JNGift
A Food Lover's
Gift Guide
Ep icurean delights from
cookbooks to gadgets
Tom Head
To Toe
...For The
Ho
si!
• Hairstyling • Haircuts •
• Highlighting •
• Coloring • Perms •
• Manicures •
• Acrylics • Pedicures •
Non Smoking Salon
Sugar Tree Square- 6231 Orchard Lake Road
West Bloomfield - 248-539-2111
Hours: Mon. 11-i (appointments only);
Tues., Fri., Sat. 8-5; Wed. 8-1:30; Thur. 8-8:30
Sugartree Plaza • Orchard Lake Road North of Maple • West Bloomfield
248-932-3377
12/19
1997
76
ILENE S PECTOR
AND ELLEN PINSKY
Special to The Jewish News
A
t this time of year store
shelves bulge with epicure-
an gifts. These splendidly
stocked baskets and ele-
gantly wrapped boxes can be time-
savers, but they can also be pretty
pricey. It's cheaper, more fun, and
almost as easy—to do it yourself.
Here's another benefit: you'll end up
with far more imaginative and memo-
rable gifts.
This year, instead of simply placing
your gift in a box, use packaging that
can be recycled as part of the gift!
For instance, a Shabbat Collection
can be assembled on an inexpensive
cutting board or baking sheet. You
might include special candles, drip
guards, kosher wine, and a book such
as The World of Jewish Cooking by Gil
Marks, a rabbi and chef (Simon &
Schuster, $30) This special cookbook
is a compilation of kosher recipes and
histories of Jews throughout the
world. For the challah itself, sesame
and poppy seeds, raisins, parchment
paper and a challah knife and cover
would be nice additions. Most fabric
stores now carry Jewish-themed mate-
rials — one-half yard is enough to line
a bread basket.
Bakers might enjoy receiving a
brand new Teflon-coated tube pan
filled with baking chocolates, extracts,
a whisk, oven thermometer, a small
sifter for flour or sugar and perhaps
an unusual timer. A great cookbook
to include would be The Jewish
Holiday Baker by Joan Nathan
(Schocken Books, $23). In this book,
Nathan compiles recipes from the
best Jewish bakers around the world.
Challah, bailys, bagels, babka,
rugelach and strudel are just some of
the traditional baked goods she
explores. Not only does Nathan
include the recipes but she also reveals
anecdotes and baking secrets.
Another book filled with tradition-
al holiday recipes is Fast 6- Festive
Meals for the Jewish Holidays by
Marlene Sorosky (William Morrow
Publishing, $27). Her delicious pota-
to pancakes contain one vitamin C
tablet to prevent the potatoes from
turning brown. A fast and easy tradi-
tional rugelach recipe is transformed
into a irresistible bar cookie.
A person or couple who loves to
entertain would be thrilled with a din-
ner party assortment. Fill a large bowl
with place cards, invitations, fancy
napkins, napkin rings, a party game
and gift certificates for a fancy table
cloth rental. In House Beautiful
Entertaining by the editors of House
Beautiful (William Morrow
Publishers, $30), you'll find delicious
recipes from world-famous chefs, dec-
orating tips from celebrity designers,
and stunning photographs to illustrate
the dishes, tips, and table settings.
Children love to give gifts to their
teachers. Use a soft, thermal lunch
sack filled with an apple corer, apple
jelly, a recipe for your grandmother's
apple strudel and Ethel Hoffman's
Everyday Cooking for the Jewish Home
(Harper Collins Publishers, $25). Easy
Homemade Dried Apples and Pink
Applesauce are featured in this book.'
A picnic basket is a romantic con-
tainer for an engaged couple. Find a
specialty linen store to monogram two
beautiful damask napkins for the cou-
ple. Add a bag of microwave popcorn
and certificates for a movie theater or
video rental — just in case it rains!
Looking for a romantic gift for a
couple of any age who are real homen,
bodies? Fill a basket or large clay
flower pot with an assortment of video
tapes such as Love Story, The Way We
Were, Casablanca, etc. Add a giant
chocolate bar, microwave popcorn and
maybe even some bubble bath.
Travelers would appreciate a light-
weight backpack filled with bottled
water, small bottles of wine, a wine
opener, cheese and crackers, gourmet-,
jellies, a novelty spreader and wash
and dry towelettes. The book, A
Travel Guide to Jewish Europe by Ben
G. Frank (Pelican Publishing, $18.95)
provides a good source of kosher
restaurants and cafes when traveling
through historic Jewish Europe.
Bagel lovers can never have too
many gadgets. Use an authentic Bagel
Bucket as a gift container. Add a
Bagel Biter, a new device fashioned
after a guillotine so that your fingers
will never leave your hands! A new
electric Bagel Maker is also available.