Cooking and serving

Cooking.com has a great clearance section. I love this set of copper-bottomed mixing bowls; they're great for mixing up cakes, cookies, or breads, and pretty enough to serve salads in. They're half-off too, only $14.99.

A more specialized item is this sushi set with service for four. It's ceramic and dishwasher safe, and you can use it as regular tableware too. This also is $14.99 and 50% off.

For wine and cheese parties, pull out this cheese board and cheese knives; storage for the knives is built into the lower section of the board. This is $30.00 at Bluefly.com.