Late Christmas Present

Christmas is stressful and busy.   And it's especially stressful for those in school because we have finals so close to that time too.....

So, needless to say, I didn't get all my christmas presents done before christmas.

Case in point, this basket:

I wanted to give as many consumable gifts as I could this year.  I wanted to make things people could enjoy and use up, instead of things that could clutter their lives or be unuseful (if that's even a word).

So, I found a basket (which could be re-used) and filled it with delicious homemade snack!  I made Peppermint Bark, Spicy Almonds, Smokey Cashews and Dark Chocolate Chunk Hot Cocoa Mix.  And I gave the Christmas present in the middle of January.

Hopefully the goodies will all be enjoyed and consumed :)

And I think, from now on, I'm going to concentrate on doing Valentine's presents instead of Christmas presents.

Here's the recipe for the Hot Cocoa mix, which I found in the December 09 issue of Real Simple Magazine.

Chocolate Chunk Hot Cocoa Mix

Makes: 1 gift (4 cups in all)

• 2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (2 cups)
• ¾ cup sugar (3/4 cup) 
• 8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate (8 oz) 

In a bowl, combine the cocoa, sugar, and chocolate. Store in an airtight container. Keep at room temperature for up to 4 months.

How to Package Your Gift

1. Transfer the cocoa mix to a resealable airtight container. (I used a canning jar) 
2. Handwrite or download the following instructions on a gift tag or label to include with your gift: “In a small saucepan, whisk ¼ cup cocoa mix with ¾ cup milk. Bring to a bare simmer. Serves 1.” 
3. Tie a ribbon around the container, looping it through a measuring scoop (I skipped this) and the gift tag with the instructions.