Easy Personal and Unique Gifts

As we start into the height of the holiday season, many of us look for gifts that are unique, personal and relatively easy and not very expensive.

I will attempt to provide a few examples.  Then your imagination can expand on these to provide your own unique touch and personality.  The point of most of these suggestions is that this time of year should be fun and not stressful; that some really interesting things can be created with ease and that good eating and snacking does not take an exorbitant amount of time and energy.   

Easy Personal and Unique Gifts

This idea is borrowed from Food Network magazine.  Personalize your gift with a recipe-in-a-jar.  Take the ingredients from your favorite recipes and put them in a sealable jar.  Attach instructions for preparing on a gift tag or card and you have a unique gift for each person on your list. Or you could put three or four together and make a basket of treats for friends or family. 

Each jar can be put together for just a few dollars.  Make three or four of each recipe so you can share with more people on your list.

Curried Lentil Soup Ingredient List

• 2 bay leaves
• 1 dried Chile pepper
• 2 teaspoons of turmeric and
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
  (sealed in a plastic bag or sachet)
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup yellow lentils
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup yellow lentils
• 3/4-liter glass jar

Directions

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 4 smashed garlic cloves and 1 diced red onion: sauté 6 minutes. Add the contents of the spice bag, the bay leaves and Chile pepper from the Curried Lentil Soup mix and cook about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the soup mix and 8 cups water or chicken broth; simmer until the lentils are soft, about 1 hour. Season with salt.

Blue Cornbread with Pineapple Ingredient List

• 4 chopped dried pineapple rings
• 1 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup blue cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-liter glass jar

Tip: Layer finer ingredients like flour and sugar at the bottom of the jar.

Directions

Butter an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish and line with parchment paper. Stir the Blue Cornbread with Pineapple mix, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs and 4 tablespoons melted butter in a large bowl until just combined. Pour into the prepared dish and bake at 425 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool, then slice into squares.

Super-Chunky Christmas Cookies Ingredient List

• 1 cup toasted shredded coconut
• 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• 1 cup of white chocolate chips
• 3/4 cups of red and green M&M’s
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2-liter glass jar

Directions

Beat 1 1/4 cups sugar and 1 stick butter with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add the Super-Chunky Christmas Cookie mix and mix until well combined. Scoop big round cookies (about 2 heaping tablespoons each) onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Oatmeal Cookie Mix in a Jar

Baking with this mix is all fun and there is no fuss. Give it in a big jar, with the recipe, baking sheets, parchment paper, a metal rack and oven mitts as a special gift, at Christmas, Easter, housewarming or any time. Especially effective when young students are just moving away from home for the first time.

Original Recipe Yield10 dozen

Ingredients

• 6 cups rolled oats
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound shortening
• 2 cups raisins
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With a pastry blender cut in shortening until crumbly. Stir in raisins, coconut, chocolate chips and pecans.
2. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 10 weeks.
3. Attach a tag that reads: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper. Measure 4 cups of the mix into a large bowl. Whisk together 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla; stir into the mix. Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Now that you have the idea, this works for many recipes from pancakes to deserts. The sealable storage jars are available at Walmart, Amazon and other stores for around $4 to $6 each. Layer the ingredients to make and interesting package. Print the directions on a gift card, wrap with a bow and you’re done.