5 Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas

It seems like homemade gifts are all the rage right now. I admit, I’m jumping on board with this fun DIY trend this holiday season.  I’m not very crafty, but I like making food, so my homemade gifts are all food-related. So far I’ve made muffin mix, soup mix, dip mix, spice blends, and sweets. I picked up jars and containers from the dollar store and the thrift store. I even made my own labels using picmonkey and Avery Sticker Project Paper. Now I’m ready to share what I’ve done with all of you.

 

Spice Blends

I made two different spice blends: Taco seasoning and Jamaican Jerk Seasoning. I bought the spices in bulk, mixed them together using the recipes below, and found cute magnetic spice containers from the dollar store.

Recipe Links:

Taco Seasoning

Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

Label:

Download Printable Labels for Taco Seasoning and Jamaican Jerk Seasoning

Wondering what recipes to try with these seasoning mixes?

Try Caribbean Chicken and Pineapple Salsa using Jerk seasoning.
Try Grilled Taco-BBQ Chicken using Taco seasoning.

 

 

Curried Lentil Soup Mix

I tested out this recipe first, and my family approved. When cooked, it looks like green sludge, but it tastes really good. I was really surprised that my boys liked it so much, because I thought they’d be turned off by the way it looked, but once they took a bite of it they were hooked.

Recipe Link:

Curried Lentil Soup Mix

Just a note: the recipe calls for 1 quart jars, but I found that was much too large of a jar. I used one that holds about 3 cups and even that was a little big.

I’d also like to try this recipe:

Layered Lentil Soup in a Jar Recipe

It has smoked sun-dried tomato and bacon bits. Yummy!

Labels:
This includes a label with the title and another with the directions for making the soup: Download Printable Labels for Curried Lentil Soup Mix

 

Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Bark

Be careful if you make this bark that you don’t devour all of it yourself. It’s so addictive!

Recipe adapted from Mama Say What?!

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of mini pretzel twists
1 cup salted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Line a large baking sheet with tin foil, then arrange pretzels in a single layer
  • In a saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Whisk continuously until temperature reaches 290 degrees. The mixture should be a nice smooth caramel.
  • Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the pretzels (it’s okay if it doesn’t cover every pretzel.
  • Place in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top. Once they’ve melted, spread the chocolate around with a spatula.
  • Let it cool on the counter, then place in the fridge or freezer for several hours.
  • Once hardened, you can peel the foil off and break it up into pieces. Place pieces in a jar. You can keep it a room temperature, but if you prefer it to be harder you can store it in your fridge or freezer.

Label:

Download Printable Label for Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Bark

Ranch Mix

This seasoning mix can be turned into a dip or a dressing. Directions are on the label. I like that it has paprika and a touch of cayenne pepper in it to give it some kick.
Ingredients: 
3/4 cup dried parsley
6 tbsp onion flakes
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Combine all the ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Labels:

This includes a label with the title and another with the directions for making both the dip and the dressing: Download Printable Labels for Ranch Seasoning Mix

And just to show you, this is what happens when you leave a jar lying around within baby’s reach:

Yuck. I guess I need to print a new label!

 Holiday Muffin Mix

We tested these muffins before gifting and they were delicious! The kids especially loved the white chocolate chunks in them.

Directions
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dry milk
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 cup white chocolate chunks
1 cup dried cranberries

Combine flour, sugar, dry milk, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Place half of the mixture into a 1 quart jar. Layer with white chocolate, then cranberries, then remaining half of baking mixture.

Attach this to jar:
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/4 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1 jar Holiday Muffin Mix

Preheat oven to 400F. In a mixing bowl, combine ingredients until just moistened. Do not overmix. Fill lined or greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on rack. Makes approx. 15 muffins.

I added a package of muffin liners to attach to the jar as well.

Labels
This includes a label with the title and another with the directions for making muffins: Download Printable Labels for Holiday Muffin Mix 

 

For more giftable foods for the Holidays, visit the Life Made Delicious website. Here are some that I want to try:

Chocolate Caramel Trail Mix
Gingerbread Loaves
Holiday Toffee Bars
Luscious Chocolate Truffles
Pickled Peppers

Check out this Pinterest Board for even more ideas.

[Tweet “These creative edible holiday #DIY gift ideas are perfect for the food lover on your list.]

As a Life Made Delicious Connector, I get to share the latest news about General Mills. Yoplait and Cheerios are going to be cheering on Team Canada as the Olympics start up in the new year. Also, I hear Pillsbury is going to be doing a fun contest soon, so stay tuned.
 
Disclosure: I am participating in the Life Made Delicious Ambassador program and receive special perks as part of my affiliation.

 

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Welcome! I’m Megan.

My kids like to whine, especially when it comes to the food they eat, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to make tasty and healthy meals for them. Follow along as I share family-friendly recipes and reviews from my picky family members, who I lovingly call “The Whine Critics.” Read More…

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