Revisiting this Holiday Gifting Thing

Now we really have to be creative. Remember last year? Most of us had oodles of money at our disposal in our credit card limits and an unlimited stash of cash in our homes...life was on the up and up in 2007....fast forward to 2008...and many of us have less money and less options. Remember when I blogged about lots of interesting gift ideas then? How about a few more that you can assemble just by rubbing a few pennies together? I'll throw those in with a few that do cost a bit more...but are worth every penny (they're useful, and that's what matters in my book).

Here are my old standbys from last year.

Here are some more for this year:

• Homemade candy, wrapped in cellophane and tied up in a pretty bow. Believe it or not, these candy items are MUCH easier to make than cookies and baked goods. Give it a try. I like the turtles and the caramel corn.
• A pretty mug or other container of Polish pottery (we have huge mugs for $9 at the PX). Fill it with some interesting candy or chocolate...in my case, it's going to be specialty flavored gummi bears or German chocolates. Lay a cut-out piece of Saran Wrap on top to keep it sealed and fresh. Then wrap the whole container in cellophane and tie with a colorful ribbon. You can even add a nametag.
• Tervis tumblers with a lifetime guarantee. These double sealed plastic drinking containers...one is even 24 oz large and fits in your vehicle cupholder...and they last YOUR lifetime...and if they don't, you can send them back to Tervis, and they will replace them, no questions asked. I was once in their outlet store in Florida where a lady brought in a bag full of glasses from the 1950s...yes, that's what she said and that's what they looked like...and they gave her a ticket to go pick out 10 new ones..no receipt and no explanation needed. You can do this thru the mail too. My brother is always re-using those cheap 7-11 plastic cups..which for all I know, are made of unsafe plastic...so this would be right up his alley.
• A handmade nutcracker. This guy makes handcrafted nutcrackers...even military ones. You send him a photo of your loved one, and he does it exactly right...he has tons of military nutcrackers on his site, plus tons of others...including some Civil War generals. He pegged my husband just perfect. You'll pay anywhere from $40-50 for one. Sorry ladies, this offer is only good if you live in Germany. I'm thinking this will make a fantastic gift for his proud momma.
  
• We talked about assembling jars of cookie and soup mixes. How about jars of bath salts?
• If your significant other travels a lot...how about doing an mp3 book for him or her? Read his favorite book....with feeling...put it on his iPod or a CD and give it to him...especially if he is ready to deploy anytime soon. He'll love to hear your voice...it's not just the little ones who love being read to.
• Those instant recipe packets. You know the ones I'm talking about...instant gravies and ready-made spices for pork chops, chilis, meatloaf and whatever else, ala McCormick. You can put a slew of these in a little basket, or tie them up with ribbon and of course wrapped in cellophane (can you tell I love cellophane...you can wrap trash in cellophane, and it'll look nice). This makes a perfect gift for someone who just doesn't cook.
• "I Am Not a Papercup" Mug. This is perfect for my style-conscious, Starbucks-drinking stepmom. Now instead of a papercup that falls apart and smells funny, she can have a beautiful white porcelain cup that is both eco-friendly and clean (who knows where those papercups have been?). Starbucks and most other coffee shops will even fill their coffee drinks into your mug...it looks just like the papercups w/lid...just much nicer, much sturdier, and you won't need that stupid piece of cardboard to keep your fingers from getting burnt.
• Super Strong Magnet Wrist Thingy. Okay, so I had to include something for guys specifically...although when we had a house, and I was crawling in areas I normally wouldn't crawl in, this would've come in handy.
  

Let's hear some of your ideas this year...

Free Up Your Oven...and Stove Tomorrow (Thanksgiving)

Freeing up your oven and stove while you try to cook a holiday dinner can be...well, freeing! I still remember the first time I cooked this method, and I can't tell you how less stressful it was to get dinner on the table, no matter how many guests you have! Follow these tips to have a first class meal!

First things first....if you don't already have one.....get a crockpot, preferably two. If you do a lot of entertaining, you really need to have two. Put it on your Christmas list. I got an extra one a few years ago for my birthday and never looked back.

There are three dishes that work absolutely fantastic in the crockpot. You prep them in the morning, get them in there and forget about them until it's time to serve your meal! See the recipes below for great mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and sweet potatoes.

Crockpot Green Beans

1-1/2 bags frozen cut green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
1 TBS soy sauce
1 can French fried onions

Mix soup and milk in crockpot. Add soy sauce. Add frozen green beans and about 1/2 cup French fried onions. Mixture will be a bit sticky due to frozen beans. Mix well. Put on low setting for about 2 hours. Mix again....should be creamier at this point. Add a layer of fried onions on top and turn to high for about three hours. When you start seeing edges getting browned, and the beans turn a darker green, the dish is ready. If you're not ready to eat, turn it off or to warm setting.

Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

1 pk (3 oz) cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
milk as needed
1/4 cup butter
1 envelope ranch salad dressing
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 bag of potatoes (use # of potatoes for # of guests)

In the morning, boil however many potatoes you usually boil for your number of guests. Mash them in crockpot. Add other ingredients until you get a nice mashed potatoes consistency. Use handmixer if you like. I have even left off the ranch salad dressing packet, and it still tastes rich and creamy. Cook on low til ready to serve. If edges get too browned, turn to warm or temporarily turn off.

Crockpot Sweet Potatoes

4 lbs sweet potatoes (about 10), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 TBS ground cinnamon
2 tsp grated lemon peel
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
2 cups mini marshmallows or 20 large

Place sweet potatoes in cooker. Melt butter in microwave. Stir in all remaining ingredients except marshmallows and pour over sweet potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Sprinkle marshmallows over potatoes. Cover and cook on low for about 10 min until marshmallows are melted.

Do you have any easy and simple recipes you'd like to share this holiday?