What food/cooking items did you get for Christmas?

[Rodzilla]

gifts to yourself count too :)

[rHairing]

An assortment of oils and vinegars from The Filling Station
Lodge cast iron dutch oven. I'm exploring no knead bread but I am thinking it will rock for my Woohoo Downton Abbey is Back Braised Lamb Shanks .

[CanadaGirl]

Sodasteam <3 <3

[swamp]

National Cornbread Cook-off Cookbook
Lodge cast iron fish cornbread pan
Jalapeno Cornbread mix from South Texas Milling
Pickled Quail Eggs
Weber grilling cookbook
Grapeseed oil
Buffalo Trace Bourbon
Assorted Chocolate from Trader Joe's
Handmade wooden spoon, spatula with name engraved on
Brinkman electric smoker
Crate and Barrel multi-cooker
Cougar Gold Cheese from Washington State U.

It was a good year.

[Perilagu Khan]

A good year, indeed! Great, even.

[khh1138]

I figure the jars of rougie duck fat I gave to my husband count, because I've been enjoying gorgeous duck fries every few days since Christmas - not good news for my waistline, but oh, lord, so delicious.
I also gave him a potato ricer, since he's a big fan of mashed potatoes, and we tend to either under mash (smashed potatoes) or over mash ( gluey mess with a hand blender) and I plan on enjoying those as well.
We both had a lot of very fine Belgian chocolates in our Xmas stockings...and they won't see the end of January, that's for certain.
I received a Korean cookbook that I haven't cracked yet, except to notice that it has several recipes for kimchee that look rather ambitious. I'm more interested in some nice spicy soups once I work my way through this little potato obsession I have going on.

[JungMann]

Nespresso coffee machine, some little bottles of jam to pair with cheese, grappa and a wine aerator from others. Since I see my family rarely and they live near some of the best Middle Eastern bakeries in the country, I gifted myself and them several pounds of baklava, burma and ma'amoul.

[Breadcrumbs]

Enjoy your ME treats JM!! We purchased a Nespresso Machine in December and really love it. We're still figuring out our favourite pods. If you like lattes, I'd highly recommend the Breville Milk Frother. Though it's not a aesthetically pleasing as the Nespresso version, it's an exceptional machine that heats milk to a piping hot temp without scorching.

btw, we rec'd a wine aerator as a Christmas gift last year and we find it indispensable. If you love big bold reds, you'll find it incredibly useful for those last minute decisions to indulge!!

ETA: here's a link to the milk frother: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/produc...

[biondanonima]

All kinds of fun stuff!

Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
Fennel Pollen
Bench Scraper
Emile Henry square ceramic baker (in purple!)
Food scale (to replace my old one that died)
Stainless measuring cups
Stockpot
OXO Salad Spinner
A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider
Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop
I'm Just Here for More Food: Baking by Alton Brown

I haven't had time yet to dive into the books but I can't wait. We just got back from visiting my parents so I'm going to spend today finding places for all the new stuff!

[emglow101]

Thanks to all of my family for the gifts I received.

Oxo salad spinner
Atlas brass pepper mill
Wusthoff kitchen shears
Rabbit wine aerating pourer
Bottle of pinot noir
Kitchen towels 100% cotton
Essentials Pepin, cookbook

[sjc22]

mandoline + knife glove
expensive wine
flavored olive oil
truffle salt

---------------------------------------
www.gourmetinfusions.com

[lisavf]

I received:

Two cookbooks: "Around My French Table" and "The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook"

Box of four spices, and a bag of Dutch process cocoa powder from Penzey's

Extra virgin olive oil - I'm sure it was expensive, based on the giver

Three bottles of wine - two of them very good, one of them not so much

A cooking lesson from my uncle, using my grandfather's recipe for making haluski - the best gift of all! (ridiculously simple, very delicious)

I gave my usual treats of cookies etc. to everyone, spicy onion salsa to my brother, a special balsamic vinegar salad dressing to my SIL (things they both enjoyed greatly on a recent shared vacation)

I was supposed to send some small-batch locally made garlic powder with sea salt to my father, but it never got sent, so I decided to keep that for myself :) (sorry, Dad!)

On the "both giving and receiving" end of the spectrum: I spent a day baking Christmas cookies with and getting to know my 12-year-old niece, with whom I have not had a close relationship thus far. She loved baking (her mom neither bakes nor cooks) and decorating the roll-out cookies so much that we both agreed she should stay past our originally scheduled finishing time. Instead of being done by 5:00, she stayed until 9:00, and we both had a great time. Turns out we are very much alike in temperament, something which I might not have learned had I not extended the offer and opened up my kitchen to her.

All in all, culinarily speaking, it was a good holiday.

[plasticanimal]

The only thing I asked for this year: one of those wiggly dealybobs that cuts pickles all jig-jaggy. I got one, and I'm very happy about it.

I also got a stainless steel tea thermos, with a removable thingy for loose tea.

I got a perfect-sized whisk (my others were too big or small) and a new pastry blender that is better than the one I already had.

Score.

[flourgirl]

I have one of those wiggly dealybobs that cuts pickles all jig-jaggy. I love it!

[FriedClamFanatic]

1. I got a partridge........sans pear tree.......spent 2 hours chasing it around the house where it kept leaving extra "presents". Had to kill it and pluck it and it was greasy and tough.

2. Turtle doves were a bit more manageable but kinda skimpy on the meat

3. The 3 French hens came out perfect, thanks to an old Julia Child recipe........"First, you kill the hens"

4. The Calling Birds were a complete waste of time.....I threw them out and hoped the hawks liked them

5. Can you really bake English Muffins in these rings?????? Won't the gold melt?

6. Geese are nasty!!!!!! They fight back! but I got them under control and took most of them for turduken. The last 2 I"m turning into foie gras!

7. You think Geese are nasty???? Don't ever mess with these suckers! They scored their freedom after the fourth assault!

8. I got more damn dairy products than I know what to do with! Not to mention 8 more mouths to feed.....although number3 is kinda cute and keeps giving me the eye.

9. After that, it all went downhill fast. More Freeloaders, Family, "Friends", Co-workers came by to party and eat all my food. They trashed my house and I'm up for a Court Appearance for violating the noise laws.

Next year, I"m going for PEACE on Earth......And Goodwill can take all my old clothes!

(And yes.I made this up on the fly.so feel free to share w/o worrying about a copyright suit.....Happy Holidays, everyone)

[NE_Elaine]

Very cute - thanks for the smile.

[nofunlatte]

:)

I enjoyed this--and good luck in court.

[mpjmph]

I received a stainless citrus juicer, a set of nice kitchen towels, and another year of Cooking Light. We still have the extended family gift exchange in a few weeks, so I'm sure I will receive more kitchen stuff then.

I gave (or will give) lots of cookies and homemade cocoa mix, an ove glove, a silpat, cookie cutters, pretty linen napkins, and a cool touch microwave bowl.

[eperdu]

It was a stellar Christmas!

I received a bunch of Staub cookware in graphite including 4 round cocettes (9 qt, 7qt, and 2 1/2 qts), a couple gratin dishes, skillet, ridged skillet with press and some nifty magnetic trivets.

I also received a full set of Victorinox knives (my favorites) and while not a Christmas gift, also received a mishmash collection of All Clad pieces (used) so I'm able to replace most of my cookware.

[nofunlatte]

Quite the haul there, eperdu! Sounds like you've got some soups and chilis and braises to do. Have fun!

[eperdu]

I certainly did! I've made two loaves of no-knead bread as well as two braised dishes. I'm loving it!

[Ruthie789]

Staub cookware, you were spoiled!

[eperdu]

Super spoiled ... I only asked for one dutch oven and got four. Excess much? :)

[breadchick]

I exchanged a Le Creuset French oven for the Staub 12 inch grill pan (I already have quite a bit of LC.) Wm Sonoma didn't have the graphite in the store, so they ordered it and I'll get it in about a week. Have you used the grill yet? I'm curious about how well it cleans up. Thanks.

[nofunlatte]

To me from others:
Digital probe thermometer
Gift card to Williams-Sonoma
Peanut butter caramel cups topped with salt
Chocolate-peanut butter popcorn
Three cookbooks:
Cindy's Supper Club
Ripe (Cheryl Sternman Rule, not the Slater one)
All About Roasting
A book on food photography
And a latte from my wonderful sis!

To me from me:
New 6-inch chef's knife

[Ruthie789]

A microblade food grater.
Le Creuset, creamer and sugar.
Two aprons
Chocolates by Rene Rey. Starbucks Christmas coffee blends.
Happy about all gifts.

[juliejulez]

Not a whole lot, even though that's pretty much all that was on my list. I did get a lot of other lovely non-cooking/food related gifts though.

My brother sent me Hazan Family Favorites. I already made the meatballs and am looking forward to cooking more out of it.

BFs sister sent me these cheesy cookbooks about budget cooking and pizza making. She had the right idea I guess. The budget one looks OK, I'll probably try a few things out of it, it was written by the editors of All You magazine (which makes me think she bought it at the supermarket) but I'm not sure I'll ever use the pizza one.

BFs dad and stepmom gave me cash, so I used part of it to buy myself Ina Garten's Foolproof and a pastry mat, just waiting for it to arrive. I will also buy the sausage attachment for my KA very soon.

[cheesecake17]

The All You magazines are not too terrible. I got a very cheap subscription and I've made several recipes. Home cooking and budget meals, made with basic supermarket ingredients.

[juliejulez]

Yeah some of the recipes seemed very doable for weeknight meals.

[Kelli2006]

Cooking for Geeks, http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Geeks-S... from my daughter

A infuser coffee/tea mug and a renewal for Fine Cooking magazine.

[INDIANRIVERFL]

I received gift cards to all my guilty pleasures.
Taco Bell
Subway
Outback
KFC
Cracker Barrel

Found out that KFC in this area will not honor gift cards.

[Westy]

Outback...a wonderful guilty pleasure.

[amazinc]

Terri H. Will you share your sister's recipe for that Beringer mandloline made blue cheese/potato gratin? Sounds delish! Got a silicon universal pot lid that releases the steam. Got a three-way peeler from Guatemala that peels, juliennes and
slices. Now if I can just keep the ends of my fingers! Also got an olive wood cheese board with slicer, a ceramic garlic/ginger grater ( another danger for fingers), and darling daughter popped for the Peter Reinhard "Artisinal Bread Every Day ( already made two of the breads). Got a darling gadget from a friend, a set of opera glasses that magnify the tiny "contents" labels on everything! What a hoot.

[NE_Elaine]

I got some of the new Williams-Sonoma bakeware to try out.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/b...

I also got some new Bormioli wineglasses from Napastyle. I love these wineglasses. I had a set for 2 years, use them constantly and only one casualty.

[Paprikaboy]

I got

A Shun knife
4 types of pata negra chorizo
A vacherin cheese.
Fig jam
Harissa and rose paste.
A selection of 5 british cheeses.
Cheese biscuits.
Bottle of Grahams LBV port 2006
Bottle of Roberts 2007 LBV port.
Bottle of Caol Isla malt whisky.
Bottle of ribera del duero psi 2009.

[cheesecake17]

Husband gave me Smitten Kitchen cookbook and new Giada cookbook

I gave myself:
Dutch oven
Pyrexes with lids
Corningware
Set of small pots from ikea
Crockpot

[Jay F]

New Fiesta Ware/Fiestaware. Mostly Juniper (very dark blue green). Now I'm looking for complementary colors that aren't orange.

[beachmouse]

Vitamix- CIA version

[gaffk]

I had Christmas with some friends today and one friend made me a basket. It had dark chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies, dark chocolate peppermint candies, chocolate peppermint Kalhua (who knew?) and a peppermint candle.

Guess what one of my favorite flavor combos is?

[jmcarthur8]

I got a way cool fruit knife from DH (from Lee Valley) to take on road trips. I like to take apples for snacking and never have a good knife to use.

Got a silicone tea infuser from son #2, that looks like a little undersea diver. Very cute. And I'm using it right now.

For myself, I went to BB&B and picked up the Breville Smart Oven that I've been wanting since reading so many good reviews of it on CH. Love it already.

[Phoebe]

My first Shun knife. Love it! Pistachios. Love them. A gift card to Igourmet, so now I'm set for some quality blue cheeses. And a few homeade food gifts.

[dinner belle]

BIG GREEN EGG!
Jose Andres tapas cookbook
Penzeys spices, dishtowel and gift card

Treated my honey and me to a trip to Buford Hwy farmers market, Dekalb farmers market, First Oriental market and Trader Joe's.

[EWSflash]

Awesome, dinner belle!

I didn't get any food related gifts but DH wanted a crock pot with a way of clamping the lid down for car travel, so that's what he got. I wanted a bigger better one, but none of them have the clamps.
Not a big food Christmas (although #1 son got a Yard o' Carmel Corn)

[Westy]

I am jealous! I love Big Green Eggs. What Penzey's are you using?

[khh1138]

We love our BGE so much, I don't remember how we ever survived without it. Be sure to search online for "egghead" recipes that fans have come up with - you're going to have so much fun!
PS I just found natural lump charcoal at my Costco, something to keep in mind. It can really add up.

[Countygal]

My husband is a big Lee Valley fan- I received:
fish tongs
Laguiole carving set
digital probe thermometer
butter measuring guide
double pronged skewers
gardener's wash basket which I will use for a bread basket

Also,
Foolproof-Ina Garten
truffles, marinated artichokes from Italy
assorted chevres

A good haul indeed!

[Musie]

Kitchenaid stand mixer :)
Smitten Kitchen cookbook
And in my stocking I had a garlic press, ceramic knife and peeler set, digital timer, fine grater and a decent tin opener.

I was also given a beef lovers gift set with some cheddar and smoked cheddar.

[Bacardi1]

A new waffle iron (Krups), since hubby LOVES waffles (well, guess it's a joint gift from him to both of us - lol!) & I have always been waffle-impaired. This baby - a Belgian waffle maker - is DA BOMB! Made waffles for yesterday morning's breakfast & they were golden & crispy on the outside, light & fluffy on the inside. And in only 4 minutes!!

Also a slew of food/cookbooks that I did not yet have - which is a major coupe for hubby, since I'm a cookbook collector & have hundreds. So no repeats is amazing.

"The Fortuine Cookie Chronicles - Adventures in the World of Chinese Food" - Jennifer 8. Lee

"Eat & Explore Virginia" - Christy Campbell

"Cooks Illustrated - The Science of Good Cooking"

"Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food - An Opinionated History and More Than 100 Legendary Recipes"

"Good Eats 3 - The Later Years" - Alton Brown

"Avec Eric" - Eric Ripert

"Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking" - Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

(In addition to the foodie stuff, I also received a really nice all-the-bells-&-whistles camera, a bunch of dvds I wanted, & some snuggly fleecy winter items.)

All in all - a pretty damn good haul. :)

[weezieduzzit]

We don't really do gifts for Christmas but my MIL did get me a copy of Ad Hoc for my birthday (I received it on Christmas.)

One of my neighbors gave me an electric fondue pot they got in a work gift exchange today, though! Its looking like fondue for New Years Eve!

[Terrie H.]

My niece gave me a Benriner mandoline that I had hinted I wanted. When I opened the package she said in an aside, "I hope you can read Japanese because there isn't much English in the instructions."

My sister borrowed it on the spot to make her blue cheese gratin potatoes for Christmas day. She loved the mandoline and that gratin is probably the best potato dish I've ever had.

[gaffk]

My sisters went for a cooking theme. Everything was in a large bag to be used to carry food to their houses when they entertain\have parties. (Yes, these are the same sisters who once bought me a basket of ingredients needed to make candy, a candy cook book and bookmarks on the pages they wanted me to try first ;)

Anyway, it contained Mallo Cups (a favorite of all of ours growing up), Harney tea, a Christmas teapot, gourmet hot chocolate with sea salt caramel, two Christmas hot chocolate mugs with spoons that fit in the handle, two industrial strength aprons and a generous gift card to Sur la Table to be used for my choice of a cooking class or merchandise. Since Christmas dinner was at my house and evrybody had complimented me on the fabulous meal, I had to laugh at the fact it was immediately followed by them suggesting a cooking class ;) I'm actually looking forward to visiting Sur la Table, as I have never been there . . .it's about 15 miles away , so I tend to frequent more local establishments.

[gaffk]

So I visited SLT for the first time today. I treated myself to a Wusthof carving knife. For the remainder of the gift card I'm trying to decide between a cooking class on desserts, a knife skills class or a Jacques Pepin Essentials of French Cooking class.

[Jay F]

If you'll benefit from a knife skills class, that'll help you in any other cooking endeavor. It's what I'd pick.

[gaffk]

Yes, that's what I'm leaning towards. My knife skills are ok for a home cook, but I have a few really nice Wusthof knives and their companion accessories. And I'd love to be able to make the precise cuts I see real chefs make.

However, the Pepin course is intriguing (and includes an autographed copy of Essential Pepin) and the dessert menu sounds delicious.

I really think my sisters should have been more generous, so I could take all three ;)

[Jay F]

Is he teaching a class at SLT? That'd be fun. My SLT doesn't offer classes.

[gaffk]

No, they make it clear Jacques won't be there--just a chef who can walk you through his techniques. (And provide the autographed book.)

The staff let me check out the SLT teaching kitchen and it's beautiful and can only accommodate 8-10 students.

I think I'll take knife skills so I can live up to my knives' expectations of me.

[Jay F]

That's a lovely way to put it.

[Coogles]

A Baking Steel - basically a 14" x 16" x 1/4" thick sheet of steel that's supposed to give better results than a pizza stone.

And a cookbook of Irish pub recipes. Looking forward to trying out both of them!

[laliz]

I received a (large) bag of pistachios and a package of blue and silver (my colors) woven napkins.

I gave chocolate covered strawberries; candied bacon; a Trader Joe's Cookbook, a melon baller, a veggie steamer, a jar of Atkinson's Pumpkin Butter, and a bottle of low-carb ketchup (because I couldn't find *%$#)@ ketchup at my sister's last week)

[Puffin3]

I got a small bottle of 'real' truffle oil'. It has to be 'real'. I googled it up and MAN it was expense! I was warned. "One drop at a time!". And a small jar of honey from a fancy well known resort that has their own honey bees/hives.

[iluvcookies]

Not too many food-related gifts this year--I received a lovely new moka pot (the one I had was left on the burner and the handle melted off).

I brought my grandfather a big hunk of whitefish and some knishes from Zabar's. He devoured them and wanted to know why I never brought him such nice gifts before (you mean the DVD player and TV weren't nice gifts??) Well, guess he'll be easy to shop for from now on!

[weezieduzzit]

Oh! I would be so sad if that happened to my moka! I'd never be able to make it through the afternoon without one- glad to hear you got a new one. :)

[Harters]

Lots of food:

Four separate tins of pate from the Fet a Soller company

Jar of olives, also from Fet a Soller

Jar of raspberry jam

Jar of smoked mackerel relish, from the company that makes "Gentlemen's Relish)

Packet of handmade biscuits

Some 80% chocolate

And a couple of cookbooks:-

"Curry Nation", Madhur Jaffrey
And the one I really hoped would appear - "Prashad", Kaushy Patel.

[SteveRB]

"Stir-frying to the Sky's Edge"- by Grace Young

big bag of pistashios

[iL Divo]

oooooo please may I come over.
those pâtés read my name all over 'em.

[chefathome]

Though not specific to the kitchen and cooking, my husband surprised me with a transformer tablet. The reason I am typing this here is because I have already downloaded about 25 food apps and have used it in the kitchen to do a few searches.

BUT CHOW does not allow me to respond to any threads on it so when I want to look at CHOW I must use my laptop. The font is also gigantic so scrolling really bites. There. Rant over!

[tcamp]

Garten's "Parties"
"Vietnamese Home Cooking"
Tropp's "China Moon Cookbook" (found at thrift store)
1 qt. Revereware saucepan (picked up by me at thrift store for 50 cents)
Several bottles of fancy olive oil
Dishtowels
Empty bottles with pour spouts for vinegar, oil, etc.
Odd silicone basket for egg poaching (regifting that one)

[Perilagu Khan]

Three different kinds of jerky (including red and green chile), a Tru Bamboo cutting board, a pack of Figi's cheese and sausage, a Fresh Finds crunchy chocolate bar, South African Smoke spice blend from Trader Joe's, and homemade cookies.

I bought the Khantessa several retro cooking pamphlets from the 30s-60s, a Cuisinart blender wand, a peanut butter mixer, a large assortment of exotic food and drink, and an OXO tablespoon measuring cup.

[Njchicaa]

Cuisinart bread maker
Le Creuset covered rectangular baking dish
Le Creuset casserole dishes
Washington Inn Cooks for Friends cookbook
The Chew cookbook

[redfish62]

18 craft beers

[onrushpam]

Really nice new chef's knife, chosen by my twin, so she picked one that fits my teensy hands.
Ceramic non-stick skillets
THREE fish spatulas (one from DH, one from sis, one from DD). Guess I must've hinted I wanted one?
Rolling pin

[Westy]

Real Food by Nigel Slater
This is a Cookbook
French Slow cooker cookbook
I gave my wife a paella pan.

[foodieX2]

These were all under the tree. I scored big!!

Ina's "Foolproof"
Andrew Zimmern's new kids book
Assorted "real" black licorice candy
A new oven mitt
GooGoo clusters
Assorted glass containers with lids (LOVE!)
homemade onion and fig jam
homemade infused Vodka
homemade cookies
Asian candies from a recent trip
New travel mugs (ceramic, not plastic. Yes!)

[iL Divo]

oh you got some goodins...
onion&fig jam
IG's Foolproof

from World Market received an apron that I'll keep as it's funky cute. also from same store a small paperback soup cookbook and after looking at the TOC, the soups aren't my taste and wouldn't make "seared scallop lime infused cilantro" soup ever.

you know let's keep it real. we can't keep everything we receive just because...there's gotta be room and desire - I'm jus sayin

[nikkihwood]

Garlic rocker, for the aging hands. It works wonderfully!
Wilton waffle stick pan, we're trying it in the morning.
batter dispenser, a surprise, and who wants to spoon pancake/waffle batter somewhere?
salt/pepper grinder set, which I admired while on vacation earlier this year
Michael Symon's "Carnivore" yesssss I am so making sausage!
gift card to The Toy Store, aka Sur La Table
Habanero maple syrup, reference waffle sticks above - that will be a definite A.M. wakeup
Key Lime Marmalade - tried some with toast, so good - going to use some with a little [non habanero] maple syrup on chicken thighs next week
a Cuisinart mini processor, to replace my mom's original - it died after many years of heavy use about a month ago.

All in all, a good food oriented Christmas

[jujuthomas]

where can I get habanero maple syrup??? DH would go nuts. :)

i got a tin of williams sonoma peppermint bark, and one cooking magazine.
I bought myself a new wustof knife block. (woot!)

[chefathome]

You can infuse syrups and honeys with chiles and so on. Fabulous! I really like to infuse honey with chipotle chiles especially.

[nikkihwood]

jujuthomas --

http://www.threeriversfarm.com/

The friend who gifted this buys syrups from them at a suburban Minneapolis farmers market. [She also insures them. !

]

It's got a good kick, but not a wild one. I went ahead and made the sauce with this syrup and the key lime marmalade referenced in my post for chicken the other day - YUM. It also makes the waffle sticks sing.