MICROWAVE FUDGE
You can now purchase pre-boxed mix for microwave fudge at the grocery store. Quick & easy. Put on a pretty glass plate or in a Christmas tin.You can find inexpensive plates & tins at thrift store or garage sales.
CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS
You can use any shape pretzel, like twists above or even easier are pretzel logs. Use melting chocolate discs available at craft stores & some grocery stores. Sprinkle with colored jimmies, sprinkles, crushed nuts or the mini M&M's. Wrap up in a fancy cellophane bag with ribbon. You can use the same idea except cover candy canes.
HOT COCOA MIX
Ingredients:
1 - 8 Qt box powdered milk
1- 6 oz jar powdered non dairy creamer
1 1 lb box Powdered Hot Chocolate Mix ( Nestles Quick or similar)
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Package in glass jars with pretty bow attached. Add recipe card. Recipe is: add 2 heaping tablespoons of mix to a mug full of hot water . Stir, add marshmallows if desired.
SPICED TEA Ingredients:
2 cups Orange Tang
1/2 cup Instant Tea
1 cup sugar
1 pkg dry lemonade mix
1/2 TBS ground cloves
2 TBS Cinnamon
Mix together all ingredients. Mixture will make 1 quart of dry mix. Fill glass jars or Christmas Tin with mixture. Add recipe card. To serve: Use 2 tsp. dry mix in very hot cup of water.
PRETTY HANKIES
A few years ago I gave each of my girlfriends a monogrammed handkerchief I have had a number of customers do the same. You could also give a pretty embroidered hankie or a vintage print handkerchief Hankies make cute gift wrapping on small gifts too!
Scented Bath Salts
Everybody enjoys a nice relaxing soak in the tub with scented bath salts. Buy some at your local bath & body type store or make your own. Use plain rock salt & add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Lavender & rose work quite well. Bottle them up in a pretty jar or use an organza gift bag. Be sure to make a few weeks ahead so that the oil will thoroughly scent the salt.
TEA BAGS WITH DEMI SPOON
Put a few flavored tea bags in an organza bag & tie a sweet demitasse spoon on top. Cute for girlfriends in clubs, church groups etc.
STRESS RELIEVERS
Have any STRESSED out friends?? Make a Stress Reliever Gift Basket. Fill basket or pretty gift bag with china tea cup & saucer, some herbal teas, a relaxing aromatherapy candle, a lavender eye pack, bath salts or bath confetti, possibly a relaxing instrumental CD. Fill it with varying items according to what your budget will allow. They even have aromatherapy candles at the dollar store now. Pick up a vintage cup & saucer at the Salvation Army or Thrift Store.
SOUP IN A JAR
There are numerous Soup in a Jar recipes around. Try this one:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup barley 1/2 cup dried split peas 1/2 cup uncooked white rice 1/2 cup dry lentils 2 tablespoons dried minced onion 2 tablespoons dried parsley 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules1/2 cup uncooked alphabet pasta 1 cup uncooked twist macaroni DIRECTIONS: In a wide mouth 1 quart jar, layer the barley, peas, rice and lentils. Then layer around the edges the onion, parsley, salt, lemon pepper, bouillon and the alphabet pasta. Fill the rest of the jar with the twist macaroni. Seal and attach a gift card. The gift card should read: Add contents of jar to 3 quarts of water, 2 stalks of chopped celery, 2 sliced carrots, 1 cup of shredded cabbage (optional) and 2 cups diced tomatoes. Over medium low heat,
cover and simmer about 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender.
COLORFUL FIREPLACE PINE CONES
Soak pinecones in any of the following solutions. When the pinecones are thrown into the fire, they will burn in different colors. Add 1 cup of any of the following to 1/ 2 gallon of water, soak overnight. You must let the pinecones dry out completely before using. A minimum of 3 days drying. For yellow / green flames use borax, for yellow flames use salt, for violet flames use salt substitute,(potassium) for deep red flames use boric acid. Always handle any chemicals with care. Put pine cones in a mesh bag for gift giving.
HOMEMADE Cookie Cutter DOG BISCUITS
Don't forget man's best friend! For this simple recipe you will need:
2+1/2 cups whole wheat flour1/4 cup milk1 egg1/4 tsp garlic1 envelope dry yeast1/4 cup wheat germ4 TBS warm margarine1 TBS molasses1+1/4 tsp salt3 TBS waterDissolve yeast in warm water. Separately mix flour, garlic. wheat germ, and salt, then cut in margarine. Stir in eggs, molasses, and milk. Then mix in yeast mixture. Roll dough 1/2" thick. Cut into shapes and put on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes Cool overnight. Use fancy cookie cutters for Christmas or a dog bone shaped cutter. I hope this article has given you some new ideas or brought back to remembrance some you might have used before. With today's economy we can all use some ideas for creative yet not too expensive gifts. Happy Giving!
