The holiday season is here, and gift giving ideas abound! Television commercials and newspaper ads bombard us with the “best” gift(s) to buy.  If you need some inspiration for gift giving, here are some ideas centered around food, nutrition, and the kitchen:

Here are some kitchen essential inspired gifts:

• A grinder – versatile kitchen gadget for grinding flavorful spices, grains, and, of course, coffee!
• A basic chef’s /French  knife -  Blade is generally 8 to 12 inches – a good all-purpose knife for  chopping, slicing, and mincing
• A zester – Compared to graters, zesters are slender with small, razor edged holes.  Zesters make  very fine cuts; great for grating whole spices, citrus rind, coconut, and cheese
• Nice cutting board -- a durable, easy to clean cutting board is essential in any kitchen and can be found in any kitchen supply store. Use it whenever cutting with sharp knives, such as the chef's knife.
• Ramekins-- these multi-purpose dishes can serve as bakingware for mini bread puddings all the way to holding butter or a soupy side dish. They are also great for portion control, and it doesn't hurt that they are stylish too and come in an array of colors!

Another tip for cooking and gifting during the holidays is to make homemade edible gifts - gather a few friends/family members to help make healthier baked goods – check out these web sites for healthier recipes:

• http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes
• http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/
• Place in a decorative container and attach the recipe to share – it may become a new holiday fave!

Check out the DAHLC cooking classes to see these kitchen essentials: https://dahlc.mayoclinic.org/hubcap/culinary-classes/

Here’s to eating well this holiday season!

Margaret

Tags: Uncategorized