It’s always helpful to have a handful of small gift ideas in your back pocket, especially as the holidays approach.
Seeing as a bottle of wine (my typical go-to) sometimes isn’t appropriate, this week I’m sharing a few other possibilities—all from small local businesses.
Some of the items here cost a few bucks more than what you would spend at a big box store. But with small businesses taking such a hit this year, I’m excited to shine a light on how fabulous they are.
These guys sell “a full selection of nuts, seeds and dried fruit.” I especially enjoy their vegetable chips ($3.75/bag), dried okra ($2.50), and wasabi peas ($2.75), which pack a lot of punch and, in my opinion, must be eaten one at a time to avoid it feeling like your brain is on fire.
These snacks are a fun combo with my favorite Houston beer—Hop Gusher IPA from Spindletap.
You can buy cookies and other baked goods at SugarFacebakescookies.com. The owner, Stacie Zollars, cooks every order herself and has recently started selling her cookie mix in jars, too.
The jars ($17.00) are labeled with step-by-step instructions.
“You provide the wet ingredients and your favorite mix-in’s, I take care of the rest,” says Zollars. “One bowl and no rolling.”
Take it from me: The cookies are excellent.
This plant-based/vegan food fixture of Montrose has a full menu of healthy and inspired stuff. I’m particularly fond of their granola, or “grawnola.”
It comes in two varieties, ginger (my pick) and apple cinnamon. Both are $8/bag.
4. Your own home
Through a digital course I’m taking, I’ve connected with a woman on the other side of the world. Susie Bailey, who lives in Australia, teaches folks to make all kinds of edible gifts.
Here’s one of her quick and easy favorites:
White chocolate Bark: melt a packet of white chocolate chips and spread thinly on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Allow to set and dry completely, then break (or cut) the bark into rough pieces and pack in small cellophane bags, tie with a ribbon and personalize with a hangtag.
“You can use white, milk, or dark chocolate, or do white and dark chocolate for a marbled effect,” says Bailey, who suggests trying this recipe with a variety of different toppings: pistachios, chopped hazelnuts, sprinkles, M&Ms or any other colorful candy.
Bailey is ultimately working on a digital course that teaches how to make various edible gifts at home. She’ll share more on that as it comes together on her Facebook page: Chef Susie.
I hope this gives you some delicious inspiration. Happy holiday shopping … and snacking!