The Yuppie Gift Guide, Day 8: Sweets

A sweet treat doesn't have to be a cliché, so long as you skip the pre-boxed Nuts and Chews from See's and give the gift of something artisanal, local, or homemade. Back in early November, Nick and I went to the Fall Luxury Chocolate Salon at Fort Mason, where we tasted tons of different chocolates from Bay Area chocolatiers (picks 2 and 4 below are standout finds from the event); after speaking with vendors and hearing about the care that is put into crafting the right blend of flavors in each bar or truffle, it's clear that an extra unique chocolate makes a great gift. But if you are looking to go the homemade route, you can always try my recipe for Ginger Spice Cookies.

| 1. Petite Bouchée Salted Butter Caramels ($6 for 3 oz.)| These are the best caramels I have had in the States. The term caramels au beurre salé, or salted butter caramels, is exactly the way to describe what these are; you can just taste how these are made from not much more than caramelized sugar and butter as they dissolve away in your mouth.

| 2. Snake & Butterfly Maple Syrup & Bacon Brittle Bar ($5) | Bacon-flavored everything seems all the rage these days but of the bacon-themed chocolates I sampled at the Chocolate Salon, this was definitely the best. It was bacon-y enough to taste it and the maple syrup flavor acted as a nice bridge between it and the chocolate.

| 3. Kara's Cupcakes ($3.25 each) | Kara's Cupcakes is my favorite of the cupcake bakeries. The cakes are always perfectly moist no matter what time of day I buy or eat my cupcake and the buttercreams are the right texture and sweetness. Nick and I recommend: Fleur de Sel, Meyer Lemony Lemon, and Sweet S'mores.

| 4. The Tea Room Jasmine Milk Truffle ($4.50 for 2) | I never thought that jasmine tea and chocolate were flavors that I would find mixed together but The Tea Room, which specializes in tea-infused chocolates, does it just right. Rather than clashing, the floral jasmine acts as an added layer of flavor on top of the creamy milk chocolate.

The Yuppie Gift Guide, Day 7: Neat Gifts that Didn't Fit into My Other Categories

Looks like we are just past the halfway point! Inevitably as I was pondering what sorts of things would make great gifts, some of the things I loved fell into a "miscellaneous" category. The title of this post says it.

| 1. Bon Appétit magazine subscription ($15) | Magazine subscriptions in general make great gifts because unless you are ordering The Economist, they don't cost very much and they're like giving a whole year's worth of gifts. I've been happy with my Bon Appétit subscription; I don't really care for most of the recipes—which either use obscure ingredients or are overly simple—but I like their travel sections, their top-10 lists, and their articles about up-and-coming chefs/restaurants. Also, Sur la Table stores tend to give out free subscriptions when you spend $75 or more around this time of year.

| 2. Ted Baker Montpel Cufflinks ($75) | Ted Baker is one of my favorites in general but I tend to find myself perusing their cufflinks even though I don't wear them myself. Cufflinks are like jewelry for men, so get these for the guy who likes a little bling now and then.

| 3. Rifle Paper Co. Spoon Recipe Cards ($28 for 40) | Even though I don't really follow recipes that often, I live having some cute recipe cards on hand for when friends ask me for my recipes. I like the simplicity of the dark gray spoon with the reversed-out writing on these.

| 4. Jonathan Adler This is Not a Pipe Tea Light ($28) | This is possibly the most clever tea light holder ever. Don't get it? Ponder this.

| 5. 1-Gallon Organic Basil Plant ($4) | I picked up one of these from our local Whole Foods store a few months ago and it has been totally thriving. This is likely because I put Nick in charge of taking care of it. It brings me such joy to be able to snip off a couple of leaves and top my pasta dishes with a chiffonade of basil whenever I feel like it. According to Nick, it has been simple to care for— he just waters it in the evening whenever the soil is dry or the leaves are looking droopy and by the next morning the leaves are crisp again. Plus, considering how a bunch of basil in the produce aisle is about $3, we've already gotten more than our money's worth. | Photo Credit: Me |

| 6. The Body Shop Green Tea & Lemon Reed Diffuser ($19.50) | Reed diffusers are the best kind of home fragrance dispenser because they don't introduce foreign chemicals into your home's atmosphere. But proceed with caution. Sure, I love the smell of cinnamon but that doesn't mean I want to be punched in the nose with a fistful of cinnamon every day. I typically look for scents with the word "tea" in them because that means a subtle and natural smell.

The Yuppie Gift Guide, Day 6: Bags and Cases

Bags and cases are useful for storing and protecting the things we need to tow with us on a daily basis. And with all the lovely designer labels out there, they're an opportunity to give a flashy gift if you have someone you want to spend your year-end bonus on. With selections like these, your recipient will be thrilled to keep their new bag or case filled, even though they might leave your wallet empty.

| 1. Coach Transatlantic Travel Kit ($128) | Every gentleman needs a good Dopp kit. I think that when Nick made the transition from storing his travel toiletries in a plastic grocery bag to his Coach Dopp, he finally felt like he made the transition from normal person to walking GQ ad. Another fun fact: As my friend J.T. can attest, if you accidentally throw your Coach leather item into a swimming pool and the dye bleeds onto your belongings, Coach will replace it, free of charge.

| 2. Jonathan Adler Sunglass Case ($38) | Nick and I are not allowed to have expensive sunglasses because we will lose them. But if you're shopping for someone more responsible than we are, this super cute sunglass case will protect their sunglasses from getting scratches as they are being jostled about in their designer bag.

| 3. Coach Op Art Coated Canvas Medium Business Tote ($298) | Business totes are yet another one of those items that guys don't seem to put in the effort to replace unless they are absolutely broken. Fortunately, when the bag I gave Nick as a college graduation present broke (it had a good life), I convinced him to replace it with this gorgeous man bag.

| 4. Chilewich Elan Form iPhone Case ($40) | I'm a huge fan of all things by Sandy Chilewich. When I first saw her iPhone cases, they made me want to get an iPhone just so I could get a case for it that matched my Chilewich place mats.

| 5. Kate Spade Claverly Maryanne ($212) | I bought the black version of this bag during Kate Spade's Cyber Monday sale because I couldn't resist. All the Maryanne bags are a great size and shape for an everyday bag. My 13-inch laptop slides perfectly into it so I can use it as a business tote and a purse at the same time.

The Yuppie Gift Guide, Day 5: Cheap and Somewhat Comical

Sometimes even finding the right gag gift is a challenge. What if your picky recipient doesn't think it's funny? Well then, at least you can reassure yourself that you didn't spend very much on it, and that your sourpuss friend didn't deserve a more expensive gift anyway.

| 1. Ham & Cheese Hot Pocket Poster ($30) | Okay, this is a poor example of super cheap but this poster is really amazing. Artist Justin Perricone takes the alarmingly long list of ingredients in a Ham & Cheese Hot Pocket and turns it in to a beautiful typographic poster. I am particularly disturbed by "natural smoke flavor"; is that really necessary as an ingredient? I would totally get this if I were uncouth enough to eat Hot Pockets.

| 2. Jesus Magnetic Finger Puppet ($6) | It's a finger puppet! Of Jesus! And it's also a magnet. Other religious, political, and literary figures are also available.

| 3. Holy Crap Eraser ($4) | A gift for people who want to pretend that they can erase their mistakes. Or for people who honestly believe that they can erase their mistakes. I thought it would be funny to put this one under the Jesus finger puppet.

| 4. Fortune Bandages ($7) | Bandages with fortune-cookie-style messages on them, to provide recipients with the uplifting message they'd need while they were bleeding. Uplifting messages include: "Happiness is the absence of paper cuts."

| 5. Sweet Nothing Nifty Note Pad ($4.50) | Knock Knock has all sorts of handy note pads to provide small conveniences in paper form. This one makes it easy to communicate a sweet nothing to your lover by filling out a brief paper form. Fields to fill out include: "To" followed by a selection of generic petnames and an easy-to-mark scale of 1 to 10 for "I love you this much". You could even fill out the first page in place of enclosing a card with your gift.

The Yuppie Gift Guide, Day 4: Kitchen Vessels

In contrast with novelty kitchen gadgets, a simple kitchen canister or some other vessel can also make a good and safe gift. There is always to need to put stuff in things when working in the kitchen and these items are great for storing a wide variety of stuff. When shopping for everyday items like some of these however, it is important to consider your recipient's color scheme or decorating motif when making your selection. If you have never visited the kitchen of your recipient, it is probably best to skip this category.

| 1. Provencal Biscuit Canister ($28) | The Anglophile in me fell in love with this because it's a cookie jar that says "biscuits" on it but that doesn't mean it's just for biscuits. I used it as a postcard holder at my wedding and now I'm using it as a utensil holder for all the cooking utensils I need to keep right next to the stove. But if you do end up using it for biscuits, cookies, crackers, and the like, the rubber ring on the inside of the lid gives it a tight seal.

| 2. Latte Bowls ($20 for 4) | These are an elegant way to add a pop of color to a kitchen. Get them in the favorite color of your favorite host or hostess. If they don't need another set of bowls for lattes or soup, these are also great for storing random knick-knacks throughout the house. I find the mini versions great for organizing jewelry and binder clips.

| 3. Fido 1-Liter Jar ($5) | People who love shopping out of the bulk bins as much as I do can always use more clear, tightly lidded jars to keep their dry grocery items fresh and looking pretty at the same time.

| 4. Monogrammed Mug ($6) | Owning a whole set of monogrammed mugs might be overkill but if you have a friend who could use a new coffee mug in the workplace to replace that stained one they got for free at a convention years ago, then this is just the thing. I also find mine to be a cute holder for my large collection of Sharpie markers.

The Yuppie Gift Guide, Day 3: Novelty Kitchen Items

Things for the kitchen always seem like safe gifts for anyone who at least dabbles around in the kitchen. But no one really wants yet another Christmas-themed platter, or a set of mugs that completely clashes with the rest of the serveware they already own. So if you are looking for a good gift, go for the novelty factor. People are less likely to buy things for their own kitchen if they only serve one function, as these items do. That doesn't mean they aren't really awesome things to own.

| 1. SodaStream Pure Soda Maker ($150) | This is the big trendy kitchen gadget right now. You know this is the case when Sur la Table has a big display dedicated to it right next to the register. It's a nifty home carbonator that lets you make your own carbonated water at home, for which you can customize the level of fizz. As Pellegrino addicts, this was intriguing for me and Nick but we learned that it doesn't filter the water, it just carbonates whatever liquid you put in it. This would make a great gift for someone who already has a Brita filter or a filtering faucet attachment and wants to save the environment by cutting down on their bottle consumption. Learn more here.

| 2. Polka Dot Ceramic Cup ($13) | This is an adorable take on the "I am not a paper cup" cup—a ceramic cup shaped like a paper cup with a silicone lid molded to look like a Starbucks lid. I have a plain one and it doesn't keep my coffee warm any more than a paper cup would but it does give me a sense of comfort as I am walking out the door on a cold day.

| 3. Trudeau Grapefruit Knife ($6) | This is a knife made specifically for cutting grapefruits but I have never used it for that purpose. I use it to cut holes into cherry tomatoes so I can fill them with avocado and bacon.

| 4. Chef'n SleekSlice Collapsible Hand-Held Mandoline ($20) | I bought one of these because I have been seeing a lot of chefs on Food Network and Cooking Channel use them lately. I haven't tested it out yet, but it is supposed to slice vegetables into paper-thin slices in a flash.

| 5. Perfect Cube Ice Cube Trays ($13 for 2) | One night, Nick and I were having drinks as Gitane and we noticed that the ice cubes there were perfectly cube-shaped. Suddenly we had to be able to make perfectly cube-shaped ice cubes at home too, so we went out and got these silicone trays. It's a little hard to pop out the huge cubes of ice they produce but once you do, they really make all of your iced beverages look ultra cool. Ha!

The Yuppie Gift Guide, Day 2: Tea

I've never met a person who plain didn't like tea. Personally, I can't get enough of it and despite how my tea cupboard is overflowing with all sorts of different varieties, I still keep on buying more. I'm also genuinely thrilled whenever friends of mine gift me tea because it means they have either picked out something based on their own interpretations of my tastes or they are sharing with me a simple treat that they enjoy. Here is a roundup of some of my favorite teas (prices are approximates). Some are current obsessions while others are all time favorites. Furthermore, think about how easy it is to giftwrap a box of tea.

| 1. Mighty Leaf Organic African Nectar Tea ($10) | This is a naturally sweet rooibos tea that to me, smells kind of like a floral honey. All Mighty Leaf tea bags are actually biodegradable cotton pouches that provide the steeping power of loose leaf tea in the convenience of a tea bag.

| 2. Lupicia Jasmin Silver Hook Loose Tea ($10 for 50g) | This has a strong jasmine aroma and flavor. My dad loves this tea. | Photo Credit: Me |

| 3. Good Earth Original Sweet & Spicy Herbal Tea ($4) | Just as the box says, this tea is naturally super sweet and spicy. I served this with cupcakes at my wedding and afterwards guests were asking me where they could get it. I get it at Trader Joe's.

| 4. Fortnum & Mason Lapsang Souchong Tea ($15) | A classic smokey lapsang souchong tea from my favorite grocer in the whole world.

| 5. MarketSpice Cinnamon-Orange Tea ($9) | I picked some of this up when I was at Pike Place Market in Seattle over the summer. Another great spicy tea, the combination of citrus and cinnamon makes this taste like Christmas to me.

Restaurant Review: Aperto

Despite it being in the little hub of Potrero Hill amongst all the neighborhood restaurants we really like, Nick and I hadn't made it over the Aperto until last Sunday. We'd heard a lot of praise about the place in the past and until very recently our good friend's brother used to work there but we don't tend to eat Italian out because Nick is skilled at making pasta from scratch at home. Aperto seems to be known as an Italian restaurant but that doesn't explain why there were two omelettes and only one frittata on the brunch menu.

Service: Immediately as we were seated, I shared the following exchange with the host/manager:

Him: Can I get you anything to drink to start?
Me: I think I'd like to take a look at the menu first.
Him: No, no! I am only asking about beverages now.

Nick and I ordered waters. I am not sure what is so unusual about wanting to see what juices, teas, or espresso items are on the menu before ordering my beverage but I guess that was not okay for this guy, who had no reason to be in a hurry because we were seated immediately upon arrival and there was no one else behind us. Our waitress was friendly though, in the good-at-doing-her-job-without-actually-expressing-her-personality sort of way. She apologized when Nick pointed out that he'd ordered French toast and she brought him pancakes, in the it-is-my-job-to-say-sorry sort of way.

Food: Maybe my exchange with the host/manager before I could even pick up my menu put a damper on things. And maybe their little almond muffins that they serve with brunch were supposed to be dry and hard, but to me a dry and hard muffin is a stale muffin. This is the listing on the menu for what I ordered: "Grilled Four Cheese Sandwich: melted fresh mozzarella, gorgonzola, goat and grana cheeses, Sicilian olives and arugula on Italian bread". It came with homefries. I started eating right away even though Nick had to wait for his French toast but my homefries were already cold; they were also so perfectly cubed that there was nothing homey about them. My sandwich tasted like a Grilled One Cheese Sandwich where mozzarella was the only cheese in it. Also, by "Sicilian olives" they meant half of an olive on one side of my sandwich and about 4–5 olive halves on the other side. The most prominent-tasting ingredient was the arugula.

Ambiance: They had a nice little open kitchen area and a warm color on the walls. The larger tables had bright blue vases with vibrant-colored flowers in them. I enjoyed admiring the cool-looking purple flower on the table next to us but the camera on my BlackBerry decided to make it blue.

Rating: Not recommended.

Aperto is located at 1434 18th Street, San Francisco, California, 94107.

The Yuppie Gift Guide, Day 1: Stuff You Can't Have Enough Of

There are some things that you can never have too many of. My friend Jess and I have been gifting each other shoes over and over again for this reason. If you find a good gift but you're worried that your recipient already has something similar, get it anyway. They could probably use a spare. And if anything, these are all items that don't take up very much space in the back corner of one's closet, should they find their way there.

| 1. Forever 21 Linear Satin Bow Headband ($3.80) | I confess that Forever 21 is still a go-to place for me for cheap jewelry and headbands. For a simple headband with a cute bow, they really do have the variety you need.

| 2. OPI Big Apple Red Nail Lacquer (about $7) | I use OPI both at the nail salon and at home because I find that grouped with good base and top coats, it really lasts for a long time. I painted on this color two weeks ago and it still looks decent. I love this classic bright red because it works both during the summer and the winter.

| 3. Royal Tailor Cuff ($38) | I find myself being very drawn to button-themed things like this awesome bracelet that combines gold and silver tones. It is tough for me to find cuff-style bracelets that don't fall off of my child wrists and this one fits very nicely.

| 4. Kate Spade Jingle Flats ($250) | Like I said before, you can never have too many pairs of shoes. I like these because I am obsessed with Kate Spade and also really into sparkly things this season. They're pretty Christmasy with the little jingle bells and all but I would totally wear them all year.

| 5. Kiehl's Facial Fuel Moisturizer ($30) | Despite the packaging, there is nothing about this moisturizer that makes it specifically for men; I once asked a Kiehl's associate about it and she said that many men just need their beauty products to be in manly colored bottles. This is actually just an amazing moisturizer that is incredibly lightweight and soothing and yes, I use it even though I'm a girl.

| 6. J.Crew Tipped Microstripe Socks ($12.50) | The men in my life seem to wear their socks way beyond when the holes are starting to show. Why don't they just get new ones? Every time I am at J.Crew, the contrast of the super dark navy and the yellow on these catches my attention.

| 7. Exuvius Titan Collar Stays ($30) | Collar stays are so easy to lose that guys can always use more. But these aren't just collar stays— they are multi-purpose tools specially designed to serve as thread-cutters, screwdrivers, and bottle openers as well. You can wear them in your collar or stick them on your keyring.

Like a Big Beef Pie, That's Amore.

Here's this year's Thanksgiving meal.

Since it's just me and Nick this year, we decided to skip the turkey entirely. I think Nick put it best—"So 4 hours later, you take out the turkey and it's either dry or moist. That's not a whole lot of payout." Instead, I made a steak, Guinness and cheese pie with a puff pastry lid; peas; cinnamon apple cranberry sauce; and my special recipe for mashed potatoes. Not to be a total narcissist or anything but this might be the best Thanksgiving meal of my life.