$15 per 1-pound jar at Mozza2Go, 6610 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 297-1130; or $9 per pound plus shipping at http://www.trufflebertfarms.com
MIRACLE MILE BITTERS
Give that kooky cocktail fan a basket full of handcrafted small-batch bitters by local artisanal bitters maker Miracle Mile Bitters Co. Led by mad mixology scientist Louis Anderman, Miracle Mile makes flavors to take your cocktails to next-level places. Try gingerbread, sour cherry, yuzu and chocolate chile.
$25.95 per bottle, http://www.facebook.com/miraclemilebitters
MOXIE ORIGINAL ELIXIR
You either love it, hate it or have never heard of it. But Moxie is a strong, earthy soda long favored by grandmothers living in the Northeast. Relive the romance of those days with a six-pack of the stuff. For a more mellow flavor, mix it with milk.
$1.95 per 12-ounce bottle at Galco's Soda Pop Stop, 5702 York Blvd., Highland Park, (323) 255-7115, http://www.sodapopstop.com
DELIVERY SERVICE FROM SUMMERLAND PRODUCE CO.
That eternally busy person in your life clearly needs a weekly home delivery of organic fruits and vegetables. Summerland Produce Co. has baskets crafted to fit every lifestyle and need, and recipes packed inside for those who freeze when confronted with locally sourced leafy greens.
$29 to $49 per week, http://www.summerlandproduceco.com
GADGETS
DIGITAL SCALE
Digital scales make measuring ingredients for baking much more accurate, and you can use the tare function and add successive ingredients as well. With more recipes using weights, it's time to get on board.
About $30, widely available
MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY KIT
This kit is just about good geeky fun. You get packets of agar-agar, calcium lactate, sodium alginate, soy lecithin and xanthan gum as well as all kinds of pipettes and tubing, and a DVD to show you how to use them. It's like a kid's chemistry set that lets you make your own spherical olives.
$58.95, molecule-r.com
DOUGHMAKERS COOKIE SHEETS
Recommended by top bakers, these are cookie sheets that will last for decades. Their heavy construction and special pebble-grain surface allow even browning and easy release. The set we have in the Times Test Kitchen is at least 10 years old, and they still work as good as new.
From $14 plus shipping, at various websites.
