This week I plan on doing some Christmas shopping. I doubt I'll get to it, but the intention is there! I've got quite a few “foodie” family and friends so I've been looking around for some food-lover ideas. I've come up with a few thoughts and will share them with you. (On a few of these I'm going to put a subtle hint for my husband.)

• Wine or beer of the month. For my husband's birthday, I gave him a subscription to Wine.com (wine of the month club #) “big bold reds”) and each month we receive two wines to try. The wines we've received have been fabulous. So if you've got a wine connoisseur in your circle, consider this gift. There's nothing quite like receiving a gift in the mail each month!

• “Serena, Food and Stories” at amazon.com. Well-known caterer Serena Bass's “first book is a rare mixture of good food, great stories and truly unique style; just the right combination to make it a big hit with cookbook fans.” This book looks like not only would it give you some wonderful inspiration, but also feed your curiosity for the rich and famous!

London-born Serena Bass is a high-profile caterer based in New York City. In addition to her successful catering business, she is the namesake behind Serena, the bar/lounge in the basement of the Chelsea Hotel, which she opened in 1999 and has since sold. When chic Manhattanites absolutely must throw an amazing party, there's only one name programmed into their speed dials: Serena. With a client list that includes Sigourney Weaver, Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters, and Iman, the woman knows how to host a gathering. Hint Hint.

• Personal chef gift certificate or a cooking lesson. Shameless self-promotion here, but if you'd like to treat someone to personalized meals that are prepared and then packaged, labeled and stored in their refrigerator or freezer, give me a ring. A typical cooking day will yield 20 dinners, consisting of 5 different entrees (4 of each), including side dishes or vegetables. I also give private and group cooking lessons, so give me a call to discuss.

• Cooking Magazine subscription. I subscribe to a couple of magazines. “Bon Appetite” has to be my favorite. I find the recipes not too challenging, but challenging enough! The magazine has a kitchen-related gift section that I really enjoy too. “Cooks Illustrated” is the hands-down recipe authority. Although this magazine isn't glossy, and not much to look at, they test every recipe and come up with the definitive way to cook it, with guaranteed perfect results. “Wine Spectator” is a must for anyone who enjoys wine. They rate wines with a point system, in all price ranges, so that you know what you're getting. “BBC Food Magazine” (from the UK) is another I look forward to each month. It's geared towards the average family cook, but gives you lots of fresh ideas. It's a bit expensive to have it mailed from the UK, but I think it's well worth the extra cost.

• A Gourmet Getaway or a wine tour. Go to Worldaboutus.com. This tour company specializes in tours of New York's Finger Lakes, and has experience in domestic and international group tours. Tours are available for individuals, couples, and groups (large or only a few friends). Tours are reasonably priced and have various inclusions, from gourmet dinners, wine tours, museum visits, and much more.

Of particular interest, I like the Gourmet Getaway package: “If you have dreamt of stealing a break from the rigors of home life and dining at sumptuous restaurants with outstanding views topped off with wonderful wines grown locally, then this package is just the meal ticket.”

• Gift certificate to the Springside Inn. The inn offers gift certificates for dinners, overnights and catering. They offer a Sunday brunch which is lovely. “Relax and let us cook. Sundays are, after all, a day of rest, and for catching up with family and friends. Our brunch features sliced ham and roast beef, seafood newburg, our famed cheese souffle, homemade dessert selections and so much more.” Visit springsideinn.com to see what they've got available.

• Recipe binder. Like most of us, I have a binder full of recipes, some cut out of magazines, some printed from the Web, and some jotted down on spare paper napkins. It's stuffed full and falling apart. Whatever doesn't fit in my binder is piled, about 3 feet tall, on my desk. What I really need is a good sturdy professional looking book to organize my recipes. I found the perfect thing at www.recipebites.com for a binder to keep recipes organized. Hint. Hint.

• Sur la Table. Check out surlatable.com. This is the culinary Mecca. Gift items range from quirky and whimsical, to high-end culinary tools.

Since we're talking about gift-giving, to get you in the right holiday spirit, I'm giving you a recipe for mulled wine. A family and friends favorite, and just the right thing to start off the holiday season.

Aunt Becky's

comments:

I have a couple of problems with this week's column - surprise. The first is that I'm not going to even think about Christmas shopping until about the 23rd of December.

Another is that I wouldn't have a clue what to buy for my “foody” friends -- if I have any. The idea of going to a store like that gourmet one in the malls makes me itch.

If I'm going to give food as a gift it will of course be centered around a chocolate “theme,” like a box of chewy centers combined with a box of caramels and a box of chocolate covered cherries. What else could anyone want?

At Christmastime I'm willing to branch out and be a bit more adventurous though. I add peanut brittle to my list along with ribbon candy, Chex Mix covered with cocoa and powdered sugar, and lots of candy canes. I know that none of those are actually gift material (Except when it comes to Julia's children) but sometimes I feel that it's OK to be a little selfish.

If I do give food-related gifts to people, I think I'll use Julia's idea of a recipe binder. Then I'll just take each of her columns and put them in a clear plastic envelope and put them into the book. I could hot glue some pretty food pictures on the front that I would steal from the cover of a magazine in the doctor's office, and all of my friends would be greatly impressed. (P.S. I don't have a hot glue gun).

I am fortunate in that I live near Cuba, NY where Cuba cheese is made. They have a great gift shop and knowledgeable people so that can put together wonderful baskets of domestic and imported cheeses along with wines and party gadgets that could only enhance someone's kitchen and entertaining capabilities, and I get all of the credit. Works for me.

The last problem with this week's column is that I don't drink wine so I can't even comment on Julia's recipe. However, the ingredients look harmless enough - although I'm not sure I know what mulling spices are - and perhaps I could use the recipe with cider instead. I probably won't, but I think I could.

I hope none of you shopped on that awful day after Thanksgiving, but if you did I hope your successes outweighed your hassles. Good luck in your shopping endeavors.

Julia Allen, of Owasco, is a personal chef and owner of A La Carte chef service. Julia can be reached at julia@alacartechef.com