ottawa foodies

I wonder if I'm alone in this....I'm tired of giving out impersonal gifts at Christmas. This year I refuse to buy gift cards, and I'm going to *attempt* to make some gifts. Now, I'm not sure if this is overly ambitious at this point in time, or just plain crazy, but I'm going to give it my best shot. The question is... what to make? Cookies in general don't keep well. I was thinking about making fudge and/or Macarons, but they seem very boring. So my questions are these: as foodies what type of gift would you be happy to receive? Do you make your own Christmas gifts to give out? If so, what do you make? And lastly, is your effort appreciated?

if there is something you make that everyone loves, then go for it. on the otherhand if you are just trying out some new recipes, it can be hit and miss. i have ended up throwing out lots (and lots) of homemade food gifts.

for drinkers, one thing that is usually appreciated is liquor of any kind. i recently saw a recipe for flavouring vodka and putting it in beautiful bottles. that seems like a good gift. or homemade baileys with good coffee beans.

cookies and squares are great hostess gifts. unless you are going somewhere that you know the cook has spent weeks doing lots of christmas cookies (always the case with the women in my family).

flavoured or candied nuts can be good, in a nice tin.

Amusebouche I never actually made gifts because, as hff said, it can be hit and miss. I will however make homemade cookies as hostess gifts but using tried 'n true recipes.

However you could always assemble your own foodie gift bags by theme. If you would like to go with an Italian theme you can include a package of dried pasta, jar of pasta sauce, maybe a jar of artichoke hearts and/or mushrooms. Or you could go with an Asian theme and include Asian noodles (soba, udon, or vermicelli), sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce.

That's pretty much all we give out is food. Gets us out of the overly-commercialized schlock of Giftmas and brings us back to what the season is supposed to be about. My parents always get some of my home canned goods - this year I'll be sending my dad some meat pie filling and some mustard pickles because you cannot have one without the other. My wife always makes huge batches of biscotti to give away. Then there are various jams and pickles. In general people really seem to love it.

I say "go for it"! You are definitely on the right track especially your comment about being tired of giving out impersonal gifts. If there is someone on your list that you cannot figure out a personal gift for, they probably should not be on your list! :-)

BTW, we started doing this about 10 years ago when we made herbed and spiced vinegars and olive oils - they keep awesomely. We made some for ourselves too and just a few months ago finished the last bottle of oil.

Definitely stick with HFFs advice though - this is not the time for trying out new things. Stick with the tried and true.

I give food items at Christmas especially to people who have everything they could possibly want or who are just plain difficult to buy for. This year, I'm giving away gingerbread people (decorated), tapenade (bought at the Signatures craft show), salsa and grape jelly (both made in the early fall). I agree that cookies don't stay fresh that long, so for that reason, I get together with some friends a week before the stuff needs to be sent (out West) and have a bake off. People seem to be appreciative.

I tend not to receive foot items, but wish I did.

This is why I make so many pickles, chutneys etc. My friends look forward to the gift baskets every year. Last year I included plum puddings with Brandy sauce and mince pies as well.

I like to give food gifts in a jar--as others have mentioned make sure you have tried the recipe and like it. I have made spiced nuts, layered bean soups, salad toppings. I usually put the jar in a basket with either a serving bowl (for nuts) or soup bowls/spoons + anything needed to complete the recipe (like a can of tomatoes for the soup). Make sure you include a detailed recipe card if the recipent needs to complete the "gift". For salad toppings, add tongs and a nice vinaigrette, vinegar or seasoned olive oil. It seems everyone likes these usable gifts. I like to take a weekend a few weeks before the holiday season and get it all done, so I can relax closer to the holidays! Also fun to do with a friend. Pickles, preserves, salsa, jams etc. are great if you made them in season. I often include a new pack of dishcloths or a tea towel to line the basket--again, very useable items.

I'm making vanilla extract for friends and family this year. I haven't tried it before, but the recipe is extremely simple and seems foolproof - in general I'd agree that this hectic season is not the time to be trying new recipes.

personally, i have given away all the food gifts in a jar. soup mixes, hot chocolate mixes, chocolate covered spoons (?). so much of it isn't a time saver or something i would make for my self and family anyway. that could just be me though. i have been known to toss out uneaten chocolate truffles too (way too big and way too rich, no one wanted them).

i guess, i'd rather get a bottle of wine, or the vanilla extract sounds good.

Yes, I am going to do this too! I hate giving "stuff". Most people have too many things anyway. Although like miss HFF, I'd rather get a bottle of wine than chocolate covered spoons or cookies...

I've kind of been poking around the internet lately for ideas, there are some good ones here:
www.getrichslowly.org

And I like these and have made them before (fun & easy) - they would be good for a teenager who has a locker at school (or maybe just give her a stack of magazines and a hot glue gun plus the other supplies and tell her to go nuts making them for herself): www.notmartha.org

Pam, thanks so much for those sites...they ROCK! I have one of my own to add. I stumbled across this kick a$$ blog with over a hundred ideas! What's great is that a lot of them I can actually see myself doing as they look so easy. Here it is:100handmadegifts.blogspot.com

I love making foodie gifts, especially for Christmas. Some ppl think its some sort of cop out to give hand made things, but most of my friends appreciate the honest love and hardwork put into my gifts. This year for my co-workers I plan to make a variety of 'allergy-conscious' candies and treats to give out. Many ppl at work have allergies, i.e. lactose intolerant, etc. The latest issue of Canadian Living has a great article about candies and treats for jus those ppl. Also, my family does themed Christmas celebrations, for exmaple celebrating Christmas in another nationality like Mexican, Italian or Ukrainian Christmas - so much fun. This year my boyfriend's family are buying into these crazy traditions, so I am going to make specialized gifts for each of them. We chose to do a southern/Louisiana style Christmas (centered around food obviously), I plant o make a foodie gift that reflects that! :)

I've made bark for gifts. You can use milk, white or dark chocolate, or all three and fruits and/or nut! It's great and not finicky to make. Just make sure you use good chocolate.

I've also made marshmallows. Do this only if you have a stand mixer cuz it mixes for a long time. Package them with a cup and hot chocolate mix, and you've got a gift!