Friday, December 16, 2016

Food I've Been Gifted & Annual Cookbooklette Giveaway!

The last month or so has been full of wonderful food gifts - the abundance of late autumn harvest. Now it's (almost!) officially winter, but there are still fruits on a few trees and goodies to be shared.  

just a few of the avocados I've enjoyed!

One of my lovely yoga students has several huge avocado trees on his property and for the last month or two he has been bringing in giant baskets full of avocados to class -- sometimes twice a week! Right this moment I have two giant avo beauties all ripened up and ready to enjoy! It really has been a wonderful bonanza, and I will be a bit sad when it comes to an end... but I hear there are more on their way next week, so no need to be sad just yet. 


yummmmmmy

That same student also brought me a lovely bowl of delicious sungold cherry tomatoes -- most of which I ate before I remembered to take a picture... because they are irresistible! These little autumn beauties are so sweet and tasty - little bursts of sunshine in every bite. It's been a while since I enjoyed these buddies, and these days the tomato plants have all been plowed under... but I still have my happy tomato memories. 


perfect almonds

My friend JenJenTheWitchesHen came to visit and brought me some lovely, perfect, delicious almonds: roasted and unsalted. I just love a perfectly roasted almond and these were positively munchable. She got these from a farmer at the farmers market that we goes to regularly. We are both farmers market junkies and it's so fun to give each other gifts from our respective markets. 


DUDE. FOR REALZ.

Can you even believe it??? My very dear family friends (and yoga students!) recently went to New York City... and they brought me home a *personally selected* box of chocolates and caramels from none other than Lagusta's Luscious!! Squee!!  Can you even believe it??? I was over the moon with joy! I slowly savored each and every one -- each one was different and delicious. This was such a special treat, I felt so super lucky.  


golden orbs of gloriousness

Oh man, I really, really love fuyu persimmons. Around here, a lot of people have persimmon trees covered with a serious abundance of fruit... but usually they are the acorn-shaped persimmons called "Hachiya." Those fruits are much more mushy and I don't care for them. It's a little harder - but not impossible! - to find the people with fuyu trees! Lucky me, I've had a few sources this year for my favorite late-autumn/early-winter fruit. Right now I have a big bowl of these that my aunt and her partner gave to me, AND  a bag of them from our neighbor! Whooo! My favorite breakfast lately has been a big scoop of my homemade yogurt, a handful of rolled oats, and a chopped up persimmon... so good. Now I am already looking forward to going to bed so that I can wake up and eat this again tomorrow. 

More recently, I've been able to return the favor... as our lime tree is finally busting out fruits left and right! I've given away a few huge boxes full of limes, and we're just getting started! What goes around comes around! I've also been busy in the kitchen cooking up holiday presents -- but I can't say anything more than that, because several people on my gift list also read my blog! I promise pictures and details after Xmas!!  



While we're on the subject of gifts... guess what? It's time for my
  Annual Holiday Cookbooklette Giveaway! 
Every year I make a hand-drawn mini cookbook zine featuring some of my favorite recipes from that year. This year I will give away 10 copies -- to readers anywhere in the world! Please just leave a comment and tell me about a foodie gift that you've given or received recently! And make sure to leave your email address or a way to reach you, or I will just pick a different winner. 

p.s. Congratulations to Gabrielle Pope 
for winning a copy of "But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan!

36 comments:

  1. I LOVE your recipe booklets! I'm gifting lots of pecans this year since I spent a bunch of time in Georgia pecan orchard country this fall. Fresh pecans are out of this world!

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  2. Aaah! I was just thinking about your cookbooklette this morning and hoping this wasn't the year that you decided to disband with the tradition. Yay!! I'm so glad to see another edition is born!

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  3. I gifted my friend with soup recently!

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  4. I have always loved your cookbooklette idea, and especially love this year's title!!

    Diana at veggienextdoor dot-com.

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  5. I cannot imagine living in California and having access to such amazing fruits, and in December no less! Here in Massachusetts, the garden's bounty is all but a distant memory and all we can do is dream while flipping through seed catalogs!

    My most recent food gift was actually from my landlord. I helped him shovel a ton of wet snow last weekend and he surprised me the next day with a big box of cookies! So nice!

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  6. The food gifts you've received are spectacular! I wish I lived somewhere where avocados grew on trees near my house! We received a box of chocolates from a former student of my husband's. We gave a box of dried fruit and nuts as a gift. Also, we are giving away lots of Theo chocolate bars. We also packed up lots of bags with things like jars of peanut butter, bags of sweet potato chips, fruit leather, plus other foods, and necessities like tooth brushes, tooth paste, face wipes, socks, etc., which we give to homeless people we encounter.

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  7. Homemade vegan hot chocolate mix! I can't believe you have so much fresh fruit. I am currently on a long project in Alaska. No fresh anything.
    blainewilkes@yahoo.com

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  8. I started brewing kombucha last year, and was gifted my scoby by a neighbour. It is becoming really popular around here, so I have been giving away kombucha and scobies to anyone who would like some. It is so abundant - I love that there is always plenty to share!
    Thank you for offering your cookbooklettes again this year <3
    miafaletti at gmail dot com

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  9. Yay! Holiday time gets me stoked in hopes of winning your recipe booklet :). This year I'm thinking of gifting the pecan pie truffles recipe from Veg News along with maybe attempting to create vegan butterfingers by dipping chick-o-stick candies in dark chocolate. My email address is beverleerichmond@gmail.com. Thank you for another year of great blog posts and Happy Holidays!

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  10. I was given a coffee maker and freshly ground special edition coffee. Yum!

    My email address is theautumndandelion at gmail.com

    Thanks! :)

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  11. Well I guess I know the cover now, but I'll be patient to see the actual inside. I like your emphasis on the individual foods in this post ... the raw material. Got any more persimmons? See you Sunday. :)

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  12. Oohhh, what an adorable cookbooklette! My gift I received was a bottle of vanilla extract that my friend made and aged themself in their own cellar especially for me. I used up the last of it the other day and I need to ask them if they have or can make me another because I don't think I can ever go back to store-bought vanilla now!
    My email is exactly what you'd guess it would be, at gmail.

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  13. I love to make friends and family smile with some nice and yummi homemade foodie-gifts!
    Pesto, truffles, "Eierlikör" (vegan of course!) and jars with the ingredients+recipe for the life changing loaf of bread were my (christmas) gifts I gave away so far. This years specials are not quite chosen yet :-) Happy Holidays and greetings from Germany!

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  14. I recently gifted homemade vegan cranberry orange bread. It's one of our family's favorites for the holidays.
    aimeesavon@hotmail.com

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  15. I gifted myself with a pickling class at a wonderful local shop called Happy Girl Kitchen. I made the most insanely delicious pickled beets with cardamom, juniper berries, and cloves. Love your blog and would be ecstatic to win! elsaweber4@yahoo.com

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  16. Well, seeing all the lovely food gifts you've received recently took me back to the most recent one I've had, too: in September, a friend gifted me with a bag full of delicious mini pears she had found at her farmers' market. That was so nice! While it's always fun to receive baked treats, gifts of fruits and veggies are equally exciting to me. How fun that you can reciprocate with your limes! That's something I wish I could do, but I have never been able to grow anything, unfortunately.

    I can bake, however! And for the past several years, we gifted a big box of assorted homemade cookies to my brother-in-law and his family for Christmas. We've found a different gift for them this year, and I'm kind of wondering if they'll miss the treats!
    I'd like to give homemade edible gifts to other people this year, and I think that savory would work better than sweet for them, so I'm looking for inspiration for fun savory gifts to make… I'm also keeping your cookbooklette idea in mind; this year was way too hectic for me to be able to create one, but I'm hoping I can make it happen next year.

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  17. I got a gift from my hubby recently--a variety of various vegan candies/chocolate that he ordered on-line. So thoughtful!

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  18. Audrey3:54 PM

    I've given out specialty roasted coffee's from one of my favorite local coffee roasters, which was a big hit. I was also gifted some chocolates but yours from Lagusta's Luscious look even better! asingara @ emich dot edu

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  19. Anonymous5:23 PM

    oh I do so love your lovely booklets also. I was so lucky to win one last year and I will be greedy and wish to be so lucky again this year. I have gifted a couple of boxes of really good chocolate recently.

    fruitcrmble AT Comcast DOT net

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  20. The coveted cookbooklette giveaway! I wait for it every year! I can't think of any foodie gifts given to me or even by me, but my very kind step mother made me the most delicious vegan pumpkin pie this year and it was wonderful. I was touched by her thoughtfulness and delighted to have a whole pie to myself, I didn't want anyone else to know how good it was. :)

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  21. i'm studying in sf this year so all my gifts for my family back in the uk are food-based. i think i'm most excited to give them chili dried mango... or maybe the salted chocolate almonds?! there's so much delicious, fresh fruit here too, i wish i could bring some back for them but tsa restrictions won't allow it.
    the very happiest of holidays to you: lydia_webster@yahoo.com

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  22. Oh! What a cute cute cute title!! I love it!!

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  23. I love to cook and most recently made co workers my own version of jerky. Of the people who tried it, two refused, they loved it. I am looking forward to making more. I would love a booklet. I love your recipes and drawings. My email is zula154@yahoo.com.

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  24. Very nice! This year I am making vegan caramel sauce and spiced pecans in mason jars for friends and family.

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  25. I think I have only ever seen the Fuyu persimmons here, never the other ones. So you would enjoy visiting here during persimmon season. I would send you some as a gift, however I predict some issues with transport. ;)
    My mum recently suprised me with a huge box of assorted locally made vegan chocolates, which I am very happy about.

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  26. My aunt have me some yummy chocolate and tea last week
    Mynameishaleyo at gmail

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  27. I made some delicious spiced nuts for my family last year. (celticcat66@yahoo.com)

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  28. I'm usually in Alaska this time of year with no farmers markets nor much fresh produce. But now I find myself "stuck" in Florida with a Rosemary bush out the back door, pecans from a nearby tree and the beach close by. So I made roasted pecans tossed with rosemary and sea salt - a great savory treat among all the sweet goodies. Thanks for taking the time to create another cookbooklette giveaway! (fireweedstation(at)mtaonline(dot)net

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  29. Anonymous7:48 PM

    Last Christmas my friend gave me a can of Freekeh. I threw some in some soup, but was unimpressed, but then I made it just as a grain on its own and served it with baked beans and soy curls (and a nice side of swiss chard). I was really happy with that and ate it all week for lunch. I'll try doing something else with the last little bit. ec925 'at' usa 'dot' net

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  31. I gave away huge containers of homegrown cherry tomatoes to my coworkers who were unable to have gardens this summer. I can only eat so many cherry tomatoes a year (as hard as i try) so it was wonderful to share them with people who were so excited to receive them! kkwapisz (at) umich.edu

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  32. I love persimmons, too! My coworker gave me so much persimmon deliciousness - persimmon cookies, persimmon spiced butter, plus a bag of beautiful fuyu persimmons! :D
    lburnett at alumnae dot mills dot edu

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  33. Anonymous5:04 PM

    My friend recently gifted me with some delicious chocolate-covered biscotti!

    Tam (linkmurphy @ hotmail . com)

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  34. Shoot, I thought I posted earlier, but I don't see it! In any case, my most recent foodie exchange was a spice blend exchange. It was such a welcome change from cookies. My email is erindoeslife at gmail dot com.

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  35. Lagusta chocolate really are the sweetest gift and those avocados...wow! I think I've eaten two avocados this year, it really is hard to find good ones in the UK.

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  36. The dessert charcuterie plate is such a good idea! Yours is just beautiful looking! My only problem with this is that I would want one (or more) of everything on that plate :)

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