I Think They're Onto Us...

You know how some people are simply impossible to shop for?  Perhaps they don't have any strong interests or hobbies, or they are fortunate enough to have the latest and greatest of everything.  I find it especially frustrating when someone says to me, "Oh, you don't need to get me anything; I already have everything I need." - especially when it's voiced in that condescending, poor-thing-you-still-define-yourself-by-your-possessions way.

Last time I checked, one of the joys of giving people presents is in giving them something they want, not necessarily something they need.  I think that everyone could think of at least a few things that would be pretty darn cool to have.  Yes, I would be able to leave a perfectly happy life even if I didn't own the complete "Friends" collection, but it's pretty cool being able to pop on a DVD whenever I want.  That's what I'm talking about.

Luckily, the Sous Chef and I pose no such problem to people looking to give us gifts.  Apparently, we're becoming easier and easier to figure out.  Here's a sampling of what we got for Christmas this year:

Notice a theme?  That's right, food.  I think they're onto us.  I'm happy that people know us well enough to be able to find fun things for us to use.  Here's a list of where you can find some of the above-pictured goodies:

• The Flavor Bible - A great resource for learning how to form interesting and complimentary flavor combinations.  Available here.
• The Spice Lab Gourmet Salt Collection - Funny story: When opening presents with the Sous Chef's family this year, his brother opened our gift - a collection of salts on a cool black box.  He laughed and told us we had to open our present from him immediately.  Sure enough, it was these salts, from The Spice Lab.  These brothers, who have fond memories of eating salty snacks like Cheez-Its, have apparently kicked it up a notch in adulthood.
• Flower Apron - You all know how big I am on aprons.  I have special aprons I wear only during Christmas, and I'm always on the lookout for more.  The Sous Chef says that at this rate, we're going to need a closet just for my aprons.  I don't see why that's a problem.  You can find the flowered one above here at Sur la Table.
• Intercourses - I wanted this book as soon as I saw the punny title.  I'm sure you've already guessed what it's about - food as an aphrodisiac.  It's loaded with beautiful pictures and some great recipes.  Find it here.
• Kitty Measuring Cups - I love cats and I love baking, so these were a natural gift for me.  I actually squealed with delight when I opened the package, much to the gift-giver's pleasure.  You can purr-chase them here.
• VOLT ink - This ended up being the gift that kept on giving.  You all know about my 30th birthday brunch at VOLT, Bryan Voltaggio's restaurant, and how I had the honor of getting my picture taken with him.  Well, my dad got me Bryan's new book, and when I opened it, look what I found:

My dad went to a book signing and had Bryan not only sign the book, but the picture of us together as well!  Now I have my first celebrity chef autograph, ready to go up on my kitchen wall.  Plus, I get to put on my new apron and experiment with making things like a Top Chef contestant.  You can find the book for yourself here.

The holidays - where it pays to be predictable.

Eat (and shop) well.