Page 34 - proof 8 December 2017 The Castle Pines Connection

34 CastlePinesConnection.com
Quick and tasty holiday goodies and gifts
Take a look at our
business partners
in the December
2017 Connection
Food & Dining
guide. Check the
insert for great
restaurants, terrific
coupons, and lots
of casual and fine
dining options
from which to
choose. When you visit, be sure to tell them we sent you!
By Lisa Crockett
Friends, neighbors and co-workers. We’ve
all got ‘em, and this time of year is the season when we all wonder what to give them. Here are some tasty ideas – many of which can be assembled with little or no time in the kitchen-- to say “Happy Holidays” to the people on your list who deserve a little something:
• Comfy with cookies: Fill a pair of cozy slippers with treats – in one slipper put scented soap and lotion, and in the other, put holiday cookies (wrapped in a cellophane bag) for a luxurious bath time treat. Tie the slippers together with a festive bow.
• Hot stu : In a gift bag or with a holiday ribbon, assemble a holiday oven mitt, a holiday-shaped cookie cutter and two or three shakers of holiday cookie sprinkles.
• Deck the halls: Remove the metal top of a clear, ball-shaped Christmas tree ornament (available at craft and discount stores) and ll with the contents of one envelope of prepared hot chocolate mix, one tablespoon of holiday-colored sprinkles and two or three tablespoons of tiny marshmallows. Replace the metal top, tie with curling ribbon, and attach a tag with instructions for making the hot chocolate by emptying the contents into a mug with six ounces of boiling water.
• Brownie blast: Purchase a plain white ceramic mug (dollar and discount stores often carry them), and write the following in permanent marker on the exterior of the mug:
Brownie in a mug :
4 Tbsp. our; 4 Tbsp. sugar; 2 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tbsp. oil; 2 Tbsp. water; 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla. Stir all ingredients until well combined, then microwave for one minute. Eat warm.
Assemble the dry ingredients in a cellophane bag and place in the mug, a xed with a bow.
• Movie night: Purchase and print a gift certi cate for a Redbox movie rental. (Visit www.redbox.com and click on “eGifts.”) Attach the certi cate to a bag of caramel or cheddar popcorn (bonus points if it’s homemade!).
• Cocoa kit: Purchase bead storage tubes (can be found on Amazon or craft stores), and ll one each with the following: purchased hot cocoa mix, crushed candy canes, mini-marshmallows, bite-sized cookies or short bread. Tie tubes together with a bow, and attach directions for mixing cocoa with hot water.
• Totally tubular: Wrap a “tube” of chips (like Pringles) with festive holiday wrap, and tie with a bow. Perfect for the junk food junkie in your life.
• Soda-licious: Purchase small bottles of Torani syrup (can be purchased at Cost Plus Imports). Wrap in a cellophane bag and tie to the neck of a 16 ounce bottle of club soda for a DIY Italian soda. A x with a tag that says “I’m soda-lighted we’re friends.”
• Pret-tea tree: Purchase a 12-inch paper- maché cone (can be found at craft stores). Hot glue tea bags to the cone, working from the base up, layering as you go to make the cone look like a Christmas tree (bonus points for using green tea bags). Top with a holiday bow.
• So sweet: To one cup of white sugar,
add one of the following: the seeds of one freshly-sliced vanilla bean, OR two tablespoons espresso powder, OR 1⁄4 cup cocoa powder. Put the avored sugary mixture in a pretty, airtight container and tie with a bow. Can be used in beverages or as a dessert topping.
The Connection
Food & Dining
December 2017