As I get older, holidays get a little less special for me. One thing I can always count on to lift my spirits around the holidays is dessert. Oh man, the desserts are so worth it. My favorite has always been cookies because you can snack on them throughout the day (they make an excellent breakfast) and they’re pretty much single servings. The only problem I can see with holiday cookies is that they aren’t around in between holidays. I’m not saying I want to be eating Christmas cookies year round, but a little festivity never hurt anyone.
The Letter Pressed Cookie Cutters (Perpetual Kid, $17.99) bring a bit of sparkle to an otherwise normal looking cookie. Each cookie cutter is double-sided so you can cut out the cookie shape with one side and press the letter shape into the cookie with the other. There are 26 letter cookie cutters as well as an ampersand and exclamation point. Now, I know what you’re thinking – ransom notes. Sure, it would probably decrease the seriousness of your point, but it would also probably put the recipient in a fantastically good mood and therefore more likely to comply with your demands.
Ransom notes: Not just for hostage situations anymore.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Set of 26 letters plus ampersand & exclamation point
-Double sided cookie cutters
-Punch out shapes on one side
-Imprint letters on other side
-Packed in reusable plastic storage trays
-Hand wash only
-Made of durable food safe plastic
I know I talk a lot about how accident-prone I am, but I just want to clarify that that doesn’t mean I’m messy. In fact, I’m quite a neat person (not in an obsessive-compulsive way, just a not living in filth way). Still, from time to time I have been known to wear my lunch on my clothes. I’m not proud of it, but it occasionally happens to us all. That being said, anything that makes my life (and laundry days) easier is a plus.
Maybe it’s because I eat lunch at my desk pretty much every day, but I think the Soup & Crackers Mugs (Vat19, $9.99) are the cat’s meow when it comes to dishware. First off, you’re getting two bowls for a super steal of a price so that’s pretty awesome. Each bowl has a space for soup and a space for crackers, separated so your soup stays hot while the crackers stay dry. Sure, you could do the same thing by carrying a sleeve of crackers, but for us clumsy people this is a godsend. And if soup and crackers isn’t your thing, just think of all the other stuff you could put in here: ice cream and toppings, chips and dip, or any liquid/dry combo you can think of.
If you were a real caffeine freak, you could use these mugs for coffee but I think that’s just a tad too much java for one person to handle at any given time.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 7.5″ x 4.25″ x 2.5″
-Capacity: 16 oz
-Set of 2 bowls
-Holds soup and crackers separately
-Dishwasher and microwave safe
-Made of ceramics
Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to get back to work. This is never an easy thing to do after a long weekend, much less an extended holiday break. Whether the break is long or short, I think the key to productivity is caffeine. I can safely assume that I’m not alone on this one.
The appeal of caffeine is that it perks you up when you’re feeling less than perky, so it should go without saying that anything that can give your morning a jump start is a good thing. The Morning Mug (Generate Design, $29.00) manages to brighten your day without being overly cutesy or in-your-face about it. At first glance, this ordinary black mug has a white sleeping face printed on it, but that all changes once you pour your hot beverage of choice into it. Coffee or tea (it doesn’t matter as long as it’s hot) will change this black mug to a white one with a new facial expression printed on it. Much like yourself after getting a caffeine jolt, the mug will display a look that can only be described as serene alertness.
Isn’t it nice to have someone to wake up? Especially when that someone know not to disturb you until you’ve had your coffee.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 3.75″ x 3.25″
-Mug changes color when hot
-Cold mug is black
-Hot mug is white
When it comes to pie, I have trouble saying no. For example, this past Thanksgiving I ate large quantities of mostly starchy foods and just about stuffed myself more than the turkey. A few hours later, I was presented with no less than four different types of pie. How many slices did I have? Three. That might not seem like a lot, but consider the massive meal eaten barely two hours prior as well as the fact that I also attended another Thanksgiving earlier in the week. Pie is my kryptonite.
What’s better than choosing from a multitude of pies? Choosing from a multitude of mini pies! The Personal Pie Factory (ThinkGeek, $26.00) allows you to make four different types of pie at one time with little to no effort! No one ever eats a whole pie because there are usually so many different choices that it’s hard to pick just one. If you had mini pie selections instead, you wouldn’t be wasting any food because it would be exactly the right amount of dessert. This contraption magically cooks four pies in less than 10 minutes, transforming raw dough into bakery perfection. And cleanup is mega easy because the entire cooking surface is coated with nonstick awesomeness.
You do have to provide your own dough and filling. I know, you might as well BUY a pie then.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
- -Dimensions: 5.9″ x 9.3″ x 11″
- -Makes 4 mini pies in under 10 minutes
- -Nonstick surface
- -Easy removal and cleanup
- -Dough and filling not included
I like to cook. I do not like to clean. The problem is, cleaning almost always seems to follow cooking in some regard. Maybe you’re proficient enough in your culinary skill that your kitchen doesn’t need a thorough cleaning after each time you cook, but mine usually looks like a bomb went off in there. If I need a tablespoon of flour, you can bet there’s a cup of it scattered throughout my kitchen. My point is, I don’t need any help making messes but I sure could use some when it comes to cleaning them up.
The Utensil Pot Clip (Vat19, $6.99) understands me and as such, has decided to help make my life easier. Instead of putting my cooking utensil of choice on the counter, which leaves a pile of food to be scraped off later as well as picking up whatever crumbs might be left there from my last cooking attempt, I can now slide said utensil into this handy holder. This little guy clips to the side of most pots and will hold your cooking utensil up off the counter and over the pot. No more messes! No cross-germ contamination! The clip features heat resistant rubber feet that won’t scratch your pot and the whole shebang can withstand temperatures up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit so you won’t even burn your hand when you unclip the contraption. It’s kinda perfect, right?
Note: You still have to do the dishes.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
- -Dimensions: 3″ x 2″
- -Clips onto most pots
- -Food residue drips into pot
- -Heat resistant rubber top and feet
- -Withstands temperatures up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit
- -Dishwasher safe
