Tag: gifts

Cooking, Family, Holidays

Love Language & Gratitude

Lora Knows...

Do you know what your love language is? Mine is giving. I love doing things for people, whether big or small – or even just a little note or gift to someone dear to my heart. It truly makes me happy to see the smile on their face. Better yet, I like doing random acts of kindness and the person never knows who did that little something special for them.

With the approaching holiday season I want to challenge you to do some random acts of kindness, or just a little something special for someone. If you need some ideas or inspiration here is a list. I’d love your ideas too of things to do, so leave me a comment.

  • Bake a treat for your neighbors.
  • Give someone in need a care package.
  • Reconnect with someone who you’ve lost touch with.
  • Send a loved one a handwritten note.
  • Compliment a coworker for their hard work.
  • Call a relative.
  • Thank a veteran in your life for their service.
  • Clean up a few pieces of trash at your favorite park.
  • Hold the door open for someone.
  • Give someone a small gift, just because.
  • Treat a coworker to coffee.
  • Call someone who does a service for you.
  • Tell someone how much you admire them.
  • Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
  • Feed someone else’s parking meter.
  • Cook your partner’s favorite meal for them.
  • Let someone else have a parking spot.
  • Give your pet a special treat.
  • Be an active listener when someone is venting.
  • Drop off a bag of dog/cat food at your local Humane Society.
  • Hug someone you love.
  • Tell your mentor how influential they have been.
  • Help the cashier bag your groceries.
  • Pay for the person’s order behind you in the drive-thru line.
  • Donate old clothes/belongings to a local charity.
  • Leave a generous tip and words of encouragement for a waiter.
  • Donate to your local food bank.
  • Speak to someone who is sitting by themselves.
  • Spend one day only saying positive things.
  • Be kind to yourself.

Cooking, Family, Holidays

Gift Giving Made Simple

Lora Knows...

Back in November a few friends and I were discussing the holidays. The talk of writing seasonal cards, decorations, travel and more gave way to gifts. None of us seemed excited about shopping and we all said the same thing, that there isn’t one thing we want for Christmas.

Later that evening, during dinner, I was sharing the story with Dean – and he agreed that there is nothing he wants for Christmas. We decided then that we would set an amount and stick to it, and we would get each other something meaningful to open on Christmas morning.

Having a set amount, and promising not to exceed it, made me put a lot of thought into the perfect gift for Dean. I’m pretty excited about the three little things I got for him, and cannot wait for him to open them on Christmas morning. He will be so happy.

I just glanced over at our tree, it is usually stuffed with gifts underneath, but instead there are 5 beautifully wrapped presents – and it truly feels like Christmas.

Feeling that others may feel this way too, I thought I would share a few gift ideas – but the list was so endless I cut it down to a few kitchen gadget ideas that will fit under the tree or in a stocking.

Digital Food Thermometer

Cooking meat to the right temperature can be a bit of a guessing game. Help your recipient avoid this stress with an instant-read or digital thermometer from Cuisinart or Kizen that gives a fast, accurate read of internal temperatures. They’ll be able to quickly check the temperature of steaks, chicken breasts, or whole turkeys, gaining peace of mind that these meats have reached the right level of doneness.

Beeswax Food Wraps

Plastic wrap can serve many purposes, but it’s also a single-use item that soon finds its way into the trash. This holiday season, consider gifting beeswax food wraps, the reusable alternative to plastic wrap that can seal jars and bowls and protect half-used fruits and veggies. You can find ones in different shapes and sizes from companies such as Bee’s Wrap and Goldilocks Goods.

Garlic Press

From pasta to wings to potatoes, garlic adds a wonderful flavor that enhances any dish. And a garlic press like Zulay’s two-in-one version, which can mince and slice the cloves, makes using the staple ingredient that much easier.

Meat Chopper

You may be scratching your head wondering what this chopper is for, but it’ll soon become your loved one’s new favorite kitchen gadget. This spatula-like tool from brands like GoodCook, OXO, and Farberware has multiple blades that easily chop, blend, or mash meat or vegetables while they cook in a pan on the stove.

Electric Spice Grinder

Preground spices are very convenient, but nothing compares to a fresh grind since it makes the flavors and aroma more powerful. Gift an electric spice grinder like Cuisinart’s electric spice-and-nut grinder, and your loved one may never go back to preground again.

Take gift giving back to what it was – a little gift that will mean something to ones you love.