Husbands, boyfriends, in-laws, wives or good friends, whoever you are, if you’re looking for the best, most fun gift to buy someone special who loves to cook and entertain, I have the perfect gift: An electric fondue pot. I found my three-quart electric fondue set (Cuisinart is the brand) at Bed, Bath and Beyond for under $50. OMG, what fun we did have on Sunday night with Kris and the twinners when they came over and I put on a big spread.

I was trying to come up with things we did as a family growing up and I remember how special it was when my mom was home and she brought out our green or orange fondue pot. It always seemed to be around the holidays.

I was talking with my pal Leaslie Dalton at work about fondue and her family had an orange fondue pot. If I’m not mistaken, those were your two choice of colors, LOL.

Not sure what I would do without my very fond memories of my family. I think we are all so busy working and raising our children and grandchildren that we aren’t making enough memorable memories. It doesn’t take a lot of money to make memories; it’s all about spending time with one another.

I made a very simple cheese fondue, one bottle of beer, one can of evaporated milk and two cups of shredded Swiss and two cups of Havarti and a dash of pepper. The Cuisinart fondue pot heats up very quickly. So first you add your beer, bring to a simmer (only for a couple of minutes) then add a can of evaporated milk. Heat up the mixture on only 3 to 4 on your dial – this pot is amazing. Gradually add your cheeses slowly to thicken and turn down the temperature on your pot if need be. Make sure you are stirring your fondue.

When that was done, I turned it off and started cooking my goodies: I blanched fresh broccoli and asparagus; sautéd shrimp in butter with a little white wine and capers; baked some Focaccia bread and a French baggette; roasted Brussels sprouts; cooked a steak for my hard-working husband; and topped it off with a half of pound of fresh lobster from Pinkham’s Seafood. I kinda went a little crazy but what a spread and good time was had by all.

This isn’t your mother’s fondue. I will say the taste was spot on and it tasted exactly like Carol’s. My mom would have really enjoyed that spread. Back in the old days, we had white bread and maybe a bag of pretzels.

I hope everyone enjoys the holidays, stays safe and just spends time with family instead of spending money.