Wedding Gifts for the Bride and Groom

Several Wedding invitations have arrived at our house recently. It seems the summer and fall of 2008 is going to be filled with celebrations, parties and weddings. Several close friends children are saying "I DO" this year. We've been invited to a Beach Wedding in Avila Beach, a Wine Country Wedding in Healdsburg, and a Traditional Wedding in San Francisco at the Fairmont Hotel. All in California thank goodness, close to our home in Reno.

Since Cathy and I love to cook together, we decided to use this as a theme for the Shower Gifts and wedding presents we give this year. Two electric appliances we really use a lot is our Panini Grill, which makes delicious sandwiches on a casual weekend and easily grills veggies to go with chicken or steak; and our Immersion Blender that we puree and blend with right on the stove. These are a couple of ideas at the top of our list but the key is to think of things that will last, that will remind them of your gift as it is used, and to not gift the same stuff thay is normally received.

Most of the newly engaged are in their late 20's and already have the cookware basics plus odds and ends handed down from mom. So to help them be more adventurous in the kitchen, we're giving a "couple's" cooking lesson or a "guest chef" who comes to the newlywed's home and helps them prepare a dinner as a shower gifts.

Then for Wedding Presents we have a list of stainless steel tri-ply, copper and cast iron pots that we have found to be so useful in our cooking adventures. Here's a list of our professional cookware that made it to the Wedding Present list: 10 Inch Stainless Steel Everyday Pan that we use for sautéing, caramelizing, and browning; 6 Quart Copper Dutch Oven that we use for pot roast, chili, soup; 10 Inch Cast Iron Non-stick Skillet that we use for frying fish and chicken and it's great for summer fruit cobblers, too. Kitchen essentials such as the Chicago Cutlery 12 piece knife set and Stainless Steel Steak Knives also made the list. We're hoping a culinary orchestra serenades them nightly as they start married life.