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Pass the Chocolate-Pecan Pralines, please!
…Chocolate mint cake…Irish stew in bread bowls…Cherry Amaretto pie…Toffee cookies…Gourmet honey roasted nuts...Raspberry chocolates...
These are just a few of the scrumptious gifts you can make for friends and family after poring through
Tasty Holiday Gifts by Leisure Arts. 
This marvelous book contains 71 different gifts you can make from your kitchen for 54 different holidays, ranging from the obvious
(like Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Father’s Day) to the lesser know holidays,
(like National Goof Off Day, Gourmet Coffee Week and National Picnic
Month). Although it was published in 1993, the ideas are so unique that they will never age!
More than just a cookbook, this colorful publication helps you create a total gift giving experience by showing you how to package those food gifts in creative ways. Honey Roasted Nuts (which are a treat by themselves) become extra special when packaged in sports-themed beverage holders; red and green dipped pretzels become even more festive when tucked into a fabric bag dressed up to look like Santa Claus.
Although the projects range from simple to elaborate, the majority can be completed in just a few hours. Each gift idea contains a recipe and preparation instructions, plus step-by-step directions on crafting the imaginative containers. I especially like the fact that each project includes a half- or full-page photo of the completed gift so I can visualize the end result.
Like the other books in Leisure Arts’ Memories in the Making Series, this hardcover has an overwhelming number of clever ideas. I purchased the book shortly after it was published and refer to it several times a year!
The book is divided into six sections:
Table of Contents
Gift ideas (arranged chronologically by holiday)
Patterns
General Instructions
Kitchen Tips
Recipe Index
Table of Contents
This section provides an overview of gifts presented in the book. I especially like it because each section is categorized by holiday, then subdivided into themes. Under each theme there’s a short blurb about the suggested recipe and packaging idea. Just glance through the three-page index to find the appropriate holiday, scan each theme until you find the one that fits your specific situation and then flip to the designated page.
Gift ideas
This section motivates you to throw on that apron, pull out your measuring cups, grab that mixing bowl and start creating those mouthwatering treats! (In fact, it took me several weeks to write this review. The temptation was too great; I had to take frequent cooking breaks!
It includes recipes for main dishes, salads, snacks, breads, spreads, sauces, soups, cookies, desserts, cakes, pies and beverages. The majority of the recipes are simple and require only a few common pantry ingredients. In fact, 26 of the recipes use five or fewer ingredients; 31 of the recipes use 10 or fewer ingredients.
Although I can’t begin to describe all 71 gift ideas in this short review, I’ll highlight four of favorites to give you a taste of what you will find in the book:
“Thirst Aid Kit”
They recommend this whimsical snack for National School Nurse Day (according to the book, it’s the fourth Wednesday in January.) It includes strawberry tea mix and cheese-butter popcorn seasoning packaged in a nylon lunch sack that’s been embellished with a symbolic red cross. They also show you how to fold a white dinner napkin to make it look like a nurse’s hat!
“Hearty Irish Stew”
This recipe has become a St. Patrick’s Day tradition in our home! The book tells you how to make the stew, and how to create bread bowls from a pre-packaged hot roll mix. They then decorated a rattan basket with artificial ivy vines, Bells of Ireland and some green ribbon. A jar of the stew and the bread bowls were placed inside the basket. The presentation is truly beautiful!
“Hoppy Easter”
Peanut shaped cookies are dipped in white almond bark and then decorated to look like bunnies. They are then tucked in miniature market baskets and tied with a tag that says “Hoppy Easter!”
“Marzipan Hats”
These tiny cakes are decorated to look like a straw bonnet, then presented in a miniature hatbox. The book suggests this gift for Mother’s Day, but it would also be appropriate for a woman’s birthday.
Patterns
Those of us who are intimidated by drawing (count me among those numbers!) will be happy to see that the book includes 28 patterns for use on the gift packaging. The patterns can be photocopied and then transferred onto the packaging. Don’t feel like running to your neighborhood copy center? Alternately, these simple line drawings can easily be traced onto lightweight paper.
General Instructions
This section is a standard in all of the books within the Memories in the Making series. It includes basic information on creating fabric bags, stenciling and cross stitching.
Kitchen Tips
Also commonly found in the series, this section consists of two pages of very elementary cooking and baking instructions. You’ll find information on on measuring ingredients, testing candy, softening butter, rolling out pie dough and more. Although I seldom refer to this section, I’m glad they included it because it also contains a useful food equivalents chart.
Recipe Index
These last two pages make it easy to find those favorites. Recipes are divided into major categories like “Cookies,” “Entrees,” and “Salads.” They are also categorized alphabetically so when you are in the mood to make that Cherry Amaretto pie, you can simply look under the “C” category to quickly find the recipe.
Final Thoughts
I highly recommend Tasty Holiday Gifts. In fact, it’s the kind of book that will inspire you to get into the kitchen and cook up a storm! In fact, I think I’ll go make a batch of their Chocolate Pecan Pralines right now!
For more information or to purchase this book,
click
on this link below:
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Other
books you might like:
Christmas Gifts of Good Taste: 1998
Christmas Gifts of Good Taste: Festive Recipes
Gooseberry Patch Christmas-Book 3
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