Holiday Gift Baskets

[landofoz]

To help conserve funds at the family Christmas get-together, I'm making up baskets for everyone.  Each basket has a cookie mix in a quart mason jar plus a lot of the goodies that we used to have when we were little: snowballs, grandpa's fudge (it's the best), maybe great-grandma's cinnamon rolls, plus what everyone considers my best attribute: chocolate covered cherries, chocolate covered cookie dough truffles, and puppy chow.  Each person gets a different type of cookie mix based on what I remember to be their favorite childhood cookies.  I even bought some bright red fabric with white dots and a 1.5 inch wide wired ribbon that matches perfectly.  The fabric I cut into circles and tied around the top of the jars with white thread and threaded the instructions through that.  I will get some cellophane to wrap around the entire goodie-filled basket and use the matching ribbon to tie at the top to keep the package closed.  I bought a bag of "coal" (really bubble gum) for my sis who is always in trouble and a pen shaped like a needle (with red ink instead of blood) for my SIL who is a vampire aka phlebotomist.  And I plan on picking up something small for the rest of my family and tying it to the top of the basket with the ribbon.

My mother-in-law doesn't like sweets so I'm trying to think of what to make for her.  I was thinking a blueberry muffin mix but I don't know what else to make for her.  I'd love to hear your suggestions and recipes! 

[Wrennie]

Does she drink tea or coffe? a variety of tea flavors with a pretty tea cup.  Or if she doesnt like 'flavored' then regular tea.(or coffee)

[Triss]

Or flavored coffee creamers?  We put those in our baskets last year.

Your baskets sound awesome!!!

[landofoz]

I'm trying to remember what she drinks.  It's kinda hard because I only knew her when she was with Bill (her then husband of like 20 years) and I don't know what she liked and what she fixed because he liked it. 

Tea and coffee are a great idea.  I do know that sweets and dairy don't agree with her, do creamers come in non-dairy?

[Triss]

Yes, you can get the non dairy dry creamer and add things to it.  We did things like chocolate and cinnamon.  They were a big hit.

[Penny]

Or if she likes the different Hot Chocolates, you could add the flavoured ones, like Turtles Ice Cream.....have them here.

[Tina]

Crackers and dip mixes.  Canned things like smoked oysters or summer sausage.

[Wrennie]

I didnt even think if that Tina! I have given those hickory farms cheese, crackers & sausage sets. You could do your own version of that.

[Tina]

The summer sausages are a family favorite here. I like that they don't need refrigeration.

[patches]

Sarah, different kinds of fruits, cheeses, sausages and crackers are always good idea!!!   

[Penny]

More great ideas for you Sarah, this sounds like the Hickory Farms basket i buy my MIL every year for Christmas.

[landofoz]

I know that she loves chips and crackers aren't that far from chips, right?  Maybe I'll put in some "fancy" crackers and some dip mixes.  And I can put in a jar of my sweet pickles and one of the blueberry syrup I made this summer.  Of course, I'd need to make up a pancake mix if I'm sending syrup...  Coffee/hot coco mixes would work well with a breakfast theme, also.  Hmmmmm...

I was thinking of maybe putting in a bread mix (in a gallon baggie) but I don't think she could knead it, she's been crafty her whole life and I think her wrists bother her.

[patches]

Sarah, they have some great and different blends of teas out now too, and some shortbread cookies would go great with this, since they're not very sweet. 

[duh]

Hickory Farms has changed their summer sausage recipe and the summer sausages from them now are sweet tasting.  I don't like the new recipe at all.  I used to adore the old recipe.

If you do a breakfast theme you may want to add in some preserves and chutneys.  That is assuming that jams and jellies would be to sweet to be to her liking.

This has been a great string for getting ideas.

[landofoz]

I have some jars of jam that I made this year: strawberry, peach, blueberry, and I'm thinking something else but I don't remember.  A few of them are even in nice looking jars, too.  How convenient is that? 

I really love all the ideas too.  Y'all are so helpful!

And if we planned a visit to MIL, instead of just waiting for her to come here, then I could make her a fresh loaf of bread.

[duh]

Or I found my bread maker at the thrift shop for 5.00 maybe you could get her one of her own.  Then she wouldn't have to worry about her wrist and still have fresh bread whenever she wanted it.

[landofoz]

That is another good idea, duh!  She'd love her own breadmaker.  I'll have to keep an eye out for one.

I went to the library yesterday and am looking at the books they had on mixes.  Most of them are beverages, so I'm thinking she may get some coco mixes.  Adam can't seem to remember what his own mother liked.  He lived with the woman for 18 years, how can he not know?? 

[duh]

It's male syndrome.  There is no known cure.  Of course Administrators don't get this disease. 



(hehehehe)

[patches]

This has been a great string for getting ideas. 

I agree, Duh, it's got me thinking about doing something like that, but I don't have any wonderful homemade jams like Sarah does to put in one. 

Sarah, I'm starting to wonder just how big this basket is that you're going to use.    It seems you have enough good ideas to make several baskets or one giant one!   

It's male syndrome.  There is no known cure.  Of course Administrators don't get this disease.   

Boy, Duh, you really sure squeaked your way out of that one, didn't you?   

[landofoz]

It's male syndrome.  There is no known cure.  Of course Administrators don't get this disease.  (hehehehe)

  Too true, Duh, too true. 

Patches, I'm don't think this is going to be a huge basket.  Just a medium one with several different options, in case I put in something that she doesn't like. 

Hubs said that he thinks that she may like coco, so I will be definitely be doing some of that.  Definitely the blueberry muffin mix (if I can find dried blueberries around here), jam, and sweet pickles.  I remember that she loved my pickles last year. 

[MassMama]

How about some of the Jars with the dry ..soup brownie cookie ect .. mixes in them with an instruction book on how to make it?

[duh]

squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak hehehehehe lol.  Where's the mouse gremlin?

[landofoz]

She won't eat brownies or cookies and her beloved son can't seem to remember if she likes soups or what kind she likes.  I am including a homemade blueberry muffin mix with instructions.