Gifts from the Kitchen For Dummies Book

	Introduction	1
	How to Use This Book	1
	How This Book is Organized	2
	Icons and Symbols Used in This Book	4
	A Few Guidelines Before You Begin	4
Part I	Getting Started: The Why, What, When, and How	7
Chapter 1	It's More Than the Thought That Counts	9
	Discovering the Joys of Making Your Own Gifts	9
	Gaining the Confidence to Get Started	10
	Finding Reasons to Give the Gift of Food	11
	To celebrate holidays	11
	For no reason at all	12
	Packaging It Up and Sending It Off	13
Chapter 2	To Market, To Market: Stocking Your Pantry	15
	Using the Best Ingredients	15
	Perishable stuff	16
	Not-so-perishable stuff	17
	Storing Extra Ingredients for Making Last-Minute Gifts	22
Chapter 3	Selecting Tools for Your Kitchen	23
	Getting to the Point about Knives	24
	Caring for knives	24
	Keeping 'em sharp	24
	Shopping for Pots and Pans, or As They Say in Paree, "Batterie de Cuisine"	25
	Measuring, Mixing, and Other Helpful Tools	26
	Baker's Delights	28
	Plugged In: Choosing Electric Appliances	30
Chapter 4	Technique 101	31
	Measuring	32
	Dry ingredients	32
	Liquid ingredients	33
	Sifting	34
	Slicing and Dicing	34
	Separating Eggs	36
	Mixing Ingredients	36
	Creaming	37
	Folding	37
	Preparing Pans	37
	Using the Stovetop and Oven	39
Part II	Magnificent Mouthfuls	43
Chapter 5	Chocolate: Life Vest for the Soul	45
	Introducing the Varieties of Chocolate	46
	Preparing to Melt Chocolate	47
	Melting chocolate	47
	Microwaving chocolate	48
	Tempering chocolate	48
	Oh, Fudge--It's Grainy!	49
	Easy Chocolate Treat	51
	Brownies, Cupcakes, Black Forest Bites	51
	A Triumvirate of Chocolate Sauces--They Rule!	55
	Desserts	57
Chapter 6	Sweet Celebrations	65
	Visions of Sugar Plums: Getting Ready to Make Candy	65
	Paying attention to humidity	66
	Making the grade: Thermometers	66
	All the world's a stage: Paying attention to your candy's hardness	67
	Sugar and spice and more candy advice	68
	You're Ready to Roll: Candy Recipes	68
Chapter 7	Cookies and Their Cousins	83
	Presenting Crispy Froths, Granola Bars, and Shortbread	83
	Moving On: Mandelbrot and Eggnog Cookies	87
	Don't Overlook Two Party-Going Wafers	91
	Fortunate Choices for You and Fido	94
Part III	Over the Top: Flavorful Sauces and Spreads	97
Chapter 8	We've Got You Covered: Sauces, Syrups, and Flavored Butters and Sugar	99
	The Bold and the Beautiful: Sauces with Attitude	99
	Using Fruit to Flavor Syrups	102
	Customizing Your Sugar and Butter Stash	105
Chapter 9	Preserving the Seasons: Gems under Glass	111
	All Dressed Up and Ready to Go: Flavored Oil and Vinegar	111
	Pressing details about olive oil	112
	Distilling facts about vinegar	113
	Relishing the Thought of Scrumptious Spreads	116
	Testing jam for doneness	121
	Shedding tears of joy for the onion	124
Part IV	Into the Mixing Bowl	127
Chapter 10	Let Them Eat Cake ... and Pies	129
	Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can	129
	Fruitcake?! Absolutely, and without apologies	131
	Buttermilk: It brings culture to cakes	134
	Filling the Seasons with Pie	136
	Controlling how the cookie crumbles: Making crumb crusts	138
	Whipping cream: It won't hurt	140
	Demystifying the pie crust	141
Chapter 11	A Loaf of Bread and Thou	147
	Making Quick Breads--Time Is on Your Side	148
	Pan handling	148
	Life after the oven: Cooling and storing	149
	Let's Have a Tea Party	155
	Picking a tea	155
	Brewing tea	156
	Yeast Breads: Rising to the Next Level	156
	Choosing a yeast	156
	Proofing the yeast	157
	Mixing the dough	158
	Kneading the dough	158
	Making it to the first rise	159
	Punching down and shaping	159
	Reaching the second rise, baking the bread	159
	Testing for doneness	160
Chapter 12	Hearty Party Fare: Dips, Spreads, and Cheesy Things	165
	Going Nuts	165
	Dipping into a World of Flavor	167
	Two Tales of a City	171
	Extending the Olive Branch	173
Chapter 13	Mixes--the Gift of Time	177
	Making Mixes for Everyone	177
	Label Me Easy	185
Part V	Tying Up Loose Ends: Wrapping, Packaging, and Mailing	189
Chapter 14	Wrap Rap	191
	Edible Containers Courtesy of Nature	192
	Broccoli	192
	Cauliflower	192
	Pumpkin	192
	Red cabbage	193
	Squash	193
	Edible Containers Courtesy of You	193
	Shopping for a Few of Your Favorite Things	200
	Craft stores	201
	Super discount stores	201
	Gourmet food shops	201
	Party goods stores	201
	Flea markets and related places	202
	Your own house	202
	Fabric and notions stores	202
	Stationery and card stores	203
	Garden centers and florists	203
	Hardware stores	203
	Putting Thought into Your Gifts	203
	Waxing Poetic	204
Chapter 15	Over the River and Through the Woods: Delivering the Goods	207
	Some Gifts Travel Easily and Some Don't	207
	Cream puffs--they like to be hand carried	208
	Good sports--they do their best to arrive intact	209
	MVPs--they deliver consistently	210
	Packing the Gift	210
	Up, Up, and Away	212
Part VI	The Part of Tens	213
Chapter 16	Ten Great Gift Baskets	215
	Guys' Night	215
	Midnight Icebox Raid	215
	Visit a City Friend	216
	Sunday Brunch	216
	Young at Heart	216
	Dashing thru the Snow	216
	Gay Paree	216
	Right-O	217
	Home on the Range	217
	Girls' Night Out	217
Chapter 17	Ten-Plus Web Sites to Shop for Food and Inspiration	219
	Penzeys Spices	219
	The Baker's Catalog	219
	EthnicGrocer.com	220
	Chef Shop.com	220
	Ideal Cheese Shop	220
	Murray's Cheese Shop	221
	Kalustyan's	221
	Dean & Deluca	221
	Skinner's Nuts	222
	Chocosphere	222
	Wellcat.com	222
Chapter 18	Ten-Plus Places to Buy Cooking Gear and Wrapping Supplies	223
	Bridge Kitchenware	223
	Surfas	224
	Sweet Celebrations	224
	Kitchen Krafts	224
	Cooking.com	225
	GM Cake and Candy Supplies	225
	Sur La Table	226
	Williams-Sonoma	226
	Cookie Cutter Collectibles	226
	The Container Store	227
	Buygiftbox.com	227
	RibbonShop.com	227
	Bags & Bows	228
	Gift Box of America	228
	Index	229