Last Minute Kitchen Gifts

 Christmas is a week away and it's crunch time. Think anything kitchen , from cookbooks to gadgets. These are great presents that will keep on giving. They can be fun. They can be handy. They can be perfect.

A cookbook is always the most interesting gift to open.It not only gives recipes but the stories behind them as well as great tips. International cuisine ones are  also  travelogues with amazing pictures of the food, country and people. The New York Times Food section had an extensive list of them this past Wednesday.There are fourteen choices, from Mina Stone's Greek influenced Lemon,Love and Olive Oil  (Harper Collins) to Michael Twitty's  Rice  A Savor The South Cookbook 0 Noirth Carolina Press). There are cookbooks that revolve around baking like Cookies: The New Classics A Baking Book (Clarkson Potter) by Jesse Szewcyck and  Sheet Cake Easy One Pan Recipes For Every Day and Every Occasion  (Clarkson Potter) by Abigal Johnson Didge. There are cookbooks about Middle eastern sweets and Korean vegetarianism too,. If you do buy a cookbook, get extra little gifts that tie into the book. This can be a sushi mat or a pretty set of measuring cups and spoons. You could even arrange a fun basket full of the ingredients too.

Anyone loves a gadget. They're so much fun to receive and try out,An air fryer is a definite must give for any home chef. They can cook up anything from chicken nuggets to even cinnamon rolls. They will definitely be much appreciated and will be used for months to come. Another fun and necessary gift is an immersion blender. These can easily whip up smoothies but they're also great for creaming and blending soups and sauces. They're also very easy to handle as well as to clean. Bakers will appreciate fun baking gifts like cookie presses. A plus is that they're easily attainable. Everyone from Target to Walmart has them.Throw in a variety pack of sprinkles for decorating. For those non-bakers who still want a holiday treat think about giving a gingerbread kit. These are fun and also perfect for the budget. Five Below is selling them for around five dollars. Target and Walgreens also have them for as low as $2.99. There are also have sleds and trains too that already come with icing and candies to decorate.

Yes, Christmas is coming. There's no need to go frantic over what to give any home chef or baker. The list is endless , from cookbooks and gadgets to gingerbread house kits. Have fun picking out the right gift.

Cotton Candy Dreams

Ever since I was very little - we're talking toddler here - I've loved cotton candy. I don't know why, Maybe the airiness  or the way it melts on a little tongue. It could be that I enjoyed it the first time at the Wildwood Crest, New Jersey Boardwalk after a fun day of splashing in the ocean waves. My love intensified when I received one when I was three (yes, three!)My parents sent away to Boston for it as a birthday gift which I can still remember.

Jokingly I had asked for one for Christmas after seeing it at this cool discount store Five Below.I got it.

It doesn't come with the sugars so I had to order them from Amazon. These were around $17.95

There were a lot of flavors to choose from, but I thought the raspberry - grape - cherry trio was the best choice and the most flavorful. It does comes with the cones. These are a little too big for the machine which comes with long skewers and a scoop . Which one is the best? I do like how the cones look but the sticks are easier to twirl the floss around. This is the machine after a simple assemblage.

It's just adding the sugar with the scoop that comes with it and putting it in the center disc.

This was the first try, using the grape flavor.

It looks kind of thin , I guess two scoops would give it a thicker , fluffier look. Still it's a fun snack and a surprise dessert for company. I plan on getting the watermelon and sour apple flavors next, possibly the bubble gum too.

Marcel Proust  had his madeleines. I have my cotton candy. It's just as fun as getting it at the shore or when I was three. There is nothing like it.