1. Wine Tasting and Charcuterie
Looking for an easy food experience you can share with a friend or family member? Prepare your own, personalized wine tasting. All you need to do is choose a variety of wines that you would like to try.
To make the experience extra tasty, put together a beautiful looking charcuterie board. Bring together your favorite cheese and meat and combine them with crunchy almonds, fresh grapes and juicy pears. If you need some inspiration, try making the Cheese and Salumi Board, which goes perfectly with California white wine or Rosé. Find out more on selecting, tasting and serving wine here.
2. Fancy Homemade Snack Box
Know someone who loves to snack and try new things? Then make a fancy homemade snack box! Get creative with unique recipes and tons of different flavors – such as Chai Tea Popcorn. If you know someone who loves the taste of chai and cinnamon, or simply loves popcorn, then this sweet treat is exactly right for them! Plus, it’s super quick and easy.
Mix and match snacks with sweet, salty, and maybe even spicy flavors. And keep an eye on what could look nice. For example, Berries Cream Almonds are not just delicious, but also have a pretty blush color.
3. California Dreamin
Travel through taste – California, is not just a dreamy destination, but also a prosperous region that produces a variety of foods and drinks. Gift the flavors of the golden state by creating a California themed box of tasty goods. Here are some ideas to get you started:
4. Spice it Up
If you have that one person who absolutely loves everything spicy, then what better gift to give than a set of hot sauces and spices?!
The southern U.S. is hot sauce heaven for anyone who likes to turn up the heat. Find out more about U.S. chili peppers and hot sauce here. Some bold and flavorful hot sauce products from the south are offered by Texas Pete and Red Clay. Want to add something homemade? Mix some spices and prepare a special BBQ rub for grilled T-bone steaks.
5. Homemade Jars of Goodness
Aside from being practical, mason jars serve as adorable and sustainable packaging – especially for food related gifts. You can go sweet and make fruity jams such as the 5 Spice California Prune Jam or the Tart Cherry Champagne Jam, which makes it possible to enjoy the feeling of summer all year long.
If you think savory and unique is more their style, then give homemade pickled products a try! Pickling takes a bit of advanced planning, but is a super simple and special gift once you have it figured out. Get creative and have fun fermenting your favorite foods – whether it’s as easy as Pickled Chickpeas or something bolder such as Pickled Wild Alaska Salmon with Red Onions and Beets in a Jar. Give it a try!
6. Holiday Spirit
If you know someone of age who enjoys mixing drinks at home, or is simply a spirits connoisseur, then a bottle of a high-quality U.S. Distilled Spirit could bring them some holiday cheer. ‘Tis the season to gift flavorful spirits – whether it’s one that is enjoyed on it’s own or mixed into a cocktail.
If you need some help finding the perfect Texas Whiskey, California Dry Gin, or other U.S. Distilled Spirit, find some inspiration here. Drink responsibly, and remember, things come best in moderation.
7. Surf ‘n’ Turf Experience
Not everyone has had the pleasure of Surf ‘n’ Turf cuisine – the combination of seafood and red meat (usually American Lobster tails and U.S. Beef steaks). So for this year’s gift exchange, why not offer a special Surf ‘n’ Turf culinary experience? You can either pick out an American Steakhouse that offers this specialty on their menu or prepare the dinner yourself! All you need to do is sear or grill halved lobster tails and cook a steak as desired. If you need individual recipes, check out the Butter Poached Maine Lobster Tails and the Seared U.S. Ribeye Steak.
