Gifts from the Kitchen

What do folks really need, anyway? If they need something badly, they'll probably buy it for themselves. So, if we're on a budget and can only spend so much, but want to show someone we've been thinking of them, what gifts might qualify?

My father-in-law always said, "If I can't eat it and make it disappear, don't get it for me." Well, that made it easy! Every year around Christmas time, I would pull out his favorite candy recipe, for toffee. It takes about seven minutes of stirring the brown sugar/butter mixture, and a few seconds to pour it into a prepared pan (typically, sprinkled with chopped, toasted nuts). A layer of chocolate chips is sprinkled on over the hot toffee; the chocolate melts as the toffee firms up, and can be easily spread over the top. Within the hour, the toffee has cooled enough to be broken into pieces, ready to wrap in cellophane (or put into a cute tin).

Not everyone is a fan of toffee. We have a few Turtle fans in our house; my mom used to make batches and batches of them for Christmas presents. I didn't carry on that tradition, as I didn't have quite as much time on my hands, although I certainly appreciated mom's efforts!

A few other candy recipes that have worked for me: Fudge and Peanut Butter Fudge. I was thrilled to discover that I didn't really have to hand-beat the fudge with a wooden spoon for twenty minutes; I tweaked the recipe and was able to let my Kitchenaid mixer do the work for me. Yay!