Easy food gifts for neighbors

[faster]

I live in Mexico, and living alone. I'm new in this neighborhood, and want to make a food gift to hand out to the people who live near me for Christmas. There's only one problem. I'm severely disabled. I have to do my cooking in 5 minute stages, because the minute I get up the pain starts, and keeps getting worse till I would fall down if a chair isn't nearby. I have a tall chair in my kitchen, and that helps some. When I want to cook a really special meal for myself, though, it sometimes takes me 5-6 hours.

So what can I fix that's fast and easy, but something that is both delicious and would come as a unique surprise to these new neighbors of mine. There are lots of kids in the neighborhood, too, so I have to include them in deciding what to fix.

I have a reasonably well-equipped kitchen; microwave, food processor, blender, slow cooker, and many useful implements. I also have a lot of styrofoam trays, rectangles, about the capacity of a dinner plate, but I couldn't put a whole pie or cake on one, maybe not even a half of a pie or cake. They'll hold a lot of cookies, though, and perhaps large pieces of pie or cake.

I'd like it to be the kind of recipe that is unique for them, if possible, but it isn't absolutely necessary if the recipe is a good one. The important part is that I don't have to spend much time in the kitchen on my feet - fast and easy to prepare are the main objectives here.

Can anyone give me some good suggestions?

[K. Slink]

My first reaction is cookies, things that can be mixed and formed and shaped sitting down. Savory items usually require more moving about. What do you think?

[K. Slink]

Have you tried the recipe search at the top of this page? It has more ideas than you'd even want to read about, but a quick scan of some of them could give you some excellent ideas of what you are capable of. And by the way, God bless you for making this effort, you are really demonstrating a true Christmas spirit.....aww, now I've got tears in my eyes! My piddley little problems don't seem so huge any more--THANK YOU.....

[House of Pasta]

I concur with K. Slink. What a demonstration of kindness and generousity! Please tell us what you decide on and how it turned out. God bless you and I hope you have a beautiful holiday season in your new home.

[KarenB]

Peanut butter cookies

1 cup of peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
stir and form balls and flatten with wet fork. cook 350 for about 10 15 minutes but watch them.

Not the healthiest but so easy.

[KarenB]

And since your in Mexico...
Hot Chocolate Mix

Include instructions for making each drink: stir together 2 tablespoons chocolate mix and 3/4 cup hot milk until chocolate melts.

1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch salt

In a bowl. combine chocolate, cocoa, sugar, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Place in gift container. makes about 2 cups mix, enough for 16 drinks.

PS. I made this for a friends teenage girls for Christmas. They loved it so much they were eating it right from the jar!

[CM]

One idea is to make up canning jars with layers of different soup beans, a thin layer of dehydrated onions and/or other vegetables, a tablespoon of chicken bouillon flakes or vegetable powder (available at amazon) at the bottom, some dried parsley, thyme and other herbs. Include instructions for preparing soup on a gift tag attached to some raffia tied to the neck of the canning jar. You can cut circles from fabric to cover the jar lid, too, or if you had the time or inclination you can crochet a top or purchase a small doily at craft shops.

You can also combine coarse mineral salts with lavender, mint or vanilla essence in canning jars to make bath salts (dress up the jar in similar ways).

If you have small 1/2 pint can or freeze jars, you can bake cakes or puddings in jars to give as gifts (include a tag that says to keep refrigerated). Or you can make homemade soups and give them away in jars (refrigerate these, too).

You can buy ceramic cookie jars and fill them with chocolate dipped biscotti, brownies, shortbread or assorted cookies. You can make candies and fill decorative glass containers with them. You can make big lollipops and wrap them with holiday colored saran wrap or special wrappers for lollipops (you will find these wrappers and ties at the same place you buy the lollipop sticks).

Last year I made hand-dipped chocolates and filled small snowflake-covered candy boxes. I also included chocolate covered nut clusters in small candy cups and wrapped a few filled chocolates in gold foil. Very festive!

[Kateri-Marie]

COOKIE MIX JAR



When you give a cookie mix jar to someone, it is an easy way to bring some Christmas cheer into their home.

Buy a jar at the dollar store. Glass is best, and make sure the lid seals well.

In the jar, arrange in layers:



• 3/4 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips



It will look neat in stripes. Then attach a tag with some pretty ribbon, including a personal message and these instructions:



"Preheat oven to *375.

Put ingredients in a bowl. Mix together. Add:

1 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown.

Let cool and enjoy!"



This is delicious, and it looks pretty, too.

[Cassie-Jane]

I do this also Kateri-Marie!!
I do Triple Chocolate Brownies in these jars as well! I'll post the recipe below!!
In a Glass Jar layer:

10 ounces (300 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (150 mL) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt
3 ounces (90 g) white chocolate chips or chunks
3 ounces (90 g) milk chocolate chunks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Attach a tag with ribbon, include a personal message and these instructions :
Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C) and grease and line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper.
In a bowl resting over a pot of barely simmering water, melt chocolate and butter, stirring gently. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla.
Stir in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour and salt. Fold in white and milk chocolate chips.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre of the brownies comes out clean. Cool before slicing.