Holiday Gift Guide: Crabtree & Evelyn Travel Ready Collections

Exquisite Crabtree & Evelyn - London: La Source Mini Trio, Lavender Vanity Collection

London, England  To me, having a proper Christmas means going back to the happy times of my childhood. The English walnuts, plum pudding and Striped Humbugs my father brought from our family's neighborhood candy store. All of these smells and delights trigger thoughts of those I love. So I was so excited to see the new gift collections being offered this season by one of my favorite fragrance houses, Crabtree & Evelyn. These are fabulous sets for someone special or for yourself.

Crabtree & Evelyn's Lavender Collection of everything Lavender!

The Lavender Vanity Collection is the ultimate travel treat for the jet setter on your list. Lavender is naturally soothing and helps induce sleep. After getting off my flight and checking into my hotel, the first thing I like to do is take a relaxing Lavender bath! This beautiful dual zippered & tiered vanity case is packed with four sumptuous pampering products made from pure, natural Lavender essential oils. In fact you've never really experienced Lavender until you've had English Lavender:

"A satin-lined interior decadently presents four Lavender-scented favourites to gently cleanse, moisturise, and condition hands and skin to perfection. Our Lavender Eau de Toilette adds a finale of fragrance. And a petite cosmetic pouch helps you stay beautiful on-the-go, all through the holidays and beyond."

La Source Mini Trio Gift Set comes with this lovely presentation.

La Source Mini Trio is another travel ready set sure to make a lasting impression. This sweet little trio of mini-travel sized products by La Source makes a luxury appearance smartly wrapped in tissue paper and it's own cosmetic case:

"Tucked inside this lovely cosmetic bag is a trio of our La Source hand and body care favourites - all known for their restorative marine botanicals. Our La Source ultra-moisturising Hand Therapy, hydrating Body Lotion, and soothing Body Wash condition and moisturise through the holidays and beyond, revitalizing skin with the powers of the sea."

La Source Trio is like taking a bit of the spa on Holiday with you!

Lucky Gift Guide
These traveling delights from Crabtree & Evelyn have made it into my Lucky Gift Guide as the quality and presentation are just what you would expect from a top London fragrance house. Best of all the vanity and cosmetic cases are reusable, ready to pack with whatever else you want to take along. Trust me though, once you get used to these fabulous scents, you'll want to restock!

Travel right! Love, your Girl on the Go.

Credits: Product photos were shot with the incredible Canon EOS Rebel Digital SLR camera courtesy of my friends at QVC.com
Gift Sets c/o Crabtree & Evelyn

Gifts We Really Want - L'Occitane en Provence Hand Creams

L'Occitane en Provence - Memoirs of a Hand Cream Holiday Gift Set is the complete holiday package!

Provence, in the South of France: It always seems to be a challenge to choose just the right holiday gifts each year for our friends and family. Then there's all the boxing, wrapping and everything else. Well, not this year! On my last visit to QVC Studios, I heard about QVC Gifts. These are a special collection of holiday gifts that come in beautiful packaging, pretty much ready to set right under the tree.  These are top luxury labels from designers like Issac Mizrahi, Laura Geller, Josie Maran, WEN and Philosophy.

On L'Occitane de Provence's Set at QVC TV Studios.

L'Occitane en Provence
So I was very excited to see L'Occitane included among the QVC Gifts collection as this is a line I've been using for quite some time. In fact I keep a tube of their 20% Shea Butter and Lavender Hand Cremes in my makeup bags. L'Occitane's creams are made in France with real botanicals so you get all the healing benefits inherent to the plant. 

I keep a tin of L'Occitane's 100% Shea Butter in my first-aid kit.

  
L'Occitane's Lavender Hand Creme is so soothing and calming on long flights or car trips. My book, The New Woman's Herbal and Nutritional Guide extols the healing wonders of Lavender for burns, scrapes and irritations. It's like having a first-aid cream that also smells amazing. Just like the finest aromatherapy oils, the essential oils used in L'Occitane's hand creams are harvested from all over the world: Grasse, Turkey, Bulgaria and Morocco to name a few.

I always keep a tube of L'Occitane Lavender or Shea Butter hand cream in my travel bag.

Memoirs of a Hand Creme Set
Now that you know how GOOD L'Occitane Hand Cremes are, let me tell you about the beautiful set of 8 being offered in their Memoirs of a Hand Creme from QVC. Beautifully gift-boxed, it opens like a bed-time story book tied with a satin ribbon. Only it's a TRUE story! It tells the tale of their unrivaled 20% Shea Butter hand creme and all the others made from the most fragrant plants and flowers.

L'Occitane's Story of a Hand Creme opens to hold 8 of their full sized 30 ml hand cremes.

These are the same full 1 oz tubes sold at their NYC flagship store. I shop there so I know. This is a great value as each tube of hand creme retails in the store for about $12.  However, some of the cremes in this collection I've not seen in the store such as the: Pivoine Flora Hand Cream, Fleur Cherrie and the Rose 4 Reines Hand Cremes. You can gift the entire set or break it up into individual elegant stocking stuffers. There's plenty to go around, even if you like to save a tube or two for yourself!

The End!

L'Occitane Memoirs of a Hand Creme c/o QVC

Deliciously Easy Crock Pot Meatballs and Cheese

Delicious Meatballs with Parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over Angel Hair Pasta, a fall favorite. Cookware: Temp-Tations Old World Complete Oven to Table Set

I think nearly everyone has a Crock Pot by now. The problem is, we often don't take advantage of this amazing kitchen time saver! I keep mine on top of the counter and while not everything comes out great in a Crock Pot, some things definitely DO! My Aunt Laura used to set up her slow cooker and let it simmer her sauces all day. Her house always smelled incredible but she wasn't constantly in the kitchen. She had time to entertain us! That's how to do it. If you have to leave the house, the newer slow cookers have timers that will start and stop your meal automatically.  Arrive to the delicious smell of a home cooked meal! Pour some wine, boil some pasta and you're set.

Crock Pot Meatballs and Cheese over Italian made Angel Hair Pasta by DeCecco

So here's one recipe from my Aunt Laura that especially excels in a slow cooker. I've modified it with the addition of ground turkey but even with less fat, it has SO much flavor.

Deliciously Easy Slow Cooker Meatballs

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 large sweet Italian sausage link with casing removed
1 strip of smoked bacon, minced
1 egg
1/4 cup shredded Zingerman's Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika
1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning or an Oregano blend
2 slices of toasted bread ground into bread crumbs
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 Quarts of homemade or jar pasta sauce
1/4 cup red wine

Use Italian cheeses to add flavor and richness to otherwise low fat fare.

Using a stand mixer, combine all of the ingredients completely, (about 2 minutes on medium). Using an ice cream scoop, begin to form tight, small meatballs. Heat your non-stick skillet with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil and begin browning the meatballs until golden on all sides. When you are finishing the last batch, deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of red wine. Add your 2 quarts of sauce and meatballs from the pan to your slow cooker. 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low will give about the same results. Serve hot over pasta with extra cheeses on the side. 
Bonus tip: Store or even freeze the leftovers in the Temp-Tations Cookware which comes with plastic lids for each piece!

Rich Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese from Zingerman's

 
Give the Gift of Cheese! 
The Parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses play a major role in this recipe, adding a LOT of flavor but not a lot of calories. The Zingerman's Parmigiano Reggiano used in my recipe is included in their Cheeses of the World Gift Set, (Beginner Edition) 

This Cheeses of the World Gift Set includes five cheeses weighing in at about two and a half pounds, serving 18-20. Packed in a wooden gift box with large loaf of sourdough bread. Instructions for serving and care are included. This is the ultimate hostess gift. Who knows? They may be so impressed that they invite you back to dinner for sampling!
The beginner assortment is like getting a crash course on fromage and focuses on five great, well-aged versions of familiar cheeses like NY Cabot Cheddar, Farmhouse Gouda and Antique Gruyère.
Nothing crazy, the Beginner Assortment gives you a lovely range of worldly cheeses for cooking, snacking and entertaining.

Zingerman's Cheeses of the World makes a great Holiday Gift and is included in my Lucky Gift Guide this year. Click here to see the other goodies I've chosen!

 
Temp-Tations Old World Cookware Set c/o QVC
Cheeses of the World c/o Zingerman's