gift ideas  (excerpted from Present Perfect)

See also: gifts for chocoholics

Find out what her favorite childhood food was and learn to prepare it the way her mom did.

If you receive rave reviews for your desserts, exclusive membership in your personal dessert-of-the-month club would make an excellent gift to a friend with a passion for sweets.

Give a spring-form pan with a cheesecake recipe and all the necessary ingredients. Or give a fondue pot with recipes and ingredients for cheese or chocolate fondue. Or give an ice cream freezer with ice cream recipes and ingredients.

To give a fresh-baked, custom-decorated cake contact Cakes Across America. A yummy cake will be created and delivered by a baker in the recipient's hometown. Phone: 800/422-5387. Internet: www.cakesacrossamerica.com.

Give a basket of low-fat or low-sodium goodies to a friend on a restricted diet.

Give a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant or arrange to have lunch or dinner delivered to the recipient's house or office.

Check out the following food sites on the Internet: www.nbsmokehouse.com, www.hhbagels.com, www.worldsbestcheesecake.com, www.whitleyspeanut.com, www.omahasteaks.com, www.mrsfields.com, www.popcornpalace.com, www.godiva.com, www.harryanddavid.com, benandjerrys.com, www.cheesestorebh.com, www.flyingpizzas.com, www.threedog.com (yes, this is a bakery for dogs) and 1-800-Flowers.com  (under gourmet treats).

Present Perfect: Unforgettable Gifts for Every Occasion is filled with ideas for gifts of food and candy and many other creative gifts. In addition, you get tips on gifting etiquette, shopping, wrapping, special presentations, and much, much more. To order the book, click here.

NEW!  To start shopping for gifts right now, click here.

Have any food and candy gift ideas you'd like to share?