Category — Gift-aholics

I was shopping on Lincoln Road Mall in South Beach yesterday, and wandered into one of my favorite little gift shops, the Pink Palm. I always find something there, but not yesterday. As I waited at the register for my friends to pay, a small plastic box caught my eye: EAR CAP Bling Cap.

What?

So I picked up the box: a little crystal ball dust protector that pops into the earbuds jack. What does it do? Absolutely NOTHING. Except look cute and blingy in my iPhone

Done and doner!

My white iPhone now has some gorgeous cobalt blue bling. $6.95 plus tax.

It makes me happy!

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Last year my go-to gifts for kids was a Zoku pop maker; this year the Zoku is perfect for adults!

We’re having a heatwave in Chicago… hot and humid and a holiday squeezed between 2 weekends equals lots of parties and picnics. Looking for a fun way to cool-off the adults? Zoku pops: spiked with a little something extra!

To make adult pops:

1. fruit juices: mango, strawberry, peach, blueberry are a good start
2. your favorite mixer: vodka and rum are always good, try the flavored mixers too
3. mix 3 cups of juice to 2oz alcohol: alcohol doesn’t freeze, so be sure to measure!
4. pour in your Zoku machine (or other popsicle mold, or even dixie cups with sticks)
5. freeze, and serve

Party in a pop! If you’re looking for ideas there are lots of adult popsicle recipes on the internet: including the Zoku blog! Guest of a Guest has some tres fab alcoholic pop recipes too.

Note: Be sure to color-code or separate your pops if there are children nearby: you don’t want them accidentally eating the spiked pops!

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The photo was everywhere: Lenny Kravitz walking down the street talking on the phone…with a traditional telephone handset wired to his iPhone.

Voila! The perfect gift for my son and TBG, both iPhone addicts who like to pace while they talk, and both notorious butt-dialers. The POP Phone is a retro-style wired handset that connects to mobile phones, iPads, lap tops and other devices.

I found my POP Phone at Urban Outfitters, in an assortment of colors from black to red to purple to yellow…and everything in between. I chose 2 red POP phones: tres cool! Check online: POP Phones are popping up all over: Best Buy, West Elm, CB2, as well as online vendors like Amazon. And prices vary $17-35, so shop around!

Moi tip: POP phones aren’t just for phones: they can also be used for iPads and computers: if you use Skype or VOIP calling, I’ve found that if your connection is static-y or breaking up you can get much clearer reception with the POP phone. Adaptors may be necessary.

And I did test wireless retro handsets for mobile phones: I didn’t find them to be as clear at the wired POP Phone.

Who knew retro handsets would be sooo cool: Lenny knew! I’ll be gifting a few more POP Phones in 2012.

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I was Christmas shopping with niece Rachel and we found the perfect gift for her dad…and for TBG! Rachel’s dad has long been making dehydrated fruits and vegetables, which she says takes 3 days so they never do it. Shopping at Genevieve Lethu in Chicago we discovered TopChips for making chips in the microwave!

$25 for a set of 2 stackable trays. Machine washable, finished in 3 minutes: Done!

So this weekend I pulled out an idaho potato, sweet potato, and a couple Fuji apples. I peeled the potatoes, and sliced all 3 on 1/8inch on the mandolin.

First, the idaho potatoes:

I spread a single layer on each of the 2 trays, stacked the trays, and set the microwave for 3 minutes at full power. After cooking I let them set 2 minutes, but they were still soft and flexible, not at all crispy, so I put 1 tray in for 1 minute. Much better: thin and crispy and crunchy. I immediately sprinkled them with sea salt and put them in a little dish for the ultimate taste-test: TBG.

TBG’s vote: Make some more!

Next, I finished the remaining idaho potato slices, then went on to the sweet potato. I found they need to be cooked even longer than the idaho potatoes. I recommend closely monitoring so the chips don’t burn: after 3 minutes just continue cooking in 30 second intervals, remembering the slices continue “cooking and crisping” once they’re removed from the micro.

Finally, the apple slices. I left the peel on, did NOT core them, and just sliced them thin and microwaved for 3 1/2 minutes. I liked them plain, but they would be good with cinnamon or nutmeg too. They’re a little more chewy than crunchy but a easy healthy snack.

Moi tip: Mignette likes the chips too: without salt or any other seasonings, the perfect puppy treat! (btw…she likes potatoes and apples raw too.)

You can buy TopChips at specialty kitchen shops, amazon or online. $20-25, depending on the accessory package.

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I’m highly competitive, and love word games so I’ve been a Scrabble addict since I was a kid. When we lived in Paris I bought the Scrabble version Francaise to help expand my French vocabulary, but never mastered French spelling so stopped playing that game. Moi husband and kids have refused to play Scrabble with me for years. Now with Moi iPhone and iPad I’m a Words With Friends addict: I have simultaneous games going with a young mother in England, a Marine in California, a Canadian in France, and countless sisters, nieces and nephews, and friends across the US: even my daughter will play WWF with me. I play in bed, in the car, on buses and train, in planes with WiFi, in line at Target (and to the annoyance of TBG at the dinner table, while watching TV, and anytime or place I can sneak a peak at my iPhone.)So while searching for the perfect birthday gift for a young friend turning 10 this month I bought him Bananagrams: sort of a free-form Scrabble/cross-word game. For 2-8 players aged 7-97. I’m ensuring I’ll be playing WWF for years to come! Completely portable and with its own case it’s perfect for home or on the road. $14.95  Fruits games also available: Appletters and Pairs in Pears.

Friend me on WWF!

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I was invited last week to brunch at a friend’s who just bought a condo in SoFlo. So of course the hunt for the perfect hostess gift begins. Brilliant: specialty breakfast treats from Florida!

Everyone likes food gifts, and what’s better than introducing a friend to some of my favorite local foods: a gift of Florida sunshine!

Palmalito Jams and Preserves: Moi faves are the Guava Jelly and the Orange Marmalade, but love the Jalapeño Pepper and Key Lime jellies too. I buy mine at the local Publix, but you can also buy it online and ship it as a gift (or to yourself!) About $3.50/jar.

McCoy’s Honey: I looooove McCoy’s Florida Orange Blossom on my yogurt and TBG squirts it on his toast. Perfect for a little tea sweetner! And we still love our bear squeeze bottle. I buy mine at the local farmer’s market, but you can buy it online. About $4.50/jar. Also sold in larger jars (which we buy to refill the bear.)

Kermit’s Keylime Pie: I buy and send several Kermit’s Key Lime Pies a year to friends up north in the dead of winter: just a taste of Florida Sunshine in all the snow! Ships frozen overnight. About $75. Try the Key Lime Pops on a Stick too!

Honeybell Oranges and Tangellos: These special Florida oranges are only available for a few weeks every year: typically late December thru early February, depending on the weather gods. I once gifted brother Tom 40 honeybells to celebrate his big 4-0! Prices vary, but usually around $25 for 5 lbs, plus shipping. The perfect post-holiday healthy gift! I buy mine at Woolbright Farmers Market, but when shipping I use Cushman’s.

Moi Tip: Check out the recipes from the local producers: Palmalito suggests adding a jar of Guava Jelly to your Thanksgiving yams: sounds yummy!

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For sister Lisa’s 40th I needed to celebrate both the big 4-0 and her recent move to the burbs.

With two little girls she’ll soon hit soccer mom status, and cold windy Chicago Fall days ensure some long Saturdays with a folding chair and a venti extra-hot Starbucks while the teams learn the rules of the game.

How to heat-up the day? Try a mini-flask studded with pink Swarovski crystals, and personalized with her name.

39 years 51 weeks...and counting

I bought it at McAdams Ltdfor $35.00, plus engraving. Lisa can provide the liquid heat.

Tres chic! Bon Anniversaire Lisa!

Moi tip: if anyone is reading, Christmas isn’t far off and Moi would love her own personalized crystal flask!

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I’m not really an early adopter. But I am a big reader. So back in the 90s, with my first Palm Pilot (I hated cell phones, but with a job requiring travel and 2 kids and a husband: necessary!) I discovered eReader: I could download books to my Palm Pilot, and read them wherever, whenever. Back then the selection of e-books was pretty limited, so I pretty much read classics and trashy novels, which kept me entertained for hours on planes, trains and automobiles…and subways, buses, doctors’ offices and cafés. I adjusted to the small screen easily, the only inconvenience was I had to download the books to my computer, and sync my Palm Pilot to load the books, so I had to plan ahead. A small inconvenience with a huge payoff.

screenshot of my iPhone: outdoors

Fast forward 15 years, I was gifted the brand-new cutting-edge Kindle  e-reader (OK, I bought it myself, wrapped it, and handed it to TBG with instructions to gift it. But still…). And I was happy to spend all my spare change on ebooks at Amazon.   Then, I graduated to the iPhone. And the Kindle App. Could life get any better? Yes, in fact it could. This Christmas TBG gifted me the iPad, and he thought of it all by himself.

Kindle: outdoors

The first app I downloaded? The Kindle App, bien sur! So I could be reading a book on my iPhone, Kindle and iPad: wherever was convenient. And some magical mystical amazon internet god saved my place and let me open my book to the correct page, whichever technology I was using. And I can download a book from anywhere, nowadays even planes are offering WiFi…for a price.

Kindle and iPad side by side: outdoors

And so you ask, why do I continue to use both the iPad and Kindle to read? (The iPhone is easy: it’s always with me!) Blame the sun gods.

iPad outdoors: see the palm trees... behind me!

You’ve probably read alot about the e-reader glare factor. If, like moi, you read outdoors…or in the car…, sun glaring on your e-reader screen converts that screen from a reader to a mirror. I’ve purchased the adhesive glare screens for my iPad, and while they reduce the glare, its virtually impossible to be outside in the sun reading for more than a few minutes. So my Kindle remains close-by for dedicated reading, and my iPad is ready for multi-tasking.

Kindle and iPad side by side: indoors

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The reminder email just landed in my inbox: Fathers Day Brunch hosted at my sister’s, pool-side. No time to procrastinate: I needed a Fathers Day gift for my 81 year old father; who tends to toss all gifts on the end of the couch, and ignore them, denying he received any gifts. A quick exchange of emails with the Queen Mum, and Dad’s gift is ordered and in the mail. Check below what Dad’s getting!

Are you looking for gift ideas for the Dad’s in your life? Here are a 5 tested, sure-thing Dad-pleasers:

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I like travel. And food. And books. And best of all, combining all 3! Having lived in Paris for 7 years and last year traveled and tasted my way thru India, my friend Suzanne – another adventurous traveler and food sampler – gifted me the book The Hundred-Foot Journey – A Novel by Richard C. Morais. I had too much going on to do more than read the accolades on the back cover for the 1st few weeks, but then I had time to open the book and drift into other worlds and flavors.

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