Holiday Gift Ideas For The Food Lover In Your Life

The holiday season is upon us! This year I have been looking forward to Christmas more than usual, and I'm not even sure why. I just know I was already watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving... which I never do! I must just have an extra jolt of Christmas spirit this year.

I know you're all probably deep into the holiday shopping now, so I just thought I'd share some ideas for the food lovers in your lives. Some of these are things I have and some are things that I -- as a food lover, baker, and cook -- want.

Cookbooks

I have a pretty extensive cookbook collection but am always looking to add to it. These are the three cookbooks I'm pining for this year. The first two would be great for the baker, and the third one is perfect for the passionate cook who's looking for vibrant, colorful recipes with interesting flavor combinations.

Photo from Amazon.com

I have been waiting for Thomas Keller to come out with a baking book... and it's finally here. If Bouchon Bakery is anything like Keller's other books, it will have a spot on my coffee table but also be coming in the kitchen with me on a regular basis.

Photo from Amazon.com

I have the first two Baked cookbooks and use them all the time, so I would only be too happy to add the third to my collection. The Baked cookbooks are written by the guys behind Baked the bakery, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. For Baked Elements, they created recipes using their 10 favorite ingredients, which range from peanut butter to malted milk powder to cheese.

Photo from Amazon.com

Plenty quickly became one of my favorite cookbooks after I made the lentils with broiled eggplant recipe, so I have high hopes for Jerusalem, which is written by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. The book features the flavors of Jerusalem, from fattoush to latkes to stuffed eggplant.

Cooking and Entertaining Stuff

I have a large Le Creuset skillet that I use all the time, but I really want a mini one for making skillet cakes and other fun desserts or mini meals. If you know someone who likes making mini dishes, this would be a great gift.

Photo from CrateandBarrel.com

I have lots of these fun appetizer plates in different colors and think they are perfect for parties. They can be used for appetizers, finger foods, and even dessert.

Photo from Williams-Sonoma.com

We registered for (and got) this adorable pig cutting board, and even had it monogrammed with a little "G." I can't wait to break it out for parties and use it for charcuterie. It would be a really fun gift for someone who likes entertaining and cured meats. There's also a cow cutting board if that's more suited to the person you're buying for.

Photo from Williams-Sonoma.com

We also got these really cool outdoor wine glasses. When I opened them at my shower, everyone thought they were real glass. They're actually made from polycarbonate, which means they're super durable and perfect for partying out on the patio.

Check out these lists for other great gift-giving ideas:

22 Kitchen Gift Ideas at Every Price -- I especially love the West Elm mixing bowls.
2012 Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers -- The mini carafes and salt sellers are adorable!

What's on your list this year?