10 Holiday Gift Ideas & A Giveaway

And the randomly selected winners (using Random.org) are:

ncnguyen514, Maryclare and Flygirl Reba

Congratulations! Email me at georgia at georgiapellegrini dot com with your addresses! Happy Holidays!

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Tis the season to give and give. Here are my ideas and a gift from me to you. Scroll to the bottom for a giveaway!

Stovetop Smoker

The best smoked salmon I ever made was on this little stove top smoker. No outdoor space required. It even comes with a set of wood chips in various flavors. I’ve made other things too, like delicately smoked trout and bacon. It’s really compact and just as good as any large one I’ve used. It’s especially good if you’re a person on the move. It will fit neatly in a box if you suddenly feel the urge to move to Timbuktu.

Emera Bag

Interviewers seem to like to ask me where I live these days. Do you know what I tell them? Airports. They laugh and say, “no really.” And I say, Airports. The TSA man in SFO is now my Godfather. Traveling is really not like it used to be; those days when you could get a serious cocktail and have a smoke on board and where you dressed up for the occasion. The only people who I ever see dressed up anymore are elderly. I look at them and imagine what it must have been like not be groped by a man in a blue shirt at the airport, and not to have to spend your life savings checking your bag. Oh how I imagine… When I pack I’m often faced with the dilemma of how to carry my laptop and camera and a purse. I usually give up the purse for the sake of a computer bag. How else would I keep in touch with you? Well the Emera bag solves that problem. It’s a purse with beautiful compartments for your camera and your laptop. Perfect for a person on the move. Are you sensing a theme here? I’m writing this to you from an airplane for your information.

Noise Canceling Headphones

Speaking of writing from an airplane… someone made the brilliant suggestion to me recently, that I should get noise canceling headphones. She said that there is ambient stress that you pick up from loud noise, especially while traveling on airplanes. Ever notice how loud the engine is? Or how loud the world is? I even used it recently when I was on a loud bus of male hunters who were grunting a lot. Just flicked those ear phones on and when I couldn’t hear them… blame it on the ear phones! Reminds me of when I was living in France and I had no idea what anyone was saying… sometimes you just need the gray matter to go away.

Buffwear

My brother introduced this to me a little while ago. It’s brilliantly versatile, especially if you find yourself in the cold outdoors often. To see all of its uses go here, he’ll model it for you. I hate being cold and I hate getting up early and being cold. When you venture into the wild you can at least solve one of those things.

Metal French Press

I have a conspiracy theory. I think Bodum makes their glass French presses so they break after three uses. I went through four in one month recently, the last one exploded in the kitchen and someone ended up with coffee legs. Then I discovered this metal one. You can have pressed coffee and still and keep your pants dry on a Sunday morning.

Skillet

Another question I seem to be getting a lot in interviews is what is my favorite kitchen tool. If you’ve been reading this little blog ‘o mine for a while you know it’s my beloved skillet. You can cook with it any which way, in the oven, on top of the stove, you can bake, fry, boil, simmer, and use it as a hammer. They come in many sizes, even as corn or heart molds. You may remember Grandma P. and I did some fancy cornbread with them not long ago.

Weck Canning Jars

These jars make me pause whenever I see them. Maybe it’s their proportions, or their sheer versatility. Or their slightly German heir. But I want them in every shape or size. I can picture marinated cherries in there, or my dad’s Tulipwood honey, or a great beeswax candle. And they are reusable and nice looking wherever you put them.

Beeswax Candles

Speaking of beeswax candles, have you heard of these? A friend bought some recently because they are supposed to create a harmonious environment wherever they’re burned. I love candles as you may recall, and so I was willing to put a match to these. I’m not into voodoo, but I really think they work. Whenever they’re burning a peaceful pal comes over the room. Perfect for this holiday season me thinks. The only problem is that they don’t last long… so it becomes an expensive addiction. But it’s better than heroine.

Toms Shoes

I bought these shoes on a whim many years ago before they were a fad. I bought plaid cloth ones and brought them with me when I went to cook in France. I never took them off. I walked for miles in them in the middle of the French countryside when I didn’t have a car and had serious places to go. A girl’s got to get to her afternoon cafe. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. And my feet are picky. They now have them in all kinds of glamorous fabrics and for men too. I was recently gifted them in gold and silver which you may remember from by book tour expedition, so if you want to be stylish you have options. But for the truest comfort go with the classic cloth. Perfect for a person…(can you guess it?)…on the move. But the best part? For every pair you buy, Toms gives a pair to a child in need — one for one. Now that’s the holiday spirit.

Food Heroes

You’ve probably heard me yelling about it by now, but this is my new book Food Heroes, and is the product of all of my travels. It is the reason I put up with TSA groping and strange airplane food. It is filled with stories of people from around the world who have stepped off the grid and are preserving inspiring food traditions. It is filled with recipes too, so it is a gift that keeps on giving. I hope you’ll consider it for your holiday gift list, I haven’t had a disappointed customer yet! And get this… as I wrote this, the guy in the airplane seat next to me tapped my shoulder and said, “I just bought your book!” It’s a sign.

So to kick things off, today I am giving away 3 signed first edition copies of Food Heroes, from me to you.

Here are 5 ways to enter. For each one you choose you can leave one comment, which increases your chances of winning!

1. Become a fan on Facebook and leave a comment here telling me you have.

2. Follow my adventures on Twitter and leave a comment here telling me you have.

3. Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment here telling me you have.

4. Share this giveaway with your Facebook fans or friends and leave a comment here telling me you have.

5. Stumble this post and leave a comment here telling me you have.

Contest ends Wednesday at 5pm PST!