Fave Gifts Before Christmas…To Give & Receive

I have been fortunate enough to receive some gifts even before the holiday I celebrate!  These are my faves to give & receive thus far…

1. Gift received:  A dreidel.

    Last night, Laurel & I attended a friend’s Hannukah celebration.  This was a fantastic introduction to an otherwise foreign holiday, complete with food & fun!  Latkes, or a version of potato pancakes are delicious!  If you haven’t tried them before, I recommend making a fresh batch for tasting.  Check out Epicurious.com for all Hannukah menus.  Later we played a rivoting game of dreidel. Our hosts, Lauren & Mike, provided each guest with their very own driedal to play this traditional game.  Here are the rules for your very own game!

2. Gift received: A tree.

(Isn’t this tree beautiful? It looks like a dancer!)

A friend at work today gave me what I thought was a Christmas card.  When I opened it, to my happy surprise, it was actually a tree dedication from The Arbor Day Foundation.  It was such a happy surprise! and so thoughtful! Laurel had mentioned this idea in a previous post, and as a recipient, I am can honestly say this is a perfect gift to give!  Visit ArborDay.org/giveatree for details.

3. Gift given: Granola satchels.

I was trying to think of a healthier gift to give to my co-workers.  We have a plethora of cakes and cookies to choose from, so I thought granola would be a nice alternative… According to my co-workers, I was right!

I made one big batch & handed it out in little, reusable, chinese-take-out-resembling, cartons.  Here is the recipe:

4 cups of Old-Fashioned tradional oats

1 cup veggie oil

1 cup honey (or maple syrup)

3 cups sliced almonds

11/2 cup of roasted soy nuts

2 cups dried cranberries

2 cups golden raisins

1 tsp of salt

Mix oats, soy nuts, & almonds.  Whisk oil & honey (or maple syrup).  Pour oil/honey mix over oat mix to coat.  Spread over a covered cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes – BE SURE TO STIR THROUGHOUT to avoid burning.  Once done, stir in cranberries & raisins.  Let cool completely before distributing amongst containers….Mmmmmm

If you try it, let me know how it turns out!  You can add all sorts of different goodies for your own take on a delicious give-away treat!