Homemade Food Gifts for the Holidays

HOLIDAY FOOD GIFTS ARE FUN TO GIVE
AND TO GET — AND ONE SIZE FITS ALL!

Armed with a few ideas for quasi-homemade presents, along with plenty of cellophane wrap, transparent tape, and ribbon, who needs elves, anyway? These holiday gifts can be assembled in a snap.

Grill In The Chill: A Grilling Wok & Sauces
Show me a household that grills all winter long and I’ll show you a home with nifty grilling tools. A grill wok looks like a square cake pan with holes, like a colander. That is precisely how the wok prevents bite-size foods such as shrimp, scallops and sliced veggies from fatally falling through the cracks of the grill, while at the same time barbecuing your dinner to a delicious perfection. The grill wok can be purchased in many houseware stores, online at The Barbecue Store . For a spicy touch, fill the wok with a few bottles of your favorite barbecue sauces and marinades. Wrap it in colored cellophane, tied with a holiday ribbon. Your grill-loving relatives will be in grill wok heaven.

Inspector Gadget: A Kitchen Mitt Filled With
Cool Tools

The only thing better than one big holiday present is a lot of little ones. For the weekend chefs on your gift list, purchase two large kitchen mits and fill each with oodles of individually-wrapped kitchen gadgets. A citrus peeler, strawberry huller, cherry pitter, and microplane grader are just a taste of the cool culinary toys you can add. The gadgets can be purchased at any kitchen gadget store or at Kitchen Etc.

A Bit Of Bubbly: Champagne-Flavored Delights
At a loss for what to get the boss? For a sparkling gift idea, purchase a classic champagne bucket. It can be a funky plastic one found at a liquor store or the upscale variety available where fine goods are sold. Fill the cooler with a bucket full of champagne-flavored goodies such as: Maine Maple Champagne Mustard, Raspberry Peach Champagne Jam, Champagne Shallot Walnut Dressing, and Champagne Shallot Mustard – all available at Stonewall Kitchen . Individually wrap each item in colorful tissue paper and then encase the bucket of champagne delights in colored cellophane wrap. Tie a ribbon and party noise-maker on top for festive fun. Who said champagne is only for New Year’s Eve?

Give A Pizza Party: A Homemade Pizza Making Kit
For your Uncle Vito, who loves pizza, nothing less than a authentic pizza stone will do. Uncle Vito (or yourself, for that matter) hasn’t lived until he has enjoyed a homemade pizza baked on a pizza stone in the warm, cozy comforts of his own oven. You can find it in the housewares section of most retail stores, or you can order it online from Target. A pizza stone will quick-cook your pizza crust just like the way the pros do it at the local pizzeria. To top it off, stack a package of pizza dough mix, a jar of pizza sauce, and a pizza cutter on top of the stone. (PS: To make life easy, you can buy all of this at The White Whale.) Tie up this pizza tower with a red ribbon and dangle a cheese grater from the bow. Who knows? In no time at all, Uncle Vito may be making deliveries.

Wake Up Call: A Basket of Gourmet Teas and Coffees
The only incentive for getting out of bed on cold winter mornings is a piping hot mug of tea or coffee. Be generous this year and give your friends both. In a wicker basket, place four holiday mugs, individually wrapped in a festive-colored linen napkin. Between the mugs, stash a variety of regular and decaffeinated teas such as Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast and Earl Grey, which are available online at Stash Teas at or (800) 826-4218. For some luxurious flavored coffees, try Rain Forest Nut, Spicy Eggnog, and Mocha Nut Fudge, all available at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters