Thread: I need a new food gift

On Oct 19, 3:31*pm, Serene Vannoy <ser...@serenepages.org> wrote:
> Usually, when I give gifts, I give food, because cooking and feeding
> people are what I do. *For several years, my standard gift has been
> English toffee with almonds and chocolate, and while it's popular, I
> want to do something new. *(For several reasons -- it's expensive; it's
> not suitable for the damp weather we often have here; and I've had a few
> odd failures that I am attributing to the decline in butter quality.)
>
> Anyway, we've had a few ideas, but I wanted to run it by you folks, too,
> and see if you have ideas. *My basic criteria are these:
>
> 1) It has to be impressive, even if in a small way (people were
> impressed that I made my own candy, even though the recipe itself wasn't
> that much work and fuss), and something most people wouldn't bother
> making for themselves.
>
> 2) It has to be something most people would appreciate as a gift.
>
> 3) It should be something that will keep at least a few hours without
> refrigeration (so truffles or bread would qualify, but freezer jam
> wouldn't).
>
> Any thoughts? *Some of our ideas so far have been:
>
> Mini cinnamon buns
>
> Fancy quickbreads
>
> Good homebaked bread
>
> Chocolate truffles
>
> Serene
> --http://www.momfoodproject.com
> New post: OPMF: James’s potato soup

Assorted teas and a nice teapot/cup?

On Oct 19, 3:35*pm, merryb <msg...@juno.com> wrote:
> On Oct 19, 3:31*pm, Serene Vannoy <ser...@serenepages.org> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Usually, when I give gifts, I give food, because cooking and feeding
> > people are what I do. *For several years, my standard gift has been
> > English toffee with almonds and chocolate, and while it's popular, I
> > want to do something new. *(For several reasons -- it's expensive; it's
> > not suitable for the damp weather we often have here; and I've had a few
> > odd failures that I am attributing to the decline in butter quality.)
>
> > Anyway, we've had a few ideas, but I wanted to run it by you folks, too,
> > and see if you have ideas. *My basic criteria are these:
>
> > 1) It has to be impressive, even if in a small way (people were
> > impressed that I made my own candy, even though the recipe itself wasn't
> > that much work and fuss), and something most people wouldn't bother
> > making for themselves.
>
> > 2) It has to be something most people would appreciate as a gift.
>
> > 3) It should be something that will keep at least a few hours without
> > refrigeration (so truffles or bread would qualify, but freezer jam
> > wouldn't).
>
> > Any thoughts? *Some of our ideas so far have been:
>
> > Mini cinnamon buns
>
> > Fancy quickbreads
>
> > Good homebaked bread
>
> > Chocolate truffles
>
> > Serene
> > --http://www.momfoodproject.com
> > New post: OPMF: James’s potato soup
>
> Assorted teas and a nice teapot/cup?

That's not very impressive. The OP wants to impress people. I'd go
with the cinnamon buns.

Chocolate biscotti with lots of almonds.

In article <[email protected]>,
Serene Vannoy <[email protected]> wrote:

> Usually, when I give gifts, I give food, because cooking and feeding
> people are what I do. For several years, my standard gift has been
> English toffee with almonds and chocolate, and while it's popular, I
> want to do something new. (For several reasons -- it's expensive; it's
> not suitable for the damp weather we often have here; and I've had a few
> odd failures that I am attributing to the decline in butter quality.)
>
> Anyway, we've had a few ideas, but I wanted to run it by you folks, too,
> and see if you have ideas. My basic criteria are these:
>
> 1) It has to be impressive, even if in a small way (people were
> impressed that I made my own candy, even though the recipe itself wasn't
> that much work and fuss), and something most people wouldn't bother
> making for themselves.
>
> 2) It has to be something most people would appreciate as a gift.
>
> 3) It should be something that will keep at least a few hours without
> refrigeration (so truffles or bread would qualify, but freezer jam
> wouldn't).
>
> Any thoughts? Some of our ideas so far have been:
>
> Mini cinnamon buns
>
> Fancy quickbreads
>
> Good homebaked bread
>
> Chocolate truffles
>
> Serene

Pannetone!
It's me and my family's favorite xmas sweet going back to when we were
kids. It's probably something you are not going to make a lot of but
maybe do a couple for your favorite people.
Here's a recipe-
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...nettone-236704

Buon Natale/Sretan Bozic

D.M.

"Kalmia" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Chocolate biscotti with lots of almonds.

Seconding the biscotti. My favorite is orange-almond biscotti half-dipped in
chocolate.
Baklava is nice, or homemade caramel corn. How about bourbon or rum balls?
People always diss fruitcake but homemade fruitcake can be excellent!

On Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:35:22 -0400, "news" <[email protected]> wrote:

>People always diss fruitcake but homemade fruitcake can be excellent!
>
It can also be very expensive to make. I may be mistaken, but I
thought Serene was looking for inexpensive food gifts to make.

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

"Serene Vannoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> Usually, when I give gifts, I give food, because cooking and feeding
> people are what I do. For several years, my standard gift has been
> English toffee with almonds and chocolate, and while it's popular, I want
> to do something new. (For several reasons -- it's expensive; it's not
> suitable for the damp weather we often have here; and I've had a few odd
> failures that I am attributing to the decline in butter quality.)
>
> Anyway, we've had a few ideas, but I wanted to run it by you folks, too,
> and see if you have ideas. My basic criteria are these:
>
> 1) It has to be impressive, even if in a small way (people were impressed
> that I made my own candy, even though the recipe itself wasn't that much
> work and fuss), and something most people wouldn't bother making for
> themselves.
>
> 2) It has to be something most people would appreciate as a gift.
>
> 3) It should be something that will keep at least a few hours without
> refrigeration (so truffles or bread would qualify, but freezer jam
> wouldn't).
>
> Any thoughts? Some of our ideas so far have been:
>
> Mini cinnamon buns
>
> Fancy quickbreads
>
> Good homebaked bread
>
> Chocolate truffles
>
> Serene
> --
>
I think a fruitcake would be nice. Also, Cook's Illustrated recently had a
recipe for a very dense banana bread that I tried and liked.

Kent

In article <[email protected]>,
Serene Vannoy <[email protected]> wrote:

> Usually, when I give gifts, I give food, because cooking and feeding
> people are what I do. For several years, my standard gift has been
> English toffee with almonds and chocolate, and while it's popular, I
> want to do something new. (For several reasons -- it's expensive; it's
> not suitable for the damp weather we often have here; and I've had a few
> odd failures that I am attributing to the decline in butter quality.)
>
> Anyway, we've had a few ideas, but I wanted to run it by you folks, too,
> and see if you have ideas. My basic criteria are these:
>
> 1) It has to be impressive, even if in a small way (people were
> impressed that I made my own candy, even though the recipe itself wasn't
> that much work and fuss), and something most people wouldn't bother
> making for themselves.
>
> 2) It has to be something most people would appreciate as a gift.
>
> 3) It should be something that will keep at least a few hours without
> refrigeration (so truffles or bread would qualify, but freezer jam
> wouldn't).
>
> Any thoughts? Some of our ideas so far have been:
>
> Mini cinnamon buns
>
> Fancy quickbreads
>
> Good homebaked bread
>
> Chocolate truffles
>
> Serene

Truffles will always be a winner. :-)

One thing mom used to make for people was persimmon pudding.
I've made herbed vinegars in the past that people appreciated, or
brandied fruit.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or
no influence on society. -- Mark Twain

In article <[email protected]>, "news" <[email protected]>
wrote:

> "Kalmia" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > Chocolate biscotti with lots of almonds.
>
> Seconding the biscotti. My favorite is orange-almond biscotti half-dipped in
> chocolate.
> Baklava is nice, or homemade caramel corn. How about bourbon or rum balls?
> People always diss fruitcake but homemade fruitcake can be excellent!

Oh man, my sister makes a killer rum ball that everyone appreciates!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or
no influence on society. -- Mark Twain

"news" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]..
>
> "Kalmia" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> Chocolate biscotti with lots of almonds.
>
> Seconding the biscotti. My favorite is orange-almond biscotti half-dipped
> in chocolate.
> Baklava is nice, or homemade caramel corn. How about bourbon or rum balls?
> People always diss fruitcake but homemade fruitcake can be excellent!

I did chocolate dipped biscotti for Christmas one year along with all sort
of other cookies. Because I was mailing some of them, I wrapped those two
together in different colors of Cling (or similar) wrap. Do they even make
that any more? I also put little foil stars on them. They were very
festive.

Jalapeno Peanut Brittle

Herbed mixed nuts

"Christine Dabney" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:35:22 -0400, "news" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>People always diss fruitcake but homemade fruitcake can be excellent!
>>
> It can also be very expensive to make. I may be mistaken, but I
> thought Serene was looking for inexpensive food gifts to make.

I used to do fruitcake and everybody loved them. Even those who hate
fruitcake. Mine was a very old recipe that made a ton! It was very
expensive to make. Required liquor, butter, several kinds of fruits and I
believe two kinds of nuts. More fruit for the top and also ingredients to
make glaze.

There was so much batter that I had to use my oval roaster to mix in it.
There were so many cakes in various sizes that I had to use a purchased
storage box to keep them to mellow.

pamjd wrote:
> Jalapeno Peanut Brittle
>

<perk!> don't make me hafta beat the recipe outta you now....

"Christine Dabney" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:35:22 -0400, "news" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>People always diss fruitcake but homemade fruitcake can be excellent!
>>
> It can also be very expensive to make. I may be mistaken, but I
> thought Serene was looking for inexpensive food gifts to make.
>
> Christine


Oh, I suppose that's so. We get nuts and dried fruits at a wholesale outlet
so I don't think those things are particularly expensive. For a fruitcake
the cost of the ingredients is pretty minimal, it's the effort and time that
add up.

On 2010-10-20, Julie Bove <[email protected]> wrote:

> I used to do fruitcake and everybody loved them. Even those who hate
> fruitcake. Mine was a very old recipe that made a ton! It was very
> expensive to make. Required liquor, butter, several kinds of fruits and I
> believe two kinds of nuts. More fruit for the top and also ingredients to
> make glaze.

Talk is cheap! Where's the recipe?

nb

On Oct 19, 8:18*pm, Omelet <ompome...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article <8i6khaFb5...@mid.individual.net>,
> *Serene Vannoy <ser...@serenepages.org> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Usually, when I give gifts, I give food, because cooking and feeding
> > people are what I do. *For several years, my standard gift has been
> > English toffee with almonds and chocolate, and while it's popular, I
> > want to do something new. *(For several reasons -- it's expensive; it's
> > not suitable for the damp weather we often have here; and I've had a few
> > odd failures that I am attributing to the decline in butter quality.)
>
> > Anyway, we've had a few ideas, but I wanted to run it by you folks, too,
> > and see if you have ideas. *My basic criteria are these:
>
> > 1) It has to be impressive, even if in a small way (people were
> > impressed that I made my own candy, even though the recipe itself wasn't
> > that much work and fuss), and something most people wouldn't bother
> > making for themselves.
>
> > 2) It has to be something most people would appreciate as a gift.
>
> > 3) It should be something that will keep at least a few hours without
> > refrigeration (so truffles or bread would qualify, but freezer jam
> > wouldn't).
>
> > Any thoughts? *Some of our ideas so far have been:
>
> > Mini cinnamon buns
>
> > Fancy quickbreads
>
> > Good homebaked bread
>
> > Chocolate truffles
>
> > Serene
>
> Truffles will always be a winner. :-)

Truffles ROCK, and are so easy!

John Kuthe...

On Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:52:33 -0400, "news" <[email protected]> wrote:

>For a fruitcake
>the cost of the ingredients is pretty minimal, it's the effort and time that
>add up.

Maybe miminal for you, but for mine (since we are talking fruitcakes)
the ingredients can run well over $30 just for one batch, which makes
2 cakes. I call that expensive.

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

Julie Bove <[email protected]> wrote:

>"Christine Dabney" <[email protected]> wrote in message

>> On Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:35:22 -0400, "news" <[email protected]> wrote:

>>>People always diss fruitcake but homemade fruitcake can be excellent!

>> It can also be very expensive to make. I may be mistaken, but I
>> thought Serene was looking for inexpensive food gifts to make.
>
>I used to do fruitcake and everybody loved them. Even those who hate
>fruitcake. Mine was a very old recipe that made a ton! It was very
>expensive to make. Required liquor, butter, several kinds of fruits and I
>believe two kinds of nuts. More fruit for the top and also ingredients to
>make glaze.

Truman Capote wrote a short story about that fruitcake.


Steve

"notbob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:x0svo.14378$[email protected]..
> On 2010-10-20, Julie Bove <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I used to do fruitcake and everybody loved them. Even those who hate
>> fruitcake. Mine was a very old recipe that made a ton! It was very
>> expensive to make. Required liquor, butter, several kinds of fruits and
>> I
>> believe two kinds of nuts. More fruit for the top and also ingredients
>> to
>> make glaze.
>
> Talk is cheap! Where's the recipe?

I will have to look it up later. And then I will post it.