I thought I would take a moment to share with you a few of the gifts I got this year for Christmas. I know, I know, it was almost 2 weeks ago, but hey… I was on vacation! Obviously my family knows how much I like to cook, because just look at all of these awesome food-related gifts I got this year.

I am really excited to tear into my Joy of Cooking book. I have heard so many people rave about it that I decided I was long overdue for a copy. The two pictures behind it are Will Rafuse paintings. Even if you don’t recognize the name, I am sure you have seen his work in Bed Bath & Beyond or other retailers with prints for sale. His works always feature food or food preparers / servers, and I love the colors he uses. My mother in law made these for me by mod podging an old Will Rafuse calendar I had. I thought that was a pretty clever way to “recycle” something that would normally have gone in the garbage. Thanks Beth!

I also got a couple of bottles of this South China Sea stir-fry sauce. Abby and I tore into a bottle last night, and it was really good! I think this is made by a small business (we saw them at the state convention center), so I don’t know about its availability for purchase in other parts of the country. I just remember trying a sample of the hot one and thinking how surprised I was that it was actually very spicy. Usually handouts like that are not very hot, but I even said that I probably wouldn’t have wanted it any spicier without a drink to go with it! So, needless to say, I am looking forward to stir-frying up a big pan of the super hot version.

Having a sister who works part-time at Williams-Sonoma sure pays off! She gets a nice discount, and loves to give their products as gifts. Check out my new monkey bread dish. I guess there will have to be a monkey bread recipe coming up soon. Technically, that was a graduation present, but this seemed like a good time to show it off! I’m also really excited about this new mandolin. Supposedly this is one of the better types available (fancy, fancy). I’ve never used one, but I hear they can really make food prep go much more smoothly. I do have to admit though, I’m a little worried about keeping my finger tips…

Abby and I each got a DVD: I got Fast Food Nation, and hers was Julie & Julia. We haven’t seen either, but I’ve heard good things about them, so I have high hopes! It’s not a great picture of it, but the one last item in that shot is a chili pepper tea strainer. Neither Abby or I are coffee drinkers, but I do like an occasional mug/glass of tea. The chili pepper shape was just so fitting, I’m sure Santa couldn’t pass it up.

Happy New Year everybody!