Along the lines of a gift which, on the surface, does not seem very exciting, but which most cooks would be oh, so happy to have, is a salad spinner. I find it surprising that many of my friends do not have one. It is one of the best foodie gifts I have ever received, and I gratefully use it almost daily. As a gift it could be embellished..fill it with small bottles of wonderful olive oil, vinegar, and other salad-y things. Oxo makes a nice one in two sizes..the smaller one is useful for 2-4 salad servings.

Is 1972 considered vintage? Any idea where to find Mmmmm, A Feastiary ? One of the best, I am told, by a brilliant writer and food expert!!!

It is hard to see how any waffle could be better than the recipe for buttermilk waffles in the Gourmet cookbook. Those are so-o-o yummy!! (Could it be the butter that makes them so?) If you have proclaimed these yeast - raised the "World's Best" I will certainly have to try them. But- do I have the patience to wait overnight? I'm hungry now!!! Thanks, Ruth.

Ruth- this recipe looks fine- and easy. It strikes me as reminiscent of your recipe for pancakes, in the Gourmet cookbook. That recipe is incredibly good- a real winner in my house. My husband has been spoiled and will not order pancakes out anymore. And my child, who turns her nose up at anything I cook and never eats breakfast, actually requests those pancakes. I think what makes them so good is the butter (!) They come out so deliciously crispy, and I attribute that crispy result to the butter. What do you think? We do add blueberries while the first side is cooking. Wonderful! I am guessing the muffins are similarly good. Oh- one question- do you think the batter can used to make a blueberry cake? I have made blueberry cakes before, and they are good, so I am wondering if your recipe can be adapted for that purpose. I am always trying to reinvent the wonderful blueberry cakes that Greenberg's bakery used to sell, in New York. They had a sugary, crunchy topping. Yum.