A Handmade Holiday, Part Two

Every year I make food gifts for our neighbors. It's a way to show appreciation for them with a gift they always appreciate during the busy time of the holidays when they don't often have time to indulge in a nice dessert or snack.

I usually do a dessert that is unusual, and every year I try a different recipe, which I test first on my guy. Last year my food gift to the neigbors was French Silk Pie; this year it's going to be coconut and vanilla macarons (note: these are not easy; I practiced all summer to get mine right.) I've done a lot of interesting dessert recipes out of old cookbooks, too, from an apple strudel with a dusting of ground walnuts to authentic gingerbread with lemon sauce (if I can find online links to recipes for those, I'll add them to the post.)

Some of my decidedly obnoxious opinions on food gifts:

Find out first if your recipient has any medical conditions or allergies that prevent them from eating certain types of foods. You would not believe how much candy and cookies my guy has to eat or that I have to regift every year during the holidays because I'm diabetic.

Don't do that gift in a jar thing that your recipient then has to make. I know, it looks cute, but they probably don't have the time (or energy!) to make it. I certainly don't. Instead make the recipe and give them the finished product. Trust me on this.

Okay, there's an exception to the gift in a jar thing I want to mention. One year someone gave us a clear plastic Christmas Tree ornament filled with hot chocolate mix, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and sprinkles. It was really cute. I couldn't drink it, of course, but I made it for my guy and he loved it. Since it was something I just had to add hot water to, I didn't mind making it, either. Here's a video on how to make hot chocolate ornaments.

Fancy/expensive packaging is not necessary. I buy my cookie tins and serving plates at the dollar store, and then tell my recipients to keep them. When one neighbor and I bake bread for each other, we just wrap it in a clean kitchen towel.

Include a printed copy of the recipe* for your recipient. They appreciate it, and it tells them what went into the food you're giving.

If you can't cook, or you don't have time, you can still gift food. Swing by a bakery and pick up a tart, a dozen cookies or a small cake. Put together a snack basket with popcorn, chips, jarred dip and some drinks. Food-themed baskets can be very inexpensive and fun to make; you can fill them with breakfast stuff like pancake mix, jellies and jams, a cozy collection of instant coffees and cookies, a bunch of fresh fruit, or make a death by chocolates candy basket.

So who do you food gift? Anyone who loves to eat. Bachelors especially love home cooking, as do elderly folks and college students. People who work a lot and don't have time to shop during the holidays are usually quite happy to get food. Talk to you recipient first if you're not sure what they'd like, too.

For the third and final part of A Handmade Holiday I'm going to share some ideas for unusual and memorable gifts. Stay tuned to find out what they are. :)

*I know there are some people who refuse to share their recipes because they don't want anyone to steal them. Which I think is selfish and beyond silly, but there you go. My advice is be generous with your recipes; that's what people will remember. Most will also credit you with the original reipe when they share it with others.