Gift registries are a big topic of debate these days. Some brides and grooms to be are accused of being greedy, with taste beyond their means. When we got married nearly 16 years ago, I didn't want to register. We had one of those small weddings that happen after a quick two-week engagement because the couple is in...ahem...a bit of a hurry. I changed my mind about registering a few days into our brief engagement, after a call from a local shop showed me that I was making life difficult for some goodhearted, dear friends of my parents and grandparents.

If you're gifting a bottle of wine, you might think the bottle itself is gift enough. But if you want an extra special presentation, I have just the thing: wine wrap papers from the newly launched Bottle Stock, a small shop based out of LA catering to design-minded wine lovers. Each sheet is cut to fit most 750ml wine bottles, and the paper designs are lovely and eye-catching!

Does your mom love tea? Here's a simple and inexpensive, yet heartfelt, idea for Mother's Day.

Still wondering what to give for Mother's Day this year? You might be too old to hand out paper-and-crayon IOU coupons for dinners and shoulder rubs, but a homemade, heartfelt gift is always special — and budget-friendly as well. How about a jar of bright lemon curd, some pretty strawberry-granola bark or a framed family recipe card? Here are instructions for making these gifts for Mom, as well as many more.

As cooks and food lovers, it follows that we love edible gifts, particularly when they come from our own kitchen. But we also know there are tremendous online resources for food gifts — websites featuring all kinds of makers, bakers, and artisans offering delicious and beautifully packaged treats, sweets, and snacks. So, we're curious: where do you shop for food gifts online, particularly when you're looking for something special and indulgent? What is your recommendation for the best, most unusual, or inspired food gifts on the web? More

While shopping at Canoe last summer, I saw these all-purpose crosscut boards and almost bought a few on the spot. Made from fallen hardwood logs in the Minnesota woods, each 8-10" board is specially cured and sealed, so you can use them as either a cutting or serving board. More

Lemon curd is one of those things that I always like to have in my refrigerator. It has saved me more than once when I've had to rustle up a last minute dessert or had an unexpected guest stop by at tea time. I love how lemon curd is tart (at least the way I make it!) and yet rich and smooth. Honestly, I could just eat spoonfuls of it straight from the jar! More

Q: Any ideas on making yogurt-covered pretzels? I wanted to make my beloved an edible Valentine with yogurt-covered pretzels, but my boyfriend is allergic to chocolate (brown and white). Any recipe suggestions?

Sent by Sandra

Aw, we like sweet stories, and this is a great one: the owner of this Hobart N50 mixer, Matt, wanted to turn it into an awesome gift for his girlfriend. She loves to bake and the couple love San Francisco, so those facts spun into this: a mixer that looks like a San Francisco-style cable car, complete with a gold roof and a working bell! More photos and more about the project below: More