Even in a good economy, home-made gifts are often welcome. When the gift-giving budget is tight, as it is for many this year, it makes sense to consider giving gifts from your kitchen, with one caveat: try to determine if the recipient will throw it away untouched.
Until a year or two ago I assumed everyone enjoys getting gifts from the home and the heart; I certainly do and so do my friends. Then I read a long, galling thread online in which one person after another admitted to tossing out anything given to them from someone else’s kitchen, even when the donor is a good friend — proving “good” is fluidly defined and so is friendship. They were all worried about cleanliness, you see. They weren’t willing to assume or even accept the possibility their friends had the same standards they did. Gah. Granted, the board had more than its share of people I’d never want to know in real life, but reading the thread was an eye-opener.
So if the people you know are nicer than the ones on that board and make the leap of faith to assume you practice basic hygiene, there are a couple options for gift-giving. First of course are cookies or other baked goods. There’s a helpful start-to-finish guide at Start Cooking called 5 Steps to Perfect Home-Made Gifts with some great-looking cookie recipes, including one (Rudolph’s) that’s flourless. NPR has intriguing ideas and recipes for treats such as caramels and preserved lemons, although the latter wouldn’t be ready to use for several weeks. The flavored salt needs no waiting time though and I plan to make that for myself. Since NPR is radio, you can listen to an interview with the article’s author while you’re there.
Always popular are the eye-catching home-made mixes in a jar; entire books are devoted to these and at least one comes with raffia and cloth circles to make them pretty. In addition Ball, the company that makes canning jars, sells a Layered Mix Kit ($10) with two jars and lids, a funnel, a tool to tamp down the ingredients, raffia, fabric circles and recipe cards. I’ve seen them locally but also found them online at canningpantry.com, a company I know nothing about but it looks safe.
As you might imagine, there are countless recipes of this sort online, some by food companies, such as M&M’s recipe for a gift jar mix for its classic cookies. And here’s one from my files for brownies, unusual in that it provides amounts to make a dozen jars. I haven’t tried it but it came from a reliable source. The mix in the photo is one I bought from high school students raising money for a class trip. I’m always a soft touch for things like that. Even if I haven’t inspected their kitchens.
Sand Art Brownies by the Dozen
Shopping list
12 quart-size canning jars with lids and rings
12 ounces cocoa
42 ounces chocolate chips
42 ounces vanilla chips
32 ounces chopped walnuts
50 ounces light brown sugar
5 pounds all-purpose flour
5 pounds granulated sugar
Layer in each quart jar in the order given, leveling the ingredients as you layer:
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup + 2 TB all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Make sure the jar is full to the top. Cover the lid with a 7 1/2-inch circle of fabric tied with ribbon or raffia. Finish with a tag that includes liquid ingredients and baking instructions as follows:
To Prepare Your Sand Art Brownies: In a large mixing bowl, combine the contents of the jar with 3 well-beaten eggs, 2/3 cup vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
Pour batter into a well-greased 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan and bake in a pre-heated 350-F degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool, cut and enjoy!
Copyright (C) 2008 From Scratch All Rights Reserved 
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, this post is eye-opening! I never suspected that people would throw out their friends’ home made baked goods because of fears like that. I would think (just my opinion) that most home baked items are as “clean” as those in many restaurants and sandwich shops, if not more so. And to think I like to give consumables, because they are gentle on our earth and economy. —Not so, if someone is going to pitch it right into the landfill, though.
That sand art brownie jar is brilliant!
Still, you’ve given us some wonderful suggestions, here, and I’m most appreciative. I enjoy putting together my own gift baskets. At times, I have a quirky notion of item-combination.
MusEditions’s last blog post..Here’s to ?H??a meme!
Muse, I was just as disheartened and you’re absolutely right about most home kitchens being as clean and often cleaner than professional kitchens. I think what bothered me most, well 2 things. One was the smugness, even sometimes glee, in announcing they throw things away if they’re not from their own kitchens. As I recall, one or two had psychological issues and never eat out, but the rest were just downright repugnant.
The other was the deeper issue of honesty and friendship. Why even accept the gift if you know you’re going to look for the nearest trash can? Certainly I wouldn’t want any of them to be so blunt as to hurt the donors’ feelings (but they’re mostly “mean girls” and just might) but there is a whole area in the white lie department with countless ways to beg off with tact and diplomacy, while ensuring someone else would enjoy the goodies.
No surprise I gave up on that board long ago. It’s Darwin’s Waiting Room.
I’m sure your gift baskets will be creative, gorgeous and much-appreciated. Quirky is good; one person’s quirky is another person’s inspired. Yours will be inspired.