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Your community voice for the north! THURSDAY
GATEWAY
HOLIDAY
November 14 2013
FIND THE
PERFECT GIFT FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST!
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY By Matthew M. F. Miller | CTW Features iving is a personal affair, and knowing the exact right thing to buy is a challenge.“I do like to let gifts speak for me,” says Chicagobased shopping and couponing expert Jill Cataldo.“I can wander around a store or mall and come home empty-handed, or I can walk in and spot something within a few minutes. It’s all about knowing the interests of the person you love.” Someone’s hobby can be your guide.“My husband once delighted me with a book that he found at a used book sale about a subject I’m passionate about,” Cataldo says.“The condition of the book didn’t matter to me.The fact that he saw it and thought of me did.” Here are some top gifts for all kinds:
G
WHAT TO GET EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST GIFT ONE, GIFT ALL WITH THESE UNIQUE ITEMS FOR THE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE ON YOUR LIST
The Outdoorsy Type » SteriPEN Ultra; $99 A rechargeable, UV water purifier that makes water safe to drink in 45 seconds – a digital smiley means you’re good to guzzle. Perfect for hiking, camping and traveling.
Handpresso Wild Hybrid Outdoor Espresso Set; $199 Going without and roughing it are a lot easier with a good cup of coffee. Bring your own grounds and use the vacuum-pump espresso maker to brew anywhere. Comes in a leather case with four unbreakable cups, a thermoinsulated flask and two napkins.
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY The Musician »
« The Coffee/Tea Lover
Whipping + Post Guitar Pick Card Case; $40
Bodum Bistro Electric Pourover; $350
Guitar players can’t be bothered with wallets when they have rock and roll on their minds.This handy case holds all of your important cards (credit card, license, etc.) and a guitar pick.
Fill the 40-oz water tank, add coffee grounds and flip a switch to make pourover coffee in a snap.The titanium-plated filters never need replaced, and coffee is brewed directly into a portable, sealable jug that stays hot for hours.
Eton Rugged Rukus All-Terrain Portable Solar Wireless Sound System; $130 A solar panel on top to charge the 8-hour battery when outdoors. Connect wirelessly to any Bluetooth device. And, for the clumsy sort (musicians can be rough on their gear), it’s drop-proof from a height of 3.3 feet.
Thermos Nissan Tea Tumbler with Infuser, 14 ounces; $23 Loose-leaf tea on the go is no longer a challenge.This mug comes with a removable mesh infuser for steeping hot tea and a deep-welled lid to prevent spills.
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY The Beauty » Olay Pro-X Microdermabrasion Plus Advanced Cleansing System; $40 An at-home exfoliating kit with separate foam head and polisher. There are two cleansing settings for daily use, which Olay claims is seven times better than face scrub alone.
Urban Decay Anarchy and Shattered Face Cases; $44 One case for the whole face. Includes two blushes, five eyeshadows, a highlighter, an exclusive Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color and a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil. Each case features two full-size mirrors inside.
The Pamperer » Personalized Bath Caddy by Red Envelope; $50 Made of natural wood, this caddy has a built-in wine glass holder, book support and even a spot for the soap. Can be monogrammed at no extra cost.
Burt’s Bees Hand Repair Kit; $13 To combat the toll winter takes on the skin, this set comes with Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Crème and Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream to get even the driest hands through the holidays – and beyond.
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY
The DIY-er » Worx Semi-Automatic Driver; $50 Yeah, it looks pretty rad – but it also stores 6 bits in easy-load cartridges and has an off-set head to make driving in corners a snap.
Stanley Tools TLM99 Laser Distance Measurer; $89 Tape is a thing of the past. Measure up to 100 feet without hassle, with an accuracy of +/3/32-inch.
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY The Sweet Tooth » Dum-Dums Holiday Pops; $2.49 Suckers are for gifts in 2013 with the classic pops updated version. Flavors include Merry Cherry, Sugar Plum, Hot Chocolate, Sugar Cookie, Apple Cider, Gingerbread, Green Apple Grinch and Polar Punch.
Good Karmal Holiday Gift Box (available only at www.goodkarmal.com); $29 for box of 10 Good, hand-made caramels are things of beauty, and these luscious nuggets of velvety smooth butter will make you the hero of any candy lover in your life. Bonus? A portion of every purchase goes to environmental charities.
© CTW Features
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY
A GIFT-GIVER’S GUIDE TO BUYING
JEWELRY
Know how to choose a trendy, high-quality or classic piece that your loved one can cherish for seasons to come By Rachel Graf | CTW Features racelets, anklets, necklaces, rings, hoop earrings, post earrings, dangly earrings and the list goes on. With so many jewelry options, it’s useful to know what’s in style to ensure you pick the perfect gift for your loved one this holiday season. Jewelry trend forecaster Rocks Paper Metal began as website in 2011. Because of its success, it has since launched its own jewelry line. Rocks Paper Metal’s co-founder, Diana Rochford, says big jewelry pieces will remain in style this holiday season.This
B
could mean either one big statement piece of jewelry or many smaller pieces of jewelry that have been layered on top of each other. With regard to jewelry materials, crystal colored with deep purples, blues and greens is very big this upcoming season. Midnight blues, deep plum and especially emerald are all good colors to shop for during the fall and winter seasons.You can also add this crystal to a pendant for a more complete look. Metals such as silver, titanium and rose gold are very in this season as well, says Ruth Batson, executive director and CEO of the American Gem Society. Cont’d on page 12
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY Cont’d from page 10
VICENTE AGOR PALAIS BULLES TRIPLE STRIPE EARRING
“There’s a whole punk girl trend going on with mixing materials that you wouldn’t have seen before,” Rochford says. “You see a lot of pearls mixed with crystal and spikes.” The geometric look is also trending:Triangles and spikes are both very hot.The geometric look can also be created with repetitions of patterns of circles, squares and triangles. However, Rochford warns to stay away from Aztec and tribal pieces, as that trend is on its way out. To determine jewelry trends, the forecasters at Rocks Paper Metal look at collections from big-name designers a year before they hit the market. Rocks Paper Metal is a global company, so they look at trends everywhere from Los Angeles to London.
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY gift guide
Black & White Diamond earrings by KC Designs
Usually, they focus on big-name costume jewelry companies such as Topshop that have quick turnarounds for products. These quicker turnarounds allow costume jewelry companies to pick up on trends they think are coming into fashion, of which Rocks Paper Metal takes note. “It’s not rocket science,” Rochford says. “It’s not like the trend changes magically from season to season.There’s always a progression.” Professional jewelry companies like Jewelers of America and the American Gem Society also have knowledge of industry trends because they work very closely with many jewelers. For gift buyers who plan to make a big investment in jewelry, timeless pieces and looks should be considered as well. Mixing black and white metals, either as one piece or as two pieces stacked on each other, is a timeless look, says Amanda Gizzi, spokesperson for Jewelers of America. Earrings, particularly studs, and diamonds are other examples of timeless pieces, Batson says. Before purchasing a diamond, ask for a diamond grading report by a not-for-profit diamond grading laboratory, which will evaluate the diamond’s karat weight, color, clarity and cut.
“The cut of the diamond can be the biggest factor on its value because that’s what makes the diamond sparkle,” Batson says. After determining the type of jewelry to buy, it’s important to be mindful of the quality of the jewelry, especially if making a significant investment. Start with finding a reputable jeweler, Batson says.You can do this by researching online before visiting the jeweler in person. A good place to start is with jewelers who belong to the American Gem Society or other reputable jewelry groups. Members of the American Gem Society go through rigorous education about their products and must be re-certified each year to maintain membership, Batson says.These are businesses who want to protect their good name and are more likely to do honest business with you. Other tips for buying jewelry are to ask for the return policy up front and to know what price range is reasonable. “Don’t be dazzled by discounts,” Gizzi says.“Any time you see some place that always has incredible sales, be cautious about that, because if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” © CTW Features
Silver Chan-Chan cuff by Kamari Silver
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY
EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY M By Rachel Graf | CTW Features
ost new tech gadgets worth their salt play host to a built-in camera nowadays – tablets, smartphones, laptops and even gaming consoles. With so many digital photos housed in a variety of locations, it can be easy to forget about all those snapshots languishing on Facebook or Instagram.This holiday season, give a unique gift by moving photos from the digital world to something physical, like an iPad case or even in a snow globe. For the crafty gifter, there are many do-it-yourself projects that incorporate photos to customize gifts. Find inspiration online at sites like Photojojo, which offers simple do-it-yourself photo projects and other photography tips.Their mission is to help people of all ages discover or rediscover a love of photography, says Amit Gupta, founder of Photojojo and co-author of “Photojojo!: Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas” (Potter Craft, 2009). Cont’d on page 16
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY Cont’d from page 14 “I saw tons of my friends taking hundreds or thousands of photos a year with digital cameras, and all those photos were getting lost and forgotten about,” Gupta says in an email.“So Photojojo started as a way to help people do more with the photos they were already taking.” Gupta’s favorite projects are ones that include transforming an object you would typically throw out into something beautiful. For example, he says he really likes the photo snow globe made by placing
a photo, glitter and a few other common ingredients in a water bottle. Photo projects from Gupta’s book include photo slider puzzles, Rubik’s cubes, temporary tattoos and a photo chandelier. You can buy items from a local gift shop and use them in your personalization projects to make them even more unique. Another option for photo gifts, if you’re not inclined toward crafts, is ordering a customized printed product. Your local photo center or pharmacy is likely equipped with a customization kiosk or station that offers dozens of options for
products to print on and designs to add. A variety of websites also offer the same services, often with sophisticated previews so you know exactly what you’re getting. Just remember to order the product in advance to allow for printing and shipping time. “It’s really easy,” says Heidi Reichert, head of custom design at Tiny Prints, one such website.“The designs are stylish and beautiful and there is such a variety to choose from.” With just a few minutes to upload images and choose products, customers can order
PERSONALIZED DAY PLANNERS CAN BE ORDERED FROM LOCAL PHOTO CENTERS OR ONLINE.
a gift that is more heartfelt and completely different from what’s available on the shelves. Whether it’s a practical gift like day planners or iPhone cases, or something for display like acrylic trays and mounted prints, a customized photo gift can make the memories last. “I think it’s a very, very wonderful way to show someone how much you care about them,” Reichert says.“I’m going to make an ornament for my daughter every year and send it to her grandparents. It’s something they can have to preserve their memories.” © CTW Features
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY
Gifts for the Vintage Gamer A retro console is a must-give for the old-school gaming aficionado Atari Flashback 4 Game Console
Sega Genesis Classic Game Console
SNES/NES RetroN 2 Gaming Console
This retro take on the classic Atari 2600 has 75 built-in games — yes, including Pong!
If their Genesis games went missing, this console has 80 built-in games ready to go — and, of course, plays original Genesis cartridges (if they ever happen to find them).
This two-in-one system plays back games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
$59.99
$69.99
$44.99
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY
2013 Game Critics’ Awards Winners Watch Dogs
The BEST Games to Gift this Year
PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii-U $59.95
The critcs’ faves are sure bets for the gamer on your list Each summer, the top video-game media name the best gaming titles of the year. Here are their picks for the best of the 2013.
Need for Speed: Rivals
BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE GAME
BEST RACING GAME B
P PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, PC, Xbox One, X $59.95
Tearaway BEST HANDHELD/MOBILE GAME
Titanfall BEST OF SHOW BEST ORIGINAL GAME BEST CONSOLE GAME BEST PC GAME BEST ACTION GAME BEST ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One $59.95
PSVita
Total War: Rome II
$39.95
BEST STRATEGY GAME
PC
NHL HL 14 BEST SPORTS GAME
PS3, Xbox 360
$59.95
$59.95
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY
Nintendo: What’s New? Wii U: All Deluxe
Nintendo recently slashed $50 off the price of the Wii U Deluxe Set, which is now $299.99.
Nintendo’s flagship system gets a new Zelda edition — and a price drop
The Deluxe Set of the GamePadcontrolled console features 32GB on-board flash memory and comes packaged with the “NintendoLand” game. (Nintendo is phasing out the “basic” console, which had just 8GB of memory and did not come packaged with a game.)
I
f someone in your household has been clamoring for a Nintendo Wii U, the time to buy could not get much better.
Nintendo also is releasing a new limited-edition Wii U Deluxe bundle with “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD.” The Zelda bundle, also $299.99, includes a special GamePad adorned with gold lettering and symbols from the game; a digital download of “Hyrule Historia,” a book chronicling “The Legend of Zelda” series; and a digital download of the new high-def update of “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker,” originally published in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube.
GATEWAY HOLIDAY gift guide
Nintendo 3DS 2DS The popular handheld gets a flat ‘upgrade’
N
intendo’s newest 3DS device is missing one big thing: 3D. But it’s still a 3DS at
heart.
The new 2DS handheld, as the name suggests, features only 2D graphics. However, the device, which comes in a new slate form (versus the 3DS’ clamshell), is compatible with the entire library of 3DS games and keeps many of the main features of Nintendo’s popular line of portable systems: dual screens, gameplay controls and touchscreen features. Designed as an affordable entry into the 3DS line, the $129.99 2DS is available in blue and red; matching carrying cases are $12.99.
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY gift guide
Mario& Luigi& Link& DK& Wario. All their Nintendo friends are back this holiday season in a huge lineup of new titles Mario & Luigi Dream Team 3DS — $39.99 The twin plumbers embark on another rescue adventure in this RPG, which takes place both in the real world and inside Luigi’s dreams.
Mario Party Island Tour
3DS — Price TBD The fourplayer gaming extravaganza makes its debut on the 3DS!
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY Super Mario 3D World
Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games
Wii U — Price TBD Up to four players can play as Mario, Luigi, Peach or Toad in the first ever four-player Mario game set in a 3D environment.
Wii U — Price TBD Mario and Sonic and all their friends compete in events at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze Wii U — Price TBD DK and company work to take back Donkey Kong Island, which has been seized by Vikings.
Game & Wario
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 3DS — Price TBD This new storyline is set in same world from Super Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.”
New Super Luigi U Wii U — $29.99/$19.99 (download) Finally, Luigi gets his own starring role in more than 80 new levels set in the world of “New Super Mario Bros. U.” In addition to the standalone disc, the game is available as a download expansion for owners of “New Super Mario Bros. U.”
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Wii U — $39.99 Dubbed “GamePad Pandemonium,” all the games in this latest title in the “WarioWare” franchise are played exclusively on the Wii U GamePad.
Wii U — Price TBD The classic GameCube title gets a 1080p update for the Wii U.
‘Game and Wario’ for the Wii U
‘Game and Wario’ for the Wii U
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The Amazing Technicolor Smartphone Finally, phones gets more fun with the candy-colored Moto X and iPhone 5C
BY TIMOTHY R. SCHULTE CTW FEATURES
Black. White. Navy or red, perhaps. Smartphones historically have been more about function than they have fashion. Heck, fun even. But then came the Moto X and the iPhone 5C.
Moto X The Moto X sounds similar to some of the Droid devices we mentioned: an Android smartphone with 1.7GHz dualcore processor, 2GB RAM, 10MP camera. But where the aforementioned Droids all share similar aesthetic, the Moto X, Motorola’s first big device since Google took over the mobile-device maker, comes in more than 500 varieties. Using the MotoMaker, AT&T customers can select from 18 back colors, two different front colors and seven accent colors, in either 16GB or 32GB models ($199.99 and $299.99, respectively, with two-year contract).
Motorola Moto X
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY iPhone 5C
The Moto X, which features a 4.7-inch HD display, comes in two color options, woven black or woven white, on Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon.
iPhone 5C Apple’s iPhone has maintained such a stark look in its lifetime that it actually was a BIG deal when the company introduced a white iPhone in 2011 – and it was just white! So, that the new iPhone 5C comes in five colors – green, blue, yellow, pink and, yes, white, all with a black front – certainly is cause for excitement. Unlike Apple’s line of colorful anodized aluminum iPods, the new 5C achieves its color in a steel-reinforced plastic frame (which doubles as the antenna). The 5C replaces the straight-up iPhone 5, keeping its A6 processor and 8MP iSight camera, but knocks $100 off the price tag. New 5C cases — in the same five colors plus black — add some fun, in addition to protection, to the phone 16GB — $99 with two-year contract from AT&T, Sprint and Verizon 32GB — $199 with two-year contract from AT&T, Sprint and Verizon ©CTW FEATURES
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY
GET YOUR HOLIDAY
GAME ON
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013
GATEWAY HOLIDAY MATTHEW M. F. MILLER | CTW FEATURES
Game night just got a lot more creative. Classic board games are still popular go-to gifts. Now, game makers are combining concepts, appealing to TV lovers and going out on a limb to provide more personalized new editions for your favorite game lover’s collection. Here are a few recent titles to get the party started this holiday season. Cont’d on page 34
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY TV Lovers » George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones: The Board Game; 2nd Ed.; $60 King Baratheon is dead and the Iron Throne is up for grabs. Play as your favorite character and battle for supremacy as you negotiate alliances with your opponents and build armies. 3-6 players, ages 14+
Yahtzee: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition; $25
Duck Dynasty Redneck Wisdom Party Game; $17 Guess the missing word in quotes from Willie, Phil, Uncle Si, Jase and the rest of your favorite characters.Try to fool other players with clever answers – everyone has to spot the genuine quotes from the fakes. 2-12 players, ages 10+
Shake the five custom dice featuring Doctor Who villains in the TARDIS and play the game by the original rules. It’s a fun-looking gift that’s perfect for the sci-fi-loving game buff on your list. 1 or more players, ages 8+
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY The Walking Dead; $40 TV’s most popular undead show comes to life as players try to be the first one to reach the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Play as Rick, Andrea, Dale, Lori, Shane, Glenn or a zombie. 2-4 players, ages 13+
Classics, Revised » Candy Land Disney Princess Edition; $20 Play as Belle, Snow White, Cinderella or Aurora, and travel through scenes from “Tangled,” “Princess & the Frog” and “The Little Mermaid.” First princess to dance at the Candy Land ball wins. 2-4 players, ages 3+
Trivial Pursuit Party; $22 Every question offers players a chance at a pie piece. Perfect for fast, fun group play. Players can ask other players for help, and if the question is answered correctly they both get a pie piece. Collect 6 silver pie pieces to win, which means you can stick to your subject of choice and still win the game. 3-6 players, ages 16+
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY Chutes and Ladders: Super Hero Squad Edition; $25
Off the Beaten Path »
Play as Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine,Thor, Captain America or Iron Man as you climb and slip through an amped-up version of the original game. 2-4 players, ages 3+
Quarantine; $30 Each player owns his or her own hospital. Patients line up outside and players have to fix their ailments ASAP – especially before an outbreak of the “Graysles” that will cause entire hospital wards to be shutdown and under quarantine. 2-4 players, ages 12+
The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game; $22 Jenga Tetris; $15 Imagine the quirky shapes used in Tetris only in a real-life Jenga stack, and that’s pretty much the premise of this one. It’s even trickier and more fun than the original because, well – who hasn’t been waiting years for Tetris to come to life? 2 or more players, ages 8+
Spin the spinner and be the first one to collect every color of acorn and place it into your log using only a rascally pair of “Squirrel Squeezers.” 2-4 playes, ages 3+
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY Qwirkle; $35 Match different colored tiles and shapes (108 wooden blocks are included), score points – highest score wins. It’s simple and addictive, and was the winner of Parent’s Choice Gold Award and the Mensa National Competition. 2-4 players, ages 6+
Catan Explorers & Pirates: Expansion Game; $50 Fans of the crazy-popular Settlers of Catan board game will adore this expansion set, which includes five new scenarios and three new missions. Hit the high seas and confront pirates, seek spices and fish for “Victory Points.” 3-4 players, ages 12+ © CTW Features
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HOT GIFTS FOR
GOOD COOKS
By Bev Bennett CTW Features
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f your companion is glued to chef shows on television, a cooking implement, especially if it’s used in the program, may be the perfect holiday gift. It’s easy to find presents that are chef-inspired thanks to the surging interest in all things chef. Cont’d on page 40
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY Cont’d from page 39 “The chef influence is important,” says Debra Mednick, executive director and home industry analyst for the NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y. A culinary professional’s stamp of approval may be good for sales, according to Mednick, and it may be just what the recipient needs as a confidence builder. The aspiring chef uses the same gizmo as the television chef and may become a better cook. You benefit, too, when you’re invited for meals that are delicious and daring. Here are several new kitchen products that are either supported by or used by chefs along with cookbooks to further the home chef’s skills.
CAKE BOSS Buddy Valastro, star of TLC’s television series “Cake Boss,” collaborated on a new line of bakeware with the Cake Boss name. The line goes beyond bakeware to include Cake Boss 4-Piece sets of Fondant Presses in various shapes including Christmas, Dinosaur and Work Truck themes. For the baker who wants a professional finish to cakes, there’s the Cake Boss 10-Piece Fondant/Gum Paste Modeling Kit with tools for adding veins to leaves and
other intricate touches. The Fondant Presses have a suggested retail price of $9.99 each, the modeling kit, $19.99.The fondant products are available at larger chain craft stores and massmerchandise stores. Those fondant garnishes would look lovely topping the mouth-watering cakes from the baking book “The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook” by Tom Douglas and Shelley Lance (William Morrow, 2012). Tempting recipes from the famous Seattle bakery include cornmeal rosemary cake with lemon glaze, carrot cupcakes with brown sugar cream cheese frosting and Piedmontese hazelnut cake.
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY ISI GOURMET WHIP PLUS Savoring foam, the light essence of flavor, once meant making a reservation at an expensive, experimental restaurant. Now the at-home chef can indulge in frothy adventures, turning purees, soups and sauces into foams with the iSi Gourmet Whip Plus hand-held dispenser that operates on nitrous-oxide chargers (sold separately). The Whip Plus can be used with either hot or cold ingredients and includes straight, tulip and star tips for creative foam shapes. It’s available as half-pints or pints at fine cookware stores. As the companion book to the Whip Plus, add the “Explore New Taste” by iSi North America. The company, which makes kitchen utensils for both the home and professional cook, produced a limited edition cookbook featuring ideas and recipes from chefs and mixologists around the world. Your chef can read about the importance of density and texture and whip up uni toast with avocado and grapefruit foam. The book will be available on January 1, 2014, and has a suggested retail price of $49.
ISI GOURMET WHIP DUFF GOLDMAN BY GARTNER PLUS; $149.99 STUDIOS AIRBRUSH MACHINE Help your favorite baker become the Cezanne of cupcakes. Unleash the kitchen artist to airbrush swaths of pearl, metallic, pastel or deep colors onto unbaked or finished cakes, cookies and similar desserts. The lightweight air compressor, named for the star of the Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes,” features adjustable air pressure, airbrush and hose. Airbrush colors are sold separately.The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $129.99. Find the airbrush machine at larger chain craft stores. If you’d like to add a book to the gift package, try “Vintage Cakes:Timeless Recipes for Cupcakes, Flips, Rolls, Layer, Angel, Bundt, Chiffon, and Icebox Cakes for Today’s Sweet Tooth” by Julie Richardson (Ten Speed Press, 2012).. An airbrush glaze is just a lot of air without the cake as foundation. Simple, old-fashioned cakes provide an excellent surface.The chef artist can bake a Harvey Wallbanger cake and gild it with a gold sheen.
ACE OF CAKES CAKE DECORATING AIR BRUSH, $129.99
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY MARSHMALLOW COLLECTION FROM CHICAGO METALLIC Cooking isn’t just about meal preparation; it’s also about having fun. Imagine the pleasure of turning out homemade marshmallows. A new line for marshmallow fans from Chicago Metallic includes pans with collapsible walls in either 8-inch square or 9-by-13-inch sizes.There’s also a cutting wheel, which can double for sticky pizza toppings and a Crush & Coat set of bowls and a pestle for handgrinding marshmallow toppings. The pans have a suggested retail price of $11.99 for the smaller and $14.99 for the larger.The cutting wheel has a suggested price of $9.99, and the bowl set $19.99, at cookware stores. Homemade marshmallows are great for constructing elaborate cakes, such as those in “Extreme Cakeovers” by Rick and Sasha Reichart (Clarkson Potter, 2013). It’s DIY cake decorating gone wild when your baker turns pound cake into fries, green fruit roll-ups into “lettuce” and ice cream cones and marshmallows into train smokestacks.
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY MICROPLANE ADJUSTABLE SLICER WITH JULIENNE BLADE Cutting thin, even slices of vegetables or fruits can be unnerving unless you have a high- quality slicer.This new model from Microplane makes julienne cuts easy with adjustments for 1/32-inch, 1/16- and 1/8-inch thick slices. The slicer is distinguished by an extremely sharp blade that slices through everything from potatoes for a gratin to limes for a cocktail. The adjustable slicer is available at cookware stores and has a suggested retail price of $29.95. If julienne sliced vegetables inspire your chef to more adventurous cooking, give them “New American Table” by Marcus Samuelsson (Wiley, 2009). Inviting dishes in this accessible and attractive cookbook from the wellknown restaurateur and television personality include cabbage-tomato relish, almond chicken with avocado salsa and radish salad or cabbage slaw (with sardines, yogurt and almonds).
MOJITO, COSMOPOLITAN AND MARGARITA R-EVOLUTION KITS Remember those chemistry sets from childhood? The adult version – the culinary one – allows a mixologist the same pleasure of experimentation, applying concepts in molecular gastronomy to add foam to a margarita or fill a cosmopolitan with bubbles you eat with a spoon. The kits include sachets of food additives, molecular gastronomy tools and a step-by-step recipe booklet for a suggested retail price of $29.95. For more information visit the website at: www.molecule-r.com. If your gift recipient still doesn’t know what to imbibe, Zach Golden has the answers in an irreverent collection of drink recipes,“What the F*@# Should I Drink” (Running Press, 2013). Cocktail recipes range from the familiar classic daiquiri to the uncommon Italian Job. But watch the language, which is saltier than a margarita. © CTW Features
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY Matthew M. F. Miller CTW Features
C
andles truly are the gifts that keep on giving. According to the National Candle Association, America’s love for waxing poetic burns bright: $2 billion is spent annually on candles and they are used in 7 out of 10 households. Versatile and inexpensive – they are a wonderful gift option for moms, grandmas, teachers, hostesses and more. These new scents provide fragrant options for anyone on your list.
BURN, SMELL, LOVE
SLATKIN AND CO. » PRICES: 4 oz. mini candles, $10; 6 oz. Mason jar candle, $12.50; 14.5 oz. 3-wick candle, $20 CHAMPAGNE TOAST, BLACK TIE AND PARTY DRESS
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GATEWAY HOLIDAY YANKEE CANDLE » PRICES: Samplers votive, $1.99; small jar, $10.99; medium jar, $24.99; large jar, $27.99 VANILLA CHAI, PUMPKIN WREATH AND SALTED CARAMEL © CTW Features
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