A delicious homemade food gift is a personalized treat for anyone.. You can't go wrong with food because everyone loves to eat. If the person you're cooking for loves fudge brownies or even meatloaf, you can whip up either dish in an hour or less.

Most dishes and desserts take about an hour total of preparation time plus cooking. That's faster than going to the store and back for a store-bought gift. With a simple recipe you can have your homemade food gift cooked and ready to wrap up in very little time.

After you have selected the dish, decide on how you will wrap it. You can use tin boxes, throw-away containers, or even nice cooking dishes. Don't limit yourself with containers and let them be part of the gift. Coffee mugs, long neck bottles, bread boxes, and cookie jars look nice with a bow on top and serve as a lasting gift.

Food gift baskets are also great gifts. You may want to wrap your brownies individually and place them in a basket. Other foods that go great in food gift baskets are cookies, homemade biscuits with a mason jar of gravy, and jars of food mixes.

Food mixes in jars are just what it sounds like: brownie mixes, cookie mixes, or cake mixes in a jar. Print out the instructions on what needs to be added to the mix and attach the directions to the jar. You can print these out on sticker paper to stick directly to the jar or write them out by hand. Hole-punch the card and attach the card with a string around the neck of the jar.

Any holiday or occasion is perfect for a homemade food gift. Consider it during the holiday season or on a birthday. Even if you're giving on a regular old day, a food gift brings a smile to everyone's face.

A cookie cake with a personalized decoration is heart-warming. These are easy to make if you buy a roll of cookie dough from the refrigerated section at the grocery store. Just flatten it with a rolling pin and bake it in the oven on a cookie sheet. Once it cools, decorate it with icing and sprinkles. Wrap it up in plastic wrap and add a bow.

Making a casserole or a meatloaf for someone who doesn't have much time to cook in the evening is thoughtful and welcome. Casseroles are easy and quick. Just throw some veggies and meats into a baking dish and bake, but there are many recipes online.

A classic meatloaf recipe is so easy and makes a hearty meal for a big eater. Use a pound of beef, add a package of crushed crackers, one half cup of diced green peppers, one half cup of diced onions, a half bottle of ketchup, and 2 tablespoons of A.1. steak sauce. Mix with your hands and then pat into a loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Don't forget to welcome new neighbors with a cake or a dessert. You can even cheat with a cake out of the box and give it a homemade taste! Here are a few tips:

On most boxes, the directions call for about a cup and a half of water. Instead of using all water, substitute milk. Use a cup of milk and a half of cup of water. Plus, when you're mixing the ingredients, beat the batter until it's the consistency of yogurt. You want to see a creamy texture. These helpful hints will make your cake fluffy and moist and everyone will think it's homemade!

Learn more about this author, Wendy Brock.
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