Valentine's Day is 1 day away and for those of you who STILL have not gotten a gift for a loved one (doesn't matter if it's a boyfriend, girlfriend, co-worker, bestie, or neighbor) you still have time. After all it is the season for loving. ❤️ And if you have a foodie in your life, show them some love on Valentine's Day with one (or all) of these "Foodie Based Gifts" they will be sure to love it!These are also gifts you can easily run out and get without having to rely on your Amazon Prime membership shipping ? #5 - Buy a food based deal from a popular deal site (Groupon/Living Social/Pulsd). These three sites are known for having great dinner, food and drink tour deals which will be a hit in the gift department if you buy a foodie either a baking class or a whiskey tour. Depending on what your mate likes it will sure be a hit as a gift. Find the deal, print it out and put it in a fun card.
#4 - Buy a Bed Bath & Beyond gift card. I know right now you must being saying "what?!". But hear me out. If you have ever been inside a Bed Bath & Beyond with someone who loves food, or someone who loves to cook this place is a foodies playground. There are so many cooking utensils, kitchen decor items, and kitchen gadgets it will make a foodies head spin.
#3 - Buy a food box subscription for your Valentine. Food box subscriptions are very popular right now. These subscription meal delivery services ship their members fresh ingredients and recipes every month. Plus the meals are totally Instagram photo worthy once they've been cooked. It also allows your foodie to collect recipes. If you are worried about certain diets most of the subscription companies provide special dietary options for vegans, vegetarian, pescetarians, gluten free, and paleo. Here are a few boxes I've tried and suggest: Blue Apron/Home Chef/Hello Fresh
#2 - Buy your foodie a ticket to a food conference or food talk. Many cities host events almost weekly or monthly where people discuss food, food culture, recipes, and teach food history. If you have a foodie on your hands they will be sure to love this! Eventbrite would be a helpful source for finding local food events to buy tickets. *Side note: be sure to look up the event before buying tickets to make sure everything is legit). For New Yorkers check out the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) for talks. I would personally love a membership or a ticket to one of their food talks.
#1 - Buy your foodie a cookbook. It's just that simple. If you know a foodie you know they can not resist a good cookbook. If you have a Barnes&Noble near you that's even better but you can practically get a cookbook anywhere there's a mall. Be sure to get a gift receipt just incase that foodie friend already has that cookbook but it's a sweet gesture and guaranteed to be a hit. If you really do not have time to go out and get a cookbook don't fret because you can purchase digital cook books which will save time.
I hope this post helped someone out there that has a foodie in their lives and wants to treat them sweet this Valentine's Day.Comment below if you thought this post was helpful or if you have any tips for me! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
My Top 5 Favorite Food Podcasts
I've been listening to podcasts for almost 10 years now. I listen to episodes on my commute to work and from work. 9 out of 10 times while I'm at my day job, I have a podcast playing in my ear if I'm working on budgets. I listen to a wide variety of podcasts from comedy to pop culture all the way to food topics.On a weekly basis, I listen to the following (5) food related podcasts. There are so many out there these days it will make your head spin but the one's I've listed here are the most consistent and prove to be an inspiration to me (and hopefully to you reading this). Whenever I listen to episodes from either one of these shows, I'm thrown into a fit of new ideas for my blog or for my foodie life in general.
* * * * * Starting from the top my #1 pick - The Splendid Table * * * * *
The Splendid Table is my favorite food podcast to date!Why I Enjoy This Podcast: I really REALLY enjoy listening to the award winning host Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Lynne is a James Beard Award winner for the Best National Radio Show and she is well deserved of this honor because is just so knowledgeable about food. Her tone is so calm it makes me want to listen to episode after episode. It's probably my love of learning that draws me into this show. Plus, the topics are always interesting and you are always left fulfilled with the description of the topic of the day.Show Format: The duration of each episode is usually around 50 minutes. Lynne interviews about 4 different individuals about 4 different topics or cuisines. Each interview lasts about 10 minutes. In between the interviews Lynn gives tips on food or cooking. Then the last 10 minutes of the show Lynne takes phone calls live! It's such a fun and informative show.What's This Podcasts Tag-Line: "The show for people who love to eat"What Episode Would I Recommend: Episode 547 titled SOUL FOOD - This episode appeals to me for obvious reasons because I grew up on soul food and good to hear someone talk about how important it is to preserve soul food for future generations. Plus there is some talk of truffles and truffle oil during the listeners call. That always gets my attention.
* * * * * #2 on my list - The Sporkful * * * * *
Why I Enjoy This Podcast: I enjoy this show because I feel like I'm always taken on a journey. It's like you and the host (Dan Pashman) have a subject and you both are diving right into the topic head first! I love Dan's storytelling style. Dan also cracks me up when he says "We obsess about food so we can learn about people". I think that is one of the main reasons why I'm obsessed with podcasts and watching interviews. I love learning about people and why they do certain things.
Show Format: Each episode is about 30 minutes and is mostly interview based with storytelling inserts in between.
What's This Podcasts Tag-Line: "It's not for foodies - it's for eaters"
What Episode Would I Recommend: The episode titled A TRUNK FULL OF TRUFFLES - This is such an interesting episode. Dan and his guest follow around a truffle seller. It's pretty wild and if you listen to this episode listen to the very end, I promise you'll get a good laugh.
* * * * * #3 on my list - Gastropod * * * * *
Why I Enjoy This Podcast: I love learning about food history. I love food facts and I love the science of food. This all stimulates my curiosity, so this podcast is right up my alley. Also, the hosts (Nicola Twilley and Cynthia Graber) do a great job at keeping the podcast interesting and fun while teaching you things about food you never knew you wanted to know. Plus, how bad-ass is it to hear females discuss anything science related!
Show Format: Each episode is about 45 minutes long. An interview clip usually starts the show then the hosts nicely transition to start the show and tell the audience what today's episode will be about and what to expect to learn. There are sometimes tips given towards the end or you'll hear the hosts testing out what they were discussing earlier (this is usually the really funny part of the show to hear reactions).
What's This Podcasts Tag-Line: "The podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history"
What Episode Would I Recommend: The episode titled THE SPICE CURVE: FROM PEPPER TO SRIRACHA -This episode blew me away with the American history on certain spices, what existed and what was introduced much later on. It's also a must listen for those who think American food should be categorized a certain way, this show will put you in your place and teach you why so many different cultures make up what is considered "American Food".
* * * * * #4 on my list - Spilled Milk * * * * *
Why I Enjoy This Podcast: I like this show because the hosts Matthew and Molly are hilarious. Every single episode leaves me giggling (mostly at my desk) because they occasionally break out into laughter themselves while recording. This gives me a good mix of learning about food and getting a bit of comedy relief all at the same time.
Show Format: Episodes are generally 30 minutes and the hosts focus on 1 main topic for each episode. This show is not generally interview based it’s 99% the hosts talking to each other. I will warn you listeners, there will be eating going on during each show which instantly makes me hungry, so be warned. What usually gets me is the occasional plate scrape you hear in the background. *drool* The hosts also go down what they call “memory lane” and discuss what they remember about a certain food. They also end the show with some kind of food joke.
What's This Podcasts Tag-Line: "The show where we cook something delicious, eat it all, and you can't have any"
What Episode Would I Recommend: Episode 254 titled FRENCH FRIES It's just a hilarious episode where the hosts talk about horses, bugs, and one of my favorite things to eat: french fries.
* * * * * #5 on my list - Wine for Normal People * * * * *
Why I Enjoy This Podcast: I’ve only started listening to this show about a month ago, so I have a lot to catch up on. But, so far I like this podcast because it’s a show for those of us who like to drink wine but want to learn about different wines without having to take classes or become an actual sommelier. Speaking of I really like the fact that Elizabeth is an actual sommelier. Elizabeth and her husband host the show, they have such great chemistry.
Show Format: The episodes are not consistent in length they range from 40 minutes to 55 minutes. The main focus of this show is wine and change weekly from interviews with wine makers, wine magazine editors to discussions about wines the hosts have tried on vacations/trips. I will add they give very honest opinions on food and wine pairings. There are also audio blogs uploaded to the podcast feed. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to many of them because I like to listen to the meat and potatoes of the show which are the actual episodes.
What's This Podcasts Tag-Line: “The podcast for people who like wine but not the snobbery that goes with it”
What Episode Would I Recommend: Episode 172 titled THE ONE WINE THANKSGIVING SOLUTION - Since this is the holiday season and lots of you readers/listeners out there will be going to each others homes for meals or cooking in your own home it’s great to get delicious wine solutions for all gathering occasions.
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And that's it folks! I hope you foodie's out there find this list helpful. Let me know if you listen to these shows as well and if you have any suggestions on podcasts/podcasters I should be listening to. Drop a comment below!