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Archive for the ‘Buyers' Guides’ Category

Last-Minute Mother’s Day Recommendations

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

I wanted to chime in with a couple of last-minute recommendations for Mother’s Day. Thanks to quick shipping, it isn’t too late if these look good to you!

For cat lover moms: Purry Logic by Jane Seabrook.

It’s a little gift-book filled with charming cat art, each piece accompanied by the perfect cat-spirational saying. What struck me the most as I read through this book was the utter perfection of the expressions on these cats faces and their poses, and how hilariously true to life they were.

For witty moms: Give the Bitch Her Chocolate by Polish & Wotz.

Polish and Wotz pair together vulgar, offensive, sarcastic witticisms (yes, pretty much everyone can find something to be offended by in here) with darling vintage illustrations of housewives, families, and husbands. Those illustrations take on delightful new meaning when paired with such sayings as “should I be expected to stay sober all morning?”

For vegetarian moms with a sweet tooth: Mollie Katzen’s Recipes: Desserts.

…from date-nut cake to iced carob brownies, lemon mousse to chocolate crepes, baked custard to whole wheat poppy seed cookies. Notes often guide the reader as to acceptable substitution of soy milk and similar ingredients. These aren’t low-fat low-sugar recipes, but they do make good use of plenty of fruits, nuts, and fresh ingredients of all kinds.

For baking moms: the Calphalon 2 qt ceramic baker.

My favorite features of the ceramic baker are its versatility and the ease of cleaning. A two quart volume is just about perfect for most uses, and it’s nice to have another piece of cookware that’s safe for both the oven and the microwave, and can be used to put leftovers straight into the fridge or freezer.

For moms who are Nora Roberts fans: Vision in White.

I’m not a “perfect wedding” daydreamer. I had a very small and simple wedding and loved it that way. But Nora Roberts makes the business of weddings so funny, poignant, and engaging that I absolutely loved reading about it.

I won’t say what I’m getting for my mother, since her package might not have reached her yet. But I will say it can be found on this list!

2007 Recommendations for Cooks

Monday, December 10th, 2007

Here we are: our third annual recommendations for what to buy your favorite cook for the holidays; while I review a bit of everything, I seem to end up reviewing the widest variety in cookbooks, making it a great topic for this sort of post. Not all of these will be things we’ve reviewed over this last year; sometimes we delve into times past for old favorites, or even give you a sneak peek at things we’re just about to review but haven’t yet. I didn’t review much cookware this year, so most of the recommendations will be for cookbooks.

Chocolate-related books, of course, make wonderful gifts. Nearly everyone associates chocolate with special occasions, and almost everyone loves it. Along these lines, I simply must suggest the following:

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What to buy your favorite cook for the holidays: 2006 Buyers’ Guide

Friday, December 15th, 2006

I was hoping to write this up well before now, but cat illness followed by family illness changed my plans. My apologies–I know this won’t really be in time for the bulk of holiday shopping, but perhaps it can still help out with birthdays, last-minute gifts, and the all-important choice of what to spend your gift certificates and holiday money on! Without further ado, on to a handful of gift suggestions.

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What to Buy Your Favorite Cook for the Holidays: 2005 Buyers’ Guide

Wednesday, September 6th, 2006

This year we tested out an awful lot of cookware and cookbooks, both items sent to us for review and things we own ourselves. I thought I’d summarize some of my highest recommendations here to help you figure out what to get your favorite cook for the holidays. All recommendations include a link to a full review for more information!

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