Five Homemade Gift Ideas
Here are some ideas for homemade holiday gifts that you still have time to make before Christmas.
Hot Cocoa Mix – Nothing beats a great mug of hot cocoa!
Peppermint Marshmallows – These marshmallows go perfectly with a mug of hot cocoa
Peanut Butter Caramel Corn – Caramel corn makes a great gift. This stuff has just a hint of peanut butter flavor
Spiced Meat Rub – You can rub this on any kind of meat for delicious results
Salted Caramel Sauce – Salted caramel makes everything taste better. You can make it at home and any who gets a jar will thank you for years to come
One Year Ago: Peppermint Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake and Cranberry Avocado Salsa
Two Years Ago: Hot Cocoa Mix
Three Years Ago: Green Bean Casserole
Four Years Ago: Snickerdoodles and Candy Cane and Mint Kiss Cookies
Five Years Ago: Spinach Tomato Chicken Pasta and Peanut Butter Chocolate Biscotti
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
What a great idea to freeze the excess chipotle chiles! Much less waste, and perfectly portioned. I do freeze buttermilk in 1/2 cup increments because I never use up the whole carton when I buy it.
beantownbaker — November 8th, 2013 @ 2:07 pm
Oh I’ve never frozen dairy before. Does it defrost well?
It does get a little curdled looking but I only use it for baking cakes. I haven’t noticed any discernible difference in texture or flavor in the resulting cakes.
beantownbaker — November 10th, 2013 @ 2:03 pm
Good to know. I’ll have to keep that in mind because I never use the whole carton either. I tend to just make my own buttermilk with milk + vinegar but sometimes I buy it then struggle with how to use it all.
i like adding in a not traveling to the rotation! might have to employ that one here 🙂
beantownbaker — November 10th, 2013 @ 2:04 pm
It was seriously one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. We’ve done a variety of things on our holidays where we don’t travel.
Hey Jen! I JUST made these potatoes and posted them today. Alton Brown knows his stuff right? Then I saw your picture on pinterest and was like hm I wonder if that’s the same recipe…? Great minds think alike! I added green onions and bacon to mine, because, well, bacon makes everything better. Right? 🙂 Great post! http://thefoodcharlatan.com/2013/11/22/chipotle-sweet-potatoes-with-bacon/
beantownbaker — November 24th, 2013 @ 6:01 pm
Bacon definitely makes everything better. Great minds do think alike!
I am gonna try this on coming weekend and hope its looks at least nice in the texture and in color,because i am not so good in cooking:). Anyway Looking forward to more of your yummy dishes mate!!!