oz. Filet Mignons, Two 12 oz. New York Steaks, Two 12 oz. Ribeyes, Two 6 oz. Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops, and one 16 oz. Pork Tenderloin Roast. ($119.00) We’ve tried the Filets and the Ribeyes so far and loved them. The beef comes from the top 12% of all beef and is aged. Their pork is all natural.
Sterling Silver has generously given us an Ultimate Sampler package to give away! (yay beef!)
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Sacred Glo Lotion Candles
I met lovely Ederle on Twitter a few weeks ago and was totally smitten with the idea of a candle made of lotion. As the candle burns, the soy bean oil, shea butter, and the fragrant essential oils melt together, and create a warm, inviting pool of body lotion or massage oil that is only 2° above body temperature.
Ederle is a full-time corporate mama – and her dream is to make her Sacred Glo Lotion Candles a thriving business.
I know you’ll just love these lotion candles! In my sexy-hot days B.C. (Before Children) I used to love pouring hot candle wax on my lover. Made a mess, though and then would have to spend the next day scraping the hardened wax off the floors. I know, you used to do that too, right?
Um. no?
okaymeneitherjustkidding.
Sacred Glo is giving away a Lotion Candle of your choice.
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Global Gardens Award Winning Olive Oil and Mango Champagne Vinegar
These two together make the best salad dressing. The Mango Champagne Vinegar ($16) comes in a curvy carafe and paired with their award winning Mission Extra Virgin Olive Oil – the combo makes any salad sexy. The olive oil is bright, buttery with a sagey finish.
Global Gardens also has other interesting fruit champagne vinegars – like Blood Orange, Pomegranate and Green Apple.
Global Gardens is giving away their Mission Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Mango Champagne Vinegar combo.
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Photo Canvas from Canvas R Us
I’ve saved my personal favorite for last – I took some pics of the rugrats in the backyard a few weeks ago and sent them into Canvas R Us. A week later, I got 4 individual wooden framed canvas prints back, and they are now hanging in my family room. It instantly brightened and warmed up the entire home – the smiles and love in these boys faces are priceless.
It’s super simple – all you have to do is upload your photo to their Canvas R Us’ website and choose the size that you want. You can get one single canvas or a collage, like me.
And look at the quality that comes back!
This is my fav pic:
Don’t they look like they NEVER fight over toys or tease each other?
Canvas R Us is giving away a single photo canvas of your choice!
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How to enter the Steamy Kitchen’s Big Holiday Giveaway
Contest is over! The winners are announced here…
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BONUS! facebooked it.
To make it more displayable in the house, probably a photo of the kids (nieces + nephew). If not them, then one of the travel photos I took about 2 years ago or so in Italy/Amsterdam/Paris. =)
BONUS!!!
(StumbleUpon)
I would canvas a photo I took of the left bank in Paris this summer….
I ate sashimi once that was served on a pink slab of salt just like this. It was so cool! And what a great taste revelation. You didn’t need soy sauce; all you needed was to slide the piece of fish over the salt slab and it was enough to impart just the necessary saltiness. Moreover, unlike with soy sauce, the salt slab did not mask the fresh, sweet, briny flavor of the fish one iota.
BONUS! It’s on my Facebook wall…
I’ve been restoring some old family photos. My uncle was a pretty good photographer and there are some lovely shots of my grandparent’s cottage that I have ready to print. Any of those would make a great canvas.
A photo with family. Because of college and grad school, I seen mine at most a week every year for the last 5 years. Happy Holidays and I hope you’ll be the Marx Foods recipe winner.
Haha, I’d get a photo canvas of my cat. Looks like you’re way ahead of everyone else on the Marxfoods contest. An early congratulations on your new truffles!
A photo of my hubby, son and I at the Grand Canyon, a photo of Half Dome that has a sliver of the moon in the photo or a family portrait taken this last Thanksgiving. Thanks!
OH.My.God. This is better than “Oprah’s favorite things” & Ellen’s “12 days of x-mas giveaways” shows. Why is it better? Cause I don’t have to sell an organ to get a chance to win something! At your giveaway, everyone gets a chance!
Please, Oh great Buddha, I am rubbing your happy round belly now…..*rub belly*, *massage shoulders*….give me luck….
BTW- Those canvas pics of the boys are so FUCKING CUTE!!! oops… I meant, they’re so *bleeeeeep* cute!!!!!
I’d probably pick a family photo from when my brother and I were kids, but I’d have to wait and see how the photos from my brother’s wedding turn out.
I would probably do some that I took on mt.katahdin. What wonderful gifts…and for someone who loves her salty foods, the salt site is absolutely wonderful.
BONUS in Facebook. Lovely photos of our vacation to the beaches and serene surroundings on canvas would be a great addition. Btw your kids are so adorable, awesome photo!
My grandparents
My favorite picture is of my three girls, age 12, 5, and 3, sitting on a rock in the middle of the river coming out of Mt Baldy, Ca. They were scared to death, but clung on that rock and smiled a big one for me.
Probably a pic with my two beautiful girls doing anything but in a very casual setting
LOL, I have to say, I’m not fond of using oil in bed, it stains the sheets and won’t come out unless I pull out my Martha Stewart references. Personally, I don’t think my boyfriend is salty enough.
He thinks it’s so weird, but I love following a trail of salt. As for the canvas, I was going to say him salted, but I have a feeling my mother wouldn’t approve. There is this American flag at a car dealership about 6 blocks away from where I live, and the flag is so tattered it’s a bit shameful. People have asked him to replace it, but his answer is that, the flag represents the tattered conditions of America. He says he won’t replace the flag until Bush leaves office. I think I might have that canvased, it’s sad, but still a politcal statement, even though it is illegal.
One of the photos during our trip to Mackinac Island last summer or maybe the one in Dominican Republic.
Your Firecracker Shrimp recipe looks really good. I will try it one of these days.
A pic of my three little boys!!
I would probably use some lovely nature/floral prints. This is a great idea.
Thanks for the opportunity to win these wonderful items! The canvas would be of the moment when I first got to see our son after a long delivery process!
When my parents visited a few years ago we went to some ruins east of Santa Fe. I have a picture of my father starting down a ladder into a kiva with my mother next to him. Just a few short years later neither of them are moving as well as they did then and this remains one of my favorite pictures
one of my friends and i in poland, trekking in the forest with her lovely alsatian.
a picture of my husband, my 16 yr old daughter(who lives abroad and we only see once a year)and myself at the beach last august when we visited her
I take numerous pics of my kids (10 & 11) but my favorite is one of them standig in the tall sea grass on Hatteras Island, NC and my son has his arm around his sister – they both have big smiles on their faces and it’s a beautiful spring day.
Thanks for sharing your pics – they’re adorable.
Happy Holidays!
a candid photo of my family on the beach!!
What lovely gifts! Thanks for the great giveaways! I think I would pick this wonderful photo I have of my husband and I on our honeymoon last year, we just look so relaxed and happy! It would be great to have the emotions of that photo hanging over us every day.
Great Giveaway Presents! I’d love to have a photo of my boyfriend and I on the quad on our campus in the fall, which is where we met. It’d be perfect since we have no real pictures framed of us. Have a wonderful holiday!
* BONUS * Just twittered you!
OOh, this is too good to pass up.
With regards to your question, I’d have our favorite engagement photo printed on canvas. That would be swell.
BONUS!
Twitter-ed
The picture I want to print on canvas is a photo of my wedding. There is a really cool silhouette shot of us by the St. Lawrence River.
I hope I win! Thanks for the cool give away contest!
I would print pictures from my vacation in Europe.
BONUS! I facebook linked you!
To this day, I have this old, trustworthy bread knife given to me at work when I was a pastry cook apprentice…couldn’t afford to buy one back then. I still use it and is sharp ever ever but after a lot of mileage in it …about 23 years, I can sure use another one and give my trust worthy “friend” the rest it so deserves!
I forgot to tell you…photo of my 2 kids plus hubby …California holiday!
hi Jaden,
First time on your blog, but certainly will not be the last. I love everything about it, the recipes, the pictures and your writing.
If I were one of your winners of your Santa letter (btw, what a sweet idea to share this gifts with your readers!) I will love to win the Himalayan Pink Salt Plate and Block, it’s amazingly beautiful, and I’m already thinking of the many ways I can use it at my tiny kitchen!. You know what’s funny? We live in Shanghai, China, quite closer to Himalaya’s than Florida, but never seen it here!).
My bf (french pastry chef) and me, we also have a thing for salts. I personally love the Fleur de sel de Guerande vanille (available @ Fauchon)specially with lobster, risottos and soups.
Wish you merry christmas!
Heidi
What a wonderful set of giveaways. Merry Christmas!!
I have a photo of my mom that I’d have printed. She is laughing and the wind is blowing her hair back slightly. She looks like she is having such a great time and that pictures shows the true essence of my mom’s personality.
Thanks so much for the giveaway!
The photos of your boys is so precious! I would love to have a canvas of my two boys! The baby is getting old enough to want to maul his big brother with affection.
Thanks for the great links! I’ve been intrigued by the pink Himalayan salt ever since I saw it on Iron Chef America. I never thought it would be so affordable!
Photos of my two boys: 18 and 23. They are now handsome young men, ready for the big, bad world. Sad for me that they will be leaving here. Wonderful gifts for giveaways. Happy Holidays!!!
my son, my sun, my son! I LOVE my son, it would have to be my son!
BONUS! Pink himalayan salt please! Dang I live right next door, but we don’t get this kind of stuff here. View twitter status: http://twitter.com/PurpleFoodie/status/1070411550
BONUS – Twittering & Facebooking it!!
A recent photo of me & my boyfriend in the aspens near Winnemucca, NV. Thanks to Chez Us for letting me know about your great website.
I’d love to have a pic w/my boys. One is olive skin with dark hair and dark eyes. The other is blonde and blue eyed. Their like salty-sweet!
I’d like a nice moon shot but since I haven’t taken any, I guess I’ll go with an underwater macro, either mine of porcelain crab or my husband’s clown anemone fish.
I’d love to do a photo of my wife and I on our vacation in Tuscany. The scenery is absolutely awesome. We both love your blog and your recipes.
I would print a photo of my mom on her Vespa with her dress flying in the wind! Merry Christmas!
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