I've made an executive decision when it comes to the Gift Guide this year. In the past, I've brought you all manner of goofy/useful kitchen gadgets and gizmos designed to make your cooking life easier. However, having taken an informal survey of several of my foodie groups, it seems like everyone has quite enough kitchen clutter, thank you very much, and the presentation of more might be met with physical violence.

In that spirit, this year's gift guide contains only one piece of actual kitchen equipment, but it's of such a level of coolness that you'll throw out other things to make room for it. But more on that later.

This has been a banner year in the cookbook world, with 15 or 20 new books by the ever-present Rachael Ray, "The Desperate Housewives" cookbook and many, many more. I've gathered for you some of the choicest bits of the bunch as part of this year's guide; ones you might otherwise not have heard of in most cases.

There's some edible content, too, of course. But even there you might be a bit surprised ... but your giftees will be delighted!

And now, without further ado, the picks:

One Meat Ball: This is without a doubt my top pick for 2006. Imagine the perfect fusion of food and music, courtesy of Christine Lavin, called by The New York Times the reigning "comic observer of ordinary manners." You'll find a smorgasbord of folk talent here, from Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk to Julie Gold and Debi Smith. Jeff Daniels proves he's more than "Dumb and Dumber" with a marvelous number, and you'll even get Dame Edna as a special guest on the album-closing "French Toast Bread Pudding."

So there's the music, but what about the food? Well, the CD comes along with a cookbooklet containing the recipes which go with each song. I now understand why people like to hang out with folk singers: They've got GREAT food! Mary Liz McNamara's "Candied Bacon" alone is worth the price of admission, and her gloriously carnivorous accompanying song will have you slavering for a BLT.

Follow this link and you can listen to sound samples, see the recipe list and, most importantly, buy "One Meat Ball" for any hungry music fan on your list!

White Trash Gatherings, besides having the coolest title on this year's list, is a fantastic book chock-full of great country recipes, entertaining tips and decor ideas. With drink recipes like "Hot Damn Punch" and "High Dollar Mountain Margarita" and desserts like "Lunch Lady's Oatmeal Cake" and "Black Bottom Banana Boodle" you just can't go wrong.

It's not schtick, either. Kendra Bailey Morris, the chef/author, was born and raised in West Virginia, and as she says, "The Golden Delicious apple may be the official state food of West Virginia, but beans, cornbread, stoneground grits and just about anything cooked up with a big slug of fatback is what makes us who we really are."

You can buy the book right here.

"The Good Home Cookbook" is a truly impressive tome. Unlike many cookbooks that are light on recipes and heavy on cute pictures of the food and the author, this book packs more than 1,000 classic American recipes into its 512 pages. And every single recipe was tested by average folks in home (and firehouse) kitchens across the U.S.

And the best thing is: Your gift recipient will actually be able to make every single one of these recipes without flying to Bangkok or Kamchatka for exotic ingredients. Every recipe, as part of the editing process, was vetted for "makeability," including the absence of overly exotic or bizarre ingredients.

In a way, making the book was a bit of a history lesson, as the recipes were tested and re-tested to find not just the best form of, say, macaroni and cheese, but to find the ways the recipe has been tinkered with over the years. These are not, by and large, diet recipes ... they're just darned good food. If you know someone who's just starting out and needs that one "go-to" cookbook to start their library, you couldn't do better than "The Good Home Cookbook."

Buy the book (and get one for yourself) right here.

Well, let's get a little something to eat near our halfway point, here. Annie Dubois, the Salsa Queen, has put together the Del Rio Gift Box for your holiday snacking pleasure. This is a whole Tex-Mex party in a box, folks! You'll get traditional Mexican salsa (best on the planet), Back Porch pickles, jalapeño jam, pinto bean salsa, spicy trail mix (highly addictive), chips and my personal favorite, two jars of Tejano green salsa. It all comes packed with a bit of hay and a "burnt" note that looks like you wrote it by the campfire. Best part? It's on sale. Shh. Don't tell her I told you or she'll skin me!

Get your Del Rio Gift Box right here.

If there's a kitchen-phobic person on your list, Food Network has a new tome designed to wean them off takeout and get them cooking in no time flat. "How To Boil Water," a title based on the longtime FN show of the same name, is more than just recipes. It's chock-full of shopping tips, shortcuts, pantry stocking guidelines and much more. It's all laid out with the gloss and color you'd expect from an FN production, and will make a great gift for any college kid moving out on his own or anyone setting up housekeeping for the first time.

Get "How To Boil Water" right here.

For the gourmet cook on your gift list, Bruce Morgan, the man who makes the world's most beautiful pepper mills from exotic woods, has something great to put inside those mills. The Rainbow Peppercorns gift box is a great assortment of the finest peppercorns from around the world. In one handy pack, you'll get Sarawak White, Tellicherry Black, Brazilian Green and even the rare Pink Peppercorns. One whiff of any of them and you'll never buy grocery store pepper again.

Personally, I'm addicted to the Talamanca Black peppercorns and the Madagascar peppercorns. Those are available, too, and all for Christmas delivery!

Get your top-notch peppercorns right here, and be sure to browse the incredible works of art in the pepper mills section, too!

I've got three words for you: bacon ice cream. Well, more specifically, Pecan Brown Sugar Bacon Ice Cream. This is just one of the amazing recipes you'll find in "Seduced By Bacon" by Joanna Pruess. This book is a cover-to-cover celebration of my personal favorite use for pork. From how to buy and cook bacon to recipes for everything from breakfast to dessert, you'll find uses for bacon you never dreamed possible.

Don't think this is a "stunt" cookbook, with recipes that look amusing but are largely inedible. This is honestly great stuff, with well-balanced flavors and fantastic attention to detail. If your giftee has any love at all for bacon (and who doesn't?), this book will quickly gain a top spot on their shelf ... when it's not open on the counter in use!

Get "Seduced By Bacon" right here!

A couple months back, I introduced you to the folks at Williamson House and their outstanding Rib Kit. For the holidays, they've put together a gift basket, The Grill Master's Choice, that includes everything your recipient (or you) will need to create outstanding barbecue in the oven or on the pit. You'll get their dry rub, which has now become my personal rub of choice for pork, chicken and even beef, bottles of the Traditional Red and Spicy Vinegar sauces and even a Rib Kit!

Perhaps the best part of this gift is that the recipient will, of course, have to invite you over to eat when they use it.

Get your Grill Master's Choice basket right here.

And now for the dessert course in this year's Gift Guide: brownies! You'll have to bake them yourself, though ... but fortunately I've found the perfect pan for that and many other uses: Baker's Edge. If you've watched any kitchen gadget shows or read any of those sites on the Internet, you've seen this pan, with its unique interior edge design. I've tested it, and I can say without a doubt that this produces the best brownies you've ever seen.

Why are they so good? It's all about the edges, my friends. The edge pieces are always the most coveted brownies, and with Baker's Edge, EVERY brownie is an edge piece! It works with all box mixes without modifications, and you'll find great recipes for everything from pound cake to lasagna on the site.

Get your Baker's Edge right here, and invite me over for brownies.

And now, I'm off to this year's homemade gift challenge: truffles! A very Blessed Yule, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa or Happy Other Holidays to all of you!

Got a question? Comment? Topic you'd like to see covered? Drop me a line, anytime!