Hand/Homemade Christmas Gifts

[Wonderflonium]

Someone on this board made Skittles-infused vodka.

[POF]

I've made homemade caramel corn..... its easy , yummy and fun..... ( also cheap )

Cracker candy is inexpensive as well. ( and addictive )

Another great present is to get dollar store mugs , and fill with homemade hot cocoa mix.

Great ideas !

[Bijou]

I've made homemade caramel corn..... its easy , yummy and fun..... ( also cheap )

Cracker candy is inexpensive as well. ( and addictive )

Another great present is to get dollar store mugs , and fill with homemade hot cocoa mix.

Great ideas !

I looked up a recipe for cracker candy online and it uses 2 sticks of butter.  Does yours use less butter?

[jmarvellous]

OK, I did spice/salt blends for gifts today, inspired by this thread. It took several hours to find all the spices (Walmart for basics + gourmet grocery for fancier seeds and pods) and two other stores to find appropriate bottles (Walmart near me had nothing remotely appropriate for under $4 a jar, by the way -- I even waited in line at customer service for 20 minutes for the chance to ask if I'd missed anything); Hobby Lobby had 50% off glassware so I got nice hermetic jars for 75 cents each.

I made an Italian seasoning, a potato seasoning, a barbecue/all-purpose blend and a curry (garam masala). Four sets of four jars ended up being about $1 each (including obviously nonessential but cute ribbon accents and custom labels), with significant leftovers of a few cheaper spices and a set of extra jars -- I was aiming for 5 full sets but only got fifth jars of two of the blends because I wasn't sure about estimating how much I'd need ahead of time.

You could buy nice chocolates or premade spice blends or a couple of candles for people with a lot less effort and the same appreciation from recipients, I'm sure of it.

[POF]

I've made homemade caramel corn..... its easy , yummy and fun..... ( also cheap )

Cracker candy is inexpensive as well. ( and addictive )

Another great present is to get dollar store mugs , and fill with homemade hot cocoa mix.

Great ideas !

I looked up a recipe for cracker candy online and it uses 2 sticks of butter.  Does yours use less butter?

Mine uses one cup of butter ( 2 sticks ) and one cup of sugar. It makes a big pan and its rich ... so you don't need big pieces

[faithlessone]

Someone on this board made Skittles-infused vodka.

Ooh, how? I did a search, but I couldn't find the post.

[Wonderflonium]

Skittles vodka: http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=102077.msg2522890#msg2522890

[faithlessone]

Skittles vodka: http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=102077.msg2522890#msg2522890

Thank you!

[Bijou]

I've made homemade caramel corn..... its easy , yummy and fun..... ( also cheap )

Cracker candy is inexpensive as well. ( and addictive )

Another great present is to get dollar store mugs , and fill with homemade hot cocoa mix.

Great ideas !

I looked up a recipe for cracker candy online and it uses 2 sticks of butter.  Does yours use less butter?

Mine uses one cup of butter ( 2 sticks ) and one cup of sugar. It makes a big pan and its rich ... so you don't need big pieces

It sounds so good!  I've never heard of it before.

[Wonderflonium]

Someone I know pinned this on Pinterest: http://deliciousdeliciousdelicious.blogspot.com/2010/02/chocolate-party-spoons.html

I've never seen them as a treat you eat as opposed to something you melt in coffee or hot chocolate, but it could be fun.

[bebemochi]

I have done caramel popcorn (Martha's rosemary caramel, to be exact, and I added spanish peanuts), and mug cakes. I also did spiced pecans, cowboy caviar, and mustard. I think I'm just running out of foodie ideas! I really do prefer making something savory as opposed to something sweet.

I bought a special little kit for dipping chocolate at Winn Dixie. It's in a reusable, microwavable little tray. It cost about $3.75 so depending on how the chocolate tastes I may be saved! (Thank you for the link, Wonderflonium, that is almost exactly what I want to do! Just with mini marshmallows instead! Yay!)

I've made infused vodka for myself before. I did nectarines and kumquat rinds. It was great. That was sort of expensive though -- you have to buy vodka you'd be willing to drink, haha.

[Isometric]

I really like the seasonsing idea myself. (Although caramel popcorn - hello!) I love homemade seasonings, relishes, jams, something about homemade just says love! (Ya, corny I know!) I paid nearly $10 for "gourmet" seasoning - it's great for all sorts of potato dishes, vegetables, fries etc.

I know you're not into the sweet stuff, but honeycomb is super easy and cheap to make, and looks great in cellophane with pretty ribbon.

[Namárië]

2. Coconut sugar scrub.  This is awesome!  I've been using it for about 2 weeks now, and it has kept my hands from getting dried out, cracked and peeling at the cuticles.  Mix 2 cups sugar into 1 cup of coconut oil (coconut oil can get expensive, but check walmart to get a jar of it for under $5) until the lumps of coconut oil are incorporated, then jar it up.  You can use repurposed jars, and if your little one eats baby food from the jar, the 6 oz sizes are perfect for this!  decorate the jar, and voila! 

This sounds awesome! But how do you use it?  I have almost a gallon of coconut oil sitting in her bathroom and I would love to use it up for presents before it reaches its two-year expiration date in a year. Would warming the coconut oil up a bit to make it liquid and then letting it cool work?

[rose red]

I know you're not into the sweet stuff, but honeycomb is super easy and cheap to make, and looks great in cellophane with pretty ribbon.

What's honeycomb?  Sounds interesting.  I'm assuming it's not the stuff bees make?

[ilrag]

I have done caramel popcorn (Martha's rosemary caramel, to be exact, and I added spanish peanuts), and mug cakes. I also did spiced pecans, cowboy caviar, and mustard. I think I'm just running out of foodie ideas! I really do prefer making something savory as opposed to something sweet.

I bought a special little kit for dipping chocolate at Winn Dixie. It's in a reusable, microwavable little tray. It cost about $3.75 so depending on how the chocolate tastes I may be saved! (Thank you for the link, Wonderflonium, that is almost exactly what I want to do! Just with mini marshmallows instead! Yay!)

I've made infused vodka for myself before. I did nectarines and kumquat rinds. It was great. That was sort of expensive though -- you have to buy vodka you'd be willing to drink, haha.

If you have a brita jug/filter you can just run cheap vodka through it 2-3 times and make a world of difference in the taste. If you're going to infuse it anyway there's no need to go higher end.