Christmas Hampers.. - Page 3 - Clubhouse

SuperCaz

27/10/2011 at 10:13

Lol, GFB. I had to laugh at the look on the cashiers face when I bought the ingredients for my 4 tier chocolate wedding cake. Something like 5kg of chocolate, 6 packs of butter, 2kg of ground almonds and a loaf of bread. I also ahd a couple of normal things I needed anyway, so she must have wondered what I was going to do with the broccoli!

EdnaModes

27/10/2011 at 10:25

GFB - make sure it's 40% gin or there's a chance it won't work properly and the sloes will ferment rather than be preserved.

We took the wild cherries out of our cherry brandy yesterday. Gosh, they're nice. I'm thinking of using some for chocolates and the rest into a fruity triffle, as suggested by someone on here. I'll have to freeze them tho, I think, as I can't see me eating a triffle before now and Chrisstmas.

Nessie

27/10/2011 at 12:01

gingerfurball wrote (see)

I saw a really good idea for making lollipops for the kids....make rice krispie squares and cut out shapes (small stars or hearts etc) insert lolli stick and coat the shapes in melted chocolate, let cool and then package.

Ooooh, I can think of someone small in my household who would love those..................

Red Squirrel.

27/10/2011 at 13:31

In the past I've made hampers on a theme, eg:

Chinese
Chopsticks
Small rice bowls
Dried Chinese mushrooms
Soya sauce
Rice wine
Peanut oil
Recipes written on small pieces of paper then rolled up
Etc

Indian
Whole & ground spices
Asafoetida
Ghee
Lentils
Recipes as above
Etc

I've done the same for Spanish, Mexican and Thai.

by 'eck, it's hilly

27/10/2011 at 13:46

Treacle toffee, parkin, lavender bags always go down well with my family. Oh, and elderberry and Apple jelly

sarah the bookworm

27/10/2011 at 14:16

Try and keep scented things like lavender bags away from foodie things. I've had some bad experiences with smells permeating edible goodies and making them not quite so edible

sarah the bookworm

27/10/2011 at 14:28

How about some stollen? I've made mini stollen (two-bite sized) before, and they went down really well. I love homemade truffles as well - if you make up a batch of a truffle mix, you can split it into different batches and add all sorts of flavours. Baileys is one of my favourites (has anyone tried the new biscotti flavour?), but rum, whisky, tia maria, cointreau and other alcohols are good. So are spices like cardamon, cinnamon, ginger and chili.

Another idea - spiced nuts. Coat some mixed nuts in melted butter (a couple of tablespoons is usually enough), then roast until toasted (20-30 mins, stirring occasionally). Sprinkle over a mix of spices/herbs of your choice and stir to coat. Garlic salt is nice, so is cayenne pepper, smoked paprika... you can be as imaginative as you like really. You can also add soy sauce, Worcester sauce, Henderson's relish, etc. at the same stage as mixing the butter with the nuts for extra flavour. Once the nuts have cooled, put them in a nice jar and you've got a lovely savoury snack.

Womble

27/10/2011 at 18:18

Not that I have a vested interest in this or anything but just tell them you've made a donation to charity on their behalf. And do it, of course. Saves all the shopping, wrapping etc and everyone can share the 'feel good' factor. In fact, go one step further and volunteer somewhere over Christmas (it's a great way of avoiding the relatives).

Wilkie

02/11/2011 at 16:01

That would be one to do to someone you don't like, but feel you HAVE to get a present for!

I'm having a jolly time imagining the look on some people's faces

Edited: 02/11/2011 at 16:01

mrs. hog - mousey

02/11/2011 at 16:18

Womble wrote (see)

Not that I have a vested interest in this or anything but just tell them you've made a donation to charity on their behalf. And do it, of course. Saves all the shopping, wrapping etc and everyone can share the 'feel good' factor. In fact, go one step further and volunteer somewhere over Christmas (it's a great way of avoiding the relatives).

We do that in our family as a matter of course. My fathers wife family started it as they are devout catholic and couldn't see the point in buying each other presents. (They use Cathaid or somemething).

Edited: 02/11/2011 at 16:19

Ultra Sparkly Bridget

02/11/2011 at 18:31

CAFOD

We did something via Oxfam for my parents last year. I did think about it for the MiL the next year as she is a stalwart member of the CofE but OH didn't think she'd like it

Womble

02/11/2011 at 23:47

Oh ok, here's my link.

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