Food for Holiday Gifts

[Slitke]

I'm looking for ideas for things to make for holiday gifts...besides cookies. Maybe roasted spicy almonds? Chocolate truffles? What else have you got to make and give away?

 

[merstar]

Chocolate truffles are always a hit - I use Ghirardelli's recipe: "Sinful Chocolate Truffles." Spiced nuts are great, too.
Also:
Chocolate caramel clusters with or without nuts
Dessert sauces, such as Hot Fudge Sauce, Caramel, Butterscotch...
Vanilla Sugar or other flavored sugars
Biscotti
Quick Breads, such as Cinnamon, Chocolate Cranberry, Orange, etc.

 

[jabbur]

I do up crackerjack. It's really good and something a bit different from the candies and cookies. I know I posted the recipe here at DC before. I'll see if I can find the thread.

 

[jabbur]

Here it is. It's really easy and very good.

http://http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f10/tnt-cracker-jack-51063.html

 

[CraigC]

This always makes a good gift. Spread over a block of cream cheese and ::30 in the microwave. Serve with favorite crackers.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f94/lee-clarks-pepper-jelly-81999.html

 

[Chef Kat]

Chex Mix

Hot cocoa mix in a jar

Spiced tea mix in a jar

Pretzel rods covered in almond bark and sprinkled with crushed peppermint pieces

Popcorn drizzled with melted chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate, etc. I buy the Lindt bars and melt them, then drizzle. They have so many good varieties, like white chocolate coconut. Oh geez, I just made myself hungry thinking about it.

 

[luvs]

the demographic weighs heavily on that.
kiddos- fancy cookies
Mom- chocolates/gourmet sweet foods; cashews. pistachios.
Stepdad- he's not fussy. my Mom'll let me know.
Dad- he gets a bottle of alcohol- black velvet reserve, this year, as per his suggestion. liqui-food.
Brother/SIL- hm.....

 

[Dawgluver]

My home canned pickled green beans were always a big hit with my sibs (seriously!) Mincemeat, bacon jam, dry homemade cookie mix in a pretty jar. One year BIL and one of his former wives gave us the prettiest basket filled with all sorts of home concoctions, things like sea salt with dried herbs, coarse sugar with a vanilla bean.

 

[Addie]

Peanut Brittle. YUM!

 

[Chef Kat]

Beef jerky!!! I have a new dehydrator and almost forgot that I was going to make some! I don't like the packaged marinades that came with it so am looking for a recipe of my own to use. It was salty beyond belief and totally inedible.

 

[Slitke]

Love all these ideas. Bacon jam? Do tell. Cream cheese mints are good too and you can use food dye to make them red and green if you want. Sea salted caramel seems popular this year, I was thinking pretzels cover in chocolate and then some how getting crunchy caramel and sea salt on that. Might just need caramel though if pretzels are salty.

I love making baskets full of yumminess.

 

[taxlady]

Here it is. It's really easy and very good.

http://http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f10/tnt-cracker-jack-51063.html

That link doesn't work for me. Try: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f10/tnt-cracker-jack-51063.html#post702880

 

[Dawgluver]

Love all these ideas. Bacon jam? Do tell. Cream cheese mints are good too and you can use food dye to make them red and green if you want. Sea salted caramel seems popular this year, I was thinking pretzels cover in chocolate and then some how getting crunchy caramel and sea salt on that. Might just need caramel though if pretzels are salty.

I love making baskets full of yumminess.

Bacon jam, here ya go:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f83/atten-bacon-lovers-76495.html

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Cheesecake...

 

[kadesma]

Christmas spiced walnuts...bring 1/4 cup water to boil. Add 1 cup sugar,1/2 tea. cinnamon,and cream of tartar..1/8 tea. Stir occasionally. Boil to 240 on candy thermometor. Remove from heat add 1-1/2 cuos walnut pieces or halves. Stir in 1/2 tea good vanilla cool 1 hour store in air tight container. should yield 2- half-pint jars.
Gift Toffee for Christmas this is fun for the whole family. In saucepan cook together, 1 cup butter,1 cup sugar, 3 tab. water, stirring constantly til mix reads 300 on thermometer. Remove from heat add1 tea. good vanilla. Pouyr into a buttered 9x11 pan and cool 5 min. Sprinkle with 3-4oz crumbled candy bars or I use a bag of Scorr crumbles Then add 1/2 cup or chopped pecans. When cool break into pieces and store.
kades

 

[Kylie1969]

Peanut Brittle. YUM!

Yum indeed

 

[luvs]

i'd make truffles. the cheesecake kades mentioned. u could make a savory one! bring crackers.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

I made WAY too much food once again last night,
so I packaged it up in 2 bundles,
printed out the name of the dish with it's ingredients,
(that Cod Vera Cruz Style that I made the other night)
and included reheating instructions.
I put them together in some sacks that I had stashed away,
and went visitin'.

The neighbors on either side of us, elders; I fear
that on more than one evening, they don't eat,
just because they don't want to cook for one.
So I shared not only supper from each of them for tonight,
but spent some time in each of their homes, chatting,
sometimes that's more welcomed than the food.