My amazon.com wishlist has been showing that three items have been purchased for me since well before Christmas. But I haven't received those items. So if you're the kind soul that purchased those items, I just wanted to let you know (in case you think I've received them-- 'cuz I haven't. So maybe they got lost in the mail?). But maybe you're aware and they're just items that are taking a long time to ship. Or they're listed in error. FYI and all.

Speaking of ye olde wishlists, I love looking at them and love adding to them. I visit my "Friends & Favorites" page at amazon frequently, to see what other people are requesting because it often gives me ideas (then I add more to my list, ahem). I've had a couple friends tell me they like looking at my wishlist and shopping for stuff off of it for themselves. Excellent! I totally approve of that, that's part of why I put together a wishlist. And I especially applaud those friends who've decided to "tip" me after they bought a bunch of things from my wishlist for themselves, they then bought me one item. Aw. That's cool.

Not that I'm all about the gifts! I'm all about looking at cool stuff and recommending things.

Saw you had Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" on your list. I highly recommend his "The Minimalist Cooks at Home" instead. Lots of great recipes and more that one is apt to use. I found the "Everything" a bit daunting; what to choose? With the latter, it's easy to pick three things and have a kick-ass, quick and easy meal. So, for what it's worth, unless you already have "Dinner" and are working to complete the collection I'd choose it over "Everything."