Here's the recipe for one of the Gift Mix jars I will be giving for Christmas. I saw many soups, drinks, and cookie mixes at a Gift Show a week or so ago. They took canning jars, covered the tops with fabric edged with pinking shears and tied with a ribbon. They looked lovely and were selling for $8 - 10 a jar. Anybody else have mix recipes?
Mix drink mix, sugar and spices. Label and store in tightly covered container at room temperature, no longer than 6 months.
To serve: For each serving mix 3 teaspoons spiced tea mix and 1 cup boiling water in mix until mix is dissolved. Garnish each with a twist of lemon or orange peel and a cinnamon stick if desired.
I got most of these off the internet last year. I have listed where/who I got them if I knew.
Sand Art Brownies
This is a recipe for brownies to give as a Christmas gift....or whenever. Mix ingredients in a wide mouth quart size jar, just like sand art that kids make today.
Add to wide mouth quart jar in this order:
3/4 tsp. salt 1/2 + 1/8 cup flour 1/3 cup cocoa 1/2 cup flour 2/3 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup Choc. Chips 1/2 cup Vanilla Chips 1/2 cup nuts
This should pack nicely into jar.
Include a decorative tag with instructions for making the brownies:
Combine contents of jar with:
1tsp vanilla 2/3 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs
Pour into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 27-32 minutes
........Enjoy!!!!!!
Spiced Tea
This mix makes a great gift for neighbors, the elderly, school teachers, etc.
Mix all ingredients together well. Put in a sealed container until ready to assemble the gift.
To make individual gift packets: you can put into a small plastic bag, then insert into a small muslin bag, tie with a pretty piece of Christmas fabric. With each gift make sure you add a note that states: One tablespoon + one teaspoon per cup of hot water. I also look for pretty cups and saucers, at garage sales, flea markets, etc and then you can package with the ingredients.
Hot Chocolate Mix
This mix makes a great gift for neighbors, the elderly, school teachers, etc.
3 cups powered Sugar 8 ozs. non-fat dry milk 1 16oz. Instant Chocolate Milk (I use Nestle's) 1 6oz Creamora ( or any non-dairy creamer)
Mix ingredients well and store in air tight container until you're ready to make the individual gift packages.
With each gift add a tag that says: 3 tablespoons per cup of hot water.
This is wonderful hot chocolate, we get raves from it every year from grand-children. They seem to think this is the Best!
Gourmet Vanilla Sugar
For those who like a little gourmet, but can't afford it, place a dry clean vanilla bean in a mason jar. Cover with sugar. In a few weeks, the sugar will be flavored vanilla.
Note* the bean can be used for years be sure the receiver of this gift understands all they need to do is refill the sugar and shake occasionally for a few weeks. Homeschool Mom in Florida
Magic Christmas Dust
You'll need Some dry oatmeal Some glitter Small baggies Paper Tape
In each baggie put a couple of tablespoons of oatmeal and a couple of pinches of glitter. Seal up the baggie. (I admit, the expensive Ziploc baggies, in that smallest size, work beautifully, but you could use other sandwich bags if you tie TIGHTLY with a ribbon.)
On small slips of paper, print (type or handwritten) the following message
"On Christmas Eve sprinkle magical dust on your lawn. The glitter will sparkle in the moonlight and help Santa find your house. The smell of the oats will guide the Reindeer!"
Either tape the message to the baggie or attach with a ribbon. You could actually put the paper inside the baggie if there's not too much oatmeal in the way to read it! You can make several at a time just line up your baggies and go down the row with your ingredients. This is a great item to put inside of a Christmas card-makes it a little bit more special and memorable. -- Berta D
Snowman Poop
As a gag gift, add miniature marshmallows to small snack-size ziploc bags and attach this note:
"You've been naughty and here's the scoop, all you get for Christmas is snowman poop!"
I won't take credit for the poem, but I don't know who originated it. I used Christmas stationery (bought half-price after Christmas at Wal-Mart) to print my poem on, inserting in plain white envelopes. Decorate the envelopes with felt-tip pens, or use rubber stamps or stickers. (I actually did mine on the computer since I had several kids to do.)
Homemade Bath Salts
I picked this up during my semester of student teaching. The teacher I was with helped her class make bath salts for their mothers/grandmothers for Christmas. She gave each student a baggie, about 2 cups of epsom salt, a drop or two of potpourri oil, and a drop of food coloring. The student squished and mixed up the contents of the bag for a minute or two, then she tied the baggies off with a scrap of pretty ribbon and presto! A pretty gift of bath salts! My own children are making them this year at home for their grandmothers and teachers, and we found beautifully colored, unusually shaped glass containers with corks for under a dollar each. And they're so proud of their work!
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