The best part about the holidays is getting together with friends and loved ones.

When cooking for your family during the cold winter months, the thought of waking up to a decadent breakfast of french toast, pancakes or waffles sounds so good right?  French toast is a favorite of mine, for sure, but I’ve recently discovered something to make it monumentally better.  What is it?  Runamok Maple syrups!  You have no idea just how delicious these syrups, made in Cambridge, Vermont are.  Assortment boxes are available and I highly recommend ordering some for yourself and friends this holiday season.  Un-believably good!  You can’t go wrong with infused concoctions such as Hibiscus Flower, Markut Lime-Leaf, Elderberry, Cinnamon & vanilla, and Cardamom.  Or how about rum-barrel aged, bourbon barrel-aged, and pecan wood smoked?  These are good enough to literally lick your plate clean, and everyone will understand why you want to.  So good, in fact…..maybe breakfast for dinner will make it’s way to the menu tonight.  These are a must-have delectable treat everyone will love.  Check them out!  They are on the list of Oprah’s favorite things and they have made it onto The Mommy Avenger’s, as well!

I love carbonated beverages.  They are so refreshing. I tend to reach for a diet soda more than anything, and I know that’s a habit that needs to quit!  Having a drink that is carbonated makes the transition of not drinking diet soda much easier.  Having that convienience to create my own at home make it even better.  iDrinkProducts has just the small appliance that every household needs, the drink mate creates at home carbonated beverages in seconds.  Add carbonation to anything you would like–regular water, apple juice, cranberry juice, whatever fits your mood.  You can even determine if you want light or heavy fizz in your drinks. If you enjoy cocktails, they even have a great selection of drink recipes to try on their site. It is so good and easy to make.  This is a great gift for yourself or anyone you know. It’s small profile is perfect for counter storage when not in use or you can even take it with you if you need to.

My very favorite ways to cook dinner for my family is Emile Henry products.  High end ceramic products produce a delicious meal for those I love the most.  This tagine is something new that I highly recommend for gift giving this holiday season.

Emile Henry products are so versatile.  While they are delicate, they are remarkably sturdy and can go from freezer to stove to oven to grill.  You can’t ask for more performance than that! With your purchase of the tagine on their website, you can also receive this ceramic olive oil cruet. So what does one make in a Tagine? This large capacity (you can choose 2.1-3.7 quart) dish is used for any meal that requires simmering, so stews and soups, which bring out the flavor in the dish.  You will love it! It is available in different colors, but I love the charcoal gray shown here.

Whether you will be entertaining guests or going to someone else’s house this holiday season, it’s great to have a delectable treat to share.  At gifts.com, you can find tons of gifts for every occassion.  You can even find food gifts like this rich chocolate  mousse torte. I was able to try out this dessert and it is amazingly good!  Each layer of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and some of the best dark choclate icing is decadent.  A perfect combination of flavors and textures. Definitely worth the splurge!

 

I love to give and receive personalized gifts.  Taking the extra time to find something unique is always appreciated.  I am in love with this gorgeous wooden  and wrought iron serving tray, perfect for entertaining, that can be customized completely at one of my favorite Etsy shops, The Merkato.  High quality materials and skilled craftsmanship meet and the result is a gift that will be appreciated for years to come. You can choose many products made of solid maple or bamboo.  They are all so beautiful!

 

 

 

*products were received to facilitate a feature.  All opinions are my own.