Heading out to a holiday party and need a last-minute hostess gift? Here are five holiday food gifts you can grab in a hurry but that your host will love!
I get a little frazzled around the holidays. That means I don’t always plan ahead (read: I never plan ahead) and gather little gifts for friends and party hosts.
Since I love to cook and bake, food gifts are a natural choice. So when I need something fast, I turn to things I already have on hand or can pull together quickly. Here are five of my current favorites:
1: Homemade jams and jellies: If you have some in your freezer or pantry, package up a jar by itself or with a loaf of homemade or bakery bread.
2: Local meat: I buy local, grass-fed beef in bulk, which means I always have one-pound packages of frozen ground beef to tuck into a festive bag. (You may also be able to get some at a winter farmer’s market.) Yes, ground meat is an unconventional gift–but it always goes over well. Just be sure your host stashes it in the freezer right away.
3. Preserved fruit: If you put up any fruit during peak season, a jar of home-preserved goodies from your cupboard makes a sweet and simple gift. Who wouldn’t love the flavor of July peaches or September applesauce in the cold winter months?
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4. Cocoa mix: This simple hot cocoa mix is easy to stir together. I recently made a triple batch, scooped it into jars topped off with a swatch of cloth, and brought it to a holiday gift exchange.
5. Granola: I’ve been making granola instead of buying regular cereal, so I usually have some around. Otherwise, it takes 10 minutes to mix together then about an hour to bake in the oven. Here’s my flexible recipe that uses what you have in your pantry.
What are your favorite holiday food gifts to give?
