Gift Idea Saturday

With fall fast approaching, or if you are right smack dab in the middle of it, pumpkin flavor is in high gear. With this in mind start your gift baskets now. They are great as hostess gifts, birthdays, Thanksgiving gifts, welcome gifts, or just because. Here is a Quick Pumpkin Bread Mix you can make now and store away for later.

Quick Pumpkin Bread Mix
2 cups all-purpose four
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecan or walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Layer ingredients attractively in any order in 1-quart food storage jar with tight-fitting lid. Pack ingredients down slightly before adding another layer.
Cover top of jar with fabric or decorative paper; attach gift tag with raffia or ribbon

This makes 1 (1-quart) jar

When you attach the tag go ahead and attach the recipe card.
1/3 cup butter softened
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 jar of pre-made bread mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 1/2x4 1/2 inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin until well blended. Add pumpkin bread mix and stir until blended. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake 50-55 minutes or until your toothpick comes out nice and clean. Cool n pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 1 loaf

Keep your gift on the cheaper side by creating your own tags and recipe card by using scrapbook paper/card stalk or printing them out. Try using free clip art to print out/ cut and attach to your tags/cards. Use twine or leftover ribbon to attach the tag to the jar. The possibilities are endless when you use a little creativity.

If you are not the creative type check out our friends over at Whimsical Occasions where you can find wonderful tags for a fair price. You can also check to see if your writing software (like Microsoft Office) has
any templates you could use. Also try the paint program on your computer or a photo editing software.

Keep your gift basket festive by adding some homemade butter (check out the Fast and Fun Fridays ~3 ways to use cream) napkins, and some dried flowers for centerpiece. Remember to check out your local thrift stores as they normally have baskets galore, jars. ribbon, twine, and fabric.

Have fun and upload some pictures!