As of today, there are 10 shopping days left before you’re expected to have every gift neatly wrapped, labeled and under the tree. While you can certainly join the masses at Target, Walmart or (if you’re brave) the mall, we think you’ll also enjoy perusing these great local shops. You’ll find fewer crowds, unique merchandise and friendly (and helpful!) staff, turning holiday shopping from a chore into something that’s actually kinda fun.
And now… our recommendations:
For the product junkie:

Give your favorite product junkie something she can’t get anywhere else …

For the past few months, I’ve observed a pretty strict vegetarian diet. But then fellow verb-er, Matt Tharp, introduced me to the magic that is Nuñez Mexican Grill and all bets were off.
The non-descript restaurant at 2111 East Central (west of Hillside) may not look like much from the outside, but the food is amazing.
Ok, so maybe saying “the food” is a little too all-encompassing because I’ve only had their tacos. Each time I go back, I fully intend to try something new, but the tacos continue to lure me in.
The …

Moving to a new city is stressful enough without worrying about finding a stylist. Every woman (and a fair number of dudes) wishes it was as easy as picking a salon out of the phone book (wait – people still use phone books?) and taking your chances. I mean, you can still go that route, but you may end up with hair so bleached that it’s falling out and an unintentionally asymmetrical bob. I’ve been there. The rest of the story involves a lot of tears and a new hat …

True story: last spring, I sold most of my earthly belongings in preparation for moving out of the country indefinitely. The moving part didn’t end up happening (that’s a tale for another time), but finding myself with a completely bare apartment most definitely did. For two months, my living room decor consisted of a papisan chair, a TV tray and my TV. A year and a half later, I’ve managed to procure enough furniture (and accessories) to fully furnish a 2 bedroom home. And the kicker? I did it all …

When I first moved to Kansas five years ago, I decided to impress my then-boyfriend’s family with a homecooked holiday dinner, complete with a turkey and all of the trimmings. While I’ve always been a relatively adept cook, this seemed like a serious challenge and something that I should probably train for. Yes, I said train.
Armed with Google, Epicurious.com and a stack of cookbooks, I researched and tested and prototyped and came up with The Perfect Turkey Recipe.
After spending hours in the kitchen, I’m usually not as enthusiastic about what …