Mary Mammoliti

December 16, 2022

Gift Guide, Holiday, LocalFoodieFinds

Gift Guide: 2022 Foodie Gift Guide

Mary Mammoliti

December 16, 2022

Gift Guide, Holiday, LocalFoodieFinds

2022 Foodie Gift Guide

Finding the perfect Christmas gift for that foodie in your life is hard. How do you start? Where do you go? So if you listened to my segment on AMI’s Kelly and Ramya Show I shared my gift choices for that foodie in your life, this holiday season and included the shop links below.

Eataly

4 small jars in a row with boxed of food, a box of spaghetti and a bottle of olive oil

Let me begin with a delicious basket from Eataly. Bring the fresh and delicious taste of Italy home! The Trip to Eataly Gift Box features delicious Italian goods like pasta, olive oil, jam, cookies, and more. There are plenty of gift boxes to choose from. And to make it even better, they can be ordered online and delivered across the country. Where: Eataly Website

BASKiTS

Then there’s the ultimate snack box that anyone would love to receive. Baskits Inc has a really special Sleigh Gift Basket that’s filled with gourmet goodies perfect for someone with a sweet tooth. This box is in the shape of a wooden sleigh, handcrafted to perfection. You can expect treats like gingerbread chocolate, maple crunch shortbread, almond cookies, salted caramel truffles, a keepsake wooden nutcracker, and much more. Orders for this basket can be placed online. Where: Baskits Inc. Website

David’s Tea

David’s Tea Holiday Wheel. When you can’t pick just one, try them all! David’s Tea has a special holiday wheel that features the best-selling festive teas. Expect Candy Cane Crush, Cinnamon Rooibos Chai, Hazelnut Chocolate, Orange Spice, Peppermint Amour, Pomegrateful, Salted Caramel Oolong, Santa’s Secret, Silent Night, Sleigh Ride, Sugar Pear Fairy, and Winter Earl Grey. The box comes with three sachets each, 36 sachets in total. Where: David’s Tea Website

Nibbl

Well, if you really want to show someone you care, a massive box of the finest cheeses is the only way to do so. Nibbl Cheese gift boxes, offers five carefully selected cheeses, fruity spreads, and artisanal crackers. It apparently serves six to seven people but if you’re on a mission, you and two other friends could probably dominate it. Where: Nibbl. website

Raven Rising

9 handmade colourful round chocolate bon bons

For the chocolate lover, make it local. Chocolates at Raven Rising use traditional Indigenous ingredients sourced by Indigenous peoples and businesses. A portion of the proceeds are donated to various societies and Residential School organizations. Raven Rising is located in Sudbury but ships nationally. Where: Order online at ravenrising.ca

Wine Club Canada

Six bottles of wine in a row. Three red wine and 3 white wine.

Wine Club Canada offers wine memberships for the lover of all things wine. The process is pretty customizable with the option to choose two, three, six, or 12 bottles to send a month. And you can decide how long you’d like your special someone to get their subscription. A month, three, or a year. Where: wineclub.ca

Momofuku

Momofuku Noodle Gift Bundle. Spice up their cooking game with Momofuku Goods’ Home Essentials Pack. This pack includes Soy & Scallion Noodles, Spicy Soy Noodles, Tingly Chili Wavy Noodles, Savory Seasoned Salt, Spicy Seasoned Salt, Tingly Seasoned Salt, Chili Crunch Hot Honey, and so much more. Really. It’s only available for a limited time during this holiday season so sign up for notifications to find out when the pack is released. Where: canadashop.momofuku.com

Two Brewers

For the whisky lover on your list. Class up any home bar with this bold single-malt whisky made by Two Brewers in the Yukon. Where: Two Brewers Website

Jamie Cooks Italy

The Italian-food lover (or anyone for that matter) on your list will absolutely adore Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook featuring a mix of simple everyday dishes, slow-cooking meals and familiar classics.
Jamie Cooks Italy. Where: Amazon

Wendell Estate Honey

Fresh from the Prairies, Creamed Raw Prairie Honey. This raw white honey is luxuriously smooth and creamy. It's best enjoyed by the spoonful or spread on sourdough toast. Where: Wendell Estate Honey Website

Baggu

brown rectangle canvas bag with a shoulder strap and handles

Baggu - This reusable shopper tote is made of ripstop nylon with thick handles, perfect for hauling practically anything. Holds 50 lbs., 2-3 plastic grocery bags’ worth of stuff and folds into a flat 5” x 5” pouch. Now made from 40% recycled nylon sourced from pre-consumer waste! Fashionable and environmentally friendly. Where: Well.ca Website

Yeti

Yeti Travel Mug - YETI's Rambler® 20 oz. is made from durable stainless steel with double-wall vacuum insulation to protect your hot or cold beverage at all costs. While the magnet on the included MagSlider™ Lid adds an additional barrier of protection for keeping drinks contained and preventing heat or cold from escaping. Where: Amazon

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays! XOXO

Mary Mammoliti

February 14, 2020

Gift Guide, Holiday, Holiday Recipes, Rants

Rant: Last Minute Valentine's Day Ideas

Mary Mammoliti

February 14, 2020

Gift Guide, Holiday, Holiday Recipes, Rants

Chocolates are delicious and flowers are sweet but why not change things up this Valentines day with an edible arrangement? Nothing says love like your favourite food. I've rounded up a few you can DIY.

Donut Bouquet

To make a DIY Donut Bouquet, you'll need: donut holes or donuts, wood skewers, tissue paper, chocolate chips, and ribbon. ...

Steps:

Insert skewers into the donut holes. …
when using soft donuts you will have to dip one end of the wooden skewer into the melted chocolate (white chocolate) poke it into the bottom of the donut and let dry (harden)
Arrange the donuts into a bouquet, and secure in place with an elastic.
Wrap the bouquet in tissue paper.
Tie a ribbon around the base of the flowers. ...
That's it!

Cookie Bouquet

Not an original idea but you can always joosh it up with a favourite cookie and the recipe or a cookie that's been in the family for decades.

Bacon Bouquet

Can hold up unrefrigerated for a while and rolled bacon speaks to me on so many levels. Basically bacon roses are the gift that keeps on giving.

What you'll need:

1 pack thick cut bacon, 1 bunch fake roses, toothpicks

Steps:

Tear off all the petals of the rose until you're left with the stem. Try and expose as much of the centre stem/wire for the bacon roll to sit on.
Take a strip of bacon and start at one end and roll it up tightly to form a rosette and secure it with two toothpicks as close to the bottom of one end to form an X with the toothpicks. Repeat with all the bacon and place them on top of a wire rack on top of a foil lined rimmed baking tray.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-55 minutes. Allow to cool and place it onto a stem and repeat until the whole bunch is complete.

Beer Bouquet

What you’ll need:

Six bottles of their favourite bottled beer, an ice bucket or burlap drawstring sack, bottle opener, tissue paper and ribbon.

Steps:

Place the bottles into the ice bucket, wrap the tissue around the ice bucket and keep it in place by tying a ribbon around it wit a bottle opener tied into the bow.

Fruit Bouquets

They’ve been around for a while, can be delivered and if you like fruit this is the perfect gift for you. Fruit on a stick in the shape of flowers (use cookie cutters), cantaloupe spears and chocolate covered strawberries are cute and perfect for the health conscious valentine gift but if originality is your thing this is not it. This can be ordered online or phone from Edible Arrangements. If making at home you don't have to get too fancy but cut up your fruit, spear the fruit with wooden sticks (kabob sticks work), florist sponge placed inside a flowerpot and begin poking the fruit skewers into the floral sponge to create your bouquet.

Inexpensive DIY Candy Bouquet - Dollar Store Finds:

What you’ll need:

A small square box, bag of marbles or floral pebbles, floral foam block, 3 sheets of coloured tissue paper, wooden skewer sticks, 1 bag of chocolate bars, hot glue gun, and a heart ballon of your choice.

Steps:

Place the bag of marbles in the bottom of the box to weigh it down. Layer the tissue paper onto of one another turning slightly with each one, place the floral foam in the centre and wrap the tissue around it and place it inside the box allowing the tissue to peek out of he top and spill over the sides of the box leaving the floral foam exposed.
Take one chocolate bar and lay a line of hot glue down the centre of the chocolate bar and place the skewer stick on top of the hot glue.
insert the balloon into the centre of the floral foam and begin to fill it in with all the chocolates.
That’s it!