The Gift of Food
As the holidays draw near, I’m just finally finishing up on gift shopping (why was it so much harder this year??) . Some of the most thoughtful & special gifts I have received in the past are ones that were made with time, not purchased with money — a hint I think we all need for 2020 especially as we navigate this “season of giving” from all walks of life. Especially for people like coworkers, clients — or treats during holiday parties — the gift of a homemade dessert or beverage is the perfect item for someone off your list. Below are three ideas you can make at home & package up in no time. At the end of the day, the person who receives this gift will be grateful you thought of them in the first place — and then really thank you for the tasty treats!
My first food gift I would recommend is something not new to my feed — I make Vanilla Bean’s Sweet & Spicy Rosemary Roasted Cashews multiple times during the Christmas season. You can easily make a batch of these delectable treats and seperate them in little mason jars, tie it up with a bow, and you’re all set. These nuts are seriously addicting, so you may want to also include the recipe, because the recipient will just be asking you for more. Just a note, I ALWAYS double this recipe because it disappears too fast.
Homemade Spiked Eggnog (Recipe from “Drink: The Ultimate Cocktail Book”.
The second gift idea is a homemade liqueur or festive drink. My aunt would gift homemade Kahlua for many years, and we would all anticipate and cherish that liquid gold each and every season. Other ideas of something to bottle up is Limoncello or Eggnog — both equally unique, festive, and a fun item to pull out for special occasions. Bottle your concoction up in a glass bottle & tie a gift tag to the neck.
The third food idea is festive cookies! I was gifted this really fun stamp roller (which would be a fun gift in itself!) that you can use on any sugar cookie recipe. Roll out the dough, firmly roll the stamp through, and then use a cookie cutter of your choosing to cut out fun shapes, or just keep it simple with circles. There really is no comparison with a homade cookie versus store bought, and no one can say no to a small stack of sugary cookies, am I right?
Whether you decide to gift a tasty treat to someone or keep them for your own enjoyment (no judgement), I hope you are able to enjoy the simpler things this holiday season!
