2021 Holiday Gift Guide

The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook

Disclosure: We received a review copy for inclusion in the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

We receive an affiliate commission if you purchase items through our Amazon link.

SUGGESTED PRICE: $19.95

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

DESCRIPTION

Since its debut in 1993, the movie Hocus Pocus has achieved cult-classic fame, with both children and adults as a loyal fanbase. Fans fall in love with the delightful, demonic, and diva-esque Sanderson Sisters and the sleepy New England town they torment. Now you can conjure up your own spooky treats and bewitching drinks to celebrate Halloween, whether you’re attending a surprise rave in town, or just spending “a quiet evening at home.”

The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook is filled with over 60 recipes for fare inspired by everyone’s favorite witches and their spells, potions, and schemes. It is the ultimate must-have for fans of all ages—but don’t worry, no children were harmed in the test of these recipes. Inside you’ll find frightfully delicious recipes for:

  • Burning Rain of Death Punch
  • William’s Wormy Grave Tombstone Cake
  • Dead Man’s Toes Sausage Appetizers
  • Baked Witch Casserole
  • “Way to Go, Virgin” mocktails
  • And much more!

The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids

Disclosure: We received a review copy for inclusion in the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

We receive an affiliate commission if you purchase items through our Amazon link.

SUGGESTED PRICE: $15.49

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

DESCRIPTION

Calling all Potterheads! It’s time to whip up something spellbinding in the kitchen. With 50 easy-to-follow recipes, you and your kids will learn to cook all of the best wizarding world favorites.

From breakfast all the way to dessert, this book makes any meal or snack extra special, with recipes like:

  • Pumpkin Pasties
  • Cauldron Cakes
  • Muggle-Style Pizza
  • Chocolate Frogs
  • Great Hall Sandwiches
  • And many more!

Perfect for any young fan of Harry Potter, The Unofficial Hogwarts Cookbook for Kids will have aspiring witches and wizards brewing potions, baking stellar treats, and cooking creative dishes in no time. With easy step-by-step instructions and spellbinding full-color photographs, this cookbook is sure to become a kitchen favorite.

Mixology and Murder

Disclosure: We received a review copy for inclusion in the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

We receive an affiliate commission if you purchase items through our Amazon link.

SUGGESTED PRICE: $15.49

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

DESCRIPTION

From terrifying serial killers to baffling cold cases and secretive cults, murderinos can’t get enough of true crime. Now, you can have yet another way to dive into these horrifyingly true stories with a first-of-its-kind cocktail book that gives a new meaning to the phrase “bad and boozy.”

Inside Mixology and Murder, you’ll find 75 step-by-step drink recipes alongside the terrifying stories that inspired them, from must-know cases like JonBenét Ramsey and Ted Bundy to lesser-known stories like the Ant Hill Kids cult and the Circleville Letter Writer. This cocktail book is your go-to resource for true crime info and delightfully boozy drinks, including:

  • Fugitive Fizz
  • Sazer-Ax Murderer
  • The Perfect Lime (Mojito)
  • Amityville Amaretto
  • Colada Confessions
  • In Cold Blood Orange
  • And More!

Mixology and Murder is the perfect gift for any true crime junkie who knows that, sometimes, the best way to deal with the excitement of a serial killer finally getting caught or the frustration of finding out that case is still unsolved is a good, strong drink.

The Mayonnaise Cookbook

Disclosure: We received a review copy for inclusion in the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

We receive an affiliate commission if you purchase items through our Amazon link.

SUGGESTED PRICE: $17.95

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

DESCRIPTION

Celebrate the greatest condiment of all time with the best mayo-based recipes, including comfort food classics like potato salad and deviled eggs as well as saucy cooking hacks for chocolate cupcakes and grilled cheese.

Mayonnaise, lovingly referred to as mayo, is one of the most versatile yet divisive condiments. Some slather it on anything they can find, while others avoid eating it at all costs. Whether you love it or hate it, this cookbook is sure to turn any mayo skeptic into a believer and have every mayo enthusiast jumping for joy!

The Mayonnaise Cookbook highlights mayo in its entirety, with instructions on how to make your own mayonnaise, pros and cons of the many mayo brands out there, and 50 delicious, easy-to-follow recipes that feature mayonnaise as the star. Ranging from appetizers, side dishes, salad dressing, desserts, and more, you’ll get a taste for just how delicious mayonnaise can be, with tasty recipes like:

  • Lobster Rolls
  • Elote Street Corn
  • Spinach Artichoke Dip
  • Chicken Tenders
  • Creamy Avocado Dressing
  • Chocolate Mayo Cupcakes
  • And more!

The ultimate guide to cooking with mayonnaise, The Mayonnaise Cookbook is sure to turn you and your friends and family into major mayo connoisseurs!

Beet This

Disclosure: We received a review copy for inclusion in the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

We receive an affiliate commission if you purchase items through our Amazon link.

SUGGESTED PRICE: $17.95

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

DESCRIPTION

Settle in for a stay at Schrute Farms Bed & Breakfast with this hilarious unofficial cookbook featuring rustic, beet-heavy recipes that everyone’s number one Assistant to the Regional Manager would approve of.

You’re already a superfan of The Office. You’ve rewatched the show multiple times, you know every prank Jim ever pulled on Dwight, and you have a favorite Michael Scott quote. But with this cookbook, you can take your love of all things Dunder Mifflin to the next level.

Make your next meal in true Schrute-Farms style with this cookbook that is equal parts rustic and ridiculous (just like our favorite Assistant to the Regional Manager). Beet This is packed with old and hearty, Pennsylvania-inspired recipes that would earn Dwight K. Schrute’s perfectenschlag stamp of approval, including:

  • Russian Beet Soup
  • Veal Loaf
  • Beet Biscuit with Rabbit Gravy
  • Spicy Fried Rattlesnake with Pickled Beets
  • German Pot Pie
  • And more (especially with beets)!

Throw on your lederhosen, don your Küss den Koch apron, and prepare to be transported to a magical, beet-filled corner of Northeast Pennsylvania.

A New Harvest

Disclosure: We received a review copy for inclusion in the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

We receive an affiliate commission if you purchase items through our Amazon link.

SUGGESTED PRICE: $16.95

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

DESCRIPTION

There are people who, for whatever reason, lose everything. Rodrigo was one of them. But there was one thing he didn’t lose, and that was hope.

Rodrigo has lost his family home due to a devastating tornado. Surrounded by rubble, he almost gives up. But then he remembers his father’s words of encouragement and finds the strength to build a new life. He slowly developed the confidence to start again and bring hope to lonesome, vulnerable, and homeless people. Thanks to the love he felt for his family and for his land, he recovered the illusion and hope. In turn, he found help and cooperation in others who were going through the same situation as him. Together, they gathered a new crop full of fruits that served to find their home in the world. Little by little, Rodrigo’s farm became a place where people in need came for help: a place where they could heal the wounds that nobody could see.

Valeria

Disclosure: We received a review copy for inclusion in the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

We receive an affiliate commission if you purchase items through our Amazon link.

SUGGESTED PRICE: $16.95

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

DESCRIPTION

Sometimes fear and shyness can isolate us from the world. This tender story, printed on stone paper, reminds us of the importance of believing in yourself and in true friendship.

Valeria is a little bunny who loves learning new things and go to school. She has a great time counting all the fingers of her hand and pronouncing the names of the colors of a sparkling rainbow. However, Valeria is very very shy and she tries not to stand down by speaking softly that hardly anyone could hear her. She didn’t know the power that was in her laugh, and she held it in, so it wouldn’t escape, the strength of her hugs and her kisses, which she kept all to herself.

Valeria always walked looking down at the ground, and that’s why she never stumbled! She recognized all of her classmates not by their faces… but by their shoes! But when she least expects it, her inseparable hat flies away, and then Valeria is forced to look up and watch everything that she had missed up to that moment.

 

Miserable Holiday Stories

Disclosure: We received a review copy for inclusion in the 2021 Holiday Gift Guide.

We receive an affiliate commission if you purchase items through our Amazon link.

SUGGESTED PRICE: $14.99

AVAILABLE AT: Amazon

DESCRIPTION

The holiday season is one of laughter, fun, generosity, and time with friends and family . . . or so it’s supposed to be. But we all know that the holiday season can actually be absolutely depressing, no matter how hard we try. So from the wit of humorist Alex Bernstein comes this “miserable” collection of short stories based around Christmas and Hanukkah. Included are short stories, such as:

  • “Blue Christmas”
  • “K-Rope”
  • “The Smoking Lounge”
  • “Brownie Mix”
  • “The #$@!# Bicycle Boys Save Christmas, Again!”
  • And more!

No matter what holiday you celebrate, this quirky yet bittersweet compilation will be sure to have you longing for mid-January. Whether you want these tales for yourself or for a loved one you really don’t care about, Miserable Holiday Stories will be sure to have any holiday “realist” prepared for the misery they feel during that blessed holiday season.