Last-Minute Gifts for the Foodies

My favorite thing to give this time of year is food. It's easy, everyone appreciates it and, of course, it is delicious! Here are a few things I am giving this year:

1. Traditional Italian Housewarming Gift–My friend recently purchased a home so this is a holiday gift on top of a housewarming present. There are several versions of this gift but my favorite things to include are wine, bread, olive oil, and salt. Bread represents "You will never go hungry," olive oil represents "Health and Light," wine represents "You will never go thirsty," and, lastly, salt which represents "Life's tears."

This is a thoughtful gift and who doesn't like great bread, wine, and olive oil? I typically purchase great breads from Carlino's Market in Ardmore and West Chester, along with the olive oil as well. Carlino's now has an olive oil bar with many infused oils. Their olives also come from Casoli, Italy, which is where my family lives!

2. Wine–Who doesn't love wine? I love to give local wines. Chaddsford Winery and Kreutz Creek Winery are two local fantastic wines. Chaddsford wines can be purchased at the local state store as well as the Springfield Mall and Exton Mall. Kreutz Creek winery has a tasting room and a store on West Gay Street in West Chester. Additionally, I am really into giving ports. Not many people think to purchase a port but it is nice to have in your house as an after-dinner aperitif. My favorite port right now is called Ruby K Port from Kreutz Creek. It is infused with dark chocolate and cherries. Can you say indulgent?

3. Liquor–I fancy myself a gin connoisseur. Gin is back! Many are lacking a great gin in their liquor cabinet. My favorites are Tanqueray and Bombay Sapphire.

4. "Of the Month's"–Sounds tacky, right? Wrong. Whenever I talk about giving an "Of the Month," my husband loves to quote National Lampoon's Christmas
Vacation: "He gave me a membership to the Jelly of the Month Club." Hilarious, but who wouldn't want a great gift to come to their door each month! Right now I am looking at Igourmet.com which offers some great, really affordable monthly clubs. Coffee of the Month starts at $59 for three months.

5. Panettone–Fruit cake is typically viewed as the cheap way out of a holiday present. This is wrong on so many levels. Panettone is the Italian version of the typical American fruit cake. It is very flavorful and contains citrus fruits and a distinctive anise flavor which is typical in most Italian desserts. It is delicious. Every year, I purchase tiny versions of the typical larger cakes at in Newtown Square and give them as gifts.

6. Wine glasses–I recently purchased a set of stemless wine glasses for a friend’s wedding shower and fell in love with them. I decided to get them for everyone on my list because they are super cute, trendy, and practical. I found a set of eight at Crate & Barrel for $19.95.

7. Charitable Food Gifts–For the friend who has everything, why not buy something for someone in need. OXFAM.org has several food gifts for families in need. You can buy a goat for $50! Per the OXFAM site: "A hardy goat is the gift of
sustainability, which means fertilizer and food for families—especially those
living in areas that cannot support less durable critters."

All in all, I hope your holidays are joyous and beautiful. This year I am asking for nothing but wonderful times with family and friends.

I will leave you with a quote from my Nonna, "Non ci ricordiamo dei giorni, noi ci ricordiamo dei momenti."

We do not remember days, we remember moments.

Happy Holidays, Buon Natale, and Happy New Year!