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Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya’s Favorite Things: What To Buy Someone Who Is a Triple Threat (Can Cook, Write, and Play Tennis)

Do you have someone in your life who loves to cook and to play tennis and read books? Well, this extremely niche gift guide is for you!


Burlap & Barrel Spices ($56 for a six-spice set)

a spice set

My spice drawer is a sacred space, and my absolute favorite brand is Burlap & Barrel. They’re single-origin spices, and they have so many that I’m constantly coveting their latest releases. I should probably look into their subscription program. If you love to cook or just love flavor, these are the spices to get.

Immersion Blender ($50)

immersion blender

I don’t need overly fancy kitchen gadgets. A standard immersion blender is one of my favorite go-to tools when cooking. I make a lot of soups!

Bialetti Moka Pot ($37)

bialetti moka pot

We have a million ways to make coffee in our home, but I’ve already written about our programmable coffeemaker, and while our Breville is probably my favorite, it’s a little on the expensive end for gift giving.

Monitor ($130)

computer monitor

Everyone who works from home should have a monitor imo.

DVD Drive ($39)

dvd player

I bought this for hurricane season so my wife and I can still watch movies even when the power’s out. If you know someone who lives somewhere where the power can go out for long periods of time, you should get them one of these!!

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson ($16)

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Obviously, there are a million books I’d like to put on this list but I’m trying to limit myself so it isn’t all just books!

Helen House by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya ($15)

Helen House by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

But also fuck it, I’m putting my own book on here lol. But also my book is the perfect size for a stocking stuffer!!

Totally Hot by Olivia Newton-John on Vinyl ($28)

Olivia Newton-John

I love my entire record collection, which is a combination of my parents’ collection, my grandparents’ collection, and things I’ve bought myself through the years. This ONJ album was part of my parents’ collection and is the first vinyl I can ever remember listening to.

HEAD IG Challenge Speed Tennis Racquet ($130)

tennis racquet

This is the racquet I currently play with. It’s on the heavier side (10.4 oz), which is my preference. My REAL favorite racquet though is my high school one, but it’s no longer made. You can buy it on eBay.

Nike Wristbands ($13)

Nike wristbands

I call these my “brat” bands, and they’re definitely lucky!

Gray Sweatpants ($20)

gray sweatpants

I was recently introduced to the joys of a pair of everyday gray sweatpants. Okay, I don’t wear them EVERY DAY, but I wish I could. I’m in these for most of my work meetings. But they also double as great sweatpants for tennis warmups.

Gatorade Zero ($8 for 8 pack)

Gatorade Zero

With Gatorlyte on Drew’s list and Gatorade Zero on mine, you might be wondering if Autostraddle made some sort of deal with Gatorade, but I assure you we did not! We just love our electrolytes, baby!

Ghost Energy – WARHEADS Sour Watermelon Flavor ($30 for 12 pack)

Ghost Energy drink

While we’re on the topic of beverages, I’m also very hooked on these exact energy drinks. I’ll buy whatever is on sale usually, but these are my favorite, and when Ghost is BOGO at Publix, I stock tf UP.

Simple Modern Tumbler ($22)

simple modern water tumbler

This was a birthday gift from my wife’s best friend, and it goes with me everywhere!

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Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya is the managing editor of Autostraddle and a lesbian writer of essays, short stories, and pop culture criticism living in Orlando. She is the assistant managing editor of TriQuarterly, and her short stories appear or are forthcoming in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Joyland, Catapult, The Offing, and more. Some of her pop culture writing can be found at The A.V. Club, Vulture, The Cut, and others. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram and learn more about her work on her website.

Kayla has written 955 articles for us.

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