The Best Gift Homemade Food Baskets

 What do you gift foodies and gourmands for the holiday season? Try a homemade food basket. These are not only fun to give but fun to make. Even better is that they can be tailored to the person's likes.

The first thing to do is figure out how many you;re going to make and what each recipient's tastes are.ONce these are established then head to your local dollar or craft sote and pick up wicker baskets. Buy ribbon to wrap around the baskets and if you want buy some fake holly and berries or put a candy cane or two in front for a more restive look. As for wrapping the entire basket, consider buying holiday Saran wrap that comes in red and green tints.(if you can;t find itat your local grocery store, Amazon has the rolls for fifteen dollars). Now it's time to think about what to put in. Pizza lovers would probably like a bag of bread flour, olive oil , pizza sauce and a pizza cutter. You can add a pack of pepperoni along with a tin of olives or even anchovies. Include a shaker jar of red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese if they like their pizzas extra cheesy. pasta lovers would appreciate a similar basket, but with different kinds of pasta to try a long with a couple of jars of different flavored sauces. Include a pasta measurer and pasta tongs (again Amazon and Target sell these). Add a jar of Parmesan too along with bottles of thyme and oregano for flavoring. A garlic press would be a great addition too.

Barbecuers would love a basket filled with different hot sauces . Get then in varying degrees of heat so the griller can experiment. A pack of homemade or purchased dry rubs would be appreciated. A good dry rub recipe has a blend of brown sugar, mustard powder, ground pepper and onion powder. You can put this in  a mason jar and tied a festive bow around it.Add barbecue mitt too which can be bought at either Home Depot or Sur la Table. Ice cream fanatics would love a basket filled of  extras to make the perfect cone or sundae. Include a package of waffle cone bowls and cones along with both hot fudge and salted caramel syrups. Wet walnuts and a container of maraschino cherries complete it along with a variety of colored sprinkled. Add a bottle of hard magic shell sauce for those perfect Dairy Queen dipped cones.You can  also put in a set of sundae spoons and metal straws for those who loved ice cream sodas. Bakers would love a basket full of different flours along with dry yeast, cinnamon and other spices like nutmeg and cardamon,Add festive cookie cutters along with powdered sugar, food coloring gels and different decorations like dragees and sprinkles. Target has cute Christmas tree spatulas that would go well in this kind of basket.

Creating a holiday food basket is fun. It could be for the barbecuer or the baker in your life. It could be a treat for a pasta and pizza lover or an ice cream fan. Whatever you make will be most appreciated by any food lover.

Strawberries At Your Fingertips

 One of the joys of having a garden is planting anything you want. Strawberries are a popular and much loved crop.Not only are they a high yield harvest, they are also a versatile one. They can be made into anything , from preserves to salad dressings.

Before you even buy the plants start staking out your garden. Strawberries thrive in bright sunny areas in soil that has a pH factor anywhere from 5.5. to 6.8. You can easily buy a pH indicator at any of your Home Depots' Lowes or Wal-mart.If the pH is too high or too low then mix in nutrients to help balance the dirt.Aged compost also helps in produce lush ruby berries with verdant leaves. THe plant is a perennial so it will die off in winter  but will return in the Spring. Many types of the Berry produce what is known as runners with baby pants at the tips. These runners often root themselves nearby yet remain attached to the mother plant. These types of strawberries produce more fruit if you clip off most of the runners, each plant should have no more than three daughter plants each summer. Because of all this extra growth try to plant the strawberry plants about eighteen inches apart.Let the roots be covered with soil while the stem or crown has adequate light and air.If not this will rot causing a blight.It usually takes three weeks to a month to see any fruit.

Once grown, there is a wealth. of recipes to try. Some home chefs may be brave and try to make jam or preserves.it;'s basically mashing fresh strawberries with sugar , lemon and water and  cooking in a saucepan. You could even add a pat of butter for Canadian style jam. It's then pouring this in sterilized jam jars.It makes for a nice memory when you're spreading it on warmed croissants in the fall and winter. Strawberry pie is another treat to make .It makes for a great dessert after a barbecue. A tart made with the fruit topping a creme filling inside a buttery tart crust is always a sophisticated treat. A different spin is strawberry bread which is a sweet tea bread rich with the fruit. A strawberry glaze covers it. Fresh strawberries can also be used to make delicious homemade ice cream along with a tasty butter cream frosting for chocolate or vanilla cake. Keep in mind that they can also be used in a tangy dressing. This is blending s a puree with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Honey is added for sweetness. This is a great salad over a spinach and chicken salad. You could also add the fruit along with almonds for a really special lunch.

What a treat to have fresh strawberries. Grow them for a lovely  harvest. You 'll love the taste of these ruby red gems.

DIY Kitchens Can You Do It?

Like everything else ,kitchens get old and worn. Cabinets need to be updated. Sinks need to be replaced.Besides redoing the room is always a lift. There's nothing like a brand new kitchen to cook in. There is one problem - cost. Can  you afford it? Or do you think you can do it yourself.

The average cost of kitchen remodeling in the States is anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000. A usual remodel consists of upgrading your sink and faucet, installing or replacing your counter tops,along with adding a tile back splash. The biggest transformation are the cabinets. It's refacing or refinishing.  If they're really old then a complete tear out is necessary and new ones will be installed. A new oven and microwave may be installed as well. It's an expensive deal that only a home loan can cover. Many remodeling companies can redo kitchens but the price can be extraordinarily steep. You can save money by remodeling it yourself. If you're handy and ambitious , then this is the project for you and your friends. Just know your limits. DIY stores like Home Depot has classes for this. Take them. Garner as much info about reconstruction  and plumbing as you can. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You have to be well prepared before you start. One small mistake could lead to something major disaster later on.

Before you start , look over decorating sites and magazines. Get an idea of what you want. Whether you do it yourself or get a company in , have a clear vision of what you want in your kitchen. Do you want solid cabinets or one with glass panes? Then there's the question of what wood to choose. Do you go for maple which is the sturdiest  but the staining it could come out blotchy? What about the most inexpensive pine? It's pretty and rustic looking but can easily dent or scratch due to it being soft wood. Cherry is another beautiful  choice, but's it's super expensive. The same goes for walnut and oak.What kind of sink do you fancy. A double or a single basin? Counter tops are important too. There are a mouth watering array of different stones. Granite is by far the most popular yet again, it's costly. However it does add to a home's resale value. Soapstone is also popular because it can absorb water along with giving the kitchen a rich antique look. Of course there is marble, the lushest of all the counter top materials. The deep grey random veining will give any kitchen, large or small, a glam vibe. Like quartz  countertops, it's expensive and heavy. A more affordable material are the classic tiles. They're pretty, come in a variety of different patterns and add charm to any kitchen.Other choices are laminate and wood.

Do it yourself kitchens can be a rewarding and fun fall project. Just know what you're getting into. There's a lot of work but then end product is a beautiful new kitchen.