If buying gifts this year for whatever reason, whether it's your babysitter's Birthday, a Christmas gift for your neighbor, a Valentine's gift for your favorite Aunt, or a Thank You gift for someone who took care of your dog, has you panicked, join the club. Families all over the world are feeling the pinch of an exceedingly tight budget.
We've discovered in our goal to reduce spending, that when money is tight, the first thing that we start to question is our gift giving. We all want to lavish people we love with beautiful, expensive gifts. But, that won't be the case any longer in our family, so what do we do? I believe a gift given from the heart is appreciated just as much, if not more, than a gift of monetary value.
Making chocolate treats is one of my favorite gift ideas. It's pretty simple to impress someone with a beautiful box of chocolate covered pecans or chocolate dipped pretzels. Chocolates always seem festive, and homemade chocolates say you appreciate someone very, very, much indeed.
Chocolate gifts aren't as hard to make as you might think. With a little practice, you can create marvelous confectionery delights that will thrill your friends and family and make you the talk of the town! This is a fancy chocolate treat that no one makes for themselves, so it is the perfect gift.
Gourmet Chocolate Coffee Spoons
This spoon will top your list of all time favorite gifts for the coffee lover. What's great is that you can give this gift to a man or woman because chocolate knows no limits.
Start with this list of items:
You'll need to buy heavy duty plastic spoon, I like the clear ones. If you've got a great thrift store or antique store in your community, you might be able to find some unique silver spoons that would definitely add a special touch. Be sure they're in good condition, then wash and dry them well.
In the grocery store's baking aisle, you'll find blocks of milk chocolate coating. That's what you'll need for your spoons, not the Real Chocolate. Real Chocolate tends to be harder to control, and will not stay shiny if it's not handled exactly right. The chocolate coating is much better, and actually tastier, than the Real stuff.
Candy sprinkles or crushed peppermint candies may be a nice addition if you want to make your spoons even fancier. You may consider flavor additives like peppermint oil if you think your gift recipient would like the flavored chocolate.
Purchase some parchment paper, NOT wax paper, to cool the spoons on. This will keep them from sticking to your cookie sheets as well as keep your pans clean and ready if you are into mass production.
You'll need some clear candy bags to wrap your spoons. You can find these in the craft store with the candy making things. While you are there, look for some ribbon, raffia, and anything else you may want to dress up the packaging.
This is how you proceed:
Put a big pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Carefully chop up your big chunk of chocolate into little chunks and put in a small pot that will fit in the big pot. When the water in the big pot comes to a boil, shut it off, and very carefully place the small pot in the hot water. Don't let your water run over into the small pot with the chocolate. After the small pot sits for a few minutes and you see the chocolate start to melt on the edges, take the pot out of the water and begin stirring the chocolate with a big rubber spatula until it's all melted.
After the chocolate has completely melted, start by dipping one spoon and carefully laying it on the parchment paper covered cookie sheet. If you are embellishing your spoons with candy sprinkles or peppermint pieces, decorate each spoon as you go so they don't have time to set up. Otherwise the candy won't stick. When all of your spoons are dipped, place your cookie sheet in a cool or cold area until chocolate is firm. The refrigerator or freezer will work, but take them out after only a few minutes so they don't get moisture gathering on them, which isn't good.
Now your chocolate is set and you are ready to wrap your spoons up. Begin by placing each spoon in a candy bag that you purchased. Tie a piece of raffia, or gift wrap ribbon, or other pretty material on each bag around the handle so that the bag is closed securely. You may wish to tie more ribbon or some decorations on the bag, even a peppermint candy cane, or anything that makes your spoon gift more festive.
You have now completed a gift that anyone would be thrilled to receive. Don't you feel good knowing that you used your creativity and time to make a personal gift for someone you care about? This is not just any gift... it's a gift you gave from your heart. - 15485
We've discovered in our goal to reduce spending, that when money is tight, the first thing that we start to question is our gift giving. We all want to lavish people we love with beautiful, expensive gifts. But, that won't be the case any longer in our family, so what do we do? I believe a gift given from the heart is appreciated just as much, if not more, than a gift of monetary value.
Making chocolate treats is one of my favorite gift ideas. It's pretty simple to impress someone with a beautiful box of chocolate covered pecans or chocolate dipped pretzels. Chocolates always seem festive, and homemade chocolates say you appreciate someone very, very, much indeed.
Chocolate gifts aren't as hard to make as you might think. With a little practice, you can create marvelous confectionery delights that will thrill your friends and family and make you the talk of the town! This is a fancy chocolate treat that no one makes for themselves, so it is the perfect gift.
Gourmet Chocolate Coffee Spoons
This spoon will top your list of all time favorite gifts for the coffee lover. What's great is that you can give this gift to a man or woman because chocolate knows no limits.
Start with this list of items:
You'll need to buy heavy duty plastic spoon, I like the clear ones. If you've got a great thrift store or antique store in your community, you might be able to find some unique silver spoons that would definitely add a special touch. Be sure they're in good condition, then wash and dry them well.
In the grocery store's baking aisle, you'll find blocks of milk chocolate coating. That's what you'll need for your spoons, not the Real Chocolate. Real Chocolate tends to be harder to control, and will not stay shiny if it's not handled exactly right. The chocolate coating is much better, and actually tastier, than the Real stuff.
Candy sprinkles or crushed peppermint candies may be a nice addition if you want to make your spoons even fancier. You may consider flavor additives like peppermint oil if you think your gift recipient would like the flavored chocolate.
Purchase some parchment paper, NOT wax paper, to cool the spoons on. This will keep them from sticking to your cookie sheets as well as keep your pans clean and ready if you are into mass production.
You'll need some clear candy bags to wrap your spoons. You can find these in the craft store with the candy making things. While you are there, look for some ribbon, raffia, and anything else you may want to dress up the packaging.
This is how you proceed:
Put a big pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Carefully chop up your big chunk of chocolate into little chunks and put in a small pot that will fit in the big pot. When the water in the big pot comes to a boil, shut it off, and very carefully place the small pot in the hot water. Don't let your water run over into the small pot with the chocolate. After the small pot sits for a few minutes and you see the chocolate start to melt on the edges, take the pot out of the water and begin stirring the chocolate with a big rubber spatula until it's all melted.
After the chocolate has completely melted, start by dipping one spoon and carefully laying it on the parchment paper covered cookie sheet. If you are embellishing your spoons with candy sprinkles or peppermint pieces, decorate each spoon as you go so they don't have time to set up. Otherwise the candy won't stick. When all of your spoons are dipped, place your cookie sheet in a cool or cold area until chocolate is firm. The refrigerator or freezer will work, but take them out after only a few minutes so they don't get moisture gathering on them, which isn't good.
Now your chocolate is set and you are ready to wrap your spoons up. Begin by placing each spoon in a candy bag that you purchased. Tie a piece of raffia, or gift wrap ribbon, or other pretty material on each bag around the handle so that the bag is closed securely. You may wish to tie more ribbon or some decorations on the bag, even a peppermint candy cane, or anything that makes your spoon gift more festive.
You have now completed a gift that anyone would be thrilled to receive. Don't you feel good knowing that you used your creativity and time to make a personal gift for someone you care about? This is not just any gift... it's a gift you gave from your heart. - 15485
About the Author:
Nicole Dean is the mostly-sane mom behind ShowMomtheMoney.com - a fun and informative site to help moms achieve success working from home. She welcomes you to learn more ways to save money in her Frugal Meal Ideas section. Be sure to sign up for her free tutorial for work at home moms.
