Cake Balls For Me?

I am the proud recipient of these delicious cake balls (or was - they are long gone by now). And what a great gift it was. My friend showed up on my porch unexpectedly with these little balls of joy a few days ago and it made my day. She even made the box. Do you like it? It's made with scrapbook paper.

She made three different kinds. There are red velvet cake balls with cream cheese frosting dipped in white chocolate and milk chocolate. And there are devils food cake balls and milk chocolate frosting flavored with 1 Tbsp. orange extract and then dipped in milk chocolate. And I can't tell you which was my favorite because they were all so good.

Heart Wax Paper

A simple idea to dress up your baked goods found here. Just cut hearts out of tissue paper. On an ironing board lay down a layer of paper towels, then wax paper, tissue paper hearts, another layer of wax paper, and another layer of paper towels. Set an iron to medium heat and lightly iron over the layers to set the hearts onto the wax paper.

Consider all of the different shapes you could use to dress up your wax paper for baked goods. This could be great for any holiday or occasion.

Fudge Hearts

Maybe this looks so good to me because I didn't get enough homemade fudge over the holidays. I found this idea here for some heart-shaped fudgey Valentine treat. I need to get me a candy thermometer and try this out! Let me know how it goes if you decide to do this.

Here is the recipe and instructions:

(Makes about 4 dozen 1-inch hearts)

Ingredients

Canola oil for the pan and cutters

1 1/4 cups milk

3 1/2 cups sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

Pink gel food coloring, (optional)

Directions

Lightly oil a 9-inch-square pan. (A smaller pan will make the fudge thicker and more difficult to cut.) Place milk in a heavy 12-quart saucepan. Stir in sugar; add butter. Over medium heat, stir constantly, until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Increase heat to medium high, bring to a boil, and cover with lid. Let boil for 2 minutes, and uncover. Do not stir; clip a candy thermometer on side of pan, and let mixture boil, over medium-low heat, until it reaches 240 degrees (the soft-ball stage), 15 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath.

Immediately remove pan from heat, and dip the base of the pan in the ice water for 5 seconds. Let the fudge sit at room temperature without stirring, with the thermometer attached, until the thermometer reads 122 degrees and mixture is lukewarm, about 40 minutes. If using food coloring, add 1 drop. Stir the fudge with a wooden spoon until it changes from glossy to opaque and is thick and creamy, 2 to 5 minutes. Quickly pour into prepared pan. Use piece of plastic wrap to smooth fudge into the pan, creating an even surface. Let cool completely, 2 to 3 hours, and cut with 1/2- to 1 1/2-inch heart cookie cutters. (Oil the cutters with the canola oil inside and out before using.) Fudge will keep, well wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

Fruit Bouquet

Gwen and her daughter Nikki made this fruit bouquet for Nikki's teacher. They found a flower pot at Michael's and cut a head of iceberg lettuce to fit inside the pot. The greenery they used as filler here is kale. Then they used skewers to stick the fruit into the iceberg lettuce: grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple. So cute. And something that kids can be involved with.

LOTS of Simple Neighbor Gift Ideas

I found some more ideas for neighbor gifts here that don't take much to put together...

M&M's:

"Have a Merry and Most wonderful Holiday Season!"

Soup or soup mix:

"Wishing you a souper Holiday Season!!"

Frozen or ready to bake pizza:

"Warm up to a wonderful Holiday Season topped with Christmas cheer!"

Popcorn Balls:

"Hoping you have a ball this Holiday Season!"

Loaf of Bread:

For being there when you were kneaded,

for rising to the occasion, large or small,

for never loafing on the job,

no matter how you slice it,

you do a terrific job of loving others

Merry Christmas!!

Jolly Ranchers:

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!!

Rootbeer:

We're rooting for you to have a Happy Holiday Season and a Wonderful New Year!

Chex Party Mix:

Remember Santa chex his list twice to see who's been naughty or nice,

so be good for goodness sake!! Merry Christmas!!

Box of Hostess Ho-Ho's:

Ho - Ho - Hoping your Christmas is Heavenly

Wire Wisk (Filled with Chocolate kisses):

We WHISK you a Merry KISSmas!

Christmas Tray:

We tray-sure your friendship! Merry Christmas!!

Potpourri:

May this sweet scent bring back thoughts of warm Christmases long ago! Merry Christmas!

Household Cleaners:

You add sparkle and make our life brighter! Merry Christmas!

Broom:

You're dust the finest neighbors we know! Merry Christmas!

Paper Towels:

Absorb the Christmas Spirit!

Measuring Cup or Glass Measure:

Wishing you Joy Beyond Measure!

Chocolate Mousse Mix:

Merry Christmousse

Cinnamon Sprinkles (Cinnamon & Sugar, or cookie sprinkles):

May your Christmas be sprinkled with laughter and love! Merry Christmas!

Salsa:

Add a little spice to your Holidays! Merry Christmas!

Holly:

Happy Hollydays!

Calendar:

Keep Christmas in your heart the whole year through!

Sparkling Cider:

Wishing you a sparkling Holiday Season!

Popcorn or Carmel Corn:

Just popping by with a Holiday Hi!

Fruit Basket:

May your New Year be Festive and Fruitful!

Any Sweet Treat:

Wishing you a season filled with sweetness!

Oranges:

Orange you glad we're Friends? Merry Christmas!

Chocolate Orange:

Orange you glad it's Christmas? Hope your Christmas is a sweet one!

Sprite:

May your Christmas be Merry and Sprite!

Snicker Bar:

Don't Snicker, just be glad you got something!

Matches:

No one matches you as neighbors! Merry Christmas!

Strainer:

We couldn't restrain ourselves from wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Box of Light Bulbs:

Have a bright and radiant Christmas

Bubble Gum or Bubble Bath:

May your holidays bubble over with fun!

Pencil and Notepad:

Merry Christmas from our pad to yours!

or

Merry Christmas to a noteworthy friend!

Grater and Cheese:

To a grate Neighbor! Merry Christmas!"

Ice Cream:

Have a cool Yule!

Eggnog:

Have an udderly moovalous Christmas!

Muffins or Muffin mix:

We wanted to give you something so you weren't getting muffin for Christmas!

Christmas Shaped pasta (Or any Pasta and a bottle of Sauce):

Have a Pasta-tively Happy Holiday!

Brownie Mix (Or any Mix):

Whip up this mix for a wonderful holiday fix!

Pie:

Just a Holiday Hi and a tasty Pie! Happy Holidays!

Fudge:

Fudge a little on the calories and enjoy the Holiday Season!

Banana Bread:

Banana Bread just for you, because you have so much to do.

We love you a whole bunch! Merry Christmas!"

Cinnamon Rolls:

Here's a sweet treat rolled up with warm Holiday Wishes! Merry Christmas!

Recipe:

Just like you, friend it's tried and true, just for you! Happy Holiday Baking or Merry Christmas Cooking!

Pizza:

Hope your Holiday has a touch of Pizza - z! Merry Christmas!

P.S. Don't forget that you can add a personal note to make it meaningful.

S'mores Kits

I absolutely love this cute gift idea: s'more kits found here. You could do these any way you like. These particular clear boxes can be found at any packaging store or site and you can buy in bulk and save big (either go in on a bunch with some friends or save them for your own gifts). Here is a sight I found that seemed pretty reasonable to me. You don't have to package it this way though. You could come up with your own fun way to present a s'mores kit (and then share it with me!) What a fun gift for a family to get! I always love gifts that give us something fun to do together. Or what about a miniature s'more kit for an individual? oooh.

Cookie Flowers

I love this cookie bouquet because it has mini cookies! I LoVe mini! I found this bouquet here. I like this for teachers or mother's day gifts for the kids to make. Or maybe for a new mother in the hospital or a get well gift. But really any day is a good day to get flowers.

Hint: To add some variety add some Oreo Fudge Rings (dark brown with white stripes).

Mini Muffin Tin Magic

If you like the Pie in the Jar idea then you'll LOVE this! These mini pumpkin pies and mini cherry pies are the coolest. All you need to do is buy a mini muffin tin!

Giving someone a pie would be a great present. But make mini pies and it becomes extraordinary. (And it makes the ingredients go further too!)

Miniature Donuts

Miniature stuff makes me so happy. This is a picture of some tiny donuts and a quarter that I found here. Donuts are pretty cool on their own and it would be an awesome neighbor gift. BUT when you make them miniature it is like you have reinvented the donut and you become a genius who just gave the coolest gift ever. They used circle fondant cutters ($2.97 at Michael's for a package of 3 sizes). I think they used the 2 smaller sizes to make these.

I checked it out and there are lots of basic shapes (squares, hearts, rectangles, ovals) found in the cake decorating section of the craft store. Miniature cookies (with or without holes in the middle) would be awesome too.

I have also seen regular donuts made with a tiny heart cut out of the middle instead of a round hole (the same idea as these cool marshmallows). Check it out here along with the recipe for apple cider spice donuts. If you like the simple, easy, convenient route here is another great recipe using a can of dough.

And if you like miniature stuff you might like this too.

Hot Chocolate Marshmallows with Personality

A regular gift can be transformed into something special when you add a tiny bit of flare. These marshmallow cut-outs are no exception. Something I have discovered recently is fondant cutters. They are the perfect cookie-cutter like tool, but they come in mini basic shapes and letters. Wouldn't it be fun to give your neighbors some hot chocolate with marshmallows cut out with their last name or initial? Or you could spell "J" "O" "Y" or any holiday greeting. Giving hot chocolate and marshmallows can be an inexpensive and welcome treat for your neighbors and friends during the holidays, but making fun marshmallow shapes and cut-outs can make it a unique gift also.

Pie in a Jar

All you need is a small glass jar (half-pint) and a great pie recipe for this fabulous idea first seen here. Fill the little jar with a sweet mini version of your best pie and bake it right in the jar. As soon as it comes out of the oven you can seal it with a canning lid (so that the heat will seal it) and then you can freeze it. Why not start baking now for the holidays and have them ready and waiting in the freezer? Add a little tag or label and you are set. This is a great gift idea for a special someone who lives alone and doesn't need an entire pie. Plus, miniature ANYTHING makes an ordinary gift extraordinary and helps your ingredients go further, which is nice on the wallet.

If you are on the lookout for a great pie recipe I'll share mine. It is a sure-fire hit no matter who I make it for. And don't let it scare you off if you don't like apple pie (or pie at all for that matter). This pie changes lives.

Sour Cream Apple Pie

9" pie crust, unbaked

2 c. Granny Smith apples: cored, peeled, and chopped

1/3 c. + 2 T. white flour

1 c. sugar, divided

1/4 t. salt

1 c. sour cream

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 T. cinnamon

2 T. butter

1. Place crust in pie pan, add apples

2. Combine 2 T. flour, 2/3 c. sugar, and salt in separate bowl

3. Add sour cream, egg, and vanilla and add to apples

4. Bake at 425 for 15 min.

5. Then 350 for 30 min.

6. While pie is baking, combine cinnamon, butter, remaining flour, remaining sugar and then sprinkle on top of pie when finished baking.

7. Then bake for at 400 for 10 min.

I dare you to try out this recipe on someone that says they don't like pie. They'll eat their words. Let me know how it goes!