A tisket, a tasket a show-stopping holiday food basket - includes related article on home-made gifts

Whether you died for delivery or create your own, these gift basket ideas are sure to please.

A gift is one of life's grace notes: It delights the recipient while it enriches the giver. For a moment, both are united by a special warmth. A gift basket--now that amounts to a symphony! Among the world's most wonderful gifts are gifts of food. They're seldom the wrong size and never the wrong color. And, if chosen carefully, they never go to waste. The best thing about food and food-related gifts, especially around the holidays, is that they encourage sharing. When we come to the table, we sit down in peace.

So in honor of the holiday season, we selected food baskets that may be ordered by phone and delivered in time for the holidays. They range from simple and relatively inexpensive, a pasta dinner for two for $12, to magnificently extravagant, an organic mega-sampler for $125. All are chosen with the vegetarian sensibility in mind, but some are downright indulgent, for example, a gift basket of organic chocolate bars.

We also have gathered ideas for do-it-yourself gift baskets complete with wrapping ideas. These baskets are quick and easy to compose because components are purchased, not made, easing the strain on schedules at this busy time of year. Whether you order gift baskets by phone or make them yourself, you'll find these gifts are as much fun to give as receive.

GIANETTI'S DINNER FOR TWO

Feeling romantic--or just rushed? Try a rustic, delicious Italian meal that's ready in minutes. A nifty gift box holds virgin olive oil, zesty vegetarian marinara sauce and a choice of basil, three-pepper, spinach or red chili handmade fettucine that has no salt, sugar or eggs. Gift ribbon and your message on gift card. $13 plus tax (where applicable) and shipping. To order, call Kathy at Cottages, (800) 471-6936.

TROPICAL SOURCE ORGANIC CHOCOLATE BARS

For all chocolate lovers on your list (maybe even you): six 3-oz. organic, 98 percent dairy-free chocolate bars come in three fabulous flavors presented in a gift basket. One is Java Roast, dark chocolate brimming with organic French-roasted espresso beans imported from Peru. Another is Hazelnut Crunch, "milk" chocolate studded with chunks of organic dry-roasted hazelnuts. And the third is Green Tea Crisp, chocolate blended with Japanese green tea extract then poured over organic toasted puffed basmati rice. $20 includes shipping and gift card. Call Natural Resources, (800) 747-0390.

AMERICA THE BOUNTIFUL HERB AND VEGGIE MUSTARDS

Season someone's holiday with a gift of versatile, flavorful mustards. This collection of seven different American herb and vegetable mustards comes in a gift box with environmentally friendly packing material and a free copy of The Proper Mustard, the official newsletter of the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum, Mt. Horeb, Wis. $37 plus $4.50 shipping. Call (800) 438-6878.

FRESH HERB GARDEN

Send an herb-filled willow basket to the cook with a green thumb. Organically grown herbs are packed in two-inch pots ready for snipping from the basket and for replanting. The well-rounded assortment includes Italian parsley, rosemary, apple mint, oregano, large-leafed sage and thyme. Available through the catalog only. $29 plus shipping. Call Williams-Sonoma, (800) 541-2233

SOUTHWESTERN SALSAS

Wake up some taste buds with this trio of salsas created by Southwestern Chef Mark Miller of the famous Coyote Cafe, Santa Fe, N.M. There are three glass bottles, each contains fire-roasted salsa, flamin' pineapple salsa and New Mexico green chili salsa. Not just for chip-dipping, these zesty condiments can also adorn sandwiches, garnish Mexican meals and even enliven salad dressings. Try a dollop in your favorite soup. We hear some people eat them with a spoon. Packed in a gift box with the Coyote Cafe emblem, tied with raffia and decorative chilies. $24.95 plus shipping. Call (800) 866-HOWL (4695).

ORGANIC COFFEE GIFT PACK

A ready supply of organic coffee is not easy to find, and lately it seems scarcer than ever. So all the coffee drinkers on your holiday list will welcome this bright gold package that contains four two-ounce bricks of ground Cafe Altura certified organic coffee--1 each of regular roast, dark roast, house blend and Costa Rican coffee. Each brick brews 10 cups of delicious, full-bodied coffee. $5.71 plus shipping. To order, call Hudson Valley Federation of Co-ops, a nonprofit organization at (914) 473-5400.

CHANUKAH TOWER OF DELIGHTS TALK

Talk about treats! Plan to be there to watch your lucky recipient open this Chanukah tower of kosher favorites, each beautifully gift-wrapped and stacked into a be-ribboned tower. There are honey roasted nuts, almond pecan corn, white cheddar popcorn, caramel corn, jelly beans, white chocolate-dipped Bavarian pretzels and a box of assorted chocolates. So they'll diet tomorrow. Chanukah this year is December 6 through 14. $ 39.95 plus shipping. Call (800) 541-2676. For rush delivery, order by December 3 and add $6.95 on top of the regular shipping charges.

VEGETARIAN DRIED HERB SAMPLER

This delightful assortment of freshly dried herbs (and there is a big difference in flavor from herbs that have been languishing on some grocer's shelf for who knows how long) will warm the heart of any cook on your list. That's because 15 of the freshest, most fragrant dried herbs that are key to vegetarian cuisine come packed in a purple heart box (the familiar logo of Frieda's Finest Produce Specialties) with your loving holiday message. $ 38.35 includes shipping. To order, call Rose Martinez, (800) 421 -9477.

THE DIAMOND ORGANICS MEGA SAMPLER

This is a mega gift of 20 pounds of organic produce including premium California olive oil and San Francisco-style sourdough bread. There are salad greens including mesclun mix, radicchio, frisee and more. There are cooking greens such as red Russian kale and dandelion. There are baby carrots and big, beautiful eggplant. Fruit offerings include an array of apples, citrus, pears and tropicals such as mango and cherimoya. There is a fresh herb bouquet and a fresh flower bouquet. It's all packed in a produce box with wood excelsior that makes excellent kindling. $ 125 includes overnight delivery and a gift card. Orders taken until Dec. 22. Call (888) ORGANIC or (800) 922-2396 to order.

Whether you order a ready-made basket or create your own, cap off your masterpiece with a hand-written card or note. Long after the last crumb has been devoured, your thoughtfulness will be remembered. And isn't that what every gift-giver wants for the holidays?

RELATED ARTICLE: Do-it-Yourself Gift Ideas

TEA TIME

Tea bags are indispensable time-savers, but as your recipient is sure to acknowledge, there's something so refined about brewing a proper pot of tea. Purchase a lovely tray. Add a complementary tea pot, a traditional tea strainer (or infusion basket) and a canister of regular or decaffeinated premium loose (leaf) tea. Consider including such favorites as English breakfast, Earl Grey, orange spice, smoky Lapsang Souchong or jasmine. Other options: a pair of cups and saucers, a tin of tea biscuits and a tea cozy to keep a waiting pot warm. Wrap the tray in lengths of pastel net (available at fabric stores). gather at the top and tie with ribbon in a bow. Jolly nice!

RECYCLABLE BAKER'S BROWN BAG

If there's a baker or wanna-be baker on your gift list, give them a bag full of useful goodies. Double a large brown grocery bag by inserting one into the other. (To cover an unwanted store emblem paste a plain side section from a third bag over it. Shred the remainder of the bag into strips with scissors, use for packing.) Fill smaller brown bags (lunch bag size and up) with: organic stone-ground whole wheat flour and pastry flour, rye flour, bulk yeast (available at natural food stores), brown sugar and sea salt. Other options: wheat gluten (available at natural food stores), spelt flour (natural food stores), caraway seed, millet, pastry scraper and a favorite bread recipe or cookbook. Cuff the large double brown bag. Pack smaller bags into it. Fill with shredded brown paper. Tie natural twine bow around cuff. Bet you'll get a loaf of homemade bread as a "thank you."

GARDENER'S EDEN

The gardener on your gift list will be in heaven if you fill a huge (at least 10 inches in diameter) terra cotta pot with high tech gardening tools, the kind one never buys for oneself: cultivator, trowel and garden shears are good bets. They're available at good hardware stores. Add a guide to organic vegetable gardening, a wide selection of herb and vegetable seed packets and a pair of gardening gloves. You also could include favorite recipes for pesto, grilled vegetables and herb vinaigrette. Remember no matter how bleak the weather now, summer is coming, and it'll be nice to have a friend with a flourishing garden.

'SHROOMS GALORE

Dried exotic mushrooms are popping up all over grocery stores: black trumpet, wood ear, morels, porcini, shiitake and various forest mushrooms. Many natural food markets offer complimentary recipes and cooking instructions. So pick a batch of exotic dried mushrooms (they're usually nicely packaged) and pack them into a small-to-medium natural wicker basket along with recipes, instructions and a mushroom brush (available in whole food stores in the kitchen gadget aisle or culinary stores). Draw a freehand mushroom on folded construction paper, placing mushroom cap top at fold. Cut it out but don't cut through the mushroom top. Use as a gift card, tied with a brown raffia bow to the basket handle. Give it to the best cook you know.

CHILI HEAVEN

For true chili lovers, hot is heavenly. Just like dried mushrooms, dried chilies are becoming almost a grocery store staple so choose a few, harder-to-find varieties plus a package or container of ground cayenne or true ground chili (not commercial chili powder). Add Red Hot and Green: 50 Spicy Vegetarian Recipes by Janet Hazan (Chronicle Books, 1996) or your favorite meatless chili recipes. Pack the lot carefully (dried chilies are brittle) into something bright red and useful--a kitchen colander, a new soup pot, a red wire basket, a new scrub bucket or small wastebasket. Other options: Chili print apron or chef's cap (available at some culinary stores), chili holiday light strings. Tie with red yarn and artificial chilies. Hot stuff!

COOK'S TOUR

Give special people on your list a taste of far-off places.

Italy: Line a wicker basket with red, green and white napkins. Pack with a bottle of Italian extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar (it comes in both red and white), imported Arborio rice, a lovely bunch of garlic tied with cooking twine in a reusable cheesecloth pouch, pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes. Other options: a small tin or package of biscotti and imported espresso.

France: Line a wicker basket with blue-and-white checkered bistro napkins. Pack with a bottle of organic champagne (regular or non-alcoholic), a jar of nicoise olives, a pound of French roast coffee and a jar of truffles. Other options: champagne glasses and candles.

Asia: Pick a wok. Pack with wok tools (spatula, ladle, strainer) and a selection that may include: sesame oil, tamari sauce, dry rice stick or cellophane noodles, sweet or sticky rice, fortune cookies, Japanese green tea (one variety, Gen Mai Cha, is made with roasted rice for an unusual flavor), chopsticks, rice wine vinegar, hot chili oil, five-spice powder and fermented black beans. Add your favorite stir-fry and Asian noodle recipes. Other options: a Chinese cleaver.

NANCY ROSS RYAN is a Chicago-based food writer and recipe developer.

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