Gifts from the Kitchen for Dummies

By Andrea Swenson

Book Overview

Whipping up delicious edible gifts for any occasion is a snap with this fun cookbook and packaging guide. From easy-to-follow recipes to creative presentation ideas, you'll find everything you need to make special, personal gifts that taste great and look terrific. Step-by-step, professional food presenter and recipe developer Andrea Swenson shows you how to whip up tasteful delights for every holiday and occasion, including: Scrumptious chocolate candies, cakes and sauces Delicious cookies of every description Savory sauces and condiments Dreamy cakes, pies breads, scones and pretzels Edible and non-edible wrappings for your food gifts Each chapter of Gifts From the Kitchen For Dummies gives you everything you need to get through the 75 recipes featured-from the basics of kitchen craft to more complicated preparation techniques. Here's just a small sampling of the eye-popping, mouthwatering treats you'll learn to make: Cranberry-walnut monkey bread, pineapple-ginger scones and prosciutto-fig quick bread and Pecan-cream pound cake and buttermilk-streusel coffee cake Chocolate truffles, pi?a colada candies and candy sushi Banana-mango chutney, grainy apricot mustard and scallion butter Almond and date mandlebrot, eggnog cookies, crispy cappuccino froths Strawberry-pineapple jam, sweet onion marmalade and pear-cranberry compote Almond paste "wrapping paper," chocolate nest, pastillage containers Barbecue almonds, red pepper humus, South-of-Somewhere Salsa Lemon-lime icebox pie, plum-almond tart, orange cannoli pie Expressive your love and delight your friends and family with the tasty, attractive, homemade treats you'll find in Gifts From the Kitchen For Dummies .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764554522
• ISBN13: 9780764554520
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Great book

This is a great book to buy for the holidays. I am buying one for my sister in law and my mom, too. It will help us save money on gifts, since homemade is best. Easy to follow and fun!

Fun and Informative!

This book was written for someone like me! Because I have very little in-kitchen experience, even cookbooks intimidate me, since they tend to assume at least some prior knowledge of cooking and baking. Finally, I have encountered a cookbook author who started at the beginning and who explained the basics in a clear and straightforward way! She then went on to spell out fun and interesting recipes that even I could follow! I'm so excited to be able to give gifts that take time and energy, that are clearly made and given with love, and that also look and taste impressive! -- Home-spun and polished at the same time! I am going to give this book as a pre-Christmas gift, so that my friends will be able to actually use it at Christmastime! I'm thrilled with it!

Fun and Easy to do with Kids!

I am a stay-at-home mom, and I home-school my two kids, who are 8 and 11. Since their academic work only takes up the mornings, in the afternoons we go on adventures or do projects at home. My 11 year old's soccer team was holding a bake sale, and we decided to do something a little more exciting than our usual chocolate chip cookies. We had so much fun making the fortune cookies in Gifts from the Kitchen for Dummies that we have decided to do one recipe a week, going straight through the book. My kids had a lot of fun making up fortunes (although I had to nix a few of their more objectionable ones!) and my daughter was the first to figure out how to fold the cookies properly. This book is great for anyone who wants to have fun making beautiful things in the kitchen without going to study at the Cordon Bleu! My kids can't wait to do the chapter on chocolate!

Perfect Timing!

This book couldn't have come out at a more perfect time! Recently retired, I've been enjoying spending time in the kitchen, but have gotten bored with regular cooking and baking, so I was delighted by the opportunity to try a new spin on kitchen projects. And this book measures up! It's a cross between cooking and the arts and crafts I did as a kid, and I'm having a great time! It's fun to read, and fun to do!