AA Gifts & Baskets Idea Blog

Archive for the ‘Housewarming’ Category

Are you looking for the perfect housewarming gift? People who are moving into a new home have an endless list of things they need, but one thing that they could really use is relaxation. Moving is stressful, and a wonderful italian food gift basket can be just the right balm. It will also make their new house feel more like home to have a delicious, savory, aromatic meal. Here are some ideas for assembling an Italian dinner basket. Perfect as a house warming gift, or any occasion, this basket is certain to be appreciated.

As an appetizer, include fresh focaccia or you can add a jarred bruschetta, which will last longer in a basket. Focaccia crisps are also great additions; these are small Tuscan-style crackers that will be excellent on their own or with cheese and fresh tomato slices. If you can deliver the basket yourself, do put in fresh foods to make the foods that much tastier. Another idea is to just include a baguette, a small jar of olive oil, and some dipping herbs.

If you have ever eaten in Italy, you know that there is far more to this country’s cuisine than just pasta and pizza! There are so many wonderful tastes that it can be difficult to know where to start. Start at the beginning; pastas are very popular, and they make great, filling, and easy to cook meals.

Get some special gourmet or handmade pasta or try a variation like sun-dried tomato or spinach. Getting fresh ravioli or tortellini adds a nice, robust feel to the basket. You can add a good marinara sauce, or opt for a pesto sauce. You may want to get both as pesto does not always appeal to everyone – especially children.

You could also do pizza as the main course. Start by getting an Italian pizza mix or assembling your own. You can put the ingredients for the dough into a jar, along with recipes for making the dough. Italian pizza tends to differ from America’s pizza in that they are mostly “white.” This means that they don’t have marinara or red sauce. Instead, a light layer of olive oil is put onto the dough, followed by cheese, and toppings. Include a small jar of olive oil as well as the fixings, which can be very simple. For instance, you may add fresh mozzarella (or bagged shredded), tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes), and basil. Other toppings include mushroom, brie, pesto, artichoke, parmesan, gorgonzola, and percorino cheeses, and grilled onions.

Time for dessert! Choose biscotti, cannoli, amaretto truffles or cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate mousse cake, or just simple Italian cookies. You can pick these up at the bakery or just get a mix from the grocery store. If you want to give a homemade treat, biscotti are very easy to make, and it stores exceptionally well, so they can enjoy it after dinner or with their morning coffee.

Your meal is not complete without a wine gift to complement the food. Reds are a good choice, but try to go with the preference of the recipient. If they do not drink, include soda or sparkling water and some espresso to enjoy with dessert.

Italian food is among the most beloved cuisines in the world, and for good reason. Nothing will make you feel more at home than the smell of delicious food cooking.

Aromatherapy has been around for a long time. It’s simply the use of scents to target benefits like relaxation, sleep, well-being, headache relief, etc. If you want to give an aromatherapy gift basket, it’s really easy to make one yourself.

The first thing you should do is choose a scent. If you’re not sure what scent your friend would like, do some thinking. Have you smelled candles burning in her home? What scent and color were they? Does she wear a certain perfume? What does it smell like? These are some clues into some of the scents she may like. If you still don’t have a clue, go with something like vanilla or buttercream which just about everyone likes.

Once you have chosen your scent, choose a vessel to put it all in. Often times inexpensive baskets work well, but you can also place everything in a decorative hat box or other display box that she can use again. If you want to make her a travel basket, put it all in a large cosmetics pouch that zips so she can take it with her on the road.

Aromatherapy baskets can include just about anything. Most include relaxing elements designed to help the recipient de-stress and unwind. Candles with strong but pleasant scents are nice as is incense. You do have to be careful to choose a scent that is meant to relax, like lavender, if you intend it for stress relief. If you give a basket full of peppermint or spearmint scents, the opposite effect will occur. Your friend will be much more alert instead of relaxed. Peppermint makes a great gift to give as an aromatherapy pick-me-up basket for someone at work who always hits that 3:00pm slump.

Arrange all your items on some sort of packing material. This can be shredded paper, recycled Easter basket grass, or even just tissue paper. The idea is to make each product stand alone in its own little spot so the basket doesn’t look thrown together. Include a simmering pot for spices or a candle warmer, which allows wax to be heated without a flame. Great for the office or around kids.

You might want to include soap and a soap dish, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, a neck pillow, or an herbal pillow filled with buckwheat that can be used hot or cold for neck pain relief. There are hundreds of scents and thousands of products to choose from. So your options are limitless when putting together an aromatherapy gift basket. Include natural bamboo towels and face cloths, slippers, or a robe.

Tie it all up with a big ribbon and present it. Your friend will absolutely love getting a basket filled with products she can use right away to change her mood and her day. Whether it’s relaxation or alertness you are going for, research the different scents and what each one is thought to enhance. There are so many out there that you will definitely find one for the lady in your life. Don’t settle for the first one you find. Do some sensory research. You’ll have fun doing it and just may relax yourself, too.

For cheesecake lovers, there can never be too many types of the sweet and creamy dessert to choose from. Americans love their NY style gourmet cheesecake plain with no toppings. In St. Louis, cheesecakes have an extra layer of fluffy cake on top of them. And Philadelphia cheesecakes are whipped, light and topped with berries. But what kind of cheesecakes do other countries enjoy?

The cheesecake actually originated in ancient Rome and Greece. Even before formal writing could record a recipe, cheesecakes were being baked. We know this because historians have found remains of cheesecake molds in ancient ruins back as far as 2000BC.

Today, most countries have their own version of the cheesecake. In Germany, the cake is not as sweet and, in fact, is not baked at all. It consists of quark cheese and cream. In Canada, maple syrup is the main differentiation.

French bakers use Neufchatel cheese to make a more gelatinous and sweet cake. The Italians make a pie that’s called grano which is a rice, ricotta, marscapone cheese and candied fruit chunks. Try cheese cakes from around the world as often as you can in restaurants and specialty shops. They’re a treat for the tastebuds.

Try making an Italian cheesecake and you just may fall in love with it. It’s traditionally eaten at Easter by Italians. Or, make a French cake using Neufchatel cheese from the grocery store.

Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

Cooks.com

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. butter, softened

2 tbsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

FILLING:

1 1/2 lb. ricotta cheese, well drained

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 tbsp. flour

3 eggs

1 tsp. grated orange peel

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. golden raisins

2 tbsp. finely minced candied citron

2 tbsp. chopped blanched almonds

2 tbsp. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For Pastry: Mix all ingredients until blended, press evenly in bottom of ungreased 9-inch spring form pan. Bake in 475 degree oven for 5 minutes.

For Filling: Beat ricotta cheese, granulated sugar, flour, eggs, orange peel, vanilla and salt in large mixer bowl on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 4 minutes. Stir in raisins, citron and almonds. Pour into pastry-lined pan.

Bake in 350 degree oven until center is set and top is golden brown, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Cool. Refrigerate 12-24 hours. Remove outer rim of pan. Mix powdered sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over cheesecake. Makes 12-16 servings.

Neufchatel Cheesecake

Thriftyfun.com

Ingredients

9 whole sheets low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, finely ground

2 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 cups sugar

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

4 packages. Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature

1 egg + 2 egg whites

1 container reduced-fat sour cream

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla, extract

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Canned cherry pie filling, optional

Directions

Position racks in center of lower third of oven. Place roasting pan on lower rack; fill halfway with water. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Coat spring form pan with cooking spray. Combine crumbs with 2 Tbsp. sugar; stir in butter and 1 Tbsp. water. Press into bottom of pan. At medium high speed, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and whites, then sour cream, cornstarch, vanilla and zest. Pour into crust.

Bake on center rack 1 hour or until center jiggles slightly when pan is shaken. Turn oven off. Let stand in oven with door closed 30 minutes. Run knife around edge. Cool. Refrigerate at least 8 hours. If desired, top with filling.

Want more cheesecake recipes? Try some of these:

• Fruit Smoothies No-Bake Cheesecake
• Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl

A housewarming party is the one time you can throw yourself a big party and everyone will be overjoyed to come. It’s a time to welcome friends and neighbors into your new place and get to know those who live nearby.

Be sure that you wait until you’re fully or at least almost unpacked so that you feel comfortable showing your house. It’s perfectly fine to wait several weeks to have your housewarming. You can even have it two months after. It’s totally up to you. If you need a little break from the move, let yourself relax before you plan the party. You want to be able to enjoy it too.

Once you have sent out cute invitations, turn your mind to what you’ll actually do at the party. Set up stations in several rooms so people can help themselves to finger foods. Keep in mind that some guests might bring a dish to share, so have a place for them to set it down and let people help themselves.  Some people may want to bring a housewarming gift.  If you would prefer that they didn't, you can state that on the invitation.

Guests will want to see the rooms in your new home, so be prepared to give several tours. You might group them together so that you take one every half hour or so as new guests arrive.

Formal games are not traditionally expected at a house party, but they can be fun. If you want to get everyone involved and introduced to each other, when guests arrive give them half of card that features a picture of half an object. For instance, one person could have a picture of half a bunch of grapes and another guest gest the other half. One person could have the head of a cow and the other has the body. If you can pick up a set of children’s cards that are already designed like this, it’s easy and fun. The object is to find the person with the other half of your image. This causes people to have to mingle and meet each other. It’s a great icebreaker too.

Another game you can play is “redecorate the room.” Choose one room in your house and offer people the opportunity to play interior decorator. Give out graph paper and colored pencils or pens. Guests can draw how they envision your furniture arranged. It's fun to let people take a try at it and you may even get some ideas out of the game that you can really use.

If you have one room in your house that you’re not finished with or one that was especially horribly decorated by the previous owners, you can use that room as the jumping off point for a game. Have guests come in and guess who lived there before you, what they did for fun, how old they were, if they had kids, etc. You can make up a little sheet so people can fill in their answers. You can also use this room as the “redecorate my room” space. People will be happy to offer suggestions on how a badly decorated room can be improved. You’ll have a lot of laughs in the process.

Overall, the housewarming party is a time for guests to mingle, be casual and get to see what you’ve done with the place. It’s a perfect time to make new friends and introduce your friends to people in the neighborhood.

If you really want to surprise and delight your new neighbors, bring them over a housewarming basket that you made yourself. You can include the things they’ll really need and like. Because you know the area so well, your recommendations of great places to eat and shop will be invaluable to them.

Start off with a sturdy basket. A clean galvanized metal pail also works well. Make sure it’s big enough to load up with lots of goodies.

Start with maps to area hot spots. They’ll want to know where the Starbucks and WalMart are. Even if you crudely draw them yourself, it’s a great way to break the ice. You can also print them directions to locations that are farther away. Yes, they may have a GPS, but if they have no idea there’s a great steak house nearby, they won’t know to try it. Also be sure to list any places they should avoid. You can do it in a light way such as, “If you need your car washed, go to Manny’s by the movie theater. Skip the one on Sunset.”

Then add things that people need when they first move in. Include supplies like pens, tape, a stapler, a pad of paper, sticky notes and any other things that they need to just jot something down quickly. Sure, they may have packed them, but who knows where the box is? Some people even go as far as to include a few rolls of toilet paper for those few days when you still can’t find the box marked “bathroom.”

If there’s a local specialty like chocolate chip cookies from the best bakery in town or fresh eggs from a local farm, include those too with a note that tells them exactly where to go for more. A gallon of milk is also a nice idea as they may not have had time to run out to the store. Some cereal and a few bowls and spoons are also great to have on hand.

You could go more traditional and just include a pre-made fruit gift basket or other food gift basket. That’s also going to be welcomed with open arms. Just be sure to include your full name, you husband and kids’ names, and your address and phone number so they know where to find you again. Even if you live three houses down in a new complex, they may forget which one is yours. Or, they may have been so busy when you delivered your basket that they didn’t quite get your name and are too embarrassed now to ask.

Think about what you’d need if you were new in town. List the names of the area hospital, bus schedules, library hours, or any other thing you think they might need to look up. Is there a great restaurant that stays open late? Include their menu. Are there several playgrounds within walking distance? Tell them about them all.

Your kindness will go a long way to winning new friends in the neighborhood. If you start off on the right foot, chances are you will have made a life-long buddy you can count on. Be sure to offer your help should they need anything and offer to help unpack if you feel comfortable.

Congratulate and Wish Your Loved Ones Well with a Housewarming Gift Basket

Moving to a new home can be both exciting and challenging. To extend your congratulations and wish loved ones well as they start a new life in a new environment, it is a great idea to send a housewarming gift basket.

The contents do not have to be expensive at all. All that is needed to make the gift special is for you to find items that they will find useful for de-stressing after unpacking their load and arranging their furniture, or for throwing parties with the new neighbors.

Easy to prepare snack goods like cookies, popcorn and chocolates, or even meal items like pasta, bread, cheese and sausages, a collection of DVDs and a bottle of wine are perfect for the celebration, as are tea bags or gourmet coffee packs that may come with a large mug.

To find a selection of  housewarming gift baskets, visit AAGiftsandBaskets.com. The site offers dozens of gift packages to choose from.