2014 Gifts For The Kitchen

[Okanagancook]

Shelby, thanks for the reminder to get started on some gift planning before things get too crazy.  Which I think will happen next week!

 

Last year, I ended up pulling together some very, very last minute gifts by rummaging through my bookshelves and pantry.  A pasta cookbook was wrapped up with a couple of packages of fancy pasta and some sun-dried tomatos.  My homemade limoncello went out with Kathy Casey's Sips and Apps or Lisa Loeb's Shake, Stir, Pour and a few pounds of Rancho Gordo beans accompanied my Heirloom Beans cookbook.  The books were all in like-new condition and I put them together in pretty baskets so I don't think it was too obvious but I should do some better advance planning this year! 

 

Yesterday, I ordered a copy of Dorie Greenspan's new Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere with the intention of getting a peek at it before giving it to a friend.  Hopefully I'll identify some sort of speciality bakeware that can accompany the book.

 

Edited to add:  This is on the silly side, but I forgot to mention that I recently gifted copies of the little Will it Waffle cookbook to a couple of waffle-iron-owning friends who have reported having fun with it and getting more use out of their waffle irons.

I just bought three Will It Waffle. One for me and the other two for waffle owning friends! It IS a bit of fun as I have tried a few recipes already. Thanks for sharing

[Darienne]

I always make the Enstrom-copycat toffee for folks who give us help throughout the year: mail ladies, veterinarian & staff, library, computer guys, car garage, friends and neighbors, pharmacist...let's see...doctor & office, guys at the transfer station (aka the Cavan Mall), chiropractor. I'm exhausted already...

Forgot...if we end up being elsewhere...hope, hope...I've made toffee for the local Humane Society volunteers. Or the Multicultural organization. I loved being the "Candy Lady" one year.

Made the toffee for the local chums and it was well received. Well, duh...

And now we are 2500 miles away in Utah and I have just finished batch #1 for the local Humane Society volunteers Christmas gifts. Three more batches to go. Not to mention the less enjoyable boxing and ribboning.