Today Dishing: Holiday Gift Guide for the Foodie

With Christmas getting too close for comfort, over the next couple weeks I will offer gift lists for specific demographics. Todays gift ideas are for the “the Foodie” in your life.

In that most “Foodies” enjoy a good wine or craft beer, membership to a wine or beer club makes an excellent gift. Memberships tend to be pricey therefore a special bottle of wine might be a better choice and is a treat.

A myriad of special wines exist but these are among  my favorite special wines.

Cabernets: JORDAN, FAUST, GROTH, STAGS LEAP
                                   

Sparkling or Champagnes: MOET & CHANDON, VEUVE CLICQUOT YELLOW LABEL



Pinot Noir: BELLE GLOS
                                            

Sauvignon Blanc: KIM CRAWFORD
                                                                  
I would enjoy any one of these lovelies. These are in “the special” category but with a doable price point. There are certainly other great wines over this price point.  Trust yourself and what you know about the person you are buying for.

Buying Tip: Many liquor stores as well as Jewel and Dominick’s  give discounts on multiple bottle purchases. When I am buying the $60 bottle I include it in a “mix-and match” dozen bottles which gets me 15% off at Kenwood Liquors.  Binny’s discounts 5% on a dozen bottles. Jewel and Dominick’s discounts on purchases of 6 or more bottles.

Because Foodies love to eat out, gift cards to restaurants are not impersonal and are appreciated gifts. Either select  a gift card to a restaurant the person frequents or pick a special  occasion place. This time of year many restaurants offer incentives for gift card purchases.  Check out  the restaurant online to  discover what incentives are offer.

The Foodie might enjoy a selection of cheeses. These stores carry a vast selection of cheese: Standard Market; Mariano’s; Whole Foods. Also check out Harry and David online. They offer lots of gift boxes at a wide range of prices.

Please don’t forget about chocolate. These days all good chocolate is an indulgence. Personally, I choose Fannie May over Godiva everyday. I am secure enough as a chocoholic to say that. So don’t shy away from Fannie May. For me, the darker the chocolate, the better but that doesn’t apply to everyone. Never feel a box of chocolates is a cop out.

The best advice  I can give about buying a gift for a Foodie is know your Foodie. Most of us would  love a really good bottle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar. William Sonoma and The Olive Tap are both good sources for these.

If your Foodie is also a cook, a good pair of kitchen shears makes a fabulous gift. Mine are Cutco and I know I couldn’t function long without them.

These are a few ideas I hope help you select a gift you will be proud giving to the Foodie in your life.

Today Dishing: Appetizers, Tortellini Skewers, Smoked Salmon Bagel Bites

 The holiday season is upon us with 2 1/2 weeks until Thanksgiving and, believe it or not, only 6  weekends until Christmas.

An abundant amount of shopping, decorating, baking and cooking  needs to be done before you ring in the new year January 1.   For the next several weeks I will showcase gift ideas, decor hints and recipes to assist you through this fun but exhausting season.

You may be asked to provide an appetizer for a holiday gathering. Do we ever have enough good appetizer recipes? Here are two that receive rave reviews.

TORTELLINI SKEWERS

Ingredients

1 package cheese tortellini
1/2 lb. thinly sliced genoa salami
1 large bottle large stuffed green olives
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
1 package 6 inch wooden skewers

Directions

Cook tortellini as directed on package. Cool slightly.
Cut salami slices in half.
Combine tortellini, salami and  drained olives in a large bowl.
Cover all with  salad dressing.
Cover bowl and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Assembly

Fold the salami in half to slide onto skewer so that the salami goes through the skewer twice.
Add the olive and finish the skewer with the tortellini.
                                                        
Presentation

Let you imagination guide you. You’ll want to keep the handle of the skewers dry and clean for easy handling so stacking them is not a good idea.

                                                         

These skewers are ‘STUCK’  into a head of lettuce cut in half. It makes for an attractive presentation and the skewers are easily removed.



SMOKED SALMON BAGEL BITES

Ingredients

Bagels- You get 8 bites from each bagel. The number of bagels is dictated by how many bites you want
Cream Cheese- 1 8oz pkg. produces about 32 bites
Smoked Salmon-2 (4oz) pkg. will be enough for 45 bites
1 med. red onion, sliced very thin
1 small jar capers
Juice of one lemon

Directions

Slice bagels in half and toast lightly.
Cut each bagel half into quarters.
Spread cream cheese onto each bagel piece.
Top cream cheese with a small slice of salmon.
Top salmon with small piece of sliced red onion and capers.
Drizzle lemon juice over each bite to taste.
                                    
                                        
These are cute and delicious. Enjoy!.