Favorite Homemade Things

[couchtiger]

For the past 5 years or so, my family has done a holiday tradition that we call the "E-hat". It's been our solution to an ever-growing family full of adults who really have everything they need - buying a holiday gift for everyone (especially as new spouses or children were added) got to be stressful very quickly. So now we each draw a name from

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[couchtiger]

Food is always a great gift. Last year I drew my younger brother's name from the hat and in addition to what I bought for him, we made a big set of freezer meals (he's 23, lives alone, and works long hours doing physical labor). I made dishes to be baked in the oven, things frozen in crock-pot shaped lumps to be dumped in his crockpot, and frozen balls of cookie dough just ready to be plopped on a tray and baked. He was so happy with it! It was one of my more successful homemade gifts but I don't want to repeat unless I have to.
I called it the package of "dude food".

[quiet000001]

Oh, that reminds me that one year I did something similar for my FIL. He's diabetic but has to have a dessert after dinner, but of course if you just give him a whole tin of cookies he's tempted to have too many at once. So I found a recipe for shortbread using fructose, which is a little more diabetic-friendly than regular sugar, at least by his preferences, and made up a batch of dough and then portioned it out into slices and packaged them up nicely in a freezer-safe container. So he could just take one or two out at a time and cook them while he was cooking the rest of his meal, and have fresh cookies without being tempted to have too much.

(I say one year - that is only because after the first year I had to do it every year so even though it was a gift, it wasn't really a surprise. :) )

[coendou]

Oh wow, I have a 21-year-old brother, this would make a great gift for him!

[couchtiger]

Oh yeah, it was a huge hit. He liked being able to make cookies on a whim so as to serve something when guests came over on the fly.

Up there in the picture I think there are 2 mac and cheeses, 2 baked ziti casseroles, 2 blocks of chili, 2 blocks of spicy shredded pork for sandwiches, and 2 types of cookies - chocolate chip and coconut. I choose recipes that notoriously reheated and froze well.

[mockingbird39]

That is a WONDERFUL idea - go you!

[voyageofdreams]

C, this is such a thoughtful gift!! I would love to recieve something like this. I might just tell my mum about it and let her know its what I want for Xmas this year :D