Homemade holiday
Appealing gifts that are edible, drinkable and easy to make
Whether it's the grim economy or merely the vagaries of fashion, handmade gifts are trendy this season.
In a recent poll conducted by Michaels Stores Inc., 58 percent of more than 1,000 respondents said they'd be more likely to craft their own holiday gifts this year than last.
(AP)
It's said that food gifts are best because they're one-size-fits-all and always the right color.
Whoever said that doesn't know my friends and family.
Before you go all out making homemade food gifts for your loved ones, make sure that nobody has gone on the Atkins diet, given up white sugar or become salt-free.
Do not give a home-smoked turkey to your newly vegetarian nephew.
Find out whether anyone recently has started keeping kosher before handing over that ham, and rethink the chocolate-coated coffee beans for the Mormon uncle and the bourbon balls for the pal who's just embraced Allah.
It's also best to avoid items that need immediate consumption. People have so much food around at the holidays, they'll better appreciate gifts that can wait a few days. If giving homemade mixes that require more complicated preparation than adding water, make sure the intended recipients actually cook. I once found a large jar of bean-soup mix being used as a doorstop. At least they got some use out of it.
Leah A. Zeldes
Food-gift orders are up, too, according to Larry Wagener, president of Entrees to Excellence Inc., a food-and-wine gift company in far southwest suburban Shorewood, where gourmet orders are up 19 percent from last year.
"Electronic items and trinkets don't seem to be as meaningful this season as food," Wagener says. "Americans need comfort these days, and food equates to comfort."
Market research firm NPD Group reports that more than half of all holiday gift givers say they're giving food, most frequently candies and cookies.
Of course, even with food gifts, there are fashions. Cookies will never go out of style -- they are the No. 1 snack eaten during the holidays, according to NPD -- yet fruitcakes and plum puddings, staples of the Dickensian era, have long since fallen out of favor.
Twenty or 30 years ago, cakes baked in jars were a fixture under many Christmas trees, while more recently, jars full of layered mixes and flavored vinegars and oils were big.
There's still time to make unique holiday food gifts. Personalized baskets of prepared foods are fast and easy to put together. You also can make some quick-to-fix homemade items and package them creatively, or mix homemade and store-bought items. Here are a few ideas.
"Be specific in your gift-basket offerings, so that the intention of use is clear," says Steve McDonagh of Chicago's Hearty Boys Catering. "Adding sweets, wine openers, coasters, after-dinner liquors, etc. make the basket a bit of a jumble sale."
Liz Sarnik, executive assistant at Lincolnwood-based caterers Food For Thought Enterprises, which makes hundreds of gift baskets each year, suggests selecting a theme.
You might pick an ethnic concept like Italian or Mexican, or choose a particular flavor. For example, Waukegan's Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has a new cookbook, A Century of Flavor, with loads of ideas for vanilla-flavored gifts, from vanilla caramel corn crunch to vanilla maple syrup.
One year, the Food For Thought theme was "Winter White." Baskets included a white porcelain mortar and pestle, white peppercorns, sea salt, white-truffle flour, garlic and homemade marshmallows.
Beverages are popular gifts. Fernando Beteta, sommelier of NoMI in the Park Hyatt hotel, makes gluhwein, spiced mulled wine, which he calls "CRUsmas Wine."
Jennifer Bingham, wine director at Eno at the InterContinental Chicago, suggests a novel use for mini-liquor bottles (airplane size, available at large liquor stores) or splits of wine or champagne: Turn them into ornaments by using recycled newspaper, wrapping paper, and/or other decorating materials to spruce them up. A set of these also would make a nice gift, perhaps piled into a cocktail glass or shaker.
Melissa Joy Dobbins, a registered dietitian with the Midwest Dairy Council, likes to give "Latte Lovers" gift packs -- flavored syrups paired with a milk frother. She also packs up the ingredients for spiced hot chocolate. Wilton Enterprises in Woodridge makes that even easier with a recipe including dry milk, so the recipient need only add water.
"Finding the right packaging is as creatively challenging as coming up with the gift itself," says Sarnik, a fan of clear cello wrap tied with ribbon.
Crafts stores are good sources for cheap baskets.
"Use excelsior or shredded colored paper [found at party and art stores] for the bed of your basket," McDonagh says.
For "green" -- and economical -- basket filler, reuse wrapping paper from gifts sent to you, or shred old newspapers and magazines. You can also pop corn for basket filler.
Clear-glass jars make good containers for gifts like granola, flavored nuts and other small items. You can usually find inexpensive wide-mouthed canning jars at hardware stores.
If you want to reuse glass jars from commercial products, circles of self-stick paper or wrapping paper applied with rubber cement will cover up the brand names. In a pinch, wrap the lid in aluminum foil, shiny side out.
For baked goods, "Line a craft/paper box with wax paper so the butter from the cookies doesn't leak through and stain the boxes," Sarnik says.
Date your gift and mark it with storage guidelines and any preparation instructions. It's nice to include the recipe, too, or at least an ingredients list.
Leah A. Zeldes is a local free-lance writer.