
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 15, 1995                   TAG: 9511150094
SECTION: HOLIDAY GIFTS                    PAGE: HG28   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: JOANNE ANDERSON
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

IDEAS FOR GIFTS SURE TO PLEASE THE PALATE

Giving food gifts is a pretty good idea because everyone has to eat. While you may immediately envision hours of mixing, rolling, cutting, decorating and baking the ubiquitous Christmas cookie, there are really many other food gifts that are appreciated as much.

A possible second after cookies for popularity is packaged cheese, jams and jellies, little canned hams and summer sausages. These are good and fall into the category of something one probably wouldn't purchase for oneself.

But if you take a closer look on grocery shelves - and don't forget the health food stores and gourmet shops - you'll find all sorts of soup mixes, flavored coffee, tea and hot chocolate, crackers, exotic chocolate, unusual spices and herbs. And, of course, the stores are filled with ingredients you can use to make your own homemade edible gifts.

From morning until evening, here are some ideas and a few recipes for food gifts.

BREAKFAST

A gift basket can be assembled with a complete breakfast for as many people as you wish. Small juice bottles, some fruit and coffee or tea should be part of any morning meal.

Pancake mix or a loaf of French bread with a French toast recipe could be teamed with a jug of pure maple syrup or bottles of different flavors of syrup. Summer sausage or cured ham that keeps at room temperature would enhance such a breakfast.

Homemade cereals like a meusli mix or Maple Pecan Granola (see recipe) can be stored in any attractive, airtight container or simply a plastic bag tied with a ribbon.

The recipe may be written on an index card with a hole punched in it and tied with the ribbon.

A package of English muffins and fancy jams and jellies along with fresh fruit might be just enough breakfast for some people.

Any morning meal package can include new plates, mugs, bowls, small pitcher for milk or syrup, even a coffee grinder, teapot or electric grill.

LUNCH

An all time favorite non-edible lunch present is a picnic basket, and any basket will do. Stock it with plates, a few utensils, tablecloth and napkins, drinking glasses, sharp knife and little cutting board, corkscrew if you're taking along some cork, bottle opener and a trash bag. Your supplies may be paper, plastic, glass or crystal.

A picnic basket makes a stand-alone gift, but you can also give a whole picnic of French or crusty Italian bread, Old-Fashioned Beer Nuts (see recipe), good traveling cheese such as Gouda in its red wax coating, orange slices or an apple, fancy cookies or chocolates and soda or wine.

If you're staying in for a winter lunch, not much beats the chill like a good, hot soup or chili. Soup mixes are readily available, and homemade soups freeze well in serving-size containers.

All soups go well with rolls and crackers, and there are crackers all over the stores. You'll find many together next to the cookies, but there are specialty crackers in gourmet sections, cheese departments and other display areas.

DINNER Now for the main meal where a fine Virginia ham or smoked turkey

could take center stage. Freshly baked bread or a bread mix, Honey Nut Rice Mix (see recipe), a winter squash and condiments like pineapple slices or cranberry sauce round out a dinner.

A homemade fruitcake or plum pudding dessert keeps well, along with specialty sauces like Raspberry Sauce Supreme which goes equally as well over ice cream or over a brownie - or both!

Following are recipes for some food-lovers on your gift list:

RECIPES

Maple Pecan Granola

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

6 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups coconut

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup pecan pieces

1 1/2 cups banana chips, broken

In large roasting pan combine syrup, oil and honey. Warm in oven a few minutes so liquids blend together. Add oats, coconut and cinnamon and mix well. Bake 15 minutes, stirring well every 3 minutes. Add wheat germ and sunflower seeds and bake another 9 minutes, stirring well every 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven, add pecan and banana chip pieces. Cool and store in airtight containers.

Old-Fashioned Beer Nuts

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. maple flavor

1/2 tsp butter

4 cups raw peanuts (measure carefully)

Mix in saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until dry and sugary, 10 minutes or so. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool, store in airtight containers.

Honey Nut Rice Mix

1 cup long-grain rice

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled

Combine all ingredients and store in airtight container.

Honey Nut Rice

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

2 cups water

Honey Nut Rice Mix, above

In medium saucepan, bring butter, honey and water to a boil. Add Honey Nut Rice Mix. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Excellent with ham or turkey.

Raspberry Sauce Supreme

1 Tbl. cornstarch

1 stick of butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh raspberries or 1 10 1/2 oz. package frozen raspberries, thawed

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Combine cornstarch with 1 Tbl. cold water; stir to make a smooth paste. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in sugar, raspberries and cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice; cool. Store in airtight jar in refrigerator. Serve over ice cream or a brownie, or both.

by CNB