Mother always took a Hostess gift. She impressed upon us how important it was to properly and politely recognize invitations and the efforts that a Host or Hostess put into having an event in their home.
Flowers, plants and chocolates are the first gifts that come to mind.
If you decide to give one of these items I would suggest a bouquet arranged in a vase
or a potted plant or an orchid...
be considerate
leave nothing extra for the busy Hostess to do on the night of her open house or dinner party.
If you are giving chocolates...
opt for a local artisan chocolate shop over a box of "store bought" sweets.
(or make your own!)
If you are invited out to a dinner or house party do not arrive empty handed...
the gift does not need to be extravagant
and please consider the Hostess and her tastes.
A bottle of wine
jam
a scented candle
marmalade
fancy teas
French milled soap
beeswax candles
exquisite olive oil
nuts
pretty napkins
a linen tea towel
lavender sachets
Hostess gifts need not be purchased if you are handy in the kitchen.
I have a few things that I like to make every year just before Christmas.
Our social calendar gets filled up quickly and I like to be prepared with a variety of gifts.
I buy pretty tins and doilies at the local Dollar Store.
My latest gift is dried fruit from the health food store dipped in chocolate.
Buy an assortment of fruit...melt the chocolate "buttons" and dip the fruit.
Cool on a parchment lined sheet pan then store in air tight containers
a layer of parchment or waxed paper between each layer of fruit.
Trust me...these are delicious!
They do not take very long to dip once the chocolate is melted.
Work in smaller batches so the chocolate stays smooth and pliable.
Arrange tins so that you can divide the fruit evenly.
Assembly line seems to be the most efficient way for me to get things done.
The fruit made ahead and stored in separate tins...
Each tin has a variety of chocolate dipped fruit.
You could add nuts if you like...
I make a batch of spiced nuts that I package in separate containers.
This is an easy and inexpensive Hostess gift...
delicious
but
be warned
the fruit is slightly addictive!
(I reserve a large tin of dipped fruit in the pantry for our use)
Organic Chinese Mandarin Oranges are so sweet...
we have eaten one box so far and are into the second one!
BTW
I like to make one dinner and serve it twice when I am busy.
I made a big batch of soup...
I served it for dinner
and packed the leftovers for another day.
You can freeze it of you want and bring it out on a night when you are pressed for time.
Keeping Calm
is always so much easier if you "plan ahead!"
Stay tuned for more Hostess approved recipes!
34 comments:
So true Leslie....lovely post...what thoughtful and delicious! gifts. I m sure your friends and family will be very happy receiving them. Thank you for all the great ideas. I definitely need to take some calm and quiet time today to organise the thoughts in my head into plans on paper! or on my phone....not as easy to mislay as paper lists plus I always have it with me!
Looking forward to your next post ...as I always do! Take care,
Rosie
So true Leslie....lovely post...what thoughtful and delicious! gifts. I m sure your friends and family will be very happy receiving them. Thank you for all the great ideas. I definitely need to take some calm and quiet time today to organise the thoughts in my head into plans on paper! or on my phone....not as easy to mislay as paper lists plus I always have it with me!
Looking forward to your next post ...as I always do! Take care,
Rosie
Great photos as always and your chocolate dipped fruit looks lovely!
Great idea! Hostess gifts are always confusing territory to me. Luckily I often bring an appetizer and am glad to know that excuses me from a gift! I always kind of wonder if that's okay.
The fruit is a wonderful idea. My mother and I always back several batches of cookies the day after Thanksgiving. Then when the need arises I just make an assortment out of what is in the freezer and gift them.
You are so organized! Thanks for taking time to share the practical and inspiring ideas.
What a great idea to make chocolate dipped fruit. I think I will do the same if I can find suitable containers
Those look delcious! I love being prepared, and having my hostess gifts ready before the season gets underway. I like this idea much better than the cookies I usually give.
Oh my! That fruit looks delicious! Thank you for all the simple ways to say thank you.
Mary Lou
I'm not as handy in the kitchen as you are, so I usually just bring wine and cheese, or a bottle of champagne and a tin of foie gras.
I love dried apricots dipped in chocolate. My mother used to soak the apricots in vodka for a few weeks - maybe even as long as 6 weeks - then dry them and dip and edge in dark chocolate to give as gifts. She would save the vodka to sip on later.
These are all lovely ideas for hostess gifts!
Adrienne
Hostess gifts are a kind consideration of others. I do love chocolate dipped fruit and make a large batch of it each year. Yes, staying organized is important, especially at this time of year. The years when I was not were quite frazzled.
What lovely ideas.
Thank you for the idea ! Something original with personal touch!
Here is a custom to take hostess and host gifts if there is a couple
Dottoressa
Great ideas! Thank you!
Some excellent hostess gifts there, and how beautifully presented.
I have just discovered a couple of amazing shops,near to me, here in Greece, selling wonderful Greek olive oil, herbs& spices, Turkish Delight, petimezi etc, all in exquisite packaging, perfect for hostess gifts, it really takes the hassle of trying to think of what to buy for people.
I should really take your example, and make stuff myself...I make a mean English lemon curd!
Susan.x
Lists come in handy and I use them a lot especially at this time of year!
I ate two pieces just to make sure that they were OK...it took great restraint to stop at two!
Oh if you showed up at my door with an appetizer I would be so happy!
Cookies are on my list of things to make and give as Hostess gifts. Having them ready to go in the freezer is such good planning.
Retirement allows for advance planning and being organized really does reduce any added stress.
Containers can be anything from a glass sealer jar to a tin or a cellophane bag...you can be as creative as you like.
I make cookies too...mixing it up is fun.
I love the simple things in life...complicated can be overwhelming and stressful.
Sounds delicious...
My my...that Vodka must have been tasty!
I remember the frazzled years...my kids were small and we had very little money and I found it difficult to "do it all!"
Thank you Adrienne!
I love lemon curd!
I love that idea for a hostess gift. The apricots looks particularly delicious.
This is the kind of thing I always WANT to do but never have. Possibly never will:(. Maybe I should give it a shot just so I can read these kinds of posts without a nagging sense of failure. Next year;). Aaargh, I should do it this year...
Oh dear Lisa...posting this was not intended to create any negative feelings.
Oh I know! Not your issue! It's just one of those things I always wish I could do, kind of like making a scrapbook, or a baby book, and I just never manage it! That's why I was thinking I really should just DO it! And if I do, you will have done me a huge favor.
xox
If your heart is not in it...let it go...there are lots of other things in life that are more important.
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