gift guide week starts NOW!!!
starting with the chefs/entertainers + cozy gifts
Hi and welcome to day one of the What to Cook holiday gift guide bonanza!!
The first night of Hanukkah and Christmas line up for the first time in 19 years, AKA it’s a Chrismukkah! In the year of Hot Rabbi, this feels almost too good to be true.
Every day this week, I’ll be sharing a couple of (highly vetted!) gift guides to help make holiday shopping for the people in your life be as easy and special as possible. Our team has spent a lot of time surfing the web, discovering small businesses, compiling gifts that we’ve bought and received (and loved!) ourselves over the years, trying things on in stores, and then editing those lists down to the best of the best and collecting as many discount codes as we could!
Here is the full list of gift guides headed your way this week:
Monday (today!): Gifts for the Chef or Entertainer In Your Life + Cozy Gifts
Tuesday: Really Great Gifts Under $30 + The Gift Guide to Forward to Your SO (or Your Mom!), AKA Pricier Gifts
Wednesday: Chic Gifts for the Ladies + Cool Gifts for Guys
Thursday: Kids 0-3 // Kids 4-6
Friday: Stocking Stuffers That Aren’t Just Dumb Stuff That Will Clutter Your House!!! For Women, Men, and Kids
Earlywood cooking utensils. I’ve eliminated almost all plastic tools from my kitchen, and these Earlywood spatulas are the absolute greatest. You’ve seen me cooking with them for years, and I’ve added so many Earlywood products to my collection since I first discovered the spatula set. The short spoon (pictured in the collage!) is one of my favorite serving spoons, and I feel so dang cool serving soup with this wooden ladle! Basically — start with the spatulas, but take a peek at all of their other gorgeous things, too.
Code CARO10 for 10% off
Kosterina olive oils + balsamic vinegars. I love gifting olive oil and balsamic, you can never have too much! Three ideas for you:
The Dipping Duo is a wonderful $55-range gift
The large set would be truly epic to receive for a $139-range gift
Or, the large set is a better price per bottle than buying individually, so you could buy that and gift individual bottles with a cute bow around them as teacher gifts, neighbor gifts, hostess gifts for any holiday parties you attend (so much cooler than another bottle of wine!), etc.
Code CARO15 for 15% off
Made In Carbon Steel Skillets. This is the set of skillets I use most in my kitchen. One Christmas I got everyone in my family a new set of MadeIn skillets and I was the queen of Christmas! New pans are such a treat. Instead of the set, you could also buy them just one (I'd go 12-inch) carbon steel skillet. If you're not familiar with carbon steel skillets, they are similar to cast iron skillets, but are much lighter weight and easier to use.
Code CARO will give you 15-20% off when there isn’t another sale going on!
A gift subscription to this newsletter because, duh! You can buy it now and schedule it so that your loved one receives the first email on the date of your choice (Christmas Day, etc.). If you’d like something to print and leave under the tree, click here!
This big ass salad bowl from Quince. I've given this bowl as a gift several times over the past year and it's such a showstopper. It's a huge, dramatic gift... but still a great price point.
Code: INFP-CARO10 for 10% off
Dalkin & Co spice blends. I am obsessed with these spice blends. They make cooking delicious meals so much easier.
CODE: CAROLINE10 for 10% off
Monogrammed napkins. Anything monogrammed is automatically a winner of a gift because it took so much time and foresight and it shows. I am a cloth napkin person — we use them at every meal! I really like the block shadow, Carson, and Madison styles.
A subscription to Cherry Bombe. I have loved Cherry Bombe since I was just starting out in the food world. It's a publication entirely dedicated to telling the stories of women in the food space — so beautiful and inspirational.
Hannah Myers martini magnet. A perfect whimsy gift for the martini lover in your life. I'm also obsessed with this mug by the same artist.
The Little Sesame Entertainer Pack. I am in LOVE with this hummus company and I can’t stop talking about it. They sent me this holiday entertaining pack and my mom and I lost our minds over it. The pita stays good in the fridge for up to 10 days and is the best pita I’ve ever had. I love Figlia for mocktails. And the chocolate bar was truly the best chocolate bar Crash and I have ever tasted! We were freaking out. If you need a fun original gift to send to someone (especially someone who is hosting this holiday season) this is such a great one! It’s a delight to unpack and even more of a delight to share and eat!
Code CAROLINE15 for 15% off
Susan Gordon Melamine Platter. A lot of melamine dishware is really brightly colored and over the top, so when I saw this melamine line that is styled after Susan Gordon's signature wavy ceramics line, I knew I needed it! Perfect for entertaining with kids, or outdoors by the pool! They also have really pretty bowls, platters, plates, etc.
It’s the Question Game. I love "table talk," where the whole table chats together instead of breaking off into tons of individual convos. This card game helps get it flowing!
Salt pig. I keep my kosher salt in this salt pig, right beside the stove for easy pinching!
Quince Oversized Cashmere Sweater. Affordable cashmere!! I now own this sweater in black (as seen in the collage), brown (above), and oatmeal. The brown is my fave! I think I’ve had Quince sweaters on my gift guides for three years running, they’re just so good. This oversized sweater is my new favorite for gifting because the oversized fit makes it easier to get the sizing right. I have a small and a medium and I love the fit of both. Side note: I’ve given it in one size up to two newly postpartum friends lately and they were so grateful to have a fancy sweater that fit their current body! Also, while you’re on the Quince site shopping, get yourself a pair of clogs!
Code INFP-CARO10 for 10% off
Lake DreamModal Ribbon Long-Long Set in Conifer. I’ve loved LAKE’s Pima pajamas for years, but I recently discovered their DreamModal fabric and I can’t get over them! Lake PJs are my go-to birthday/new mom/thank-you gift… actually, they’re my go-to everything gift. I’ve gifted them to basically every single woman in my life! True to size!
Code CAROLINExLAKE for 10% off
Dudley Stephens Astrid puffer. I’m new to this brand and keep grabbing more and more of their chic outdoor wear. The puffer is really versatile — I can wear it with jeans and look pulled together, or with leggings and look sporty.
Code CAROLINEC25 for 25% off (if there’s a sale running on their site, the code won’t work!)
Dudley Stephens Hooded Palomino Pullover in Sherpa. I also get so many compliments on this fleece! It’s a lovely butt-covering length and runs true to size!
Code CAROLINEC25 for 25% off (if there’s a sale running on their site, the code won’t work!)
Quince waffle robe. I love, love, love this waffle robe. I have it in the dark grey and it never gets dingy — I've owned it for years.
Code INFP-CARO10 for 10% off
Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff. This is my fave smart romance book of the year, and it's a really quick read! Would be cute to gift a book with a reading light (you’ll see that later this week in the under $30 guide!).
Rothy’s clogs. Molly and I went to the Rothy's store in New York and tried on so many different pairs and left with a LOT of new shoes. The clog is SO COMFY. My best friend was here this weekend and tried to steal them. If you're between sizes, size down! They don't do half sizes in the clog. I love all the styles but the gal in the store was wearing these (teak herringbone) and I dig ‘em.
Sapin Diptyque candle. Truly the most perfect holiday candle and scent of all time. My friend Lexie gives it to everyone on her list every year.
Levain cookies. I've gifted — and been gifted — Levain cookies more times than I can count. A really, really special and delightful present! Think your gift recipient would rather bake their own cookies instead? I love
’ new book, Zoe Bakes Cookies, so, so much. Pairing it with my fave cookie sheet would be a cute move.
The Cabin Beanie. I need this beanie! There are three colorways and they're all really cute. I'm also into this cashmere beanie (at a lower price point).
Quiet Your Mind and Busy Your Hands journal. Gratitude journaling is a proven practice to help quiet your mind. I do it before bed! This journal has a space for gratitude journaling, plus illustrations for coloring to help busy your hands!
Chappy wrap. I've had these blankets around the house for years and keep a box of them for gifting! I love the one photographed here but there are so many great styles.
Code CARO15 for 15% off
Did you find anything in these guides to help you start checking off your list? What are you getting? Who are you getting it for?!
To organize my gifting, I create an iPhone note with a chart in it like this. Don’t look, family!! Seriously if you’re related to me don’t peek, I’m too lazy to delete everything I’ve already filled in!
How do you stay organized for gifting? Do you give the same gift to a certain group of people every year? My parents’ best friends give everyone on their list a 5-pound block of Cuba Cheese every Christmas (it’s so good omg). My uncle Rocky sends everyone a pecan pie. My cousin Lexie sends tamales! My friend Lexie does the Diptyque candle I linked above. It’s so smart to come up with one thing and sent it to everyone!
See you tomorrow for the next two guides!
Thank you and your whole team for the work that went into this! Love it. ❤️
re: gift organization— i have a google spreadsheet that i add a new tab to each year. that way i can look back and see what i've given family/friends in the past. or, i get ideas from it, what did i give my 3 year old nephew?? because now i have another one and feel stuck! i also track spending on it to keep myself in my budget.