Frugal Gourmet Food Gifts

This is a guest post by Mel, the Gift Girl – Enjoy!

With the cost of food rising, even the old idea of giving food for Christmas has made some of us think twice! But there are still plenty of yummy treats that can be made inexpensively and still seem elegant for the holidays. Here are my favorite frugal foods to make and give:

Anything looks gourmet when it is dipped in chocolate! Look around for what you already have – pretzels, animal crackers, small wafer like cookies, marshmallows, coffee beans, nuts – and dip them in chocolate. One bag of chocolate chips (or leftover candy from Halloween) goes a long way.

Wait for the pumpkins to go on sale at the end of fall and then make Pumpkin Butter, a spicy and delicious treat. Once you peel the pumpkin, your work is nearly done. Just put everything in the crockpot and let it cook until done.

There are dozens of ways to flavor popcorn – sweet, salty, savory and more. We have tried Taco Popcorn, Caramel, Honey, Cinnamon Crunch, BBQ, Maple, Parmesan and many more and everyone loves the flavors. You can give
popcorn in paper bags, jars or even make popcorn balls on sticks.

Make homemade coffee or tea syrups like the ones you see in gourmet coffee shops. All you do is combine equal parts sugar and water and boil until it thickens a little. Then add whatever flavorings you want such as vanilla, almond, cherry, cinnamon, etc.

Biscotti is easy to make and there are many variations. This is another food gift that is easy to mix and match with whatever you have around – dried fruit, nuts, candy bits, melted chocolate, etc. It is great to make and freeze. You can decorate wax coated paper bags to give it in or put it in glass jars.

Mel, the Gift Girl shares many more homemade, store bought and experience gift ideas at her website – www.uniqueholidaygiftideas.com