There is a shopping list for chemo on the breast cancer forum. I've put the link below. There are a lot of OTC pharmacy items on it. Maybe a gift card for a pharmacy would be nice. The chemo infusions can take a few hours. I pack snacks or lunch and my preferred drink. Carbonated drinks can be nice on an uncomfortable stomach. My treat is a Martinelli's sparkling cider. A little ice chest or insulated bag to take food to chemo might be nice for the gift basket - I use one of the soft sided ones. On days when my stomach feels uncomfortable and my sense of taste is off, chicken or beef soup is one of the few things that tastes good and goes down easily. But I don't know if the colon being involved puts any additional restrictions on what she can eat. The American Cancer Society has a class called Look Good Feel Better that teaches how to put on make-up including drawing on eyebrows. It is free and they provide a bag of make-up for your skin tone - cosmetic manufacturers donate the make-up and it is nice stuff. I'm not much of a make-up person but I took the class to have it in case I need to dress up for something during chemo. Someone could offer to drive her to and from that class. Only the chemo patients are to stay for the class so whoever drives should expect to bring a book or something to keep them busy for the two hours. American Cancer Society often also provides free wigs. Sometimes they have the wigs at the office. Around here, they provide a voucher and send you to a wig place. I haven't used that service because I prefer hats and scarves and also if I wanted a wig I don't need help to get it. They also often have hats or scarves. Here is a link that might be useful: Shopping list for chemo from breast cancer forum

We had the same problem for years. We have a group of seven couples (all close in age). We would take trips together once every year or so but during the year we would take turns hosting a monthly dinner. Of course this always necessitated a hostess gift. All of us are comfortably off and at our age have everything (material) that we want or need. It drove me crazy because I was constantly being gifted with craft type items. I am just not into cutesy things and I had a difficult time coming up with items that I thought the other ladies would enjoy or use. I failingly ended up giving food items or fresh flowers. We all finally came to a consensus that we should stop doing hostess gifts and at Christmas put funds together to donate to a charity. Thank goodness! The pressure every month is off and we can give to those in need. It's a win/win.

I'd definitely be roasting the yam, the cauliflower and the carrots and celery. Yes, I LOVE roasted celery and that's the only way I like cauliflower at all. The lettuce and peppers can be a salad, with some of the radishes, or you could slice and marinate the peppers and make a nice side dish. In the alternative, you could make Marilyn's Pepper Salad or Pepper soup, I've made the salad and like it (but I like peppers), I haven't made the soup so I can't critique it. Bell Pepper Salad 1 each red, yellow and orange bell pepper 1 small fresh onion; thinly sliced 10 grape tomatoes; sliced 2 tablespoons Fresh Herb Dressing hand full fresh parsley; chopped kosher salt to taste Seed and thinly slice peppers. Combine ingredients in a pretty bowl. Great with Feta cheese. Fresh Herb Dressing 1/2 cup extra-light olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1 teaspoon salt fresh basil; chopped fresh oregano; chopped fresh chive; chopped (or garlic) Combine ingredients in glass jar and shake well. Roasted Bell Pepper Soup 4 large red, yellow or orange bell peppers 1 tablespoons olive oil or butter 1 medium onion 4 cloves garlic; minced Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper 4 cups chicken broth pinch of cayenne pepper to taste Place whole peppers on a rack place into a shallow oven-proof dish to catch juices. Set oven to broil and place peppers 5-inchs from heat source for 30 to 35 minutes, turning occasionally until skin is blistered and browned, turning often. Immediately place peppers in a plastic bag and close tightly. Let stand at least 20 minutes to cool. Remove skin, seeds and stems. Cut into strips. Meanwhile, In a large heavy saucepan, heat olive oil; add onion, along with salt and pepper and sauté until softened but not brown. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add roasted bell peppers and broth; bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer 25 to 30 minutes until reduced by half. Puree in small batches in a blender. Return to saucepan by pouring through a wire strainer; season to taste. Garnish with unsweetened whipped cream. Serves 4 generously. *Puree soup while still hot for a velvety, smooth texture. Do not fill blender more than 1/3 full at a time and vent the top for steam to release Marilyn Ann T has a great recipe for a pepper tart: Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Roasted Red and Green Pepper Tart ================================= One quantity short crust pastry FILLING 3 red peppers halved and seeded 3 green peppers halved and seeded 60 g (2 oz) grated mozzarella cheese 40 g (1 ½ oz) grated parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil 75 g (2 ½ oz) black olives freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 400°F Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface and place in a 9 inch tart tin. Line with nonstick baking paper and fill with baking weights or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove weights and paper and bake further 10 minutes or until golden brown. To Prepare Filling: Roast peppers until blackened. Place in a plastic bag stand for 10 minutes. Peel skins from peppers and slice into strips. Rinse off any black skin still remaining, with cold water. Sprinkle base of pastry shell with cheeses and top with peppers, basil, olives and pepper. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake for 15 to 25 until heated through. Short Crust pastry 250 g ( 8 oz) flour 125 g (4 oz) butter chopped Iced water Place flour and butter in a food processor and process until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. If making by hand, rub butter in with fingertips or with two knives While processor motor is running, add drops of iced water until dough holds together. If making by hand mix with knife or wooden spoon. Press dough into a ball and wrap in paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes before rolling or shaping. Pastry can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. beverly has a great recipe for fettucini with a bell pepper sauce. It calls for chicken and cream, I know that's a "no-no" combo but someone else might like this: Fettucini with Chicken and Bell Pepper Cream Sauce 2 ounces skinless boneless chicken thighs 1 tablespoon butter 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 1 1/2 cups whipping cream 1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 8 ounces fettuccine Additional grated Parmesan cheese preparationSprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Add green and red bell peppers and onion to same skillet and sauté until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and sauté 4 minutes. Add whipping cream and chicken stock. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes. Cut chicken into strips and add to sauce. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add basil and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to incorporate. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain and return to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately. Makes 4 first-course servings. And now, the radishes. When Maureen and Nancy came for dinner a few months ago, I made a side dish of cooked radishes. They were surprisingly good, tasted vaguely reminiscent of turnips. All I did was saute sliced radishes and some snowpeas in some olive oil until the radishes were tender, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add some butter for taste, salt and pepper. I've also got this recipe saved for next year's radishes, although I haven't tried it: GLAZED RADISHES 1 lb. 1 tbsp. 1 tsp. 1/2 tsp. 2 tbsp. radishes, trimmed unsalted butter sugar salt minced fresh parsley leaves In a heavy saucepan wide enough to hold the radishes in one layer cook the radishes in the butter with the sugar and the salt over moderately low heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water, simmer the radishes, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are tender, and boil them, uncovered, shaking the pan occasionally, until the liquid has been reduced to a glaze. Cook the radishes over moderate heat, swirling them, until they are coated with the glaze and sprinkle them with the parsley. Gourmet, April 1991 As for the mushrooms, stuff em! LOL As an alternative, I might make the broccoli and cauliflower into that salad with raisins and sunflower seeds that my kids like so well: Cauliflower Broccoli Salad 1 head of cauliflower, separated into flowerets 1 bunch broccoli, separated into flowerets 1 small onion, chopped finely 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup sugar Crumbled bacon, optional Combine cauliflower, broccoli, raisins, sunflower seeds and onion, bacon if you're using it. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar. Pour mayonnaise mixture over vegetables; toss to coat. Cover and chill for 2 to 4 hours. Annie (who just LOVES vegetables!)

I had to order a sympathy gift basket but forgot all about this thread, unfortunately. I used Harry & David, after a few people told me it was reliable. Oh my word they are pests! I get at least 2 emails every single day. I will unsubscribe once I'm sure the basket was received and I don't need to contact them for any problems. And I expect to be inundated with catalogs. I'll use catalog choice to opt out once I have the first catalog and the mailing label. Pestering me is not the way to entice me to become a return customer.