We've had the DeDietrich 308X, or something like that, from Salon Blue Ridge for almost 2 years. It has been completely troublefee and we are now BIG proponents of induction cooking. We had an electric smoothtop in place when we bought this home and we quickly remembered how much we disliked cooking on them. To find a replacement, we had to decide between gas and induction and we are very happy with our choice. The DeDietrich won us over with the timers on each burner and very user friendly controls. We would have preferred knobs to flat panel controls but we quickly adapted because it is a very good control panel with shortcuts to 3 common power levels. We users the timers a lot, from cooking rice to steaming vegetables. I've started using it when cooking some meats so I can cook for a preset time on each side without running another timer or constantly looking at my watch. We only had one negative, but it was the same for other induction cooktops as well. The cooktop size was different than the electric cooktop we replaced. It was not a simple drop in replacement. But it cooks great and is easy to use. When we bought it, no other US spec model had all the features this one has. The last time I did a good comparison, no other induction still has all the same features for a comparable price. No regrets.

I have no idea if the book/dvd combo at the link is any good or not, but lots of people at Amazon seemed to like it. One chef knife that consistently gets good reviews is the Forschner Victorinox chef knife with a plastic ('Fibrox') handle. The folks at Cook's Illustrated ranked it as a close second to items costing over $100. The 8" knife is $30 and the 10" knife is $27 at Amazon. (I'd probably get the 10" if I was getting only one.) It's cheap because it's stamped rather than forged, and it has a plastic handle rather than wood. I don't have either of those knives, but I do have several other Forschner Victorinox knives. They are very good, and an exceptional buy for the $$$. The quality of the steel is excellent, and the knives hold an edge better than most of the other stainless blades I have. I prefer carbon steel knives (you know, the old fashioned kind that can rust) but when I have to use stainless (when cutting up acidic foods, for instance) I reach for the Forschner knives. Great quality stainless. My next treat for myself is going to be a Forschner Granton edge slicer. I would bet that anyone (especially a beginning cook) would be happy to get that book and a decent chef's knife like the Victorinox; once they acquired the skills with those items, they could, if need be, make an informed judgment as to whether to spend the megabucks on a top-of-the-line Sabatier or Henckels knife. That's a very thoughtful gift, and you've given me an idea for a gift for an upcoming wedding of two culinary neophytes. Here is a link that might be useful: knife book & dvd

For your parents who grill, maybe some grill spice mixes from Penzeys. They have quite the selection. For baked good and gourmet treats, I order from Zingerman's Deli, which is an Ann Arbor MI institution. They have a variety of baskets. They are pricey but good. I love the assorted cheese boxes, but I don't know who does that well. Zingermans has all kinds of gourmet cheese, but it is so expensive! Being an MSU grad, I order a cheese box from MSU's Dairy. Nothing too inspired, but good stuff nonetheless.

I'm on that same journey, trying to stick to low salt options and lower cholesterol options. That's why I mentioned "beans and grains" because if you become a "vegetarian" and still eat all kinds of dairy and eggs, you're not really lowering saturated fats . . . sigh. That's why I started eating some meat again because I realized from both a health and environmental perspective, (even an animal care perspective) there really wasn't much difference between eating a diet with a lot of dairy and eggs and one with meat, and in some cases, the meat options were healthier . . . but I still then try to eat "vegan" and fiber rich meals because those are the best for heart health. It's more of a struggle in the winter and early spring . . . Speaking of that, and speaking of CSA's, my best friends joined one near there summer cottage many years ago, and I got them a fresh produce cookbook to help them come up with creative ways to use all the produce. When CSA's first started, I noticed there was a glut of vegetable/farm market cookbooks coming out. I looked through quite a few, which you can probably still find at the aforementioned library!! Here's the one I bought, I am a fan of Andrea Chessman, her recipes are always very practical. I don't think she is active anymore, most of her books are out of print but worth seeking out IMHO. My late Mother got me a vegetable cookbook from Williams and Sonoma one year for Christmas. The recipes are pretty good but the big appeal is the sexy inspirational photographs of each dish. You might look for something like that to up your kitchen mojo, although such things can be found now online in blogs. But lots of times I don't really want to spend my time in front of a computer screen. Garden Fresh Vegetable Cookbook by Andrea Chessman. More of her work, lots of cool cookbooks, including one featuring just beans and grains. https://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Chesman/e/B001HPC4O2/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1