Gracious Gifts: Tea Lovers

  Yesterday, I had coffee with a dear friend. The one who loves themes picnics like me (French, Mexican, etc.) Sadly, she is leaving me for two months to go work a festival in NYC. While I am terribly excited for her, I am going to miss our picnics! We finally got around to exchanging Christmas gifts ( I know so terribly late). She loves tea so I gather some fun tea supplies for her. First off, a great loose leaf chocolate tea. A box of tea cookies and last but not least, a tea magazine! These three things made the perfect little gift. Since the three things all fit one theme, it made them seem like adorable gift set. She got me the most adorable cheese knife set and a wheel of good French cheese!

Gracious Gifts: Cookbooks for Beginners

Here’s a gift idea for a recent grad or for someone starting out on their own. How To Boil Water cookbook is fabulous. It has tons of great simple recipes and the best part is has helpful tips throughout. There is a chart for how to cook different vegetables, and good toppings for each one. What are good food and wine pairings? And answers the age old question of what’s the difference between chopped and diced.  Anyways, its one of my favorite cookbooks and I constantly refer to it when I have a question of what to make or need some ideas for different ways to spice up my vegetables. Great for a beginner cook.

Peppermint Bark

I love peppermint bark and the best part is I can make it in 10 minutes flat plus it only takes three ingredients. I make it as a little gift for my professors and they are always so touched. It’s the perfect gift that shows you are thinking of them without having to spend too much money.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup Rice Krispies

11 oz White Chocolate

Peppermint Candies

 

Directions:

1) Place the peppermint candies (about 1/4 cup) in a plastic baggie and SMASH THEM into crumbs.

2) Melt the white chocolate. (I am lazy and use a glass bowl in a microwave, at 30 second increments to not burn it)

3) Stir in the rice krispies.

4) Pour the mix on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Flatten out and sprinkle the crushed peppermint candies on it.

5) Place in fridge for 5 minutes to harden then cut or break apart.

6) ENJOY but not too much otherwise your waist will not thank me.

Weekly Wonderings: December 7th, 2011

Last week, I showed you gifts I wanted to make, this week I think I will highlight some of my favorite gifts I have made or received this year!

1) Pretty Notebooks

2) Cranberry Compote

3) Brownies

4) Sugar Scrub

5) Glitter Candles

So what are your favorite homemade gifts this year? Got any good ideas? Please share!

Gracious Gift: Teacup Love

    
      When I got back in Tally, a dear girlfriend of mine had a gift for me. A hand painted teacup for me. You should know, I absolutely love tea, drink at least two cups a day so for me this was the perfect gift. She had hand painted it with a beautiful poem and on the bottom inscribed it was “In Loving Memory of Austin” which was so nice! What a beautiful cup to have my morning tea.