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Christmas Gift Food

September 26th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Christmas Gift Food

Christmas gift food is a topic we all enjoy. Special food treats are fun to give and receive. Here are some ideas for themed Christmas gift food baskets you can make for family and friends. You may want to keep one for yourself!

Personalizing your Christmas gift food basket makes a thoughtful message of care and love that is sure to be appreciated. A Christmas gift food basket for your grandmother is likely to be different than one for a child or your boss.

Elderly people may have restrictions in their diets. Don't give Grandma a basket full of truffles if chocolate doesn't agree with her. She may lean towards fresh fruit, fine cheeses, and breads. So consider the appetites of your recipient when you plan your Christmas gift food basket.

Visit a crafts store for the ultimate basket choice. Kids like handled baskets they can swing as they carry a booty of candy to their room! Large shallow rectangular or oval baskets are perfect containers for homemade muffins, breads, cookies and jams.

Crafts stores also have ribbons and laces, dried flowers and cute faux bird ornaments to embellish your basket.

Party stores carry a huge selection of tissue wrapping. Just go take a look at the myriad possibilities. You'll find a suitable paper for everyone on your list. Cellophane wraps and confetti products are other choices for a festive lining for your basket.

Now you're ready to start with the contents. One theme could be favorite foods. Does your sister love everything Cajun? Line her basket in red-hot cellophane, and fill it with assorted hot sauces, Cajun seasonings and maybe some boxed jambalaya or “dirty rice” mixtures. You can attach recipes to the hot sauce bottles for blackened catfish or gumbo for an exemplary Christmas gift food basket.

The world traveler on your list will be happy to receive a variety of exotic imported foods. Check out a cheese shop for unusual quality cheeses. Add some ethnic foods, such as German sausage, Italian pesto, French champagne and Indian condiments.

Herbal seasonings and natural remedies are very popular now. Go to a bookstore or library and get a book of seasoning recipes. Visit an herb store to purchase your selected ingredients. The party store or craft shop can furnish attractive small bags or spice jars to contain your creations. Buy or make labels for each container, with a short description of compatible dishes. For example, “Excellent with potato salad, omelets or salad.” Many common culinary herbs have medicinal value. Rosemary and garlic are good for your heart. Thyme is a natural antibiotic and antiseptic. Ask at the herb store to learn which of your selected herbs has medicinal value. Take notes. This Christmas gift food basket idea is a good choice for a cook or health-conscious recipient

Use your imagination and let the ideas fly. You can make an elegant Christmas food gift basket for everyone on your list. Remember, it's Christmas, so pass the truffles!

Christmas Food Hampers

September 24th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Christmas Food Hampers

In the Scottish tradition I decided to make Christmas food hampers for my friends and family this year. This may seem like a lot of work but it really isn’t if you have your technique down pat. The Scottish Christmas food hampers have been around for generations but it has never been so easy to create them until now.

I made a few some years back and I found the process to be exhausting. The two Christmas food hampers that I made were not well thought out and I just didn’t have the organizational skill to make the best use of my time and efforts. I thought that my days of making Christmas food hampers for the holidays were over before they really began.

That is until I discovered that you can create your very own arrangements online from the comfort of your home. I loved the process so much that I have to share my experience with you. It has never been so fun and easy to make a special gift arrangement than it is right now.

First of all, you want to choose the containers for the Christmas food hampers. There are typically three kinds of containers available. One is a lovely box that looks like a wrapped present. There is a postal box that is quite plain and more utilitarian in looks. Then there is my personal favorite; the picnic basket.

After you choose your container it is time to fill it with items listed on the site. You can choose from pastas and sauces or sweets or even beer and wine. There are many options and you can mix and match items as you go. I made three Christmas food hampers in one afternoon.

I have to admit that this is not in keeping with my Scottish heritage, though. I really should go out and try to find the best deals on the items that I use to fill the Christmas food hampers but that will come in time. I think that I need a little online practice first.

My future endeavors are already in the works. Next year, I am going to get organized ahead of time. Now that I have practiced on the Internet I think that I have the skill that it takes to create my own Christmas food hampers without help.

One of my hampers is going to go to my brother. I’m attaching a card that says, “You drive me nuts.” Inside this Christmas food hamper will be a collection of his favorite nutty treats including chocolate covered macadamias and pistachios. I’m even going to add some hazelnut liquor in the mix.

The best way to find inspiration for your own Christmas food hampers is to go online and make some for your friends and family this year. By next holiday season you will be flying solo.

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