Gifting & Cooking with tech

If you're still wondering what's a good holiday gift to get for your kid, how about a little tech? Marianne Syzmanski from the toy tips research institute has a tip on a fun toy that's also educational.

She says, "Kids want tablets of all kinds. So this one is very educational. It's leapfrog's LeapPad 2 explorer. And what I really like about it is a couple different things. One, it's really interactive for a child. It's packed with really great games and apps that a child could learn with. But what I tell parents is to really take a look at your childs report card. See where their strengths are, see where they might need to improve and download the right apps and have them play games at home. So while they think they're just playing, they are really learning at the same time and you're bridging that gap with classroom learning."

For the bigger kids, how about the new Nintendo Wii U? It comes after six years of success with the original Wii system, and is Nintendo's most advanced system yet. The biggest difference in the Wii U is it's special wireless gamepad controller, and a 6.2 inch touch screen.

The Nintendo Wii U also connects to the internet so you can do online gaming and stream online video from Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

Whether you're a first-time Thanksgiving cook, or the family's expert chef, smartphone and tablet apps can make your dinner preparation easier or just more fun.

I showed you a couple of these apps on  Monday, but let's take a closer look in this "clicked in" report with Karin Caifa:

For those tasked with hosting a Thanksgiving meal, give thanks for some apps that can make cooking a little easier.  

The Thanksgiving Menu Maker app from Fine Cooking for iPad does just what it implies. Recipes range from starters to desserts. Create a shopping list of ingredients, and make a schedule of what to buy and what to cook when. There's even a Thanksgiving 9-1-1 feature with the most common turkey day troubles and how to fix them.  

Cooks tackling turkey for the first time can try the Chow Thanksgiving Dinner Coach. The app has step-by-step instructions for the most popular Thanksgiving dishes - from buying items in the supermarket to stuffing them in the oven.

The Thanksgiving Recipes app for Android also includes instructions for the main dish and many traditional sides.  

And Turkey Titan Butterball takes its Thanksgiving Day hotline high-tech, with the Butterball Cookbook Plus app. In addition to answering common turkey questions, there are how-to instructional videos and recipes. The app even responds to voice commands so chefs can avoid smudges on their screens.  

And you're now, clicked in.

That's your daily tech.