Food Gift Decoration Ideas

Bag: It is easy to dress up a paper or cellophane bag. Line the bag with tissue paper. Use a hole punch, or scissors to poke holes or make slits in the bag. Lace ribbon, string, buttons and/or decorative objects (springs of juniper, evergreens, bells, ornaments, etc.)

Bottle: Tie ribbons, raffia or twine around the neck of each bottle. Attach a homemade gift tag or small ornament.

Get personal. Look for ornaments that reflect the recipient's hobbies or likes. Dish: Frequent the dollar store, antique markets, garage sales, flea markets for unique serving bowls, platters or tins. These items could be the whole gift in itself but add your favorite baked goods for that special touch. Find festive mugs and add your favorite teas or hot chocolates. Wrap in cellophane and a bow.

Gift Tag: Personalize your gift tags! Colored card stock paper in festive cut out patterns. Use fancy pens, stickers, glitter, beads, ribbon, or fun markers. Get creative! It's easy to cut out your design/shape, use a hole punch and thread a ribbon through to attach the tag. Add a picture of your child/family to the tag!

Jar: Cut a circle of fabric or use tissue or wrapping paper (3"-4" larger than the lid). Hold the circle in place with a rubber band and then tie a bow over the rubber band. The bow can be as simple as twine from your local hardware store!

These are just a few suggestions to get you started. Have confidence in your abilities.
Many times people just don't know where to start; now you do! :)

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe can be used for a variety of breads! We will take this ordinary bread and make it into a festive culinary delight, over and over again!

10-12 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour
1/3 cup olive oil
½ cup honey
6 cups warm water
2 TBSP gluten
2 TBSP salt
2 TBSP yeast
2 TBSP dough enhancer
In your mixing bowl add the 6 cups of water along with the oil, honey, yeast, gluten and dough enhancer. Add 6 cups of flour. Mix just until most of the mixture is moistened. You will still have lumps. Let this sit for 5 - 10 minutes to let the yeast start working (sponge). Add the salt and the begin to add more flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. You dough will be tacky but shouldn't be super sticky. Let this knead for 8 minutes and then you are ready to make the breads of your choice!

If you would like a refresher on whole grain bread making please visit our site: www.mountaintopsmilling.com and click on bread making tutorial.

Cinnamon Pecan or Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Our favorite "bread" gift to give away is Cinnamon Pecan or Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Both are very easy to make and yummy to eat!
Roll out about 1 lb. of the above bread dough (or use your favorite bread recipe) into a rectangle. Spread honey onto the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon and either pecans or raisins. Roll up into a loaf and place into prepared bread pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Gift in a Jar
Cranberry & White Chocolate Scones

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate

1. Layer ingredients in a 1-quart canning jar. You may use any order of you choice or this suggestion: white flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, whole wheat flour, sugar. Place cranberries and chocolate chips at the top of the jar if desired. Please feel free to try any order you would like.

2. Cover jar with fabric, ribbon, gift tag.

Cranberry & White Chocolate Scones Gift Tag
GIFT TAG:
1 jar Cranberry & White Chocolate Scone mix
6 TBSP (3/4 stick) butter, cut into ½ -inch pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup plus 1 TBSP whipping cream, divided
Grated peel of 1 orange
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease or line baking sheet. Dump in contents of jar into large mixing bowl, cut in butter with pastry knife (or two knives) until it comes out the size of peas.
2. Combine eggs, 1/3 cup cream and orange peel in small bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir with fork just until mixture forms dough. Knead dough 8 - 10 times on lightly floured surface.
3. Form dough into disk on baking sheet. Flatten into 9-inch disk. Score into 8 wedges with sharp knife. Brush with remaining 1 TBSP cream. Sprinkle lightly with sugar (vanilla sugar works great).
4. Bake 20 -23 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and toothpick/knife comes out clean.
5. Cut along score lines
6. Cool completely
7. Makes 8 Scones

Cinnamon Sugar

This works great in salt shakers found at your local dollar store.
1/3 cup organic sugar
1 cinnamon stick whole OR 1 cinnamon stick broken up into pieces
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
If using a whole cinnamon stick place cinnamon stick into shaker jar. If using broken up cinnamon stick add stick at the bottom of the jar and the middle of the jar. Using a funnel pour in 1/3 cup of sugar. For a more dramatic effect and more intense cinnamon flavor add ¼ tsp of cinnamon powder on top of the sugar layer. Label, decorate, & package as desired.

Cinnamon Sugar - Gift Tag Use in coffee, tea, hot chocolate, sprinkled on toast, fruit or used in baked good.

Vanilla Sugar

1/3 cup organic sugar
½ fresh vanilla bean
Place vanilla bean in sugar shaker jar. Using funnel pour 1/3 cup sugar into jar. Have a bit of the vanilla bean showing. Decorate & package as desired.

Two Loaf Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

For those not using a large capacity mixer here is a two loaf recipe that is great for hand kneading or using a Kitchen Aid size mixer. If you have a bread machine use the dough cycle to get the dough of your choice and then shape as you please. You can also go to the grocery store and purchase frozen bread dough, let it thaw at room temp and make all of the items! Honey Wheat Dough
2 pkgs. dry yeast (or 1 TBSP yeast)
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups white flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup warm water
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
½ cup honey
1 egg
Warm the milk in saucepan, add the butter and honey, let cool to lukewarm. In large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in cooled butter mixture, egg and whole wheat flour. Beat with an electric mixer about 3 minutes or by hand until smooth and blended. Let mixture rise in warm place, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover, stir in salt and unbleached flour, turn onto flour board; knead for about 10 minutes (by hand) or 7 min. with mixer. The dough will be a bit tacky but shouldn't be super sticky. Cover, let rise about 30 minutes or until doubled and use with any of the recipes.

Woven Bread Baskets

For a large woven basket you will need:
Approx. 2 ½ lbs. of dough
Ovenproof bowl (metal or glass)
Place your bowl (oven proof) upside down on a greased baking sheet. Spray bowl with Pam spray. Divide your dough into two equal balls. Place your dough onto lightly floured work surface. Cut ¼ off of each ball and set aside for the basket's rim. Roll the dough pieces into two 12 x 12" squares. Make 1" marks on the top and bottom of the squares. Using a dough blade or pizza cutter cut 12 strips form each square. Note: If your work surface is large enough go ahead and roll out the dough into a 12 x 24 " rectangle. The amount of strips you need will depend on the size of your bowl. Lay out a piece of foil sprayed with Pam. Select about 10 strands to lay flat fairly close to each other. One by one weave strips of dough into the dough you already have. Use the under-over-under-over method to weave another 10 strands. When weaving try to get the strands very close together. Repeat this until you have a square of woven dough. Take the dough you set aside and roll into two 24" ropes (again this varies with the size of your bowl. The ropes should fit around your bowl). You can twist the two strands together and place at the bowl's rim. Tucking in any extra woven strands. Slightly wet the dough to get it to stick better.. Slide hands under the foil and gently lift. Turn the woven dough over the bowl. Peel off foil and rearrange any bread strands that have come loose. Use scissors or a pizza cutter to trim strands and tuck all remaining strips into the rim. Bake in a preheated oven 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (check after 20 minutes). If basket is browning too quickly cover with foil. When done place basket (still upside down over bowl) on cooling rack. Remove bowl after completely cooled.

Healthy Sugar Cookies
from Sue Gregg's "Holidays" cookbook

1. Blend dry ingredients and set aside:
2 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or reg flour)
1 TBSP cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2. Whip butter until creamy, blend in organic sugar, or succanat and vanilla;
blend in eggs:
½ cup butter
2/3 cup organic sugar or succanat
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

3. Blend the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients until blended, do not over mix.

4. Divide dough in half and chill several hours or overnight.

5. Remove half the dough from the refrige at a time. Press flat with palm of hand on evenly floured surface.

6. Lay a piece of wax paper over top of dough and roll out with a rolling pin to about 1/8" thick. Peel wax paper off and replace occasionally while rolling out.

7. Dip cookie cutters in flour and cut. Gently press scraps together and roll out lightly as needed to cut remaining dough.

8. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets. Interesting designs may be made in cookies with toothpick and end of straw.

9. Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Decorate once cooled.