To Serve, With Love
As I’ve mentioned on here before, summertime is one of the primo seasons for stocking up on hostess gifts (the other being the holidays). Between bridal showers and backyard BBQs; dinner parties and weekends away, there are plenty of occasions where having a small token of appreciation on hand is warranted. Today’s gift guide features five fantastic serving dishes which you can fill with the tasty treat of your choice – may I recommend almonds however? These tasty nuts are earning all kinds of healthy accolades for their ability to reduce the risk of heart disease, strengthen your bones and teeth, and provide head-to-toe nourishment for your nervous and digestive systems. Hint: the natural, unsalted, unseasoned almonds tend to pack the most health benefits…but who says you can’t splurge on some candy coated or slow roasted almonds every now and again? With that, feast your eyes and fill your bellies!
Harry Allen Almond Bowl – $105 @ Design Public
First up, a literal interpretation of a ‘nutty’ bowl: the outside of this resin-and-marble concoction is actually cast from the shells of real whole almonds. The neutral white colour makes it an easy fit in almost anyone’s decor, while the texture finish makes it a real conversation starter. Makes a unique wedding present.
Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl – $40 @ The Bay
One of the *big* trends in wedding registry items right now is matching sets for various rooms in your home. My sister, for example, registered for a Kate Spade collection that spanned everything from her dinnerware to picture frames to barware to decor items. Monique Lhuillier (a wedding dress designer herself) has a gorgeous Atelier line of bar accessories including everything from a chrome cocktail shaker to a set of coasters. Play on the classic ‘bar nuts’ when you help a friend round out her collection with this cute little bowl, featuring sleek divets and a classic style that’ll never get dated. Make sure you buy a bag of nuts to round things out!
Las Ramblas Serving Dishes – $5.22+ @ Crate & Barrel
Serving up a fiesta? Doing tapas? These cute and colourful handpainted earthenware bowls are the perfect accessory to liven up your table. Available in a range of sizes, they’re perfect for filling up with spiced nuts, baked chickpeas, and homemade salsa. Plus, they’re so affordable (and currently on sale) you could easily buy the whole set as a thank you, birthday, or housewarming present and call it a day.
Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop – $80 @ Vagabond HouseThis adorable little bowl belongs in your mom and dad’s house, doesn’t it? Featuring a pewter squirrel perched on the edge of a mango wood dish, with its own acorn-shaped scoop, it’s the perfect thing to set out for those holiday dinners to keep grimy fingers out of the snacks. Nuts are actually a good snack solution when waiting for the turkey to be sliced or the ribs to finish roasting on the grill – a small scoopful will easily fill you up with healthy fats so you eat less during dinnertime. As an aside? Shipping is an unreal $5.95.
Brown Bone Nut Bowl – $74.78 @ Williams SonomaIf you’re setting up a rustic tabletop, complete with gingham table runners and plates stacked high with sticky ribs and corn bread, consider this elegant-yet-old-timey serving dish to round things out and work as a pseudo centrepiece. With a polished water buffalo bone handle, it’ll give your dinner party a little bit of yeehaw style without coming off hokey. Use your favourite BBQ rub to season some roasted nuts or fill it with sticky toffees for dessert.
You may have noticed a certain nut permeated elements of this post – that’s because the Almond Board of California and I have teamed up to give one lucky reader a gift basket filled with snacks for gifting (or noshing on yourself) valued at $120! Consider the serving dishes above as wonderful accompaniments if someone in your life is so lucky to be given part of your big win 🙂 And with that, here’s how you can enter:
1) Leave a comment by July 23rd with your favourite serving dish featured in this post + your favourite kind of almonds!
2) Entries are limited to one per person / per email address / per household (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around July 24th to select the winners, who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.
3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible to participate in this promotion.
4) Bonus Entry: Tweet about how much you love almonds (@almonds) and tag the Canadian Gift Guide (@cdngiftguide) up to 5 times over the contest period to score yourself up to 5 bonus entries. Just leave a link back to each of your Tweets in the comments below. One Tweet per day please.
Canadian Gift Guide 
My favourite is the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop, I love almonds, for salads or cooking I use seasoned or plain sliced or whole almonds, for snacking I love roasted or straight from the shell almonds,.
Tweet #1 @skeetersden
my fave is the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl – $40 @ The Bay. and I love just regular roasted almonds.
My Favourite is the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl https://twitter.com/janicour/status/353119314817187840
The Squirrel Nut Bowl with scoop is fantastic. I love whole almonds for snacking.
My favourite is the Brown Bone Nut Bowl! I love raw natural almonds that I buy in bulk.
My favorite is the Squirrel nut bowl. Love the fact that it comes with a scoop.
My favorite almonds for snacking are honey roasted or just fresh from the shell.
My favourite is the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl and my favourite almonds are plain roasted.
I really love the very funky Las Ramblas Serving Dishes . Really adds character and fun to a table. I love eating the basic almond … out of the shell…. didn’t even know they came in a shell. Wow. 🙂
tweet 1
I like the Las Ramblas Serving dishes – I’d serve plain, roasted almonds in them, my fave.
I am a nut freak! i love alomnds unsalted and just roasted :).. the Squirrel Nut Bowl is sooooo cute!!
The Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop is my favourite and I like my almonds spicy.
Cashews are my favourite and I really like the wood bowl with the pewter squirrel and we scoop.
love this idea: Las Ramblas Serving Dishes – and love plain almonds for snacking
I like the Squirrel nut bowl, it’s super cute. And I enjoy hickory smoked almonds.
I love the colourful Las Ramblas Serving Dishes and wow are they ever reasonable! As for my favourite almonds that’s a toss up between honey roasted and smoked, depending on if I’m in a sweet or salty sort of mood.
I love the look of the MONIQUE LHUILLIER Waterford Atelier Metal Nut Bowl. Almonds are one of my favorite nuts. I love the new Almond Accents in salads and can eat honey roasted or sea salted almonds by the handful. So tasty!
I like the Monique Lhuillier bowl, and I like to snack on roasted almonds.
Tweet #2 https://twitter.com/skeetersden/status/353460425767133185
I like the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop from Vagabond House. I think it is so cute.
I like regular roasted almonds.
Tweet #1
I like the Las Ramblas Serving Bowl – they look elegant and are more versatile than the others. My favourite almonds are Honey Roasted.
I like the Squirrel Nut Bowl with Scoop! My favourite kind of almonds are shelled, but plain. Perfect for a snack!!
I like the Las Ramblas Serving Dishes and honey roasted almonds are yummy
tweet 1
i love the las ramblas serving dishes they are beautiful in style, colour and the price is great my favorite almonds is honey roasted almonds the sweet crunchy coating and the wonderful wholesome almond inside is such a great partnership
tweeted
My favorite is the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop and I like honey roasted almonds.
I like the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl – plain roasted almonds are my fav!
Tweet # 3 https://twitter.com/skeetersden/status/353830773649977345
tweet 2
@almonds @cdngiftguide almonds are the perfect snack..good for you and yummy!
My favourite is the Brown Bone Nut Bowl, and my favourite almonds are the chocolate covered – yumm
Brown Bone Nut Bowl is my favorite and my favorite kind of almond are of the chocolate covered variety.
I love the Las Ramblas serving dishes! So cute. 🙂
Tweet #1: https://twitter.com/merelyamadness/status/354114015695339521
Tweet # 4 https://twitter.com/skeetersden/status/354169606128140288
I like the Harry Allen Almond Bowl and my favourite kind of almond is chocolate covered almonds!
Tweet~ http://twitter.com/glogirl3/status/354255377824612352
tweet 3
My favourite serving dish featured in this post is the, ‘Brown Bone Nut Bowl – $74.78 @ Williams Sonoma’ & my favourite kind of almonds are coated in chocolate!
Bonus Entry #1: https://twitter.com/SoulSeeker0/status/354463388778233858
I love this Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl – $40 @ The Bay, its so sleek. It would go perfect with some smoked almonds!
I like the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal bowl . My fav almonds are probably dark chocolate covered almonds…but I love them in any form
squirrel nut bowl
SQUIRREL NUT BOWL
My favourite serving bowl is the Harry Allen Almond Bowl. I love just a basic roasted almond.
Tweet x 5 https://twitter.com/skeetersden/status/354555125416722434
I love almonds!!!
The Harry allen almond bowl and fave almonds are chocolate covered almonds
My favourite is the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl. I love spicy almonds.
I love the squirrel Nut Bowl and my fave is Hicory smoked almonds
i like the Harry Allen almond bowl and my favorite almonds would have to be chocolate covered 🙂
I like the Harry Allen Almond Bowl. I like my almonds peeled and plain.
I’m partial to the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl – and snacking on regular almonds with the skin still on them is my favourite.
I loved the Las Ramblas serving dishes but the Waterford bowl was a close second.
I can’t decide–the brown squirrel nut bowl likely is my favourite over the bone brown centerpiece. I like nuts plain, skins on for fiber and flavour.
I just love the squirrel nut bowl with the scoop and my favorite type of almond is raw whole ones for snacking on.
Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl, love love this!
I like the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop and my favourite nuts are chocolate covered almonds.
Like the brown bone nut bowl…it would fit a variety of decors.
Like the Las Ramblas serving dishes
I really like the squirrel nut bowl. It’s so cute. My favorite nuts are smoked flavoured almonds. Yum!
i love the Squirrel Nut bowl with scoop and i love slivered almonds. I put them on salads and sauteed with green beans.
I love the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl and I love plain, raw whole almond
I love the squirrel nut bowl with scoop. Adorable! And I enjoy all kinds of Almonds. They are afterall, my favourite nut.
Love the Harry Allen almond bowl and my favorite almonds are smoked.
I love the squirrel nut bowl! and i love my almonds as almond milk
I like the Squirrel Nut bowl.I like my almonds roasted as snacks.
Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl – $40 @ The Bay is my favorite
I like the Las Ramblas serving dishes and any kind of almonds at all!
I like the Atelier Metal bowl and I like regular roasted almonds.
Harry Allen Almond Bowl is really unique!
The brown bone bowl looks great and I like chocolate covered almonds.
The squirrel bowl looks interesting,I love the slow roasted almonds
My favourite bowl is the “Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop!” 🙂 I also love snacking on raw almonds!
The Harry Allen Almond Bowl is very stylish, and I love mine smoked and salted!
Jody Doncaster
@leolambertcat
Great Almond contest!@cdngiftguide
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6:50 PM – 9 Jul 13 (GMT-07:00)
Bonus Entry #1: https://twitter.com/PumpkinGirl78/status/354780754259087360
My favourite is the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop, I love whole roasted almonds for snacking
I like the squirrel bowl and my favorite is chocolate almonds
ontariohappychick at gmail dot com
My favorite is the waterford atellier metal bowl and like plain roasted almonds the best
Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl
I love the squirrel nut bowl! and i love my almonds as almond milk
I love the “Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl – $40 @ The Bay.” Nice. Classic.
@almonds @cdngiftguide almonds are the perfect snack..good for you and yummy!
2nd tweet – https://twitter.com/Vesper1931/status/354921440342061056
brown bone nut bowl
I like the squirrel bowl
I love the squirrel nut bowl, so cute! I love roasted almonds – I use them as a snack and in salads.
love the silver bowl
I love the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop and my fav almonds are dry roasted with salt.
LOVE the Rambla’s serving dishes. Almonds on a fresh salad are fantastic!
I love the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop — it is just so cute! I love chocolate covered almonds.
love them
I really like the Harry Allen Almond Bowl, it is rather quirky. My favourite almonds are skin on with a bit of Thai seasoning, done in our smoker.
Las Ramblas Serving Dishes are cute
Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl & roasted almonds are my choices. Pick me, pick me! Your next winner!!! Show me the money!!! . It would be a dream come true & means more to me than anyone else to win. Starving artist here desperately needs the prize almonds eat again. Winner, winnner. Chicken dinner. A life changing experience. Top of my bucket list. Thank you for the awesomeness, the contest, & generousity.
Love the squirrel nut bowl
Love the Squirrel nut bowl, and smoked almonds are awesome, thanks
I like the Squirrel Nut Bowl and Scoop. Tamari almonds are my favoaurite!
I love the Las Ramblas Serving Dishes. Lightly roasted almonds are my favorite.
Almonds are great in any bowl, but \I do really like the Harry Allen Almond Bowl! It’s just fun!
tweet #3
3rd Tweet – https://twitter.com/Vesper1931/status/355303251459055617
Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop – $80 @ Vagabond House. My favorite almonds are chocolate covered, but also like plain almonds as well.
I do love the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop for $80 at Vagabond House – how adorable! My favourite almonds are both dry roasted almonds and chocolate covered almonds
Oh, I love the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop! While we each eat 12 almonds daily, we feed the squirrels lots more peanuts…. this is so cute!
Bonus tweet #2: https://twitter.com/PumpkinGirl78/status/355409764336926720
I like the Las Ramblas serving dishes and plain roasted almonds
My favourite is the Squirrel Nut Bowl with Scoop. My favourite type of almonds are the ones that are roasted and still in their shells.
love the Harry Allen Almond Bowl.
I think the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl would be perfect. I love grabbing a handful of non salted almonds for a snack. This bowl would look a lot better than the plastic container I currently use LOL
4th tweet – https://twitter.com/Vesper1931/status/355652323181211650
i would put raw almonds in the Brown Bone Nut Bowl
I like the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop and I love raw almonds, chocolate covered almonds, roasted almonds, any almonds
Bonus Tweet #3: https://twitter.com/PumpkinGirl78/status/355868149566025728
5th tweet – https://twitter.com/Vesper1931/status/356017870582448130
I love the Las Ramblas Serving Dishes! They’re so festive and reminds me of good times in Mexico. They’d be perfect for the roasted unsalted almonds that I love to munch on. Good luck to everyone!
i like the squirrel nut bowl with scoop. my fav type of almonds are ‘raw’
I like the Harry Allen Almond Bow. My favourite almonds are dry roasted with sea salt. Or covered in milk chocolate!
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/JCGF122/status/356140663311572992
my fav. is quirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop for salad
love almonds, my fav are the chocolate covered ones!
My favourite is the Squirrel Nut Bowl With Scoop and I eat the plain raw almonds as less calories. Goes great with coconut pieces and cranberries.
Brown Bone Nut Bowl looks great. love any kind of almonds – great snacks and energy boosters. thanks
tweeted: https://twitter.com/leeper5p/status/356199705845305344
thanks
Bonus tweet #4: https://twitter.com/PumpkinGirl78/status/356266870283833345
The Monique L. Bowl and honey roasted
I like the Harry Allen almond bowl
Love the Harry Allen bowl – very unique and quirky. Plain roasted almonds are delish with strawberry yogurt
I tweeted.
I like the Harry Allen almond bowl. mysticmisha at hotmail dot com
Bonus tweet #5: https://twitter.com/PumpkinGirl78/status/356638515850784768
The Squirrel Nut bowl for sure!! Too cute. Love plain almonds for a filling snack.
Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl is my fav, and I like Roasted Almonds best.
LOVE the Harry Allen almond bowl – my favourite type of almond – roasted and lightly salted. mmm mmm!
My favorite is the Brown Bone Nut Bowl – $74.78 @ Williams Sonoma. My favorite type of almonds are spicy and seasoned but I usually eat plain whole ones because they are healthier.
tweet: https://twitter.com/skyalive1976/status/357661921819901952
i like the williams sonoma nut dish and I like the plain salted roasted nuts
My favourite is the Williams Sanoma Brown Bone Nut Bowl. We always have almonds and walnuts in the house as a healthier snack.
i love the Almond metal bowl and the one with the little squirrel on it
Love the squirrel nut bowl, I prefer plain or salted nuts.
I love the glitzy Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl, perfect for my guilty pleasure: milk chocolate covered almonds
tweet one
I like the Monique Lhuillier Waterford Atelier Metal Bowl and I love smoked almonds
I like the Squirrel Nut Bowl with Scoop. (When I was growing up we had a similar nut bowl carved out of wood but with a post in the centre and little hammer.)
Oops. Love roasted, salted almonds.
like the Harry Allen Almond bowl and love the roasted and salted almonds
https://twitter.com/selbys/status/359022001345675265?lang=en
The Squirrel Nut Bowl is my favourite and I like any salted almonds, spicy is good.
Tweet 2,
tweet #5
tweet 3
I love the “Brown Bone Nut Bowl” and I’d fill it brimming to the top with honey roasted almonds!
I like the Larambas Serving Dishes, they are so colourful.
tweet 3