It’s that time – our last gift guide of the season! Whether you’re stuffing a stocking or scrambling to gather enough gifts for eight crazy nights, this list of my favorite under-$15 finds is sure to make gifting on the cheap a cinch.

1. Keel’s Simple Diary Vol. 2, $12
2. MintFusion lip balm with SPF 30, Supergoop, $9
3. Ottoman Iznik tile notecards, Metropolitan Museum of Art, $15
4. Felt keyfob, Graf + Lantz, $8
5. Christmas scratchers and Hanukkah scratchers, Chronicle Books, $10 each
6. Liam’s Robot letterpress cards, Satsuma Press, $10 (all proceeds to go sweet Liam’s special needs trust)
7. Leather tape measure, Swing Designs, $10
8. Salted caramel hot chocolate on a stick, Ticket Chocolate, $15 for 4
9. Glitter in my Stocking and Orna-ment For Each Other, Nicole by OPI, $8 each

(Also known as the “under $30″ guide). Because most of us have the highest of ambitions but the lowest of budgets, my list of cheap thrills for the holidays is here to help you keep that holiday credit card balance in check. Turns out, it actually is possible to give a thrill-inducing gift and stay under budget – who knew?

1. Totally invigorating in the morning, and not the least bit girly. Anthony Logistics eucalyptus + mint shower gel for men, $18
2. Who can’t use another tote? This one has the added bonus of a cross-body strap and a stylish, not-too-sweet graphic. And it’s made by a dear friend of mine! Chrysanthemum tote, Westmama Designs, $29
3. West Elm has a bevy of beautiful throws this season, but this one’s cuddly soft and comes in a rainbow of hues. Add your favorite paperback of the year, and give her an excuse to snuggle up. “Favorite” throw, West Elm, $29 (on sale for $19!)
   
4. I never seem to have enough cosmetic bags to throw into handbags, carry-ons and totes. This one reminds me of Chanel, but won’t make me cry when my lip gloss leaks. LeSportSac “Kevyn” cosmetic case, $25
5. If there’s a teen or tween girl on your list, I promise you, this is the gift to get her. Absolutely every color under the sun…so you can prove to her there’s more to makeup than piles of black eyeliner. Expert Mega Palette, Avon, $30
6. Bargain gifts for men are hard to come by, but this watch is infinitely more handsome than its pricetag allows for – I especially love the webbed strap, which gives it an urban edge. Military style canvas strap watch, Avon, $15
7. I’m basically obsessed with this stuff – it’s become my savior during these dry, windy winter days. Trust me, she’ll be addicted too. Blood orange body balm, McEvoy Ranch, $22
8. Chocolates are always a great bargain go-to, and these have a fun twist. Each flavor is modeled after a bigger, badder (much more caloric) dessert. Red velvet cake truffle, anyone? Ultimate Dessert Truffles, Godiva, $25
9. A classic holiday scent that’s festive, but not cloying. And I always love the packaging from Linnea’s Lights! Pumpkin soy candle, Linnea’s Lights, $21
10. Okay, this one’s a smidge over budget. But you get six single-glass bottles of wine for that price, custom grouped by region or selected by master chefs. For a budding oenophile, it doesn’t get any better. Mario Batali Selection 6-bottle wine sampler, Tasting Room, $33 (looks like you save $10 by signing up for their mailing list!)
    

Since this week has been all about how to be a good hostess, I thought I’d cap the week off with a few suggestions for your favorite Martha Stewart wannabe. Whether she’s a crafter, a baker, or just a damn fine host, these gifts are guaranteed to please even the pickiest holiday hostess.

Perennially stumped about the best wine to bring to a party? Allow me to simplify: buy a case of this warm, fruit-forward Chianti and you’re set for the season.  Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Brolio 2007, $20

If she’s a good host, I’m guessing she’s a crafter at heart. Any knitter, whether she’s a novice or a pro, will drool over the DIY options in this book. Vogue Knitting: Classic Patterns from the World’s Most Celebrated Knitting Magazine, $30

I can’t think of much I wouldn’t love to receive from DL & Company. But their Fleur de Bois candle smells exactly like the holidays, without being cloying, and the blown glass holder is gorgeous all on its own. And these mini candle-and-diffuser sets are infinitely more gorgeous than their price tag suggests. DL & Co Fleur de Bois candle, $100; Mini Diffuser & Candle set, $24

What could be better than brownies from the legendary Sugardaddys Bakery? A brownie bit trifle kit, complete with a crystal trifle bowl, that’s what. Just try to give this one away without sneaking a bite!  Trifle kit, Sugardaddys Bakery, $58

Getting gorgeous letterpress cards in the mail every month? Talk about the gift that keeps on giving. Plus, chances are good she’ll send you one to thank you for the perfect gift. Mailbox Monthly, by Satsuma Press, from $48

Doormats are a tricky business, if you’re picky about them (as I am). This one is guaranteed to stop traffic…at least long enough to remind guests to wipe their feet. Mountain doormat, Angela Adams, $45

The coolest French press I’ve ever seen – add a pound of your favorite coffee, and you’ll get invited back every year.  Freud French Press, Horne, $110

I hear bundt cakes are the new cupcakes, but the perfect host would know best. Show her you’re up on your culinary trends by treating her to a treatise on the hottest thing in baked goods. Even better paired with a classic bundt pan. Cake Simple, by Christie Matheson, $13; NordicWare “Heritage” bundt pan, (my personal favorite, but a variety of styles from $20)

Show her you love her OCD side with a bottle of citrus-scented hand wash. This has a light, refreshing scent that works for everyone, and the oldey-timey packaging is a serious bonus. Village Perfumer hand wash (comes in 6 scents), C.O. Bigelow, $12

For the friend who reads cookbooks like they’re novels, thinks Dean & Deluca is the mother ship, and is always dragging you to the new fusion restaurant in town or making you her guinea pig for the secret ingredient du jour (this month, I hear it’s harissa).

1. Foodies rarely need an excuse to party, but a subscription to a champagne club should secure your seat at his next dinner party. Henri’s Reserve champagne club, from $600
2. Who isn’t chasing the next best caffeine fix? For tea drinkers, Harney & Sons makes my favorite holiday blend – warm and cozy, with just a hint of holiday spice. And for coffee lovers, choose a bag or two from Ristretto Roasters (based here in Portland) – it’s simply the best I’ve had. Holiday black tea blend, Harney & Sons, $15; Ristretto Roasters, from $14 for 12 oz
3. Nothing transforms ordinary cooking faster than good salt and great olive oil. Get them one of each, and they’ll eat well all year (or until they run out). Olive Oil – 2011 Blend, McEvoy Ranch, from $22; Finishing salt starter set, The Meadow, $38
4. I’m always looking for rectangular bakers in just the right size – this set gives you all the options you’ll need. 3-piece potluck baker set, Crate & Barrel, $30
5. Maybe more of a stocking stuffer than a full-fledged gift, but I’m on a perpetual quest to find the perfect spoon. These two are high on my wish list this year. Silicone batter whisk, Tovolo, $12; Acacia wood paddle, Michael Ruhlman, $25
6. Vosges Haut Chocolat is the gold standard for foodie treats. Their exotic truffles are perfect for a gourmet, but my heart belongs to the Toffee Trifecta hat box, packed with 3 varieties (including bacon caramel!). Vosges Toffee Trifecta, $58 and Exotic Truffles, from $26
7. A cookbook is a no-brainer gift for a foodie, but you need one that suits their style to a T. For casual home cooks, I love me some Paula Deen, but hardcore food lovers will be more enamored of Michael Ruhlman’s latest. Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, $17; Ruhlman’s Twenty, by Michael Ruhlman, $22
8. Hands down, the most stylish way I’ve ever seen to BYOB. Felt wine tote, Graf+Lantz, $79
9. Adapted from an illustration in a 1927 Parisian book on wine appreciation, this apron is the perfect addition to any foodie’s kitchen. L’Art du Vin apron, The Met Store, $30
10. Foodies are forever chasing the “next big thing” in culinary creativity. A set of exotic spices will get their creative juices flowing, and keep them ahead of the pack. Spice kits, Williams-Sonoma, from $40

As you might have noticed from all of my nostalgic exclamations on Twitter and Facebook recently, I packed up my most stylish duds, a slew of accessories, and spent last week in the city where I really did leave my heart: San Francisco! Five glorious days eating absolutely everything I wanted to eat, seeing (nearly) everyone I wanted to see, and buying (not even close to) everything I wanted to buy. I am full, I am happy, and I am exhausted!

{The view from my room at the Huntington Hotel. I couldn’t stop staring!}

While I was thinking about what to share with you about the trip, it occurred to me I’ve never even given you a list of my must-see destinations in San Francisco. Shame on me! And so, forthwith, a completely incomplete Top Ten list of some of my favorite things in what is quite possibly my favorite city in the States (there’s no competing with Paris).

{Clockwise, from top: Old Fashioned cupcakes at Miette, a much-enjoyed cappucino
at Emporio Rulli, and a peek at Dish, my new favorite SF boutique.}

1. Shop in Union Square. I know, there’s nothing exactly novel about Neiman Marcus, Saks, Barneys(!), Zara or Madewell, but when you live in a city without access to any of them, I can assure you that the site of that particular square block of real estate is intensely satisfying. While you’re there…

2. Treat yourself to a crab louie salad at the Rotunda restaurant in Neiman Marcus (really just an excuse to have them serve you piping hot popovers with strawberry butter). And, though it’s tempting to splurge on an order of their famous chocolate-chip cookies, skip it and instead…

3. Have a cappuccino and a sfogliatella at Emporio Rulli, right in the heart of Union Square, for the best people-watching ever.

4. Gorge at the Ferry Building. Or, more specifically, have an Old Fashioned cupcake and a pistachio macaron at Miette, brave the line (or try the secret window around the corner) for a(nother) cappuccino at Blue Bottle, then grab a pack of S’mores Bites from Recchiuti, and a pot of olive oil lip balm from McEvoy Ranch to take home. Sit on a bench outside, watch the ferries go by, and take in a postcard-perfect view of the oft-overlooked Bay Bridge. Speaking of gorging…

5. Gary Danko. Lobster risotto and a cheese cart…what else do you need to hear?

6. Fillmore Street. Any time you see Marc by Marc Jacobs, Jonathan Adler and a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on the same block, go there. Follow up with some great window-shopping (or thrifting, if that’s your thing), a stop at Heidi Says Shoes, and a leisurely browse at Browser Books.

7. Hayes Valley. This ‘hood has grown by leaps and bounds since I last visited, and it might just be my new favorite shopping spot. Besides Miette’s Confiserie (best candy shop ever!), there’s serious fashion to be had. The vintage selection at Ver Unica and Reliquary is unprecedented – even I couldn’t resist (as evidenced by that fly leopard coat that followed me home). Then there’s Dish, which is so much my perfect boutique that I could have closed my eyes, pointed to literally anything, and bought it without looking, knowing I’d love it forever. Nida (why don’t these stores have e-commerce?!) is pretty wonderful too, if only for their selection of Isabel Marant and Athe by Vanessa Bruno.

8. Eat in North Beach (aka “Little Italy”). Preferably at Sodini’s, my personal favorite for old-school Italian charm. But wherever you dine, finish at Mara’s for a cannoli.

9. Palace of the Legion of Honor. Nothing whatsoever to do with food or shopping (are you shocked?), but still one of my favorite places ever. It’s all peace, calm and beauty, as far as the eye can see…with a stunning clifftop view of the bay and that big red bridge.

10. Stay at the Huntington Hotel, and spend a day at the Nob Hill Spa. But more on that awesomeness tomorrow…

I’d love to know what you’d add to the list!

Oh, I’m so very excited! Miette, my absolute favorite San Francisco bakery, has finally released a cookbook – and it’s out today! Complete with recipes for each and every one of my favorite treats, mouth-watering photos and the sweetest of all: scalloped edges to each and every page!

Now, fair warning: this cookbook is not for the faint of heart. One cake recipe cautions that it takes three days to complete. But some of the recipes are simpler – like my favorite thing in the shop: their graham crackers. They’re nothing at all like the graham crackers you know. They’re crumbly and dense, packed with butter and cinnamon. They’re amazing by themselves, but they turn a s’more into a religious experience. Also, I’d have sold my firstborn to get the recipe for their fluffy, marshmallow-like boiled icing…but now, I only need $15. Much more reasonable.

{All photos kindly provided by Chronicle Books}

If you’re into cakes (their old-fashioned cupcake with boiled icing is unparalleled) and confections (including marshmallows that are simply otherwordly), are looking to test your baking mettle, or if you just like pretty, pretty cookbooks, this one needs to be on your shelf.

A little bit of bonus good news: the publishers of Miette kindly offered to let me share that delicious graham cracker recipe with you! Get your bake on…after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »

am i the only one that remembers writing those “how i spent my vacation” essays in grade school?  i thought not.

welcome back, all!  i hope you had a fabulous holiday…i know i did.  i thought i’d share a few little highlights with you from my week(s) away.

i had a wonderful christmas, full of cozy time with my hubs and the rest of my family, and packed with treats and goodies i didn’t even know i couldn’t live without.  my sweet hubs hooked me up with a gargantuan tub of my favorite cadbury heroes (a british mix of bite-sized cadbury delights), and also made me – from scratch, dear readers – chocolate and graham-covered marshmallows.  i have asked him never to make them again, as they disappeared at a frightening rate.  fortunately, i think he knows i didn’t mean a word of it.

(image borrowed from life’s ambrosia, as i sadly forgot to take a photo. but you get the idea.)

i also got a fancy new camera memory card that automatically transfers photos from my camera to flickr, without my having to do a thing.  it’s like magic. what this means for you is that i might actually be posting photos i didn’t borrow elsewhere!  like, say, a photo of the beautiful new earrings i got for christmas:

i also got a second pair of what may have been my favorite purchase all year:  my rachel comey mars boots.  i bought them first in stamped nougat (the very last pair in the universe, i think), and was wearing them so faithfully, i decided i had to nab a second pair in black before they were gone.  it was a major feat of shopping to find them (curse these giant feet of mine!), but thanks to mick margo (and my sweet mom), they’re all mine!

next, we headed to northern california for a few days of rest and relaxation with my family.  but i did manage to make the world’s quickest detour into san francisco…had to make a little stop at my beloved barneys, have lunch at the neiman marcus rotunda, and nab some macarons at miette.  missions accomplished…

…and then some!  i managed to track down a scarf i’ve been wanting for months…and on sale, no less!  it’s like barneys knew i was coming.

those little greyhounds in their cute coats…how could i resist?!

while i was in cali, i also got to debut my new elm cardigan from le train bleu. it was love at first sight with this one – that fair isle/native american pattern is so striking, and the striped lapel just makes me swoon!  apparently i wasn’t alone…my stylish mom literally stole it off my back, and i was forced to order a replacement.  thankfully, the brilliant bria at le train bleu managed to get a few more in stock. i’m counting the minutes until my replacement arrives!

now i’m home, and ever so slowly getting back into the swing of things….though i admit, i’m moving like molasses.  it’s just too cold here in portland to focus on anything, really.  except maybe a piping hot cappuccino.

what about you, dear readers?  how were your holidays?  i’d love to hear all about them!

for those of you that have spied me moonlighting over at shelterrific this year, you’ll know i’ve been taking on a bit of DIY goodness this season.  since i’m feeling all warm and crafty inside, i couldn’t resist sharing this fun sale happening at rue la la today.  several different “make your own” companies have banded together and are selling some excellent customized wares for the holidays.  you can make a laptop case with a custom design or photo, custom chocolate bars, or – my favorite – design a necklace with your favorite gems, style, and metal from gemkitty.  getting all the credit for handmade gifts, without the mess, unexpected expenses, and endless trips to michael’s?  priceless.

oh, did i forget to mention the custom, organic beef jerky?  because nothing would say ‘happy holidays’ to the man in my life quite like a big bag of custom-created dried meats.  (sadly, i’m not being ironic or sarcastic.)

at first glance, the gourmand might look a bit like a martha’s apprentice, but don’t be deceived.  this girl doesn’t care a bit about how glam her house looks for the holidays, or whether her ‘winter fir’ candle blends perfectly with her cinnamon-scented pine cones.  no, this is the friend that only has eyes for the holiday’s best eats.  she knows her himalayan pink from her smoked gray sea salt, swirls her wine with finesse, and welcomes her “food snob” label with a smile.

left to right, from top: oneida cia cookware 7-ply clad copper saute pan, $140; vosges haut chocolate holiday gift box (eggnog truffles and gingerbread toffee…need i say more?), $86; harney & sons red gift box (you’ll want this set just for the hot cinnamon spice tea), $29; salt and pepper cellars by rae dunn, $44; james beard’s american cookery (just re-released), $23; moonstruck chocolate crescent moon truffle collection, $33; food network magazine subscription (my personal favorite), $15/year; magnetic spice kit from purpose design, $33+, 479 popcorn foodie sampler, $35.

{FTC disclaimer: some product samples were provided to help me compile this guide, but as usual, there’s no pay-for-play here.}

if you’re stumped for stocking stuffers this year (or every year, as i am), here’s a list of a few goodies sure to make santa very popular on christmas morning!  incidentally, these also work very nicely as last-minute, low-cost gifts for all of those people you accidentally forgot to buy for.  if i were smarter, i’d follow my own advice from last year, and have a few of these on hand for gifting emergencies.

left to right, from top: moonstruck chocolates penguin & snowman collection, $16; la mer lip balm, $45; foot petals holiday limited edition, $7+; baggu/no.6 reusable shopping bags, $12; patrick hruby memory game (for the tykes, obviously, but it’s beautiful), $13; own plump hydration lip therapy trio, $30; jessica nails holiday heritage collection, $12.

{FTC disclaimer: some product samples were provided to help me compile this guide, but as usual, there’s no pay-for-play here.}