The past couple of years, it’s felt like holiday gift guides jumped the shark. Always the same LL Bean puffer vest or food subscription box or fancy candle on offer from whatever lifestyle influencer or blog you follow. Never really curated, just collaged for affiliate marketing (which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but is rarely a very creative thing).
Seems like this year, gift guides have taken a real turn for the better. There’s a clearer need for them now that we’re not holiday shopping in stores. The influencers are having to work a little harder for that affiliate link cash.
The best gift guides give thought-starters, not prescriptions: maybe you’d try to replicate one of the items on your own; maybe you track down a local vendor who makes the same thing. I’ve seen a few that might help you jumpstart your holiday thinking -- even if you’re looking to minimize purchases in favor of donations or a handmade gift.
For specific people in your life: Gee Thanks, Just Bought It
For pop culture obsessives: Friday Things
A small business gift guide (not local)
A ton of great ideas from one of my favorite newsletters, Girls’ Night In
Another from a newsletter fave, Two Bossy Dames: a longread guide
And a good all-purpose guide from Slate.
THE BEST NEW THING I MADE: POT ROAST CHICKEN
Liberally borrowed from The Guardian’s Rachel Roddy (who borrowed it from Claudia Roden), this dish is salty, bright, and feels rich (probably because of the butter). It’s a great chicken variation on a cold evening “roast.”
INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped roughly
6 anchovy fillets
A shake of dried rosemary (or sprig of fresh, if you have it)
2 tbsp. herbes de Provence
1 tbsp., sumac (or smoked paprika)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
S&P
½ pound baby potatoes, quartered/wedged
½ cup of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
½ cup of crumbled feta
Cup of arugula
WHAT TO DO:
Preheat oven to 350. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a wide, deep skillet, melt butter with olive oil and brown the chicken thighs, starting skin side down. Once browned on both sides, set aside on a plate.
Lower the heat. In the leftover oil & fat, add garlic and anchovies and cook slowly until the anchovy is disintegrated (this will happen, don’t raise the heat, it won’t be fishy). Add herbs and spices (herbes de Provence, rosemary, sumac) as well as lemon zest, and salt & pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until it smells really good. Add potatoes to the pan and coat with oil/spices.
Return the chicken to the pan with juices. Pour over the wine and allow to bubble on the stove top until alcohol is reduced, at which point, putting into the oven uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle fresh lemon juice and feta until incorporated. Serve with a baguette and atop arugula with a bit of lemon juice :)