Sunday, December 13, 2009

Gift Basket Fun

I’ve often made gift baskets on the theme of the Indian cooking hobby I enjoy. I’ve called them Beginner’s Indian Cooking Baskets. They’ve been exceptionally popular at fundraising auctions to which I’ve donated them, always garnering the top suggested bid. They’ve included basic spices, the small recipe book that I’ve created with my friends, a larger, commercially published Indian cookbook, and varying other basics and items necessary for making some of the recipes in the book and “garnished with fresh cilantro” and a bag of fresh Nan bread.

I was reading online about creating gift baskets and came across a gal wanting ideas for creating gift baskets for family members on her list. The idea of a Generational Gift Basket occurred to me as a fun idea.

You could include:
A taste of things that were old family favorites.
· A favorite family snack wrapped in a cellophane bag with ribbon (Nut’s and Bolts, a savory snack, was always served at my family’s parties. Cellophane bags can be had at craft stores.)
· A special unusual treat enjoyed by older family members. (My grandma loved gooseberry jam; some gourmet food shops have small “taster” jars.)
· An unusual family favorite sweet treat (Divinity, an older candy, was always made by my Mom and Grandma at holiday time.)
· An unusual item that had appeared at family meals. (My family’s big gathering always featured Jell-O with small marshmallows. A box of Jell-O and the marshmallows would be fun.)
· Huckleberries played a special role in my family. Maybe something Huckleberry, a candle or food or candy item.
· A cellophane bag tied with a ribbon filled with some cookies made from a favorite family recipe. (In my family it would be my Dad’s Mom’s Oatmeal Cookies, in my husband’s family it would be his Mom’s Mint Hideaways.)

A few or more family recipes hand written, typed or photocopied a into a little booklet or hole-punched and tied with ribbon or put in a cute recipe box. (I photocopied the actual pages of a “steno notebook” that was filled with family recipes and had the copy center "bind" them with plastic binding.)

A special photo/s of older family members (the recipient may not have) in frames. (Nice frames can be bought inexpensively throughout the year at yard and estate sales).

A membership to Ancestory.com.

A book to write in "family tree" info.

Please share any ideas you may have, I’d love to hear them.