Food Gifts Galore!

It’s that time of the year when you search for that perfect gift to give.  Are you looking for something for those who have everything or that special teacher or caregiver that really made a difference?  Why not give a food gift that you made?  People love to get food and they love to get homemade gifts.

One gift we’re making this year is my Amazing Toasted Mixed Nuts.   There will be others but I can’t let all of my surprises out of the bag.  I wanted to give you many ideas so I sent out a request to fellow bloggers for their ideas for this season’s best food gifts.  They answered back excited and full of wonderful ideas.  Please check out their ideas and their blogs.  They are all top notch.

jamies-cashew-brittle-027
Gluten Free Gifts from:

Jamie- Gluten Free Mom
Gluten and Casein Free Cashew Brittle

Stephanie The Crockpot Lady – A Year of Crockpotting
Apple Butter and Rocky Road Candy

Erin – $5 Dinner Mom
Gluten Free Chocolate Mug Cake

Melissa –  Gluten Free For Good
Mile High Gluten Free Granola

These blogs are not gluten free but if you use gluten free ingredients your gifts will be too.

Rachel – Coconut & Lime
4 different Flavored Nuts

Kalyn- Kalyn’s Kitchen
3 different Spice gifts

Michelle – What’s Cooking
Chili Kit Kids can make

There are so many great ideas here that I could break this up into 7 different posts but I wouldn’t want you to have to find them all.  So here they are all on one post.

Jamie writes about being a gluten free mom.  You can find lots of great recipes, info on gluten free products, news stories and links to lots of great items to support living gluten free.  She shared with us her recipe for Gluten Free & Casein Free Cashew Brittle.  She reports this is a family favorite to make and give.  It looks delicious.

Stephanie O’Dea posts a new recipe using her crock-pot everyday.  They are easy to follow, pictures of ingredients and she always shares the outcome no matter what it is.  You may recognize her from a July episode of the Rachael Ray Show.  Here are her recipes using the crock-pot of course for apple butter and rocky road candy.  According to Stephanie a crock-pot is always good gift.  I couldn’t agree more.  Thanks to Steph I’ve started using mine a lot more with tasty results.  I’ve even asked for a smaller one on my wish list this year. 

chocolate-gifts

Erin keeps us fed and on budget.  She writes $5 Dinner Mom and can get more food from that $5.  She loves to cook and save money. She is a self proclaimed nutrition nut who keeps out high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, dyes and preservatives.  Yeah Erin!  Here is her recipe for Gluten Free Chocolate Mug Cake.  My oldest has already made this at college and he raved about it.

GF Chocolate Mug Cake
4 T brown rice flour
4 T white sugar
2 T cocoa
Pinch of baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
3 T rice milk
3 T canola oil
1/4 cup GF mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Mix well.
Pour into greased TALL coffee mug.
Microwave for 3 minutes on high.
(This recipe is gluten free, casein free and soy free.)

Erin suggests a gift idea:  Give large coffee mug with baggie filled with dry ingredients.  Include recipe card.  Include favorite GF hot cocoa if you like.
She writes, “Seriously, the rice flour made it taste better than when made with flour.  This would be great and easy to make for a family or kid who is GF and needs a quick snack/cake to take to a birthday party.  I always struggle with that…not anymore!”

Melissa is a Nutrition Therapist and Exercise Physiologist who happens to have celiac disease. Her blog is dedicated to healthy, wholesome, gluten-free living. Melissa’s Mile High Gluten-Free Granola sounds amazing.   I’m hoping I have those ingredients on hand so I can gift myself.  This will definitely get onto my food travel list.   melissas-granola

Melissa writes, “This granola is a great gift delivered in a glass canning jar tied up with a big red bow and the recipe attached. It’s also a good “launching pad” for making trail mix, energy bars, or tweaking the recipe depending on the ingredients you have on hand. Eliminate things, add things, change things around — be creative. Happy healthy holidays!”

Rachel Rappaporthas been food blogging since 2004 and features only 100% original recipes.  She has created so many wonderful recipes.   If you like what you see you can purchase her recipes in a Tastebook titled Recipes from Coconut & Lime.  Tastebooks make great gifts too.  You can personalize them to the recipient.    Rachel shares 4 different recipes for flavored nuts.

Balsamic Glazed Almonds coconut-lime-tastebook

Cardamon Honey Roasted Peanuts

Indian Spiced Nuts with Toasted Coconut

Sweet & Spicy Peanuts

Kalyn Denny lost 42 pounds and became a blogger.  On her blog you can find information about the South Beach diet she followed, lots of recipes and how she grows her herbs and veggies.  Her blog is full of great links to tons of other food bloggers.  She has very specific requirements a blog must meet in order to be listed in her site so you know you’re going to get a good link.  Here are her gift suggestions of Rosemary Salt, Kalyn’s Herb Blend and Roast Chicken Seasoning Rub.  I like the gift of a good meal to come thanks to great seasonings.

Michelle owns What’s Cooking, a certified green company that offers healthy and seasonal cooking classesto children in the San Francisco Bay Area.  On her blog, she is currently working on a series of articles about how families/schools/companies are using food and cooking as a way of helping others.  The articles are on her blog in the category “Recipe for Action” – you can see the first one and a few other ideas here.

She taped a tv segment with her kids on holiday gifts from the kitchen.  The chili recipe was from The Pampered Chef – and makes for a healthy and beautiful presentation.  Please feel free to watch the segment hereHoliday Gifts from the Kitchen from Michelle and What’s Cooking.

Wow! Those are great gifts to give and receive.  Get out your shopping list and write down the ingredients needed so you can get going.  If you have food gift ideas please share them by leaving a comment.  Before you leave please give this post a star rating below.  5 is for excellent and 1 is for bad.  Hope it’s a 5 for you.

Happy gift giving!

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