Tanorria's 2019 Holiday Shopping Guide
Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I haven’t. Honestly, I tend to wait until the last couple of weeks. I definitely don’t wait until the last day or so, but I’m not an early shopper. These days, I’d much rather buy what I can online instead of going into a store.
I make a list of gift ideas for friends and family all year. If they ever get into the notes on my phone they’d learn how much I keep track of them. Haha! I go over my year-long gift ideas and figure out what I’m going to buy based on a few things:
How much they’ve mentioned the gift ideas.
How much it costs because I am on a budget.
What kind of deal I can get on it because I am on a budget.
How much impact I think it will have on them. Will they feel truly seen and known? Is it something practical?
That’s just how I roll and it’s worked for me over the last several years.
I want to help you as you are making your list. I get a lot of questions about necessities for the kitchen, cookbooks, books I read for fun, and other things. I simply make recommendations based on what I love to use. I’ve created a list of things I really like, but I want to share my favorites.
Favorite Kitchen Equipment
I use a lot of different pieces of kitchen equipment. I carry an entire toolbox of kitchen utensils and gadgets to dinner parties. I have multiple shelves in my pantry dedicated to kitchen equipment. It’s almost like I collect the stuff. Wanna know something? Hardly any of it is necessary. Often times I purge and get rid of things that seem like they’re just taking up space.
The kitchen item that I love most. The item that I use daily and welcome multiples at any given time is my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, please consider getting one. If the avid cook in your family doesn’t have one, and you’re looking for the perfect gift, this is it. Cast Iron skillets develop flavor, can go from stovetop to the oven. It can be used on a grill, a campfire, and more. The only place I think you can’t cook in cast iron is the microwave!
Do yourself a favor and grab yourself, and someone on your shopping list, a cast-iron skillet!
Favorite Cookbook
I actually collect cookbooks. I have boxes of them and hardly ever open them. I really don’t cook much from cookbooks, but I love looking through them for inspiration for cooking, plating, and the beautiful stories about the author. If I were to ever have a cookbook it would share such fun stories about each recipe and why they mean so much to me. Maybe someday!
The cookbook that rocked my world this year is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. Not only does this cookbook share fundamental cooking instruction and fun stories, but there’s also Netflix series about the author and her recipes. That’s the ultimate sharing of stories to me!
SFAH is the perfect gift for a beginner or advanced cook. It gives to much information and basic cooking practice. Watch the show and get the book!
More than honorable mention: Notes From A Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi. This book is stunning. The storytelling is phenomenal. I listened to the audiobook of this and ordered the hard copy as soon as I was done. Do yourself a favor and read Kwame’s notes. Hear his words. Take a look into his life and understand how food can guide people. Inspire people. And make people.
Favorite Book for “Fun”
I have read so many books just this year. I found myself the Libby App and went a little nuts! I spend a lot of time in the car, delivering to clients, so listening to audiobooks has become my new thing. I tend to gravitate towards non-fiction, and my favorites are the ones read by the author. The book that has stuck with me the most, this year is Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood. Trevor’s book has stuck with me because there are so many layers. This book will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you think and ponder. This book will also make you shake your head and say “mmmmhhhhmmmm” while driving. I strongly recommend getting the audiobook version of this so that you can hear Trevor’s dreamy accent as well as the different languages he speaks from South Africa.
There were several other books that have moved me and changed my perspective, but Trevor’s book gave me a little bit of everything.
Give the Gift of Warm and Cozy by Tanorria’s Table
If you’re looking to gift something delicious this year, consider the gift of my homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate mix. These are a fantastic stocking stuffer, and not only support me as a small business, but they also support a wonderful non-profit organization. I give 25% of the sales of these gift sets to Dotted Line Divas. Dotted Line Divas is a wonderful organization that uses the art of strategic couponing to give personal care and hygiene items to families in need. It is an honor to support them each year.
Give the Gift of Experience
I get a lot of inquiries about dinner parties and gift cards this time of year. I absolutely love that people are seeking to give the gift of experience instead of “things”. A dinner party by Tanorria’s Table is a unique and delicious experience. From choosing the menu to chatting with me while I prepare your meal, every part of it is customized to make sure you have the most memorable experience. I’d love to offer you a gift card to give your loved ones a fun and extraordinary experience.
Happy Holidays, everyone! Don’t forget to shop small and support your local small businesses this holiday season. Your support not only grows my business, but it supports a real human person who is chasing her dreams and supporting herself. I appreciate you more than you know.