Daily Deals - 11/30/10 Baked goods, A Gift From My Heart

Don't forget to help me fill my virtual Salvation Army kettle!

I remember a time when I felt incredibly cheesy giving baked goods as Christmas gifts.  I felt like my gifts were second rate, because quite frankly they were all I could afford.  However, even after I could afford more expensive gifts, I found that my friends and family looked forward to and even expected the goodies they had come to count on and enjoy every year.  Here are a few pointers on how to make your Christmas goodies the ones people look forward to, rather than the ones ending up in your recipient's garbage can.

1)  Always make homemade.  I think one of the things that sets some food gifts apart from others is the fact that very few people make the time to make things homemade any more.  I don't think there's anything  worse than receiving a plateful of refrigerated or boxed cookies during the holidays.  Especially since we already have way too many sweets around the holidays anyway.  Use real  butter, high quality chocolate and the highest quality nuts you can find. Making things from scratch will ensure that if some of your recipients are health or diet conscious, your gift will be one of the "exceptions" they make this holiday season.

2)  Find recipes worth repeating.  Through the years, I've found recipes worth repeating.  This won't happen overnight.  Think about your family favorites.  Perhaps you make a great banana bread, candied pecans or a particular pie.  Sit down and consider what you've made in the past that got great reviews.  When making a new dessert or goodie for friends and family consider whether this could be a new recipe to add to your Christmas gift list.

3)  Listen to your friends and family.  If you listen, you'll learn all about the likes and dislikes of your world.  Do you have a friend who loves bread? chocolate?  biscotti?  It means a lot to people when they know you remember something they've said.

3)  Find a festive way to display your gift.  During the summer, I always look for baskets at garage sales.  They are usually well under a dollar and are great for displaying cookies or bread.  You can also keep an eye out for tins for cookies or nuts.  Some people give away the ingredients for batter or make jelly or jam.  You can always get jars for a song at garage sales.  Buy a little curling ribbon, or better yet, ribbon from the craft store after the holidays.  Now you have a gift that says, "There's no place like your home for the holidays."  Here's a link to help you decorate the things you're giving...

I've made a decision. Even if I was a billionaire, I would still give certain people baked goods as gifts.  Especially when I'm confident that I've listened to something they've said about a favorite treat they enjoy. By doing this, my gift has gone from "Wow, she made a massive amount of cookies and divided them up amongst all of her friends." to "Wow, she heard me say I like bread and made me my own loaf!"  Can you get much more thoughtful than that?  When you give a gift of homemade foods, you're giving your friends and family something much more valuable than something found in a store.  You're giving them your time.  And  after all, isn't that life's most precious commodity?