The Ultimate Fun Foodie-Friendly Gift List

 

All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey

I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier every year. Because of this, I feel we lose track of time a little easier. One minute you're complaining about the neighbour across the road with their tree up November 1, then the next you're fighting your way through crowds December 20th, wondering where the time went, desperately searching for those 'last few items' on your list. And let's be honest with ourselves, those 'last few items' are never as 'few' as you thought they were!

So with December 1st just days away, I feel it's necessary to remind you all that if you haven’t already, now is the time to tackle your Christmas shopping! Lucky for you, I just happen to have compiled a list of pretty wicked foodie-themed gifts.  There’s not a person I know, foodie or no, that wouldn’t love at least one item on this list. So have at ‘er and happy hunting! I hope you find some great ideas ;)

Oh and have a listen to Mariah as you browse, one can't Christmas shop without Christmas music, am I right?

Stip T's - Sesame and Coconut Crusted Turkey Strips

When I was a kid, the only thing I ever ordered anywhere I went was chicken fingers and fries. The Monkey Finger Platter was a favourite of mine at Jungle Jim's, and classic 'Bay' chicken finger platters would make my day! I kid you not. Now that I'm older, and am exploring new foods and dishes, chicken fingers and fries are a rarity. With that said, when I do get a craving for chicken finger deliciousness, I follow this recipe. Some of the best fingers I've had! Highly recommended as a healthier alternative to the deep fried version. Love the toasted coconut! Thanks again to Looneyspoons for another AMAZING recipe. Can't praise them enough!

Strip T's & 'All That Jasmine' Rice, another Looneyspoon's recipe.

Apple-Blueberry Crunch

Bliss

After a meal of soup failure - by failure, I mean a soup that tasted like nothingness, with rice that literally sucked the remaining pot liquor dry (didn't even know that was possible)?! - I was left with a tremendous need to redeem/comfort myself with deliciousness.

Enter Crunch. One of my all-time favourite desserts. It's sweet, delicious, a bit 'crunch'-y and oh-so-satisfying, especially after a savoury meal (or a failed one in this case). Like many of my recipes, this was a favourite growing up. Typically, we would have either blueberry or apple crunch, but last week, with both on hand, I stared destiny in the face and created my new favourite version, Apple-Blueberry!

Fish 'n' Brewis

It doesn't look like much, ladies and gentlemen, but don't let this picture fool you, behold the deliciousness that is Fish 'n' Brewis. 'What is this masterpiece?' you ask? Well my friends, it's a very simple, very delicious, combination of 3 ingredients: Codfish, Hard Bread, and Scrunchions a.k.a. tiny fried pieces of pork fat. Next to Jigs Dinner, this is the quintessential Newfoundland food.

Now, I will admit, like most Newfoundland dishes, there are a few varieties. Some people like to mash potato into the mix, or substitute the scrunchions with fried onions (a much healthier alternative). There's also some discrepancies in the naming, I like to call the above fish 'n' brewis, while my husband and his family refer to it as Fisherman's Brewis and call Fish 'n' brewis a decomposed version of the dish served with potatoes. Either way, this is what comes to mind when I hear the words fish 'n' brewis, it is the best, and my favourite way to eat it... not that I'd turn down the other stuff ;)

November Food Challenge *Updated*

As I've mentioned before, I've really only started exploring new foods and flavours over the past few years. This means, there is still so much left for me to try! Over the summer, I crossed 10 new foods off my Food List Challenge, plus several more items not even on that list. Since giving myself a deadline was so successful, I figure it's time for another one. This time, the goal is a little more specific - I must try a minimum of 3 new foods, and attempt cooking 2 new dishes that I've never cooked before! Below is this month's proposal. Wish me luck people, I'm late starting so there's less than 4 weeks left!

November Foods to Try

1) Fish Tacos 

Photo Source

What to do with leftover Halloween Chocolates?!

It doesn't say much for me, that my husband came home to an empty cauldron of treats and assumed without a doubt that I ate them all... it's not like there were 5 missing... there were like 40 or more gone! lol

In the meantime, he was relieved to find out I hadn't fully lost my will, and was pretty impressed at what I had come up with! So without further ado, I present to you the discovery of the century, the realization that will rock your world! The solution that will prevent you from munching yourself into tight-fitting-used-to-fit-perfect-pants, the answer to the age-old question 'What do I do with all of these leftover treats?!'