Last Christmas I gave a number of food gifts. I combined them all in a nice basket, but of course I don’t have a picture. I thought I would highlight a few of the ideas I used, though, and I do have a couple of pictures of individual things.
Roasted Cinnamon nuts – just click the link to see the recipe I used. You can find other recipes online. Some are spicy too. They are easy to make, and most people enjoy nuts. Nuts can be expensive. I bought large bags of them at BJ’s which made it more economical.
Herbes de Provence – For some reason I can’t find the recipe I used for this, but recipes abound on the internet. Most use lavender, which I wasn’t able to find, so I used one that contained thyme, basil, oregano, and rosemary. I specifically bought spices in jars that I liked so I could use them to package the mix. I made the labels on the computer and printed them onto label paper (which I happened to have). The bottle show is the one I’m using, but the ones I gave away were full.
Vanilla extract – It takes several months for this extract to reach a good flavor, but even though it wouldn’t be completely ready in time for Christmas, you could still give it as a gift and tell them is needs to sit a couple more months before use. I started making vanilla well before Christmas, but had trouble deciding how to bottle it. I looked in craft stores and didn’t find anything I liked. I ended up buying salad dressing just for the bottles. I don’t have a picture of them, but they were round glass bottles. The salad dressing was put into canning jars and the bottles were cleaned thoroughly.
I think food gifts are an excellent way to go at Christmas, especially if you don’t know what some one has/doesn’t have or what they need/don’t need. Everyone eats! Just remember to take into consideration special diets and eating preferences and whether or not someone is likely to use it. A single man who never bakes isn’t likely to appreciate the vanilla extract, but might love home made cookies!
For more edible gift ideas see Gluten-Free Holiday: Gifts of Good Taste and The Holiday Food Fest (not necessarily gluten free).
I've never roasted nuts before, but it sounds like a delicious treat! Such a great idea with the herbs and extract as well =D.
These are wonderful ideas! Thank you so much for sharing your creativity.
Yummy ideas! The nuts remind of a recipe I have for sugared pecans, maybe I'll make some of those too. Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
I love your labels!! They look so professional. I can't believe that they stayed so nice for an entire year. Gosh. You should sell the labels on line. I think people would pay for that template.
herbes de prov… awesome idea!
I make a bunch of my own spice mixes, but had never thought to pass them out as a present. I agree with Amy–those labels are nice!
Oh, and thanks for the reminder on the nuts–I love making sugared pecans.
You know, if people can sit out at our farmer's market and sell spice mixes, then I'd imagine that would be a wonderful hint that making homemade ones would be a great gift idea! I love it.
I always love these roasted almonds. They call my name at craft shows, etc.
Herbs de provence–I need to look up that recipe and make some. And, what everyone else said … lovely labels. I know mine would not look that perfect after a year.
I actually make my vanilla in less time than that. I just made some a few days ago and it's already turning that lovely amber. It will keep getting better even after giving.
Some great gift ideas, Linda!
Shirley
What a great idea to give away little jars of spices. I really like the labels, very cool.
Linda, I just started brewing some vanilla extract because I'm tired of the GF stuff having corn syrup in it. Do you use potato vodka?
Brenna – I always use rum, though vodka is supposed to be a good choice. You don't have to worry about them containing gluten since distilled alcohol is always gf.
Great ideas! Thank you for sharing and inspiring us.
Great gift ideas, Linda! I actually love those bottles for the extracts. Thanks for linking up to GF Holiday! (on a side note, I love your updated profile pic! Cute haircut!)