"homemade gifts" news and stories

For most of my childhood, my dad had a business partner who was famous for her holiday goodies. Mid-December, she's arrive at the door with a bag bursting with sugar cookies, homemade caramels and a huge zip-top bag bursting with her take on the classic Chex Party Mix. We looked forward to that Chex Mix for months before it arrived and my mom would ration it out, making sure it lasted at least a week.

Part of the appeal of Eleanor's Chex Mix was that she included Cheerios and let it toast until everything was a uniform nutty brown. It's been years since I've had it, but I can still conjure up the flavor and crunch. If you choose to give your friends and family some Chex Mix for the holidays, you can package it up in plastic bags like Eleanor always did, or you could add a festive accent with some holiday-themed tins. My favorite Chex Mix recipe, which is based on the one we used to receive, is after the jump.

All month long, we'll be featuring homemade gifts and treats that you can create for your friends and family this holiday season. Today's offering is a jar of rosemary scented kosher salt and it couldn't be easier to make. Fill a canning jar half full with kosher salt and then tuck several sprigs of fresh rosemary down into the salt. Fill the jar the rest of the way up and then let it sit at least overnight (but a week or so is even better). Prior to gifting, remove the original rosemary and pop in some fresh sprigs to ensure maximum scent.

When you go to wrap the jars, tie an additional sprig of fresh rosemary on with a ribbon or some twine to make it even prettier.