Ten on the 10th....Hostess gifts for under $10

I personally believe that, especially during the holidays, one should always bring a hostess gift to every party, dinner, or get together they are attending!  It doesn't have to be an expensive gift, but rather a way to acknowledge your appreciation for being "included".

Here are some ideas that are inexpensive, but will certainly be appreciated by any hostess:

FUDGE WREATHS

This fudge, in the shape of a wreath, is so easy to make - and it's "never fail", too.

Here are the supplies - just under $10 to make 3-4 wreaths:
aluminum pans from the dollar store
vanilla
evaporated milk
chocolate chips and butterscotch chips
walnuts
a few spearmint leaves

The first thing I do is cover some "prescription" bottles with plastic wrap. These are to create the holes in the center of the fudge, to create a wreath shape.

I place these in the center of small aluminum pie tins:

I lightly brush butter on the tins and the plastic wrapped bottles:

I cut "leaves" out of gumdrops or spearmint leaves:

I chop up lots of walnuts:

And here is the recipe:

12 oz bag of milk or semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter OR butterscotch chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 t vanilla extract

Melt all 4 ingredients until creamy and add 8 oz chopped walnuts

Pour into 3-4 prepared small pie tins and add a few "leaves" and little cinnamon balls:

Refrigerate until set. Then I "twist" the prescription bottle out of center:

Peel away the pie tin, place on a holiday dish and it is ready to be wrapped up for gifts or ready to slice and enjoy yourself!

This takes little time but makes a lovely gift. I usually wrap it in cello wrap with a pretty bow!  There are some cute plastic plates that you can find at the Dollar Tree or Christmas Tree Shops and it still keeps this gift under $10!

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SOUTHWEST RUB:

Another fun idea is to give a jar of a spice or seasoning mix that you have made.

Print out your recipe onto recipe cards or gift bags and make a batch of this seasoning rub....

Store this in a pretty jar OR wrap in small plastic zip bags and tuck into paper gift bags - Use your imagination to present it in a pretty manner!

This recipe made 16 little gift packets:

Southwest Rub

1/3 c course salt

1/4 c lt brown sugar

2 T paprika

2 T black pepper

2 T oregano

2 T thyme

1 T cayenne pepper

1 T cumin

1T coriander

1 T chili powder

Mix all together well and enjoy on chicken, fish or beef!

For other ideas, visit some of my old posts:

These vinegars are easy to make, just store it in a cute bottle.

Tandoori Rub is delish, store it in a cute jar with a big red bow and a jingle bell.

Fresh herbs are also a great idea.

And if you are a Mackenzie-Childs fan, visit this old post for some inexpensive ideas for gift giving HERE

Visit these creative bloggers to see what ideas they offer for holiday gift giving:
Let's Add SprinklesExquisitely Unremarkable
Poofing the Pillows
My Heart Lives Here
Patina and Paint
Purple Hydrangea
Blue Sky at Home
The Boondocks Blog