Charitable giving for the holidays

Look, things have gotten a little bit ugly this winter. And maybe you need to shake off the bad vibes regarding American policemen, Bill Cosby, and rapey frat boys on campuses across the country.  Maybe you didn't plan ahead and now have to produce some meaningful holiday gifts, pronto.  I'm not here to judge you.  If you want to feel good about your spending in these last shopping hours before Christmas, might I suggest some of the country's top-rated charities? (hand-selected to align with my own vision of the ideal world, of course...)


ANIMALS: Who hasn't bemoaned the fact that you cannot take home every cat or dog you see freezing outside this winter?  These guys are doing their best, and could use your help:
American Humane Association

Animal Welfare Institute

Marine Mammal Center

Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)

Wildlife Conservation Society

CIVIL RIGHTS: Could it possibly be any more obvious this holiday season?
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
Center for Constitutional Rights
National Right to Work Legal Defense & Education Foundation

CONSUMER PROTECTION AND LEGAL AID
Environmental Working Group
Food and Water Watch
Government Accountability Project
Public Citizen Foundation

HUMAN RIGHTS AND SERVICES
American Red Cross
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America – N.O.
Fund for Global Human Rights
Global Fund for Women
HealthRight International (formerly Doctors of the World)
Human Rights First
International Planned Parenthood Federation – Western Hemisphere


There are so many more compelling groups not listed here. Don't take my word for it--investigate your own favorites at Charity Watch or Charity Navigator.  And happy holidays, or whatever you say. 

Gifts for the traveler in your life

Whether you travel by car, plane, or train (ah, but who does that in this country? Stupid lack of public transportation *shaking tiny fist*), sometimes being on the road is just a little uncomfortable.  Or maybe it's just a good excuse to use cool gadgets.  I hate large and/or overpriced things, but I would be totally into receiving any one of the following for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus...


Electronics

Audio-Technica QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling In-Ear Headphones I don't like flying near kids. Unfortunately, everyone has kids. These ear buds successfully quiet them while providing pretty good sound quality for your music or audio book, and they even come with a nifty volume control slide built into the wire for easy access. 

The Branch Earphone Splitter allows up to three people to listen to the same music, audio book, or movie at once.  It's cheap, tiny, and keeps you from drifting off into the crappy movies you pay for on the plane out of sheer desperation. 

Not sure if your bag is overweight? Use the tiny portable Heys Touch Scale to find out. It's also fun to strap your cat up and see how much he's weighing these days, along with any inanimate objects that fit easily on to the hook...

Tired of holding up your phone and/or asking random strangers to take your picture?  Don't get a stupid selfie stick--get the Keizus Quadropod + Clamp.  The photo on eBay shows a smart phone ever-so-smartly wrapped around a tree for some reason, but I think it would be nice to just stop holding my phone in my cramped hands when reading on long trips. 

Sleep phones are a dorky looking (but very soft and plushy) headband with a wireless, bluetooth-enabled set of headphones inside.  Having trouble getting to sleep in your weird-ass Motel 6? Turn on a podcast about the Senates's performance or the Supreme Court's terrible decisions, crank up the sleep phones, and you'll be snoring in no time.

Ultra-Compact External Battery Charger for SmartPhones and Other Portable Devices This nifty little guy is the size of a tube of chapstick and is one of the cheaper options on the market. 

Hygiene

La Fresh Travel Wipes, because after you've been in the car for fourteen hours, it's nice if your family doesn't have to smell your truly rotten self right away.  Come to think of it, these antiperspirant wipes, too. And sunscreen wipes. Yeah!

Not Your Mother's Girl Powder Volumizing Hair Powder sops up the grease when you can't get to a sink with some proper shampoo, and it comes in a travel-friendly, non-aerosol application (we're OK with powder on airplanes these days, right?)

  

Scrubba, the world's first pocket-sized washing machine! After a few days, and particularly if you are trying to pack light, you need more than your hands in the hotel sink to get some of your stuff clean. Click on the link for a cute demo video. 

Tide To Go Mini Instant Stain Remover because sometimes you eat spaghetti while wearing a white shirt, or any number of foibles that happen both close to and far from home.  I keep these in every bag I ever use when I walk out the door. 

Luggage

eBags Pack-it-Flat Toiletry Kit has lots of compartments so you won't spend five minutes digging around for your floss after a long night, and it really does pack about as close to flat as you can get.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder allows you to make your clothes as flat as they can possibly be (I promise it's even better than rolling), and even a blazer comes out looking relatively wearable. 

Gifts fit for a food lover

Winter Solstice is just around the corner (that's right, roll your eyes), and I love the excuse to give presents.  Not all of my friends care that much about food (ahem, french fry aficionado, you know who you are), but for the ones who do, food-themed presents are an easy way to give a unique, stand-out gift to your inner circle.  And hopefully they'll serve it when you're around. Here are some very clever products I have been checking out:

Boozy Stuff:

These mixers (and one very special bourbon) will make you into an alcoholic.  But a happy one. 

Owl's Brew Coco-Lada: a beverage mixer with pineapple, coconut, and chai spices (whaaat?!) with a black tea base makes vodka, rum, and just about anything else magical.

Quince & Apple Honey Lemon Syrup: pour it into whiskey

White Whale Filthy Liar: lychee-rosemary-clove mixer tastes great with gin or just club soda.

Wyoming Whiskey: in true cowboy fashion, these guys have had a slow and disorganized start, but if you can place an order early enough (or just make it a mid-winter surprise when it finally shows up), their small-batch whiskey and newly released bourbon really are worth the wait.


Stuff Your Face:

It's fun to do all of your own cooking and baking, but it's also fun to sample amazing talent from around the country while you sit on the couch watching t.v. and drinking fancy cocktails

Caramels from Fran's Chocolates: handmade in Washington state, the smoked salt caramels are my favorite.

French macarons from the iconic Macaron Cafe in NYC: I love the caramel "fleur de sel", cassisviolette, and jasmin, but you do what you want.

Looseleaf tea from englishteastore.com: the packaging is far from luxurious, but these guys have the best tea, hands down, and at a very low price.  I first discovered them when I had their Monk's Blend (black tea with vanilla, caramel, and grenadine) at an organic shop, but have since become hooked on their chocolate orange and Earl Grey cream, as well.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I get all my tea here.


Cookbooks:

It may seem a little old-fashioned, but I just don't believe that cookbooks translate well to e-reader, especially with the beautiful artwork modern books all seem to have.  Consider some beautiful, and practical, food porn for your favorite curmudgeon this year.  

Yvette van Boven: Homemade  
I loved her Homemade Summer, and this is the one that started it all.  She's Irish and runs a restaurant in the Netherlands, and her recipes combine traditions from the two cultures in a carefree, relaxed way. You know these people for whom hosting parties, making cocktails, looking perfect, etc., is just natural?  This is how her recipes will make you feel about your cooking.

Christopher Blain: In the Kitchen with Alain Passard: Inside the World (and Mind) of a Master Chef
Super fun graphic novel with clean, spare artwork.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: River Cottage Veg
I mentioned this cookbook here in this blog last summer, and it's still one of my new favorites. F-W is pragmatic in his love of vegetables; this is a no-fuss collection of recipes which will sometimes surprise you in the combinations and textures he manages to create.  Plus, he's the only guy who consistently put Gordon Ramsay in his place on the F-Word, so he's earned some serious street cred, as far as I'm concerned!

Michael Hudman and Anthony Ticer: Collards & Carbonara: Southern Cooking, Italian Roots
These recipes highlight the best of both Italian and Southern cooking, from the use of fresh, local produce in season to simple preparations that retain the character of the original foods.  

Aki Kamozawa and Alexander Talbot: Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
From the bloggers who created Ideas in Food, this book takes a very scientific approach to solving standard challenges in the kitchen.  These guys are geniuses, and you will learn more about your food so that you can be a more intelligent cook.

Edward Lee: Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen
For the meat lover; this guy was a real douchebag on Top Chef, but his recipes are brilliant, and I love the pairing of Asian and Southern elements--it works surprisingly well!

Ivan Orkin: Ivan Ramen: Love, Obsession, and Recipes from Tokyo's Most Unlikely Noodle Joint
I think you all know how much I love ramen, but even if you are not as into it as I am, this will teach you a new appreciation for the art of excellent ramen making and give you some great recipes to try.  This book is total geekery.