Last Minute Foodie Gift Ideas
Posted on 22 December 2008 by joy
In a bind for those last minute gifts? Me too. Seriously. I can’t bear the thought of spending more money at any big retail stores, no matter how good the sales have been. Besides, I think that homemade gifts are always better than the store bought stuff. With some simple ingredients, a few tins and some cute ribbon, you’ll have all the gifts you need, and you won’t need to shell out loads of dough to make it all happen.
Quick Breads in a Can- Throw together a simple banana bread recipe then bake it up in a clean tin can. Sounds a little crazy, I know. Once you adorn the can with some clever paper and ribbon, it’s just the most darling gift. My Mom used to bake these up for the whole family when I was a kid. Smiles all around, I promise.
Easy Chocolate Fudge- You wouldn’t even believe how easy fudge is to make. Unbelievable! It’s all in the wrapping. Wrap a simple walnut fudge in a pretty box with a festive ribbon and your neighbors will have no idea this was a last minute gift.
Easy Walnut Fudge
24 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 (12 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp. vanilla extract, Kahlua, Amaretto or Creme de Cocoa liqueur
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
In a large non-stick saucepan, melt chocolate chips with condensed milk over low heat, stirring constantly. This may take 10-15 minutes to melt completely. Stir in flavoring and nuts.
Place a sheet of waxed paper in a 12×8 inch glass baking dish or metal pan of similar dimensions (9×9 inch square will also work). Place mixture in dish on top of wax paper and smooth surface pressing contents to form of dish. Let cool.
Cover and let stand overnight in cool, dry place. Remove from dish, peel off wax paper and cut into squares with sharp knife.
Peppermint Bark- Can I let you in on a little secret? You can throw together this beautiful Peppermint bark with three ingredients. Yes! Only three ingredients! Why not regift one of those holiday tins you received last year with a little tissue page, and call it a gift.
White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 pound white chocolate, chopped (do not use chips)
- 2 cups puffed rice cereal
- 1 bag (7.5 ounces) hard peppermint candies, unwrapped
- Spray a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with a piece of waxed paper. Crush candies (see note below).
- Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in rice cereal.
- Transfer mixture to prepared pan; with a spatula, spread to edges of pan.
- Sprinkle with crushed candy; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently (paper prevents hands from sticking to candy and chocolate). Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (no longer, as candy will begin to soften).
- Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into 2-inch pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 1 week.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:28 am
cool….