Holiday gift-giving tips for cooks who love books

Holiday gift-giving tips for cooks who love books
If you want to send a cookbook to a friend on your gift list, Barnes & amp; Noble has several in its holiday guide. Among them: "The Joy of Cooking," "Barefoot Contessa at Home," "Rachel Ray 2, 4, 6, 8," "Paula Deen Celebrates" and "Morgan Freeman and Friends: Caribbean Cooking for a Cause."
Web site (www.barnesandnoble.com) customers can place orders as late as Dec. 18 and receive delivery by Christmas Eve, including free shipping on orders of 25 or more. Also, orders placed by noon Dec. 20 using next-day air will arrive by Dec. 24.
Or you could go local and select one of the cookbooks being offered by local organizations. The Junior League of Youngstown, for instance, is in the second printing of its "With Great Gusto" cookbook. The book is 20 plus 4 for shipping and handling. Visit www.jlyoungstown.org, e-mail to info@jlyoungstown.com or call the office at (330) 743-3200 to order.
Pie help
Need a little extra help with that pumpkin or apple pie? Call (877) FOR PIE TIPS for the latest baking tips from the Crisco pie hot line.
You can receive, time-saving hints, tips about making successful pie crusts and fillings, and an opportunity to talk to a live pie expert through Dec. 31.
Quick fix for dessertworks for almost anyone
Hosts who hate baking, as well as scratch bakers facing (gasp!) a last-minute disaster, will appreciate Lollipop Tree's mocha bread mix with chocolate espresso beans. Just add eggs and butter, and you'll have a rich, delicious, tastes-like-homemade loaf cake in an hour. Top with the easy recipe for glaze that's on the bag, or buy a jar of the complementary chocolate mocha sauce. The velvety, coffee-laced topping works great with ice cream too. Find the mix and sauce ( 8.50 each) at Macy's.
All in the numbers
Nestle's Chocolatier line of dark and bittersweet baking chocolates ups the ante with various percentages (53 and 62 percent, respectively) of cacao content in bars, chunks and morsels; the higher the number, the more intense the chocolate flavor. Various grocers sell 8- to 10-ounce packages for 3.80- 4.30 each.