Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Christmas Foodie Gifts for the Food Challenged


Before I had my own food allergy issues and other diet related concerns,  I didn't think about food gifts beyond sending Southern Season baskets to my friends and family, especially those who moved up north and couldn't find the great regional specialities the South has to offer.

Most folks have to order online but I am close enough to make a road trip to Chapel Hill, NC and walk around in awe of this store that has everything for the gourmet, the chef, the child in everyone. Their selection is so large and diverse that I've been able to find things there I can't find anywhere else. Walking through the aisles gives me cooking inspiration and options for getting out of the GF and corn-free rut.

Southern Season is also the perfect inspiration for coming up with gifts for those who love food but sometimes food doesn't love them back.

Here's a sample in the aisles of this huge store:

Hard to find gluten-free snacks like Brussels sprout bites!

Every kind of hot sauce, barbecue sauce and any other sauce known and unknown to man!


Everything from gorgeous Christmas dishes to...


Yep, duck fat caramels!


We all don't have a Southern Season near by to help us shop for foodie gifts for the food challenged. But never fear, there are plenty of options thanks to on-line shopping, expanding speciality aisles at local grocery stores, and general awareness about food allergies and health issues.

Here are my tips for gift shopping for food challenged foodies:

Give food related gifts that have meaning.  ManO knew my favorite eggnog glass was fading away to nothing but glass so he searched online for the decades old Dairy Queen give away. Jackpot. My kids found NC State Howling Moo eggnog for me, only to discover it had corn syrup after they gave it to me.   They went on campus during finals, with all that traffic, to seek it out and were so excited, they didn't check  the ingredients. No worries, I can make do with organic cane sweetened nog. But I was really touched they went to all the effort. Such a great family!      

The original Dairy Queen glass is on the left!


Give kitchen gifts that make cooking fun again.   It can be stressful to have to relearn recipes or make sure a meal is "clean." My daughter gave me a cutting board that I could use for my blog. It made me laugh. What a daughter! Colorful mixing cups, an apron, sharp knives....the list is endless.

I had a dachshund growing up. Now I have a wooden one.
 
Give blank cook books: As much as I love allrecipes.com and the Food Network, if I adapt a recipe and don't write it down, it'll disappear. So I bought a lovely recipe book filled with blank pages. It has become my go-to holiday cookbook because my favorite new recipes are in one spot.



Give ingredients:  Let's face it. Living with allergies or food issues is not cheap. Most folks with food allergies often just do without rather than spend the money.  A bag of GF baking mix, spices that turn ground pork into pure breakfast sausage, organic ingredients for soup, all put in a gift box with a recipe or two make a thoughtful gift.    


 So, do you have a favorite foodie store you like to visit in person or on-line? Have you received a food related gift you loved and what made it great?  Have you given a food related gift that was a hit?

13 comments:

  1. What fun advice! Other than Finn's milk allergy, we have no food-challenges, but that doesn't stop me from loving cool stuff for the kitchen... starting with the Ninja Prep (TINA'S FAULT!!!!) that arrived yesterday!

    I love playing in the kitchen, and I have an arsenal of fun gadgets to use so that's a playground of the highest order! How cool that Marty bought you those glasses. So stinkin' cute! That's the kind of thoughtfulness that gets a guy a romance hero gig. Well done, Man O!

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    1. Truly, I could load up on fun kitchen stuff here so easily. And ManO is a keeper for sure!

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  2. That place is like fairyland. Whenever I would come and visit you, I would want to go to Southern Season. Take care of yourself!

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    1. Yes, it is and I just showed a snippet. I didn't cover the cheese, the chocolate, the wines, the gift baskets.

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  3. Seriously? Duck fat caramels???? Who thought that one up? LOL. My daughter has a number of allergies or sensitivities -- dairy, nuts, wheat, corn are the major ones, though we're lucky in that we can bake with spelt bread. But, oh my goodness, the number of things corn is in would boggle your mind!

    Our city just got a Whole Foods Market which is a gigantic grocery store chain from the US that has a lot for the vegetarian foodie as well as lots of alternatives for those with allergies. I haven't been yet, but I hope to soon. It's right downtown and since I don't have a car it will be kind of awkward getting things home.

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    1. Kav, Whole Foods is a lifesaver for folks with allergies. You will love it. It's worth the effort.

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  4. Julie, I have to say that the GF pecan pumpkin mix I got from Williams-Sonoma was SO good that I'll be looking for more from them. I went online to order more to stock up, but they were already out of stock. I may have to make a trip to the mall to see if I can get my hands on more.

    I would love to visit your Southern Season!! That looks amazing. I could probably spend a week in there!

    BTW, how are you feeling??

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    1. It's amazing what we can find out there, isn't it?

      Thanks for asking. I just woke up from a long almost winter's nap. So that's improvement.

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  5. That store looks like the kind I could get lost in!

    And I'd try the duck fat caramels. At least one!

    I haven't found any foodie stores around here. So when we travel I hit Williams-Sonoma and other mall stores, and ALWAYS fit in a trip to E&S in Shipshewana, Indiana. It isn't really a foodie store, but they have everything. :)

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    1. I've heard of E and S! I am sure the E stands for everything!

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  6. Want to go there! Used to have a world market near me but it closed. It was just big enough to spend a few hours. Like sur le table and Williams and sonoma but have to remind myself when I go that I dont drink coffee so dont need a fancy coffee thingy and that at most I've had one friend eat at my house one time since me parents passed 3 yrs ago...and that I have no reason to decorate a cake...dangerous places. Whole foods is nice but pricey..they have an awesome tea selection as does world market..
    susanna

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    1. Dangerous places indeed! I can stand in front of the towels at Sur La Table for far too long!

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    2. I sorta snapped out of my trance when my friend with me caught me eyeing this kit for curing my own bacon..I buy maybe 8 packages of bacon a year - MAYBE - sometimes not even that much! but those coffee makers are so neat looking - wasn't the keurig but something else sorta like it only bigger and shinier
      Susanna who also loves the towels and aprons there

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