According to the old Pillsbury advertisement, “nothing says lovin’ like something from the oven.”  People always appreciate homemade food gifts; particularly they are too busy to create a kitchen masterpiece.  If you have a specialty item you love to make and know others love to eat, you automatically have your gift item selected.

If you decide to give a homemade food item, consider the diet restrictions of the individual first before you begin your efforts.

Of course, not all specialty items store easily, so again there may be a conundrum about the type of food item to give.  DIY food gifts cover many different categories.  If you decide to give a homemade food item, consider the diet restrictions of the individual first before you begin your efforts.  While a chocolate forest cake might be delicious, it also is not for the diabetic.

Homemade Food Gifts for the Gourmet
Make your own gourmet coffee and hot chocolate mix.  All you need for the coffee mix are a few ingredients, a blender or coffee mill and a bag of high quality coffee beans.  If you want some yummy chocolate almond coffee is some nutmeg, chocolate flavoring, almond flavoring and of course, some of Columbia’s best.  You can add mint, vanilla or any flavor you choose.  Once you grind the beans and add the flavoring, you need to store your elixir mix in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.

Herbs are wonderful additions to create gourmet flair.

Herbs are wonderful additions to create gourmet flair.  Homemade food gifts might be herbal butter, herbal vinegar, or even herbal oils.  Be careful if you give herbal oils, since they do not keep as well as many people believe.  Add herbs to salt and pepper for another special DIY food gift.  These homemade items are particularly good for those of you on a budget, especially if you grow the herbs.  A collection of home dried or frozen herbs or homegrown food from the garden, like tomatoes, is a delight for most recipients, particularly the city slicker with no land to spare for vegetables or herbs.  Homemade food gifts of the gourmet variety also include specialty spices such as Jamaican Jerked Spice seasoning in a festive container.

Sweet Treats are Homemade Food Gifts Everyone Loves
If the recipient uses the homemade food gift right away, consider homemade cream pies, éclairs, petit fours, Napoleons and Josephine’s.  For DIY food gifts that last a little longer, you’ll find homemade ice cream a delight, particularly when eaten on a hot summer night or around a crackling fire in the coziness of the house.  Jams and Jellies are also sweet treats that last a lot longer.  Consider making unique flavor combinations.  Mix fruit from your area or look to your garden for ideas.  Prickly pear cactus is more than just a unique plant with a beautiful bright yellow flower.  It is the main ingredient for prickly pear cactus jelly.  Other sweet treats of homemade food gifts include ethnic specialties.  East European kieflies keep well in the freezer and are delectable treats no matter what time of year you eat them.

Do you love to make soup, pasta sauce, or meatloaf?

Easy Meals are Homemade Food Gifts
Do you love to make soup, pasta sauce, or meatloaf?  Why not consider making meal platters or single serving sizes for the freezer.  When you make your next batch of soup, put away a few individual containers as a gift idea.  You will build quite a collection in your freezer, but do not forget to label and date each container.  Use the inexpensive disposable plastic serving size containers that seal for the extra soups.  These DIY food gifts are great for the frantic family that eats at all different times, the single individual that works long hours or the senior citizen who does not always feel like making a meal.  Individual meals, similar to TV dinners but homemade, include meatloaf, spaghetti, ham and beans or even homemade fried chicken.

Special Diets Require Special Homemade Food Gifts
If your recipient has diet restrictions, this might be the best time for a DIY food gift.  Gluten intolerant or lactose intolerant people have a difficult time finding foods quick to prepare that fit their special diet.  It might take a little research to find great recipes for meals to store and freeze but it’s worth the effort when you find how much your gift means to them.

If your recipient has diet restrictions, this might be the best time for a DIY food gift.

Heart smart food and specialty food for diabetics also receives a warm welcome from those that require that type of fare.  If you want ideas for these foods, go online and find recipes.  Even frozen berries make a great gift for almost every pallet and fit into the diet requirements of many specialty diets.

Homemade Food Gifts Not From Your Kitchen
If you find that your schedule is more hectic than the recipients are, look for homemade food gifts online.  No one says you have to make the food yourself.  You will find many unique ideas once you begin to look.

Tags: food, homemade