My husband and I exchange gifts with several of our neighbors each year for the holidays. It seems that each year it gets more difficult to think of a gift. This year we decided to give them wine and cheese gift baskets. We did not like the pre-made cheese gift baskets that are available in the kiosks in the mall so we decided to create the baskets ourselves.
The pre-made cheese gift baskets included processed cheese spreads. We were concerned about how long some of the baskets had been sitting around. We thought that if we made our own baskets the cheese would be of higher quality and we could choose varieties that we knew our friends liked.
Head over to an import store or a craft store to select an attractive wicker basket that will hold your selections. You will want to find an inexpensive cheese cutter as well. Choose some tasty quality cheese from a deli or the meat department at your local supermarket. Since the cheese will likely be wrapped in unattractive white paper you will likely want to rewrap it using plastic wrap. During the holiday season you can easily locate plastic wrap with holiday dcor on it. Select a few boxes of specialty crackers; don't forget to shop for the wine. Once you have all of your items assembled, place some shredded paper into the bottom of the basket. This will serve as filler.
Once the cheese is wrapped, put the filler in the basket and arrange all the items. Use the filler to cushion the bottle of wine and make the basket look nice and full. You can wrap the entire basket in cellophane wrap, but it is not absolutely necessary. Finish it off with some curling ribbon and you are ready to go. Keep in mind that you will have to keep it refrigerated. This is one of the main reasons that the ready made wine and cheese gift baskets incorporate the processed cheeses.
The neighbors all liked receiving these lovely wine and cheese gift baskets. Some of them used them for entertaining while others kept them all to themselves. We decided that they were such a hit with our neighbors that we are going to start giving these baskets to our families as well. If storage is an issue, just pre-wrap the cheeses and assemble the baskets right before the gift exchange. Whether you select one of the pre-made wine and cheese gift baskets or create your own it will be a gift that is loved by the recipient.
The pre-made cheese gift baskets included processed cheese spreads. We were concerned about how long some of the baskets had been sitting around. We thought that if we made our own baskets the cheese would be of higher quality and we could choose varieties that we knew our friends liked.
Head over to an import store or a craft store to select an attractive wicker basket that will hold your selections. You will want to find an inexpensive cheese cutter as well. Choose some tasty quality cheese from a deli or the meat department at your local supermarket. Since the cheese will likely be wrapped in unattractive white paper you will likely want to rewrap it using plastic wrap. During the holiday season you can easily locate plastic wrap with holiday dcor on it. Select a few boxes of specialty crackers; don't forget to shop for the wine. Once you have all of your items assembled, place some shredded paper into the bottom of the basket. This will serve as filler.
Once the cheese is wrapped, put the filler in the basket and arrange all the items. Use the filler to cushion the bottle of wine and make the basket look nice and full. You can wrap the entire basket in cellophane wrap, but it is not absolutely necessary. Finish it off with some curling ribbon and you are ready to go. Keep in mind that you will have to keep it refrigerated. This is one of the main reasons that the ready made wine and cheese gift baskets incorporate the processed cheeses.
The neighbors all liked receiving these lovely wine and cheese gift baskets. Some of them used them for entertaining while others kept them all to themselves. We decided that they were such a hit with our neighbors that we are going to start giving these baskets to our families as well. If storage is an issue, just pre-wrap the cheeses and assemble the baskets right before the gift exchange. Whether you select one of the pre-made wine and cheese gift baskets or create your own it will be a gift that is loved by the recipient.
About the Author:
Vina Zevigny writes for http://www.gourmetfoodgiftsusa.com, where she shares product reviews and articles for food and entertainment aficionados. Visit her for her often unique point of view and your gift 'Zevigny Food Features Ezine
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