It's rather like any other birthday, a successful gift is one that shows knowledge of the recipient. As one who would prefer a certificate to a bookstore (any bookstore) and has so informed family, I think sometimes the unexpected can make a great gift: A little lemon tree already in pot and looking for love. The Meyer dwarf is the best known, and extremely tolerant of homes that might be difficult for other plants. I lived with one for several years -- and here it is forty years later and I still remember it and the giver. (Only several years because it didn't survive being beside a storm-broken window during a blizzard.)

The sausage supply places I do business with have many books on sausage making and recipes. My favorites are- Alliid Kenco, Butcher Packer, and The Sausage Maker. These companies are great to do most business with. Its where I found the high melting point cheddar cheese in a fine diced cut, as well as the dried beer flavor. I use dried sweet green and red peppers in some of my Italian types. I NEVER try to get my sausages to look as white as store bought, thats just WAY TOO MUCH FAT!!! Instead, I use a litte water based fat replacer, as well as soy flour for 'fillers', but these are maybe a cup or two for 15 pounds of meat. I do not use pork FAT BACK or SALT PORK as these are both cured and salty. If gound and added to sausages, the melt and run out very fast, and leave a mealy, dry, wet sawdust consistancy to the sausgae meat. My sausages usually have about 25% prok fat ONLY. Also, for the chinese type, grind some fresh ginger and garlic, then add some of the Ah So Red BBW sauce for ribs. Its a really good sausage combination! Recently, I made about 300 Peking Ravioli (AKA Pot Stickers), and even used finely diced water chestnuts and water chestnut powder (instead of cornstarch) to firm up the filling once they were cooked in the pasta shells. I used to go to a site with about 500 recipes submitted by people all over. Many recipes were very similar except for the herbs amounts used. The site has since gone down. Wish there was another like it, but have not found any yet. Most of my various sausages are made from many different recipes, as I like to experiment with herbs and their combinations. Most of my batches of breakfast sausages are the same, however, with pepper, coriander, and sage as the basics. Polish Kielbasa are usually made with Marjorum, and garlic. The companies listed also have seasoning kits for most common sausage types. Butcher Packer has the dried beer and cheddar cheese.

I cook the sausage in a very old, very seasoned cast iron skillet, using a slotted potato masher to squish it down, then scrape it with a wooden flat beveled spoon - spatula. I continue doing this while it cooks over med high heat. It breaks up nicely and you can easily get it to the size crumbles you want quickly with very little clean up. This is a recipe I have cooked for years and adapted it to our ever changing tastes. It came from a magazine that adapted it from "The New Chili Cuisine" by Nancy S. Hughes. I am cooking this for dinner tonite as the rain, chill and gloom just won't seem to leave. ~* My changes (almost the entire recipe, but I do not want to take credit for the original ~ which I have included) SAUSAGE, WHITE BEAN AND PASTA CHILI 1 lb mild Italian sausages, casings removed ~* Hot Italian 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained ~* Del Monte Petite diced tomatoes w/ jalapenos ~* Onion - coarsely chopped 14 oz chicken broth ~*32 oz homemade chicken or turkey broth 4 oz chopped green chilis, rinsed & grained ~* 1/2 c(?) chopped sliced jalenpoes from jar I always have - amt - to taste so not to spicy 2 tsp paprika ~*omit 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ~* Chipotle red pepper (McCormicks) 2 T ground cumin ~* Chipotle Tabasco sauce to taste 15 oz can Cannellie beans, rinsed & drained 2/3 cup tiny pasta, cooked - makes 1 1/3 cups ~* omit often Cook sausage breaking it into small chunks until lightly brown. * Remove sausage and blot excess grease Saute the chopped onion and chopped jalapenos in the same skillet until tender. In a small dutch oven or heavy saucepan, add the tomatoes and their liquid, chicken broth, green chilis, and spices. Add the sausage & onion. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in beans & pasta ~ * I add the pasta to the individual bowls. Reheat & serve. ~ Top with fresh Parmesan. Serve with cornbread and or tortilla chips. This is very quick and easy. I hope all my changes don't intimate you. You can make this as spicy as you want - or not! It also freezes very well!

I have three soups hand written at the top of my shopping list. (it's a simple spread sheet that has room top and bottom for notes) I just jot down what i'm thinking of making over the next weekend. Beef Barley - probably use a mix of grains, maybe some lentils. It is hearty but not quite a stew. Lots of broth for bread, biscuits or croutons. I add extra stock usually. It will thicken overnight. Freezes great. Make a killer top crust/or biscuit pot pie. Thai Coconut Chicken Curry - Also nice and rich but still brothy. I add a bit of tumeric and sweet paprika for color. Very much like a chowder. Not really a bread companion but we like it with thin rounds of toasted baguette. Potato Leek w/garlic and fennel - I use so much roasted garlic it should be called Garlic Soup. (less garlic for gifting). The fennel is some stalks i have frozen i just add while cooking and remove. I have leeks left over from T-day and lots of garlic. I like to use a few whole baby potatoes removed with some of the leeks/onions before stick blending some of the broth. One regular potato diced and half a sweet potato that get blended for some creaminess. Or i could use some squash/pumpkin from the freezer that i roasted a few weeks ago. I made versions of these with a chili and filled a friends freezer after she had her baby. It's a nice gift. If you google any suggestions, you will find many variations of the recipes. For example i just googled the curry to give me a quick reminder of the ingredients... i've never used fish sauce. I might add some shelled edamame. This Beef Barley is similar... Here is a link that might be useful: holiday soups