Tasty Homemade Gifts
Take care of your whole gift list with one afternoon in the kitchen. These edible treats are one size fits all.
By Rachel Mount
Gift Givers, Start Your Ovens...
What's the perfect present? One that won't need to be returned. Last year it was the shirt in the wrong color; the holiday before, there was the book he already owned. But we have a solution: seven easy recipes guaranteed to please even the Scrooge-iest people on your list. "Finding presents for people who have everything can be a real challenge," says Liz Pearson, who developed the festive recipes on the following pages. "So I do food gifts—it's so much easier and less stressful. Everyone eats."
Even the process of shipping breakable, perishable items can be mess-proof if you keep these recommendations in mind: First, let everything cool completely. "Don't jump the gun; that's when things smear and break," Pearson says. Then make sure you have a container that's functional (food-safe and airtight) and nonbreakable. Next, arrange the food snugly inside—cookies packed too loosely are likely to arrive as crumbs—and put the container in a shipping box with plenty of packing material, like Bubble Wrap.
Want one more excuse to clear your countertops and spend a few hours in the kitchen, listening to holiday music? "People remember the gifts you made yourself—and remember you for them," Pearson says. "It's a sure bet."
Even the process of shipping breakable, perishable items can be mess-proof if you keep these recommendations in mind: First, let everything cool completely. "Don't jump the gun; that's when things smear and break," Pearson says. Then make sure you have a container that's functional (food-safe and airtight) and nonbreakable. Next, arrange the food snugly inside—cookies packed too loosely are likely to arrive as crumbs—and put the container in a shipping box with plenty of packing material, like Bubble Wrap.
Want one more excuse to clear your countertops and spend a few hours in the kitchen, listening to holiday music? "People remember the gifts you made yourself—and remember you for them," Pearson says. "It's a sure bet."
From the December 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine