I didn’t want to contribute to any stampedes at brick and mortar retailers, so I saved my holiday wish list for late in the evening of Black Friday. You’re welcome.

This is what I want for Christmas, or what YOU want for Christmas because I already have it and love it – which means I want more of it.

1. Tretorn Canvas Tennis Shoes – This is strictly a want. I wore Tretorns for many years as a kid and I can still remember the cushiony softness of this shoe. Plus, they’re cute.

2. RoC RETINOL CORREXION MAX Wrinkle Resurfacing System – Okay, so maybe your gift recipient would need to be okay with you acknowledging their sorry skin, but if you know someone who is looking for a good beauty treatment, this is pretty great. I received this system at BlogHer ’13 and it’s done some magical stuff to my face – especially my pores. There, I said it. It’s a little pricey for a stocking stuffer, so I’m including it in this gift guide.

3. iLive Under Cabinet Radio with Bluetooth Speakers – I love to listen to music while I’m in the kitchen. Instead of putting my phone in a bowl or cup to amplify the sound, it would be great to have something that would play my iTunes without the use of dinnerware. I have an under cabinet radio now that gets a lot of use, EVEN THOUGH IT’S A CASSETTE PLAYER. 4. Wii Fit U – I included this on my special needs kid’s list, too. We enjoy it that much. I would love to say that I do only the adult stuff, like yoga, but I can’t stop playing the obstacle course game. Also, the Fit Meter tracks your steps and altitude so I joined a virtual gym community and we’re competing against other players. There’s nothing like a friendly competition to motivate me. Chocolate works, too.

5. Cuisinart Stainless Cookware Collection – We are moving away from cooking with non-stick cookware and though the few pieces of stainless we have aren’t Cuisinart, every other kitchen tool I own that’s stamped “Cuisinart” is a quality piece. We got our Cuisinart toaster for our wedding and while everyone made fun of me for putting a $90 toaster on the registry, it’s lasted for almost 17 years and is still toasting strong.6. Isotoner smarTouch Gloves – I asked for touch-screen gloves last year, too. *cough*

7. Brown Ankle Boots – Because everyone has black ones, so why not stand out. Also, because my brown, pleather ones are all torn up from wearing them so much. If a stacked-heel is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

8. Gap Perfect Boot Jeans – These jeans come in four lengths which is awesome for a tall girl. I have them in regular, long and extra-long and can switch them out depending on whether I’m wearing ballet flats, tennis shoes, or boots. And, they’re mid-rise so there’s no risk in bearing your backside. Again, you’re welcome.

9. Remote Car Starter – Show someone you love them by warming up their car for them. Bonus: You don’t even have to leave the house.

www.viper.com

10. The Home. T. – Getting another Home. T. would mean moving to another state, but for this kind of softness, I’d consider it.

11. The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays – I am not exaggerating when I say that I’ve been complimented on yesterday’s turkey about 20 times. My husband won’t stop talking about it. The recipe came straight from this book and like all of Ree’s dishes, it was easy and delicious.

Disclosure: I received a Home. T., Wii Fit U and Fit Meter for review and Ree’s book as a gift. I, quite possibly, have the best job ever.

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This is blurry, but you can still get an idea of the beautiful bowl of goodness that sat before me. There was only one rotten one in the whole bunch.

Want to guess which one I bit into without looking?

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I hit a new cooking low tonight – I burned rice. I checked on it a full SEVEN minutes early, yet there was my new stainless steel pot with 1/2 inch layer of crusted grains stuck to the bottom.

In a Thanksgiving cooking class a few years ago, I forgot to put sugar in my pumpkin pie. And, during a Christmas dinner I served brownies iced with Cool Whip and crushed candy canes. Do you know what it sounds like when eight people are eating crushed candy canes at the same time? There isn’t enough Andy Williams in the world to drown out the crunching.

My husband would probably have a much longer list of my kitchen fails. So would my daughter. My son once ate a beet and a radish at the same time so he doesn’t get a taste opinion.

I won’t even mention my cakes.

Cooking is a lot like life. Sometimes it turns out crusty, soggy or just plain rotten, and sometimes it’s smooth and delicious. What I can say for certain is that there isn’t always a quick fix; you can’t come to depend on microwaved meals all the time.

So I’m going to step away from the instant stuff and do a little more slow cooking. I won’t give up on my kitchen dreams, because you just never know when you won’t burn the rice.

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You know what’s awesome? Having fabulous, talented, generous friends.

You know what’s extra awesome? Having fabulous, talented, generous friends who want to give my readers free stuff!

Meet Ree.

I know, I know, some of you are saying, “Hello, Momo? We KNOW Ree, thankyouverymuch. She’s only a best-selling author and the host of her own Food Network show. Duh.” But, maybe there are a few of you out there who don’t know the wonderfulness of this blogger turned multi-media superstar. And, as you can see from that picture – complete goofball.

If you don’t know her, you’ll want to read this. My son thinks she makes the sun rise and set.

Now let me say that Ree is a great friend. She’s smart, kind, funny, and she likes wine. That’s pretty much all I ask for. But, more importantly, she changed the way I prepare food for my family. Like completely.

She just released her third cookbook and like the two that preceded it, it’s chock full of delicious, easy recipes that anyone can make. Sure you’ve heard “delicious, easy recipes” before, but those were lies. LIES, I tell you! I have never made one of her dishes that wasn’t a huge hit, nor have any of them taken me more than 15-20 minutes to prepare (not counting cooking time because she’s not a magician, but give her time and she’ll have that mastered too).

Isn’t this the cutest picture? It’s of Ree keynoting at BlogHer ’13 and explaining to the audience how much she loves me. “I love Momo THIS MUCH.” (Photo credit: BlogHer)

In the meantime, while we’re waiting for her to learn how to pull a rabbit out of her hat, THREE lucky readers will get a signed copy of “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays” to read, and dog-ear, and highlight, and get grease and flour all over. Hypothetically.

Enter for your chance to win by leaving a comment telling me your favorite holiday dish (any holiday, any dish) and/or tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

Good luck and happy cooking!

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